Married For Jeremy (Under Fire Book 1) Read Free Page B

of spaghetti noodles. “It gets lonely here without her sometimes.”
                  “At least she’s not far away.”
                  “Yeah, that’s true.” James dumped the noodles into the boiling water, then sat down across from Ellen. “So, tell me more about you.”
                 
                  “Well aren’t you dressed up tonight.” Anna commented when James walked into her room, dressed in his fire department uniform.
                  “I’m on my way to a meeting so I can’t stay long.” She was sitting in her chair, so sat on her walker. She kept threatening to give it away to someone who could use it, but James kept telling her to save it so he could use it one day. It had become a longstanding joke, so the walker had stayed.
                  “Don’t you have a tie to go with that outfit too?”
                  “I hope so.” James reached into his pocket and found his tie. He shoved it back into his pocket.
                  “I wouldn’t do that, you’ll get it all wrinkled. What’s the meeting about?”
                  “County stuff. The Chief asked me to come in case it goes to vote about the new communication system.”
                  “I see. How was your weekend? I didn’t see you on Sunday.”
                  “I went hiking with Ellen. She wanted to see some trails and I thought that since she was new to the area, I’d go with her to make sure she didn’t get lost.”
                  “That’s really nice. Ellen is a very special girl.”
                  “Yeah, I’m beginning to think so.”
                  “Do be careful James,” Anna admonished. “A relationship of hearts is a very fragile thing and you’ll want to treat it gently.”
                  “Don’t worry Grandma, it’s going to be a long time before anything really happens between us.”
                  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
                  James glanced up at the clock on her wall. “I’ve gotta get going.” He stood up, then leaned down to kiss her cheek before heading out the door. Ellen was at the front desk and he smiled at her, but knew he didn’t have time to stop to talk to her. He hadn’t expected her to smile back, but she did and it made him feel warm inside.
     
                  Ellen sighed.
                  “See you do care.”
                  She looked up to see Katie standing beside her.
                  “I’m just tired, that’s all.”
                  “Okay, but I don’t believe you,” Katie said, heading off to attend other tasks.
                  Of course her co-worker had to be standing right there, Ellen thought as Katie left. It was unfortunate James looked so good in that uniform. It showed off his long legs and broad shoulders. He’d slipped his windbreaker on as he headed out the door and she couldn’t help but notice how muscular his arms were either. He was a curiosity, but she was interested in unlocking his secrets, no matter what Katie said. He’d been easy to talk to on Sunday, and his boyish charm made him easy to like. She couldn’t wait to see him again.
     
                  Going to the nursing home after work became the highlight of James’s day. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy visiting his grandmother, but knowing Ellen might be around made the visit even sweeter. She was easy to talk to, and he’d started imagining what it would be like to have her around all the time. Parking in the visitor parking at the home, he stepped out of his truck and glanced at his reflection in the side window. Normally he drove straight from the store to the nursing home, but today he’d stopped at home to get changed into a shirt with buttons. It was about