Check out this excerpt from #1 NY
Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy's first book in the Callaway
family series… Then Read on for more information about this blog
tour and all its great prizes!
Sara met the first firefighter as soon
as his feet hit the sidewalk. "My father is trapped in the
basement," she said. "The door is off the laundry room by
the kitchen. Aiden Callaway went to get him, but they haven't come
out yet."
"Aiden?" the guy echoed.
She nodded, not really surprised that
the firefighter seemed to know Aiden since so many of the Callaways
worked in the department.
"Wait here," he told her.
She crossed her arms in front of her
waist as the firefighters entered the house. Everything would be
okay, she told herself. Aiden was with her father, and they were both
going to be fine.
Aiden must have seen the flames from
next door and in typical Aiden fashion, he'd run straight into the
house without waiting for backup. The Callaways had never been short
on courage; sometimes on good sense, but not on guts. And Aiden
didn't just end up in trouble; he often went looking for it. At
least, he had when he'd been younger.
It had been more than ten years since
she'd seen the very attractive guy-next-door, who had been the object
of the most intense crush she had ever had in her life. Aiden had
been a bad boy and she'd been a very good girl. But one reckless
night had taken their relationship to a new level. Then Aiden had
brought it all crashing down.
Her gut clenched at the memory of what
had been the best and worst night of her life. She'd put Aiden out of
her mind for a long time, but now he was back, and so was she.
Only temporarily, she reminded herself.
This wasn't her home anymore and never would be.
"Sara?"
She turned to see Lynda Callaway,
Aiden's stepmother, crossing the lawn at a brisk pace. A tall,
willowy blonde, Lynda Callaway moved gracefully, like the dancer
she'd once been.
"Are you all right, Sara? I
couldn't believe my eyes when I drove around the corner and saw the
fire engines and the smoke. What happened? Where's your father?"
"He's inside. So is Aiden,"
she added.
Lynda paled at that piece of news, her
gaze flying to the house. "Aiden? Aiden's here?"
"Yes. I guess he saw the smoke. He
broke down the front door." She glanced back at the house. Smoke
was pouring through the front door, flames still visible through the
windows in the dining room. What was taking them so long? "Aiden
went to get my father. He fell down the basement stairs. I didn't
want to leave him, but I couldn't move him."
Lynda put a reassuring hand on her arm.
"You did the right thing."
"I think he broke his leg."
"Your father is a strong man.
He'll come through this.
She'd always thought he was strong, but
when she'd seen him on the floor, he'd looked surprisingly fragile
and suddenly very human.
"How did the fire start?"
Lynda asked.
"He was cooking. I distracted him
when I showed up. We were upstairs arguing, and we didn't smell the
smoke right away. What is taking them so long?"
"They'll want to be careful moving
him," Lynda said, putting her arm around Sara's shoulders.
It had been a long time since Sara had
felt such a motherly touch, and the emotion of it brought tears to
her eyes. She'd been a strong, independent woman for a long time, but
right now she felt like an uncertain girl who was really, really
happy not to be alone.
They stood in quiet for a few moments,
watching firefighters attack the fire from both inside and outside of
the house. She saw two men up on the roof, using axes to make some
sort of a vent. Their work was efficient and apparently done without
any sense of fear. She'd been inside that heat, and she couldn't
imagine volunteering to go back in.
"How do they do it?" she
muttered. "How do you do it, Lynda? The fire was so terrifying,
so out of control, and it was only in the kitchen. How do you not
worry every time your husband or sons leave the house?"
Lynda smiled. "I've had a lot of
practice. I trust in my husband, my children, their fellow
firefighters and their training. That gets me through." She
paused, her smile fading away, her gaze turning back toward the
house. "I can't believe Aiden is here. He's been impossible to
reach the last few weeks. I wasn't sure when or if we'd see him
again."
"Really? Why?"
"He's had some trouble in his
life."
"Isn't that usually the case with
Aiden?"
"This time is different."
Before Lynda could explain, Aiden came
out on the porch, carrying her father over his shoulders. They
crossed the lawn and then, with the help of another firefighter, her
dad was placed on the gurney and attended to by the waiting
paramedics.
Sara moved as close as she could get,
relieved to see that her father was awake and able to answer
questions, but it was clear he was in a lot of pain. Once they had
him stabilized on the stretcher, he was loaded into an ambulance.
"I'll meet you at the hospital,"
she told him.
"No, I need you to stay here,
Sara. Keep an eye on my house."
"I'll take care of everything,"
she promised. "Then I'll come to see you."
The ambulance doors closed. A moment
later, he was on his way to the hospital.
"Do you need a ride?" Lynda
asked her.
"Uh, no," she said, trying to
pull herself together. Everything was happening so fast her head was
spinning. "I have a car. I'll wait until the fire is out, and
then I'll go."
"You've grown up into a beautiful,
capable woman, Sara," Lynda said with an approving gleam in her
eyes. "Your mom would be proud."
"I hope so. I still miss her."
"So do I. And so does your
father."
"That's not easy to believe."
Lynda gave her a knowing look. "Your
father is a difficult, complicated man. I've lived next door to him
for twenty years, and I don't feel like I know him any better now
than when he first moved in. Since your mom died, he's become even
more reclusive."
She nodded, her attention distracted by
Aiden's approach. Now that they were outside, she could see him more
clearly. As his gaze met hers, she felt a familiar rush of
adrenaline. He'd always had the ability to unsettle her, to make her
feel off balance, dizzy, her heart beating too fast, her words
getting choked in her throat. It was silly to feel that way now. Her
teenage crush had ended long ago. She certainly didn't intend to go
back there.
Unfortunately, Aiden was still a very
good-looking man, even with ash in his brown hair, sweat on his brow,
a three-day growth of beard on his face and tired blue eyes. Add in
the faded jeans with a rip at the knee and a T-shirt that clung to
his broad chest and strong shoulders, and Aiden was still as hot and
sexy as ever, maybe more so.
Sara drew in a breath, trying to dampen
down her physical response. She could handle it now. She didn't need
to get all worked up about a man who had only once seen her as more
than his sister's best friend and the girl next door, and that one
time had ended in regret on his part.
Fortunately, Lynda broke the awkward
tension between them.
"Aiden," Lynda said. "I
can't believe you're home. Why didn't you call me back?"
"I figured you'd see me soon
enough." He paused. "Are you okay, Sara?"
"I'm fine. Thank you for saving my
father."
He shrugged, as if what he had done had
been of little consequence.
"I've been leaving messages for
you for three weeks, Aiden," Lynda said.
"I needed some time to clear my
head," he replied.
"Well, I'm glad you're finally
home. I've been so worried about you since—"
"I'm fine," Aiden said,
cutting Lynda off. "I'll be over to the house in a minute."
"All right," Lynda said,
obviously sensing that this wasn't the time to grill her son. "Sara,
please stop by later and let me know how your father is doing. In
fact, come for dinner. We eat around seven, but any time you get back
is fine. I'll save you a plate."
"That isn't necessary."
"You won't be cooking in that
kitchen tonight. Just come by," Lynda insisted. "There's
always room for one more at our house."
"Okay, thanks."
With Lynda gone, she shifted her
weight, crossing her arms, then uncrossing them, wishing that Aiden
would stop looking at her with those incredible blue eyes.
"So, is the fire almost out?"
she asked.
"Looks that way, but you won't be
able to go inside until the fire inspector signs off."
"When do you think that will be?"
"Depends," he said. "Could
be an hour or more."
"I'm lucky my dad lives right next
door to firefighters. Although it doesn't sound like you live at home
anymore."
"Not in a long time," he said
shortly, his gaze drifting toward his childhood home.
She stared at his profile. In his early
thirties now, Aiden's features had become better defined, his jaw
stronger, his blue eyes harder and more cynical than she remembered.
His gaze returned to hers, and she
couldn't help wishing she looked a little better. She knew she was
more attractive than she'd been in high school, because once she'd
left her father's house, she'd discovered makeup and hair products,
short skirts and high heels. Unfortunately, she'd dressed herself
down to visit her father, pulling her hair back in a knot and wearing
gray slacks and a button-down blouse that did little to show off her
shape. The fire had made her sweat, and she could feel her hair
falling out of her bun, so it wasn't her best moment.
Not that she cared, she reminded
herself. There had been plenty of men in her life since high school,
since Aiden. She was no longer his adoring fan.
She searched for something to say,
something smart, witty, casual, but nothing seemed right. There had
been a time in her life when she'd lived to catch a glimpse of Aiden,
and another time when she'd hoped never to see him again, but now
here he was, here they were, and she couldn't think of a damn thing
to say.
She tucked her hair behind her ear.
"So…"
"So," he echoed. "It's
been a long time."
"Yes," she agreed, feeling
irritated with her awkwardness.
"How did you set the kitchen on
fire?"
"I wasn't the one who was
cooking," she said.
Aiden gave her a doubtful look. "You're
saying your father did that? Your father who lives by a rulebook and
never ever takes a misstep? The man who can do no wrong and cannot
tolerate failure in others?"
"Yes. Apparently, he is human,"
she replied, not surprised that Aiden's assessment of her dad was so
spot on. He'd grown up next door, and her father had yelled at the
Callaway boys on more than a few occasions.
"Are you living here now?"
Aiden asked.
"No, just visiting. What about
you?"
A shadow crossed his eyes. "I'm
not sure of my plans."
Before she could press for more
information, one of the firefighters joined them. "Callaway?
What are you doing here?"
"Helping out," Aiden said
shortly.
Something sparked between the two men,
something intense and angry. Sara felt like she'd just landed back in
the middle of another fire. Aiden had always had a million friends
and he'd been a guy's guy. To see someone who obviously hated his
guts was surprising.
"Quite the hero. You always land
on your feet, don't you?" the other man sneered.
"If you say so," Aiden said
evenly.
Fury burned in the other man's eyes a
split second before he pulled back his arm and punched Aiden in the
face.
Aiden stumbled backward, his hand
flying to his right eye.
Sara gasped in surprise, startled by
the unexpected attack. "What's happening?" she asked, but
no one was listening to her.
"That was for Kyle," the man
said. "And this—"
Before he could finish his statement,
one of the other firefighters intervened, grabbing his pal's arm.
"That's enough, Hawkins. Get in the truck."
Hawkins looked like he wanted to argue,
but after giving Aiden another scathing look he reluctantly followed
orders.
"What just happened?" Sara
asked.
Neither man seemed inclined to answer
her. After exchanging a long look with Aiden, the firefighter gave
her his attention. "The inspector just arrived. He'll let you
know the damage and when you can go inside."
"Thanks," she said.
The firefighter gave Aiden a hard look
and then headed to the truck.
"Okay, what was that all about?"
she asked Aiden.
He rubbed his rapidly swelling
cheekbone. "Nothing."
"That man didn't hit you for
nothing, Aiden. He said it was for Kyle. Was he talking about Kyle
Dunne?"
"Leave it alone, Sara."
"What happened to Kyle?"
Aiden's jaw tightened. "He died,
and it's my fault."
His blunt words shook her to the core.
Kyle Dunne was the same age as Aiden. They'd been friends since
kindergarten. Now he was dead? Why? How?
It was clear Aiden had no interest in
giving her more details; he was already moving down the sidewalk.
"Aiden, wait," she called,
but he didn't turn his head.
As he walked toward his truck, she
noticed a limp in his stride. He'd suffered an injury of some sort.
At the same time that Kyle had died?
Why would anyone blame Aiden for his
best friend's death? There was no way Aiden would have let Kyle die
without trying to save him. Aiden was a born protector. She'd just
witnessed him in action when he'd rescued her father, a man he didn't
even like. Aiden would have put his own life on the line for Kyle.
Memories of Aiden and Kyle together
flashed through her mind. She could see them playing catch in the
street until well after dark, hosting poker games in the room over
the garage for all their high school friends, getting dressed up in
suits for their senior prom. Kyle was dead? He'd always been so much
fun, a joker and a prankster. Kyle and Aiden had caused a lot of
trouble together, and they'd been closer than brothers. Aiden had to
be reeling. No wonder there had been so much worry in Lynda's eyes
when she'd mentioned Aiden.
As Aiden pulled his bags out of his
truck, she was torn between wanting to ask him more questions and
wanting to put some distance between them.
He was the one
guy she'd never been able to forget, the one guy who still haunted
her dreams. The last thing she needed to do was talk to him. She had
enough problems to deal with. She turned her back on Aiden and headed
across the lawn to talk to the fire inspector.
About the Callaway Blog Tour & All Its Great Prizes!
This is the week you finally meet the
Callaways! Not only are they all over the web as part of their
extraordinary blog tour, but they are also out and about in your
neighborhood. That's right; we're celebrating the
print launch with Ingram by throwing a
party all over the world! Make sure to follow this tour closely for
your chance to win gift cards, swag, autographed books, and other
incredible prizes.
All the info you need to join the fun and enter
to win amazing prizes is RIGHT
HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as
clicking a button or leaving a blog comment—easy to enter; easy to
win!
To Win the Prizes:
- Purchase any of the Callaway novels by Barbara Freethy (optional)
- Visit today’s featured social media event (that's where the HUGE prizes are)
About The Callaways: The
Callaways were born to serve and protect! In Barbara’s new
connected family series, each of the eight siblings in this blended
Irish-American family find love, mystery and adventure, often where
they least expect it! Each book stands alone, but for the full
enjoyment of the series, you might want to start at the beginning
with On A Night Like This! Get
the eBooks via Amazon, Barnes
& Noble, iBooks, or Kobo.
About the Author: Barbara
Freethy has been making up stories most of her life.
Growing up in a neighborhood with only boys and a big brother who was
usually trying to ditch her, she spent a lot of time reading.
When she wasn’t reading, she was
imagining her own books. After college and several years in
the P.R. field, she decided to try her hand at a
novel. Now Barbara is a #1 New York Times and USA Today
bestselling author loved by readers all over the world. Her
novels range from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and
women's fiction. Learn more on her website, Facebook
page, or in her Street
Team.
