Smoldering Heart_Fleming Brothers [Book 1] Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Epilogue

  Smoldering Heart

  Jennifer Vester

  Copyright © 2017 by Jennifer Vester

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is intended for mature audiences only.

  Cover design by: Marianne Nowicki @ PremadeEbookCoverShop.com

  Edited by: Beyond the Click: Photography & Publishing Services

  Author Website: www.JenniferVester.com

  For more information about the author:

  Join my Reader’s Group on Facebook! Vester’s Vixens

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  Author Website: www.JenniferVester.com

  Contents

  Special Thanks

  Books by Jennifer Vester

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Thank you!

  About the Author

  Dedicated to Angela Marie. Owen is yours.

  You saved my life. You wear a cape, and kick ass in my book.

  Special Thanks

  Thank you to:

  S. Van Horne, and M.R. Leahy for making me laugh daily.

  Sarah O’ Rourke, for your random feel-good calls, and advice.

  Teresa, for the continued support, and hilarious cheerleading.

  D. Beltran, for your humor, and the steamy title conversation.

  My Lovely Ladies…for taking a chance.

  And lastly, thank you to my kindred sisters.

  I was reminded recently, that we sometimes forget that the people who love us most, are the ones that we should always keep creating for.

  Books by Jennifer Vester

  ~ Lakefield Series ~

  Run

  Hide

  Break

  Chase

  Damage

  (Due in 2018)

  ~ Fleming Brothers ~

  Smoldering Heart

  Blazing Heart

  (Due in 2018)

  Chapter One

  ~Madison~

  The smell of pine trees floated through the air when I stepped out onto my dad’s front porch. A cooler breeze than the day before, played with my hair and I moved it off my face.

  Annoyed, I looked out past the plot of land that his house was built on, over the dirt road that led to his drive, and up toward the mountains in the distance.

  I could still hear my sister in the house complaining about me. Rachel’s voice could be heard anywhere. She was loud, boisterous, and said whatever was on her mind without thinking through her words half the time.

  Having an inside voice had never been in her vocabulary even as a child. As an adult, she had the same problem. On the positive side, she was at least truthful. But she lacked a certain finesse in conversing that almost seemed rude to most of the people she came in contact with.

  She was twenty-three, and we only had a three-year difference in age. But we had a huge difference in maturity level. She was idealistic in my mind. Always campaigning for some cause or another, which changed with the seasons. I had grown up with a firm grip on reality, however, and knew what a fruitless cause was when I saw it.

  I just happened to be her fruitless cause this week.

  “Daaad.” I heard Rachel say from inside the house as I took a seat on the porch steps. “She’s wasting her life. Can’t you see that?”

  My father coughed. “Rachel, that’s enough. Leave your sister alone. Just because she doesn’t do things the way you want her to, doesn’t mean she’s emotionally deficient.”

  “Okay, maaaybe that was a harsh way to describe it.”

  “Ya think?” he chuckled. “Leave it alone. She’ll figure things out when she’s ready to.”

  “She hasn’t even looked at the guys that answered her dating profile. Maddie’s just being difficult. There's plenty of options.”

  “What dating profile?”

  “The one I set up for her. I took a picture from last year and just put it on one of those sites. Everyone does it, and now she can start talking to guys that might be interested.”

  “Interested in what, is the question,” my dad grumbled. “Take it down.”

  “Da—”

  “No, Rachel. I know you mean well, but your sister has to fight her own battles.”

  “Jason has been dead for five years. How long should it take?”

  “Rachel, lower your voice! Stop meddling. Take it down, and that's enough pestering her about it.”

  “Fine.”

  The front door slammed behind me, followed by the familiar footsteps of my sister stomping across the porch.

  “I was just trying to help,” she said sullenly as she passed me on her way to her car. Her dark hair whipped around furiously behind her in the breeze and seemed to match her mood.

  “I know,” I called out to her. “Just help me with the shop instead.”

  “Fine,” she muttered as she opened her door. Turning around to look at me, she tapped her fingers on the top of the car. “Can you just give someone a shot? I’m not saying today, necessarily. Just someone. And if you do get married, I have it all planned out already; you wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.”

  “You what?” I frowned at her.

  “Your wedding. It’s in one of my albums. I'd be the best maid of honor ever, I swear.”

  Contrary to the fact that most people thought Rachel seemed extremely flighty, she was known to plan just about everything. It was why she made an excellent member on the City Celebration Committee. But she was also a pain in the local law enforcement’s collective asses and had been since she turned eighteen. She was known for staging a few rallies without permits or permission.

  I rolled my eyes. “Let me guess, you’ve also set up a vision board for me too.”

  She shrugged
and waved, smiling at me. “Let me know when you want to see it! Bye!”

  As she backed down the driveway, I heard the door behind me open.

  “She means well, Maddie,” my father said.

  I glanced back over my shoulder to see my dad smirking at me as he held the door open.

  For an older man, he was still in great shape. He was tall and lanky with broad shoulders and had the look of a man that was much younger than his actual age. The only thing that gave away his years was his salt and pepper hair. He cut it short, and tight to hide some of it in a small show of vanity on his part.

  “Come on. I’ve got places to go, and I’m not going to stand out here all day.”

  I stood up and dusted my jeans off before walking back inside.

  He shut the door and walked over to the huge mirror that hung in the living room. It'd been in the same place since my mother died twenty years ago. No amount of pleading from his daughters would convince him to move it. The same went for half the pictures and furniture in the house.

  The only concession to our arguments had been replacing the worn carpet, and having the place completely repainted six years ago. Jason had been instrumental in negotiations.

  Remembering the night my dad agreed to the changes made me smile.

  “What’s on your mind, Maddie?” he asked, while adjusting his uniform shirt.

  I shook my head. “I was just thinking about that night Jason talked you into repainting. Looks like it needs a new coat soon.”

  My dad let out a chuckle. “That kid. He went at me like a lawyer presenting a murder case. Had all his facts. I’m surprised he didn’t bring a chart with some graphs. The paint is fine in here.”

  My eyes swept the room of well-worn leather furniture, and wooden side pieces. His couch faced a large TV in the corner and was angled just enough that he could see through the wide picture window. A frequently used fireplace took up another wall that continued into the kitchen. It was a medium sized place for a family, with three bedrooms, and two baths, but it had been ours for many years.

  Bill was a creature of habit. He liked the things he had, and rarely ever budged on buying anything new. There was a story for every nick in the wooden table, and every scratch on the counter in the kitchen. He would likely never move, and we would never make him. We just wanted him to have some better things.

  “Rachel and I have been thinking about bringing that new fridge we have at the shop over here.”

  “Why would you do that, honey? You gals need it more than I do. The one in the kitchen works just fine.”

  “Dad, it’s thirty years old,” I said, while I watched him smooth back his short hair in the mirror.

  “And?” he replied, facing me. “As long as it keeps my leftovers and beer cold, who cares?”

  “The one we have is a little too small for what we need to use it for. We can fit a lot more flowers in yours because it has a huge fridge compartment rather than dual freezer.”

  He smirked at me. “Reasonable. I’ll think about it. You know that fridge could probably withstand a nuclear blast.”

  “I’m sure, but it’s older than me at this point, and if it shuts down, at least you won’t have warm beer while waiting on a replacement. It’s old. If it breaks at the shop it won’t affect us much.”

  He grabbed his watch off the side table under the mirror and put it on. “It’s vintage. Isn’t that a new thing now? Turquoise refrigerators are now a hot item.”

  I walked over and adjusted the collar on his white shirt.

  “I’ll let you know when we’re bringing it over.”

  “Hmm. So, I’m your pet project now? I thought I was off that list for a while since your sister has chosen you this month.”

  I patted his arm and stepped back. “I’ll throw a box of puppies at her and she’ll veer a different direction. I’ll be out of the hot seat for at least a day.”

  A small frown passed over his face when he looked at me with his kind eyes.

  “What?”

  “Well now, don’t get fussy—”

  “Dad,” I narrowed my eyes at him.

  He grabbed my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze.

  “Your sister has a few redeeming qualities.”

  “Like what?” I snorted.

  “Like caring very much about both of us. She has a point. You should be dating and living your life. Jason wouldn’t have wanted you to mourn him this entire time. He was one of the best firemen in the department, even at his age. I miss him too, but he wouldn’t have wanted this.”

  I frowned at him. I wasn’t still mourning Jason. But telling my family this time and again didn’t seem to convince them.

  If anything, I was just convinced that I wouldn’t find anyone that would love me as deeply as he had. He'd been my world for a couple of years, then he was gone. I wasn’t sure if I even had the ability to love anyone else in the same way.

  When I thought of him, there was a small burn in my chest, that even after five years was still there. More than anything, I missed the way he'd made me feel alive when we were together. We'd just gotten engaged, then the accident had happened.

  I sighed heavily. “Dad, I’m not mourning him. I mean, I miss him, but I’m not hung up on it anymore. I just don’t want to date anyone. It wouldn’t be the same.”

  He chuckled. “No, it won’t be the same. It never will be. The next man that comes along won’t love you the same way, but he will love you. Maybe even more than Jason did. You won’t know until you meet him.”

  “So, you think Rachel’s dating website is a good thing?”

  He shook his head. “No. That’s no way to meet anyone. Whatever happened to just meeting someone face to face and asking them on a date? Why do there have to be profiles and websites? Ridiculous if you ask me.”

  “So, I’m supposed to walk up to some random person and ask them on a date? Dad, the only guys I’m around on a consistent basis are at the fire department. You asked me to help with those luncheons, and now I’m stuck doing them because the city doesn’t want to bother with hiring a paid planner. Rachel and I have at least twenty retired dads at this point, and I don’t think anyone in the department would date either one of us because of you.”

  He chuckled. “It’s not a bad thing to have that many dads. They’re all good guys and were excellent firefighters when you two were growing up. Hell, all of them had a part in raising you in one way or another. Just means there are more eyes to watch my girls.”

  “And again, what do you want me to do? Date another fireman? You want me to go up to all twelve stations and knock on the door?”

  He shook his head and blinked. “No, not at all. In fact, I don’t think that would be good at all for you or them. Jason was a friend to a lot of people in the department. Unfortunately, it’s a small department, and everyone knows everyone else.”

  “So?”

  “Find an accountant or maybe that guy that works over in city planning. What was he, an architect or something?”

  “Dad, I am not going to date Dean. He can keep asking, but it’s never going to happen.”

  He sighed heavily. “Okay, I’ll let you repaint the house if you start dating again. I don’t care who it is. Well, I do, but you know what I mean.”

  I smirked. “Is that a compromise or an order, Chief?”

  He chuckled. “Whoever it is, just tell him Battalion Chief William Crawford requires him to go talk to your other twenty dads before we can let him see you long term.”

  “And this is why I’ll never date.”

  “I’m kidding, honey. Kind of. Can you hand me my jacket? I’ve got to go meet with the Fire Chief before I head to the high school. I’m giving a speech there today.”

  “The Fire Chief isn’t so bad,” I said, while taking his jacket off the back of the couch.

  I handed it to him, and he started shrugging it on. “I guess. It was an appointment, not a popular vote. I’m not sure anyone wants to deal with that crabby
old man that thinks we need a micro manager. We need new equipment, and better training, not more paperwork. They would rather deal with someone else on both sides of the line.”

  “That’s why you make a great Battalion Chief, Dad. You’re just as crabby so you can deal with him. As soon as you get sweet and stop acting as the buffer between the guys and him, they’ll probably lose their minds.”

  He laughed and buttoned his jacket, giving me a wink. “Let them try. Lucky for them, I still have a few more years before I’m done being a pain in the ass.”

  “Just be careful, as always.”

  He gave me a quick peck on my forehead. “Always, sweet-tart. Don’t worry, I’ll be around for a long time just to be a pain in your ass too.”

  I shook my head and laughed. “I’m clearly the sweet one. That nickname should be reserved for Rachel.”

  “You’re the perfect mix of sweet and tangy. Sweet, then you knock us flat with the tart. Wouldn’t have you any other way. Your sister on the other hand, a Fireball shot if I’ve ever met one. Straight out punch and burn. God help the man that tries to take that on.”

  “He’ll have to have an extreme amount of patience.”

  “And hopefully a good head on his shoulders to manage her, and not the other way around.”

  “Rational.”

  “A little insane.”

  I laughed and moved toward the door.

  “Same goes for you, kiddo. Insane! But my girls are worth it. Don’t settle for anything less. You want paint and a redo on the house, start looking.”