Fire Angel by Susanne Matthews Page A

father to Tulsa and he came for me. Gramps hadn’t seen Mom in over forty years. My mom was only five when her parents divorced and no one, certainly not Grandma, ever spoke of him.”
    â€œYou were very fond of him, weren’t you?” Jake asked, although the way her voice had softened indicated that she had been and still was.
    â€œYes, I was; Gramps was great. He took me back to Tulsa, paid for the reconstructive surgery and therapy, and eventually I came to grips with the guilt. I changed my name to his, got my American citizenship, and put all of it behind me. He made me realize that everything happens for a reason. That’s what made me choose this as a career; I couldn’t get justice for my parents or the Changs, but I could help others find answers and closure. In a lot of ways, our jobs are similar; we look at the evidence and solve the puzzle. Gramps died three years ago, and I’ll be forever grateful for the years we had together. Sometimes good things do come from bad ones.”
    â€œI’m sorry,” he said, but the words seemed inadequate to cover what must have been an extremely difficult time for her.
    They had arrived at her cabin door. She took the key out of her pocket. “That’s why I want to find this guy, Jake. The families of those who have died and those who were injured tonight need answers. Thanks for listening and not judging.” She unlocked the door and turned towards him.
    Unable to stop himself, Jake pulled her into his arms and held her close. He relaxed his hold, looked into her eyes, and saw the shadows beneath them. They were both tired, and the timing was all wrong, but he needed this. He bent his head and kissed her tenderly, but the sweet taste of her lips was his undoing. Like a flower bud, she opened to him, inviting his invasion. His tongue tasted the nectar that was hers alone and wanted more. Before he lost all control, he ended the kiss, his breathing ragged, realizing from her trembling that she had been as affected as he had.
    â€œI shouldn’t have done that,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
    She licked her lips and smiled hesitantly.
    â€œI’m not. Do you want to come in?” she asked pushing the door wider.
    â€œThanks, but maybe another time. Minette will be looking for me and we both need rest. I’ve got to get off the leg for a while,” he said. “Get some sleep; I’ll see you later. Come find me when you wake up and we’ll plan our strategy from there. Like it or not, we’re in this together.”
    He gave her another quick kiss, turned, and limped back towards the inn.

Chapter Seven
    She closed the door and leaned against it, and then pulled away and danced a little happy jig around the room. He had kissed her; it had begun as a light, tender kiss, a kiss of compassion and caring; when it had deepened, she had felt sky rockets go off. Contrary to what Bob had said the last time they had met, she wasn’t made of ice; it just took the right man to thaw her. So what if Jake had said he was sorry? He was just being a gentleman.
    She had been alone for so long, she had begun to believe that was what she wanted — a solitary existence where no one and nothing could hurt her. Sure, she had fantasized about the house, the white picket fence, and the cute blonde-haired, blue-eyed kidlets, but she had never really done anything to make it a reality. Since the attempt on her life last spring, her hormones had gotten noisier, but to be a mother, you had to be willing to invest more than time and money — you had to put your heart out there and take a chance that someone would trample it.
    What she really wanted was someone who was non-judgmental, someone who could accept her for what she was and share in all aspects of her life — a father for her children, a shoulder to cry on, a man to have her back. Sixteen years ago, in her teen dreams, she had imagined Jake in that