The Hero by Robyn Carr

it.”
    Ray Anne just shook her head and laughed. “Oh, if only all my clients were this easy to please. Have a great day. We have to go find Devon a bed.”
    Spencer watched as they drove away. The first time he saw Devon, he thought she was cute. As the days became weeks, she grew more beautiful to him. Striking, in fact. And that laugh—it cut right through him. He couldn’t seem to stay away from her and there was no logic to it.
    He shook himself. “Let’s have a look inside, Sarah,” he said. “In case I haven’t said so, this is really nice of you.”
    She unlocked the front door and entered, looking at him over her shoulder. “We have to look out for each other. We’re combining families here.”
    “It’s all good,” he said. But it wasn’t all good. He had no regrets about coming to Thunder Point. It was a great move for a lot of reasons and he was more than a little anxious to meet and start working with his colleagues and the team. Everyone he knew was growing deeper connections—Austin had gained a second father and soon, a stepmom and stepbrother. Cooper had gained a son and would soon add a wife and brother to the mix. Sarah and Landon were expanding their intimate circle. But in the midst of all these people, Spencer was alone.
    He missed his wife. The past few years she’d been so sick, but he often missed the girl he’d married. It had been so long since he’d seen or held that girl.
    The house was unremarkable, but had so many of the things he wanted—a large kitchen, a comfortably big bathroom, a living room with a fireplace, a backyard, a view. It was a simple house. Nothing flashy. Not the kind of house one aspires to. Not what he’d build if he could. Certainly not what Cooper was going to build next to Ben & Cooper’s.
    And yet it was perfect. Just what he and Austin needed.
    “This is great, Sarah,” he said. “If you’re sure.”
    She laughed and asked, “How many houses do I need?”
    He grinned at her. “Two weeks, huh?”
    “I was a hard sell,” she admitted. “But I’m ready.”
    “Is Cooper trying to tie you up before you can change your mind?”
    “Not exactly,” she said with a laugh. “He wants to get married on the beach before he brings heavy equipment in to excavate the hillside for building. He doesn’t really know how much of a mess that’s going to make. Getting him to wait two weeks was a challenge. Cooper’s been married in his head for a while now.”
    “That’s...kinda sweet. Who would figure Cooper for sweet?” Spencer dropped a hand and gave a pat to the head of Ham, who had come to greet them. “I guess the dog won’t stay with the house?”
    “Cooper would be devastated. He might be marrying me for the dog. But I assure you, some of the dog hair will probably stay with the house.”
    “One phone call gets my household goods en route. You want to think about this?”
    She shook her head. “I’m ready to move.”
    “Where are you going to put all this stuff?” he asked.
    “I’m going to store a few things, put a couple of things in the RV or Cooper’s loft apartment and then get rid of a lot. Cooper has me convinced my new house deserves some new furniture. Need anything?”
    He shook his head. “I have more coming than I need as it is. Maybe we’ll have a big yard sale?”
    “Maybe,” she said with a laugh.
    When they were back in the Razor, he said, “Drive me past that place Devon just rented.”
    “Sure. I’m curious, too. I’ve driven by it before, but never thinking it would have anything to do with me or a friend of mine.” And she whirled down the street, past a lot of perfectly lovely homes.
    At the end of the street, Devon’s new place stood out like a wart on a nose. The grass was tall and mostly dead with a few green sprouts here and there. The driveway was covered in brown pine needles and the windows were streaked and filthy. The other half of the duplex was neat, except for the lawn, which was also a wreck.