Chapter 1

* * *

ALEC

Several months ago…

“MAAAAA?! WHAT GIVES?”

Alec screamed in dismay and horror as his mother barged right into his small apartment at the back of her property. His childhood home had always been perfect for the two of them after his father had passed away unexpectedly when he was a boy. Now, as an adult, he wanted to be close to his mother, but there were some lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

Like – oh, I don’t know – entering uninvited when he was taking a long, steamy shower while daydreaming about being surrounded by girls on a secluded paradise island in the middle of nowhere. Living in the mother-in-law suite was supposed to be a compromise to keep him from moving out, giving him privacy while being close.

Boundaries were obviously hard.

“Don’t you ‘Ma’ me, young man. I’ve washed, wiped, doctored, clipped, poked, and prodded just about every surface of that naked body for the first ten years of your life, and trust me – you have nothing that I’ve not seen before, young man.”

“Ma, I’m trying to get a shower.”

“Wash behind your ears, sweetie…”

“Can you get out so I can finish?”

“Do you have a hot date or something?”

Alec closed his eyes in frustration, hearing the hopeful tone of her voice and shaking his head. Yeah, his imaginary island, those sun-tanned bikini bodies he had been picturing, were gone… and there was no retrieving that moment. His mother was moving around his apartment, and he didn’t know why. Shutting off the water, he yanked the towel off the bar and quickly wrapped it around his hips, nearly slipping in an effort to find out what she was doing back here— again.

Snooping,he thought. Sure enough, his mother was picking up things around his little apartment and literally fluffing the cushions on his loveseat.

Fluffing. The. Cushions.

“Ma, what is going on?”

His mother looked up at him and rolled her eyes, spotting the Maltese cross he had tattooed on his arm, muttering something under her breath. She looked away, hesitated, and then looked back at him.

“You need to lay off the donuts, young man. You are getting a pooch, and you are too young for that.”

Alec’s mouth dropped open in horror as he looked down at his stomach. He didn’t see a pooch, but that was low – especially coming from his own mother.

“Well, if you weren’t creeping in my place, you wouldn’t have seen my pooch or anything else.”

“It’s not creeping when I own the property.”

“Look, let’s not go into that again. You wanted me to stay home. I wanted to move. We came to an arrangement that normally works for both of us, so what gives? Why are you fluffing the pillows – again – on my loveseat?”

“You keep this place a mess.”

“We both know that’s not true – and you are avoiding the question.”

“Are you going to stand there all day in a towel, young man?”

“Nope. I’m about ready to jerk it right off just to run you out of here.”

“You think that little twig will make me run away? Please, child…”

“MAAAA?!? What the heck,” he whimpered, reaching over and snatching the crocheted throw off the arm of the couch, wrapping it around his body defensively in an effort to keep from getting brutally criticized about anything else. He wasn’t exactly shy, but somehow, some way, his mother had a tongue sharper than his own. “It’s a log, not a twig – and quit looking!”

“There, there, sweetie. As long as I am bouncing grandbabies on my knee one of these days, I don’t really care what you deem it to be – and why do you insist on marking your body with a tattoo? You know I don’t like them and…”

“Uh, that’s why?!”

“What if some young woman wants to come home with you?”

“Then I’m gonna have a great time, lock my freakin’ doors, and she’s gonna see my tattoo… plus a lot more of me, Ma. Now, again, what is going on?” he blurted out, looking at his mother, whose shoulders dropped, indicating that she knew she’d been caught red-handed.

“Well, I was talking to Ruthie and…”

“Ma, I swear, you and that woman work faster at spreading gossip than…”

“We don’t gossip!” she snapped, interrupting him. “We are concerned, loving citizens of Ember Creek.”

“Gossips,” he retorted flatly, smiling at his mother – who rolled her eyes and perched on the end table, looking at him.

“Guess what I heard from Ruthie?”

“I’m scared to guess…”

“Ruthie won one of the photo shoots and one of the dates for the charity auction, but guess who else won?”

Alec stood there, looking at his mother, and didn’t have the heart to tell her that was old news. He’d heard about it the other day, and for a moment, he’d been afraid he was the recipient. There would be no living down a very public picture of his mom’s best friend taking a cuddly photo with him.

“I can’t imagine,” he muttered.

“Willow Rushman.”

Those two words, that name, hung knowingly in the silence between them as the oxygen was sucked out of the room. Willow, the girl that had broken his heart years ago, dumped him at graduation because she was leaving for college and ‘wanted to experience life’… a.k.a ‘party’. She had cut him off, cut all ties, and he had successfully avoided her for almost two years since her return to Ember Creek.

“Are you kidding me?” he said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Not really. Is that why you are here fluffing and straightening up things to get the scoop from me?”

“Of course not. I’m your mother, and I wanted to say hello.”

“Hello,” he said glibly and pointed to his towel. “I was in the shower.”

“I noticed. Ruthie is coming over for dinner, and I didn’t know if you wanted to join us to get the scoop on what’s going on in town or what Willow has been up to. You know, I’ve always liked that sweet girl and…”

“Ma – no. Stop. I’m not interested.”

“But you were once…”

“A long time ago and we both grew up. She went her way, and I went mine. Two diverging roads, two separate people, and the two shall not ever twine, okay?” he said flatly in a sarcastic voice.

“Well, I think you should get to ‘twine-ing,’ young man. I’m going to be sixty this year, and you are dawdling.”

“I’m not dawdling – trust me. I ‘twine’ every chance I get.”

“You do?”

“I’m not having this discussion with my mother.”

“Your mother should be a grandmother by now, and yes, we are having this discussion.”

“No, we aren’t, and now that I know Willow won the auction – I’m gonna make sure and swap with someone else if she thinks that this is going to be easy to cozy up to me again. Not gonna happen. Nope. Never.”

“You miss her, don’t you?”

“Heck no, Ma. I don’t miss her. I would miss a root canal on an infected tooth a whole lot less than I would miss her. She had a smart mouth, was always telling me what to do, and then dumped me like I was trash. I don’t need a repeat performance or…”

“She broke your heart, baby, but time has a way of healing things and…”

“So does avoidance, amputating rotting limbs, or decisive breaks from things that are nooo good for you. This is me, amputating Willow from my life. Noooo bueno for Alejandro.”

“Alec… and your name is not Alejandro, you goofball.”

“Ma, no,” he said hoarsely, looking at her. “Please. Okay? I can’t do this again – and if you loved me, you’d let it drop. It hurt, and I don’t want any of that pain in my life again. I’m happy now and finally over it.”

“All right,” his mother said gently, getting to her feet. “Ruthie will be here at six – and while she would love to see you in a towel, I have a problem with it. Get dressed.”

“I’ve been trying to for about ten minutes now.”

“No, you weren’t, young man. Don’t think that I didn’t know what you were doing in the shower. You and I are going to church on Sunday because you obviously need God in your life a little more – and a new set of mini blinds on the side of the house. Leave that thing alone unless you are making me some grandbabies.”

“MAAAA!” he yelped in horror as she walked out the front door, muttering under her breath about him.

* * *

Several days later,Alec’s pride was still stinging.

Just hearing Willow’s name brought up had started to reopen wounds that he thought were long since buried. He dreamed about her last night. He was reliving that day so long ago when he had actually gotten the nerve to propose to her, only to have things spun wildly out of control.

It was a horrible dream!

They weren’t at the high school football game anymore. He was alone, on a boat, in the middle of nowhere… adrift. He couldn’t see anyone in his dream, yet he knew they were there. Willow’s voice was like a soothing balm to his soul, making him confess everything in his heart and mind, only to hear her mocking laughter a moment later. She was giggling, the guys from work were teasing him, and everyone had someone in their lives - except him.

Forever alone.

Sitting up in his bunk, covered in sweat, he pulled himself out of bed rushing to the bathroom at work, afraid he was going to be sick. Yeah, reliving all those fears, those imagined moments, were devastating. Nothing was going to prepare him for today.

He had to face her because his options were very limited. It was either cuddling in a photo with his mother’s best friend, who was a little too ‘friendly’ for his taste, cozy up to a gorgeous woman who was fawning over Lance, who was completely oblivious to the fact… or seeing if he could beg the chief to refund Willow.

The man would not do that, and Alec knew it. This was for charity, and for some reason, Willow had bid on him specifically. Maybe he would catch a horribly contagious cold or the measles or the flu? He could always offer to pay her off and go away, but if he knew Willow?

She would double down on whatever her scheme was.

“Dang it,” Alec muttered, cursing under his breath as he looked at Colton standing nearby with Mrs. Kendall – only to hear Willow’s voice behind him like nails down a chalkboard.

“Oh heavens… this is not what I imagined.”

“Me neither, honey,” Mrs. Kendall guffawed before hollering even more encouragement toward Lance and the woman practically fawning all over the other firefighter. “This is for charity, remember? Put some ‘Oomph’ into it! Hug her to you, Cortes! Woman, make that blouse gape or splash some water on you. We need to know you can see down to her belly button, young man!”

“This isn’t a porno, Mrs. Kendall!” Alec retorted – and then glanced at Willow, who was fanning herself even more ardently. Her pale cheeks were flushed, and she was prettier than he remembered. What am I saying? he thought horrified. She’s not pretty, and you aren’t lookin’, Nitwit! “Are you expecting that, too?”

“Not expecting…” Willow said quietly before looking away from him.

“Oh mercy…” Alec’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“She’s wishing for it, you young strapping buck! I know you’ve got it in you, Alec Beckett. Your daddy was a loose cannon back in my day,” Mrs. Kendall encouraged, yelling again at Lance. “C’mon, Cortes, I want this photo to look like the front of a romance book from the seventies. Let’s see some skin, young man. Woman, where’s your cleavage? Get right on in there, ya hot little Romeo. Pretend like you’ve just been roofied, and now she’s holding out on you. Young woman – pretend to faint, would ya – and let that hot piece of meat hold onto you, lady!”

“Oh my gosh!” Both men yelped and looked at Mrs. Kendall in horror.

“Would you just stop?!” Colton added. “Lance…”

Alec felt a raw, live, burst of panic inside of him as he saw Willow clasp her hands together while he witnessed the unthinkable. Lance was shockingly all over the woman who had won his auction. He was practically seeing the man making love to her in front of all of them, bending her backward, not two inches from kissing her.

Alec began slapping the other firefighter beside him on the arm frantically, and both men stared in horror. Colton was now the partner of Mrs. Kendall, and he was stuck with his ex-girlfriend.

He had been brutally dumped with no reasoning from Willow, other than ‘I want to have fun’ being the excuse – just like his friend. Colton’s girlfriend had ditched him without a word after an argument, never to be seen again. At least his nightmare came around, and he knew she was alive from the gossip his mother passed along – his buddy had no answers, no resolution and it ate at Colton.

“I’m not doing that!” Colton said bluntly, looking at Mrs. Kendall, who wagged her eyebrows at him mischievously.

“You’ll do whatever I say, Handsome,” she crooned. “I paid dearly for you, and I’m gonna frame our picture.”

“Good luck, brother,” Alec said, slapping him on the shoulder and laughing as the chief hollered for Colton.

“Fischer! You’re up.”

“C’mon, Handsome…” Mrs. Kendall grinned, yanking him forward by the arm. He saw several of them look at him with pity and hesitantly took off his shirt. Lance was standing in the distance, still shirtless and frowning at the dark-haired woman who didn’t look too happy either. No, this was a nightmare and was officially putting an anonymous card in the comments box to complain since the chief read them to the team without filtering them at meetings.

“It’s good to see you, Alec…” Willow said from beside him, and he hated the soft spot she obviously still had within him. Soft - and festering. Rot. It was like zombie-rot in his soul, wishing he could take a grapefruit spoon with the little teeth in the front and just dig it out — painfully.

“Yup. Hope things are going well for you,” he muttered, refusing to look at her, and heard her heavy sigh.

Alec was trying so hard not to pay attention to her, focusing blindly instead on Colton and Mrs. Kendall for sheer entertainment of a happier kind. This wasn’t a reunion or some lovey-dovey tryst. It was manipulation, and he was stuck with his ex-girlfriend for charity.

“Look, can we talk, please?”

“That’s what this is – talking.”

“No, don’t be smart with me. I know you, and this is not talking. Yeah, your lips are moving, air is being expelled from your lungs and vibrating against your vocal cords – but this isn’t really talking, and we both know it.”

“I’m not sure I want to talk to you. I mean, we could have talked years ago but didn’t, and…” Alec clamped his mouth shut, refusing to give her anymore ammunition to use against him. Especially now that Lance was walking over toward them, donning his T-shirt and still frowning.

“Is this about when we broke up?”

“This is me focusing on my job today, which includes a charity event – the photo shoot.”

“I’m part of that.”

“Barely and yes – you bought your way into this.”

“All of us did… and I’d like to talk.”

“Meh, I’m good.”

“Well, I’m not,” Willow admitted softly when Lance joined them, making a very uncomfortable trio as Colton and Mrs. Kendall were put into position for their photos. The fire chief’s grim expression, the photographer’s laughter, Willow’s gasp of awareness, caused Alec to look up, and he began laughing. Lance turned around, and his mouth dropped open before he began cackling wildly.

It took only two seconds, and it was over – only to hear his mother’s best friend exclaim in sheer delight. “Can I see what it’s going to look like? Oh, I’m framing that thing and putting it in my bedroom!”

“Wait… what?!” Colton nearly yelped, marching over to look at the photographer’s camera – as his mouth dropped open. If that photo was ‘simple’ or ‘innocent,’ then he was a ‘billionaire.’

Mrs. Kendall had put her hand directly in front of Colton’s pants, curled it, and in the photograph where he was making a face – it appeared like she had his genitals in a death grip for all time. It would be on every calendar, in every home, and in the county.

“See? I promised I wouldn’t touch you,” Mrs. Kendall said sweetly, actually patting Colton on the head like he was a toddler. “And I didn’t, young man. Mama Ruthie keeps her promises to her good boy – and you were a very, very good boy, young man.”

“That woman is atrocious… yet brilliant,” Willow whispered, causing Alec’s head to swivel around in shock as he finally looked at her – really looked at her.

Gosh, time had not changed her as much as he wished it had. Why couldn’t she grow a mole on her nose, lose a few teeth, gain two hundred pounds, or get wrinkles at an early age. The inside was supposed to match the outside - and the pit viper should have sprouted fangs and venom by now.

How did she get more appealing?

She still had that same soft innocent face that almost looked angelic. Full lips and that riot of ash-brown curls were frosted and piled on her head like a loose bun. She was breathtaking in an ethereal way, and it was an act.

The real Willow he knew was razor sharp, plotting, conniving, and always three steps ahead of everyone. She had been going to college to become a teacher, and he really fretted about the youth of Ember Creek if she taught school here. Oh, they’d be smart, but there would be a price to pay.

“I’m not doing this,” he said bluntly, drawing from deep down and trying to shore up his defenses. “We’re not friends, and you made that abundantly clear that I was nothing to you.”

“Alec, that’s not fair. I was too young to…”

“Oh, Alec? Mama Ruthie has some goodies she really wants to see you holding, sweetie pie!”

To his utter shock, Willow grabbed his upper arm and tried to pull him forward for their photo. Alec yanked his arm away from her, glaring, and then sprang forward several steps into position. If he was going to have to do this stupid photo shoot, then it was going to be like a Band-Aid. Get it done quick, rip it off, deal with the sting, and move on with life.

See ya.

Buh, bye…

“Alec…”

“No, Willow. You win this time. I’m cornered and stuck doing this photo – but that’s it. We’re not friends. We’re not reunited besties. You dumped me when I was about to propose, and I’m over you, okay?” he hissed under his breath, getting mere inches from her stunned face as her beautiful eyes widened in comprehension. “We’re over – got it? Go away. Vamoooooose? Leave. Skedaddle.”

“Oh, Alec… here you go, sweetie,” Mrs. Kendall was tugging on his arm and pressing something in his hand that was cold. Willow’s eyes dropped down as her mouth fell open in disbelief.

“Heaven help me…”

That was not something he ever heard her utter in the two years they’d dated and after years of being gone, he couldn’t imagine her being shocked by much in this world. No, frat parties, college life, and well… life in general, taught a person quite a bit about the world.

He’d seen things that could not be unseen, fighting fires and pulling people out of burning buildings. He’d seen people soil themselves, witnessed more selfishness as people stepped over others to escape, and seen the worst of humanity during its most elemental moments but something about her face struck him as odd.

Maybe it was that horrified smirk?

Alec looked down, and his brain stopped controlling his mouth.

“Whoaaa… HOLD THE PHONE?!” he uttered, right before he screamed like a girl. His mother’s best friend had put a sex toy in his hand that resembled a baseball bat.

A neon baseball bat.

“GOOD GRAVY, YOU FREAKIN’ FREAK-ADY-FREAK OF ALL THE OLD FREAKS IN HEAVEN AND HELL… WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, RUTHIE?!”

“Alec!” Willow hissed.

“Noooo!” he drawled and threw down the ‘item,’ looking at her, backing away like it was a snake. Boa constrictor, maybe, he thought horrified. “I’m not getting my photo taken with that – ain’t no way! Ain’t no how!”

“Threatened much?” Mrs. Kendall asked, arching an eyebrow.

“That’s disgusting…” Willow said flatly, causing Alec to look at her in shock. He certainly didn’t need her coming to his defense. “I never took you for a prude.”

“I’m not a prude, but I’m also not willing to ‘tramp it up’ all over town either. These stupid charity calendars will be everywhere and I’m not doing that to the Beckett name. You might be okay sleeping with half of campus to ‘live life,’ but I’m certainly not.”

“You’re not a virgin, boy,” Mrs. Kendall added from nearby, causing him to look over at the old woman who was pursing her lips, smirking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Willow’s mouth drop open as she turned to look at him.

“Why Alec Beckett,” Willow snarled. “You hypocritical… dumpster fire!” she finished, her voice raising in intensity. “You accused me of sleeping around, and you slept with Ruth Kendall?”

“WHAT?!” the chief roared as several gasps of horror cried out in unison, echoing in the following silence as the birds suddenly flew from the surrounding trees.

“NOOOO,” Alec yelped, backing away from all of them and crossing himself. “I’m not touching her. She’s older than my mama and…”

“Hey, now. Let’s not discuss my age – it’s just a number, and I could show you some real treats, young man.”

Alec gagged – along with Lance, Colton, and half the other team that was showing up for the photo shoot.

“Duuuude, really?”

“He slept with Ruth Kendall?”

“Oh man, what if that grabby grandma started it – and she’s finally figured out a move that works? Heaven help us all.”

“Look at Alec’s face.”

“It’s like we are about to see a grown man cry.”

“I bet he did cry if he slept with her.”

“Heck, I’d be sobbing like a baby… and need counseling.”

“Mouthwash. You’d need mouthwash - and counseling.”

“And bleach.”

“Don’t forget the bleach, boys.”

“Maybe acid?”

“That’s so wrong, on so many levels too.”

“I wouldn’t sleep with her using your junk, much less my own…”

“Now you boys are just being rude to old Ruthie…”

“Time to go,” the chief growled, taking the older woman by the arm and pulling her away.

“Take the photos,” Willow snapped hotly at the photographer. “This was for charity and publicity. I’m up for re-election this fall and need this charity event in my back pocket.”

“Re-election? What? What the heck are you talking about? Are you on crack?”

“Alec,” Colton hissed, waving his hand across his neck in a signal to stop. Unfortunately, so was Justin, Captain Marks, and Austin. All of them were looking panicked telling him to be silent.

“Will do,” the photographer began. “Could you step just a little to the right so you are in the same shot? Alec, just please close your mouth and try to look happy.”

“Actually,” Willow interrupted. “Can I get a few more of you guys to jump into the photograph, please? Chief Carpenter, I’ll happily donate another check for the orphanage if you’d like to join us or take Alec’s place.”

“Do what… wait… huh? Take my place? Are you dumping me again?” Alec staggered, looking at her in shock.

“You and I are going to discuss this later,” Willow hissed bossily at him as she waved over two other firefighters to join them. “I need this photograph, Alec – and your mother’s help. Eugene Stevenson is running against me this fall and…”

“Huh?” Alec repeated, thoroughly confused.

“Dude, she’s a judge,” Justin hissed loudly, stepping into place and plastering a smile across his face. “Smile, you moron.”

“She’s judgmental…”

“I heard that, Alec,” Willow growled, kicking the sex toy several feet away in disgust. “Smile, Alec - please. Mrs. Fuller, please take the photo, crop that neon monstrosity out of the shot, and ol’ Eugene can just go suck on a lemon.”

Several of the men around Willow chuckled, but not him. No, he was staring at her in shock as comprehension began to dawn on him. The girl he thought dumped him to go ‘party’ in college… hadn’t. She didn’t party, fool around, or act up at all.

And she wasn’t a teacher.

He heard the click and whirl of the camera, unable to pull his eyes from Willow’s smiling face as she posed. He’d seen the name in town and never put it together, assuming it was her father or a distant relative of hers. No, it was Willow – his Willow – all this time.

She was wearing a very modest red blouse, a blue skirt, and white pearl earrings, and he realized why. Her expression was completely fake, but that was only because he knew her so well. She was putting on a show for the camera, slipping on a mask.

Judge Rushman, Circuit Court Judge.

For the first time in his life, Alec didn’t know what to say.