Page 17 of Burning For You

A year later, he ended up at the fire department and had to move to the city of Glens Falls anyway.

“And I appreciated every day of it.” He looked around trying to figure out dinner today. “What are you making?”

“There is a ham in the oven. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Broccoli with cheese sauce.”

He grinned. “You’re making my favorite meal.”

She moved over and patted his cheek. “Because you gave me enough notice that you were coming.”

He’d texted last night when he was at Corbin’s. He didn’t think that was much notice.

“You went to the store this morning and bought a ham?”

His father snorted. “No. She had that. She was making it anyway. Don’t think too highly of yourself.”

Which meant that the only thing being changed was the broccoli with the cheese sauce. The only way he’d eat that vegetable.

If his mother put cheese sauce on anything, he’d devour it.

“Come have a seat and tell us what is going on.”

“Not much,” he said. “I was out here a few days ago.”

Working with Clay in the mill. He put in one to two days when his brother needed him. Another one or two days with Corbin, then his two twenty-four-hour shifts at the fire department didn’t leave him much time to relax.

He had a lot of years ahead of him in life for that.

If Clay had had an event last night, he would have been here rather than Corbin’s and manning the bar with his brother.

They’d had a wedding on Friday, but he wasn’t able to help.

“You came over for lunch and then went back to work,” his mother said. “That doesn’t give me a lot of time to really talk to you. I’m working.”

“So Ash is mooching a meal,” Ford said, coming into the kitchen through the back door. It was how everyone entered the old farmhouse.

“Mom loves having me home. I tell her what a great cook she is.”

“You always were the suck up,” Clay said, coming in next.

“Are your wives working?” he asked Ford and Clay.

“Both of them do on Sunday,” his mother said. “But the cafe closes at one, so they are cleaning up now and should be here soon.”

“I’m going to run over and get any leftover sweets.”

“Reenie knows what you like and she’ll bag them up for you. Don’t worry.”

He moved closer and kissed his mother’s cheek. “You’re the best.”

“Oh boy,” Gale said, holding the door open while Rory came in next. “Here we go again. Ash is trying to be the favorite. What is it this time?”

“I should be the favorite,” Rory said. “I’m the one who proposed to Gale and am taking her off all your hands.”

There was laughter in the room. Even from Clay. That was saying something.

Or maybe not as much as it would have years ago.

His feisty sister nudged her fiancé’s arm. “That’s not nice.”