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  She belatedly realized she was only wearing a t-shirt and panties. In normal circumstances she would have been mortified, but these weren’t normal circumstances.

  She couldn’t stop coughing and her hands shook roughly as she continued to call out for Penny.

  “She’s here,” she heard Luc say and then, just like that, her cat was in her arms. She turned to thank him, but neither man remained. The passenger door was closed, sealing her and Penny inside, as Diego and Luc quickly joined the four volunteer firefighters who had pulled the hoses from the truck and begun to shoot powerful jets of water at her house.

  For the first time since she’d seen the flash, the magnitude of what was happening washed over her. She’d been so focused on Penny, she hadn’t even looked at the house. Now, she couldn’t look away as flames erupted from the downstairs windows, which were shattered, gone.

  A police car arrived, squealing its brakes as it slammed to a stop in front of the truck. Evan jumped out of the car and ran toward Diego. He stopped halfway across the yard when Diego pointed back toward the truck where she sat, and her cousin changed direction.

  He opened the passenger door and reached in for her. Penny was still in her arms, but the cat darted over to the driver’s side as Evan grasped Jeannette and tugged her toward him.

  “God, Nettie. When I heard your name and address come across the scanner…”

  She wrapped her arms around him, grateful for the comfort. “I’m okay, Evan.” However, speaking those few words cost her and she began to cough again.

  “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m fine. I don’t want to leave.”

  Evan took a step away, clearly intent on arguing, but the words died on his lips when she turned back to her house. The blaze had lost some of its intensity, but she didn’t need to be told she’d just lost everything. Whatever hadn’t burned was going to be completely damaged by water and smoke.

  Her gaze landed on Diego and Luc as they held the huge hose, working like the devil to save something that was already gone. Then she looked over to see Penny curled up on the driver’s seat. The cat wasn’t sleeping. Her eyes were wide, spooked. Jeannette reached over to stroke her soft fur. “It’s okay now, Penny.”

  Luc and Diego had saved the most important thing. She was grateful for that. More than she’d ever be able to say. This silly, sweet cat had been the only thing keeping her from complete loneliness. Losing her would have been unbearable.

  “You’ll come home with me tonight,” Evan said.

  “No. Annie’s allergic to cats.”

  Evan rolled his eyes. “Jesus, Nettie. She’s not going to care about that. She’ll take a Benadryl. You can stay with us as long as you need.”

  She considered the invitation. She was tired and numb. Her brain clearly wasn’t firing on all cylinders and yet she knew she wouldn’t go home with Evan.

  “No. Thank you.”

  Evan fell silent for a moment. “Then I’ll take you to Macie’s.”

  Jeannette snorted. “Yeah. That’s not happening either.”

  Diego and Luc returned to the truck, standing next to Evan. The fire was out for the most part, only smoldering ashes remaining. Her neighbors had come out of their houses in robes, standing on the sidewalk, looking equal parts shell-shocked and relieved. At least the flames hadn’t claimed any of their homes, though Jeannette suspected the houses on either side would suffer a bit of damage from the heat and smoke.

  The other volunteer firefighters had begun to roll up the hoses. Diego took off his helmet, the concern on his face not quite penetrating the shell that had slowly closed around her. She suspected she looked a lot like Penny right now, wide-eyed, confused, terrified. She found herself focusing on superficial stuff, like her neighbors’ attire and the acrid smell of the smoke rising from the charred embers of her house.

  Evan was still determined to get Jeannette away from the scene. “Fine. I’ll take you to Uncle George’s house.”

  She shook her head. “Not going there either.”

  Evan was trying to be gentle, but she could read the frustration her continual refusals sparked. “Where do you want to go?”

  She didn’t have a clue. Something inside her had cracked, splintered. She’d spent a lifetime nestled in the loving arms of her family. Buying this little house had been her first act of independence. Years had gone into making it her perfect refuge, a sanctuary, painting the walls, sewing the curtains, even sanding and refinishing the hardwood floors all by herself. Without it, she felt completely lost. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted.

  Evan’s forehead creased as he studied her face more closely. He clasped her hand. It wasn’t until he touched her that she realized she wasn’t hot anymore.

  “You’re freezing. Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to the hospital?”

  He thought she was in shock. Hell, maybe she was. But that didn’t change the fact she wasn’t going to the hospital.

  “You’re coming home with us,” Diego said. He didn’t ask, didn’t offer. Simply proclaimed.

  And Jeannette realized he was right. She was.

  “Okay.”

  Evan frowned, unhappy with the plan. “What? No. Hell no.”

  Luc’s face darkened. “What do you mean, ‘hell no’? Jeannette is our friend and she needs a place to stay.”

  Evan shook his head. “She also has a thousand and twelve relatives who all live within spittin’ distance. She has plenty of options.”

  “She’s also sitting right here,” she said sardonically, her voice tight and sore. It hurt to talk. Regardless, she plowed on. “And she’s going home with Diego and Luc.”

  “Are you sure?” Evan asked.

  Jeannette nodded. She didn’t know why that invitation appealed to her while the others didn’t. Perhaps because she’d just had her entire life uprooted. She longed for some sense of safety, security. It was something she’d spent a long time looking for. Lately, she thought she’d found it. With Diego and Luc. But she couldn’t say all of that to her cousin, so she simply said, “Because I want to.”

  Clearly Evan could see she wasn’t going to be reasonable, so he tried to appeal to Luc and Diego. “Listen, I appreciate the offer. And I’m grateful to you guys for all you’ve done here tonight, but—”

  Diego crossed his arms. “But nothing. She’s accepted our offer, so it’s settled. Jeannette will stay with us for as long as she wants.”

  Any normal man would take one look at the fire flashing in Diego’s eyes and back down. Of course, her cousin wasn’t normal. The alpha dogs had come out and it looked as though it would be a fight to the death.

  “Evan,” she interjected, reaching for her cousin’s arm when he took a step toward Diego. “Please. I’m cold and I’m tired and I just want to go to sleep. I’ll be fine with Diego and Luc, and you know it.”

  While Jeannette was confident she would be well cared for, Evan looked far from convinced. Of course, knowing her older cousin, he was thinking of her virtue rather than her comfort.

  Instead of continuing the fight in front of her, he jerked his head to the left and the three men stepped away from the truck. While they were out of earshot, she could tell from Evan’s face he was issuing a warning. She wanted to laugh at her cousin’s attempts at protecting her. God, if he only knew how much breath he was wasting on that effort. Despite her unending fantasies of late, Evan’s knight-in-shining-armor imitation was nothing compared to the walls she’d built around herself. She was in absolutely no danger in a sexual sense.

  She wasn’t sure what Diego and Luc said in reply, but their words must have worked. Evan’s shoulders relaxed and he nodded. Then he returned to the fire truck. “I’m going to wait for the fire marshal, see if we can determine how this fire started. I’ll talk to the neighbors to see if they saw anything. Luc and Diego will take you back to their place now.”

  She smiled weakly. “Thanks, Evan. For everything.�
�

  He pulled her into his arms for another bear hug, but the warmth of it didn’t permeate her icy skin. It seemed ironic that she’d just escaped red-hot flames, yet she felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head.

  “I’ll call you in the morning.”

  She frowned. “I don’t have my phone.”

  Evan sighed heavily. “I’ll call Diego then. I’m glad you’re okay.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and then walked over to the other volunteers who were still cleaning up the equipment.

  “Don’t you guys need to stick around to help?” she asked.

  “No.” Luc lifted his hand to wave to the other men. “They can handle this. Let’s get you back to our place.”

  * * *

  Jeannette lay in Diego’s bed, staring at the ceiling. She listened to the shower running as someone else rattled around in the kitchen down the hall. For years, she’d lived in a silent house. It felt strange to be here now, surrounded by sounds of life.

  Penny climbed up on the bed, roaming around the unfamiliar space for a few minutes before finding a comfortable place near Jeannette’s feet. Within seconds, the small cat was purring, her eyes closed, sleeping peacefully.

  “Oh, to be a cat.”

  Jeannette shivered and burrowed deeper under the blankets, wishing she could get warm. Part of her blamed the chill on the fact she’d been sitting outside in nothing but a t-shirt and panties the past couple of hours. The realistic part knew better. She was in shock.

  I just lost everything.

  She forced herself to think the words. Tried to make them soak in. The cold, hard truth was going to be there in the morning, so it was pointless to pretend otherwise.

  Her thoughts whirled over the possessions that were now nothing more than ash. Her comfy couch and ottoman, the handmade quilt Aunt Louise had given her when she’d moved out, her computer, her autographed copy of Outlander, her parents’ wedding album.

  The moment she recalled the lost photos, a quiet sob escaped.

  The door she’d left open just a crack, so Penny could make her way to the makeshift litter box Diego had put together for her, slid open.

  Luc walked in, his hair still wet from the shower. She hadn’t heard the water shut off. He’d thrown on lounge pants but his chest was bare.

  “Jeannette.” He padded across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “You okay, angel?”

  She swallowed against the lump in her throat, trying desperately to fight back the tears. It was a battle she couldn’t win. Jeannette sat up slowly and shook her head.

  With that, the floodgates opened as she fell into Luc’s arms. He was there to catch her, hugging her tightly as she cried. She wasn’t sure when Diego came into the room, but her sobs grew louder when he crawled onto the bed behind her, his hands stroking her hair.

  “It’s all gone,” she choked out. “Everything.”

  “I know,” Luc whispered, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. “I know.”

  None of them said anything else as she mourned for all that she’d lost in a barrage of unending tears. Every time she managed to calm down, another precious possession would cross her mind and she’d fall apart again. Luc and Diego simply held her tighter until the painful sobs subsided. Time passed like the ebb and flow of waves crashing on the shore, fluctuating between gentle, soothing, rocking and soul-shattering agony.

  When the last tears evaporated, exhaustion and numbness took their place.

  Luc released her, his large hand cupping her face. “You need to sleep.”

  She nodded slowly, letting them guide her down onto the mattress, plumping the pillow beneath her and tucking her in as if she were a child suffering a terrifying nightmare. The description seemed to fit.

  They started to rise from the bed and she felt their absence instantly.

  “Will you stay with me?”

  Neither man hesitated. Luc crawled under the covers, tugging the blanket up to their necks as Diego leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Keep this side warm for me. I just need to get a shower.”

  She could smell the smoke on him. It was nearly three a.m. He and Luc had to be done in. Yet they didn’t hesitate to take care of her, to give her what she needed. A place to stay, a litter box, consolation.

  “Hurry back,” she whispered.

  He cupped her face, his thumb gently stroking her still-wet cheek, then he walked to the bathroom.

  Luc wrapped his arm around her neck and tucked her against his firm chest. She hadn’t expected it to make such a comfortable pillow. But there was no denying the warmth and quiet, steady beat of his heart lulled her into deep, dreamless sleep in a way her soft down pillow never had.

  She didn’t remember Diego coming back to the bed, but he was there when she opened her eyes several hours later. Surprisingly, finding him there allowed her to close her eyes and fall back to sleep without any uneasy or sad thoughts creeping in to keep her awake.

  They surrounded her, providing her with a sense of peace and well-being that went all the way to her bones. And she wasn’t cold anymore.

  Chapter Six

  Diego woke to a banging on the door that came far too early for his late night. Jeannette didn’t stir. He wasn’t surprised. It had been well after three before any of them had fallen asleep.

  Luc rose clumsily, only half awake when his feet hit the floor. Diego stood as well. The knocking continued. Whoever was on the other side of the door clearly wasn’t leaving.

  Neither he nor Luc bothered to don shirts as they stumbled down the hall.

  “It’s eight o’clock in the goddamn morning. This better be an emergency or I may hurt this person,” Luc said when they reached the front door.

  They didn’t have time to say hello before Macie, Sydney and Gia stormed into the house.

  “Where is she?” Macie asked.

  Clearly they’d gotten the news about the fire at Jeannette’s house.

  “She’s asleep,” Diego responded, his voice still gruff from lack of use and exhaustion.

  “Is she okay?” Gia asked.

  Luc nodded. His previous annoyance appeared to be gone. Like Diego, he understood and appreciated their concern. “Yeah. I think it’s going to take a little while for it to all sink in.”

  Macie’s usual cheerful countenance was gone, replaced by a combination of worry and anger. “Do you know how the fire started?”

  Diego had his suspicions, but he wasn’t going to voice them to Jeannette’s cousins and sister, especially not Macie, who looked ready to commit murder depending on his answer.

  He shook his head. “No. We’ll head over there this morning. And I’ll put in a call to the fire marshal. He came out last night and poked around with Evan, though I’m not sure how much they could discover in the dark. It could have been anything, really. Faulty wiring or…”

  Diego let the suppositions die there. Last night as they rode from her house to theirs, Jeannette said she’d heard something crash and then a bright flash of light. The fire had started in the garage. There had been too many arson fires lately for his mind not to lead him there. He prayed that answer was wrong, because it wouldn’t be Macie committing a crime if that proved to be the case.

  Diego felt Luc’s gaze on him and knew his friend had the same suspicions he did.

  “Paige and Lacy are out collecting clothes from our aunts and friends,” Gia said. “In the meantime, we thought we’d take her to Uncle George and Aunt Stella’s. They’re getting her old room ready right now. It was really nice of you guys to take her in last night.”

  Diego understood her family would want to take her in, but he hoped to convince Jeannette to stay with them.

  “Can we see her?” Sydney asked.

  Luc frowned. “She’s only gotten a few hours of sleep.”

  “We won’t wake her,” Gia was quick to interject. “I just want to see that she’s okay.”

  Diego pointed down the hallway. “She’s sleeping in my r
oom.”

  Mercifully, none of them asked where he had slept. The three women walked down the hall quietly, and then peered into his bedroom. He and Luc followed.

  Jeannette was lying on her side, facing the door, dead to the world. Penny lay curled up next to her, the cat’s loud purring filling the room.

  “Thank God you saved Penny,” Gia whispered. “I don’t know what Nettie would have done…” Her voice trailed off and it was obvious she was fighting back tears.

  Luc reached out to take her hand, squeezing it kindly. “Jeannette is fine, Gia. Your sister is tough as nails. She’s going to get through this. She has her cat, her family and…”

  “And you guys,” Gia finished for him, perfectly aware of what Luc had planned to say.

  “Yeah. She has us,” Diego confirmed.

  Macie smiled. “Both of you?”

  Luc laughed quietly. “Fishing, Mace?”

  Jeannette’s outrageous cousin didn’t even feign pretense. “I’m just wondering what exactly it is Nettie has in you guys. Friendship or…”

  “We’re not falling into that trap,” Diego said, crossing his arms. “We’re offering whatever Jeannette is comfortable accepting.”

  Macie gave him a shit-eating grin. “Gotta admit I like the sound of that. Although I’m afraid Jeannette won’t take full advantage of all the special features, bells and whistles.”

  Diego rolled his eyes. “We’re not luxury cars, you lunatic. Do me a favor. Tell Paige to wait a few hours before delivering the clothes. I’d like Jeannette to sleep a lot longer. And hold off on the guest-room plans. Jeannette is welcome to stay here as long as she wants.”

  “But we’re her family,” Gia said.

  “I know that.” Diego didn’t bother to say more. Apparently he didn’t need to. All three women smiled, and then followed them back to the living room. They said goodbye, promising to return later in the afternoon when Jeannette was awake.