All it takes, p.1
All It Takes, page 1
part #1 of Light My Fire Series Series
All It Takes
Light My Fire Series
J.H. Croix
Contents
1. Wes
2. Tiffany
3. Wes
4. Tiffany
5. Tiffany
6. Wes
7. Tiffany
8. Wes
9. Wes
10. Tiffany
11. Wes
12. Tiffany
13. Tiffany
14. Wes
15. Tiffany
16. Wes
17. Tiffany
18. Wes
19. Tiffany
20. Wes
21. Wes
22. Tiffany
23. Tiffany
24. Wes
25. Wes
26. Tiffany
27. Tiffany
28. Wes
29. Tiffany
30. Wes
31. Tiffany
32. Wes
33. Tiffany
34. Wes
35. Wes
36. Tiffany
37. Tiffany
38. Tiffany
39. Wes
40. Tiffany
41. Tiffany
42. Wes
43. Tiffany
44. Wes
Epilogue
Find My Books
Acknowledgments
About the Author
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
* * *
Copyright © 2023 J.H. Croix
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Najla Qamber Designs
* * *
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
To the families we make in all forms.
* * *
Sign up for my newsletter for information on new releases & get a FREE copy of one of my books!
* * *
http://jhcroixauthor.com/subscribe/
* * *
Follow me!
jhcroix@jhcroix.com
https://amazon.com/author/jhcroix
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-h-croix
https://www.facebook.com/jhcroix
https://www.instagram.com/jhcroix/
Chapter One
Wes
The woman here to adopt a dog was busy petting a sweet three-legged mutt. Meanwhile, Tiffany Mills stood in the corner of the room, her eyes scanning the bulletin board with photos of cats and dogs and a few of our newest residents awaiting adoption.
I knew Tiffany Mills. She’d been way out of my league in high school. She still was. She glanced over at her friend Alice before her eyes lifted to mine. I felt the shock of her attention and a fiery jolt from her gaze. She crossed over to me, the heels of her cowboy boots striking, almost defiantly, on the tiled floor.
She was wearing a pair of leggings with a silky blue blouse that only brightened her already startlingly blue eyes. A lightweight down jacket topped off her ensemble. She stopped in front of me, peering up as she lifted a hand and brushed back her dark glossy hair.
Fuck me. If I thought Tiffany was beautiful in high school, she was simply stunning now. She had a spray of freckles on her cheeks that I’d never noticed before.
“So,” she began as she studied me. “You’re running the shelter now?”
I nodded. “Well, it’s my mother’s baby.” My chest pinched a little as I added, “She’s recovering from double knee replacements, so I’ve been helping out.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Will she be okay?” Tiffany asked, her gaze softening.
“I hope she’ll be okay. She’s convinced she’ll be bionic after this, so...” I chuckled.
“Both at the same time?” Tiffany’s eyes widened.
I shrugged, my lips twisting slightly. “I’m not so sure it’s the best plan. She said since she was resting anyway, it made more sense to do them together.”
“It’ll be a few months before she can deal with this again.” I gestured vaguely around the room and toward the hallway where the kennels were.
“Oh, well that makes sense. But it sounds like she’ll be okay?” Tiffany prompted.
“I may have to tie her down so she doesn’t get on her feet too early, but yes, she’ll be fine.”
“When do you start with the hotshot crew?” Tiffany asked. Her eyes flicked to Alice who was still petting the dog. I’d just told her and Alice that I was taking a position on the crew with Tiffany’s brother.
“Next week. I take care of the feedings here morning and evening. My mom has tons of volunteers who help out as well, so it won’t be too busy when I’m working.”
Tiffany cocked her head to the side. I tried to keep my eyes focused on hers, but my attention was drawn downward by motion. Her fingers were sliding back and forth on the hem of her silky blouse and her foot tapped on the tile. I sensed the nervousness emanating from her, and I wanted to tell her not to worry. About what, I had no clue. I forced my eyes up.
“So you’ll be on Chase’s crew?” she prompted.
“Yup. I just saw him this morning. We worked out together.”
She waggled her brows. “Hotshots do have to stay in shape.”
My lips tugged into a smile. “We do.”
When her lips curled at the corners in return, electricity sizzled through me. Hell, I needed to get my reaction to this woman under control. I was so busy I barely had time to breathe, much less lust after a woman totally out of my league.
When Tiffany smiled, a dimple peeked out at the corner of one cheek. “I don’t know what I expected you to be doing now, but it wasn’t a firefighter.”
I chuckled. “We never know what we’ll end up doing. What do you do?”
She blinked before replying, “I’m the new office manager at the vet clinic. I dragged Alice down here to adopt a dog.”
I grinned as we looked over at them together. Alice was petting a three-legged dog who’d been dumped here at the shelter. The animal was happily soaking up Alice’s generous attention.
When I glanced back at Tiffany, she was biting her bottom lip. Seeing her teeth denting that plush surface sent a fiery sizzle down my spine. I took a quick breath, trying to quell my body’s response to her.
Her gaze collided with mine, her thick dark lashes sweeping up. Tiffany had felt unattainable to me in high school. She’d kept her distance thoroughly. Every guy had wanted her, myself included. To my knowledge, she’d never even had a boyfriend back then.
“I haven’t seen you around since I came back,” I offered.
Uncertainty chased through her eyes as she held my gaze. Her fingertips were still worrying the hem of her shirt, and that urge to protect flashed inside.
“I just moved back recently,” she replied.
Alice called over, “She’s the one.”
“She’s all yours.” I tore my attention away from Tiffany.
A short while later, I watched as they walked out with the newly named Honey who was dancing happily on her lead at Alice’s side.
Tiffany’s hips swung with her easy stride. She looked over her shoulder, catching my eyes from a distance and once again sending a jolt through my system. When I turned away to close the door, I told myself I didn’t have time to think about any woman. As if to prove my point, my cell phone vibrated in my pocket with a text coming in.
Chapter Two
Tiffany
I powered down the computer in the reception area at the veterinarian clinic where I was the office manager. I’d started this job last autumn, not long after moving back to my hometown of Willow Brook, Alaska. Just a few weeks ago, we had started closing early one day a week. It gave Alice, my boss, and the veterinarian here, time to catch up on documentation.
Walking down the hallway, I peered into the break room where she was situated with a sandwich and a fresh cup of coffee from Firehouse Café, a local favorite coffee shop.
She glanced up, her gaze thoughtful. “Should I be paying you more?”
I eyed her curiously. “You already pay me above market rate for my position,” I pointed out.
“Is there such a thing as a market rate for an office manager at a vet clinic in a small town in Alaska?”
My brows hitched up, and I shrugged. “Not specifically, but I’ve worked in human resources before, and you’re paying me more than I got at my last job in Seattle. Trust me, I’m good. Why are you asking?”
She took a swallow of coffee before replying, “Because I was just reviewing that checklist you made for me for my daily paperwork and realizing I don’t know how I could’ve done this without you.”
Alice Hall had grown up in Willow Brook, just like me. We’d both moved away for college and found ourselves returning to town around the same time. Alice had been offered the opportunity to fully take over this veterinarian clinic after the last owner had developed dementia and was no longer able to run it. While Alice was fully trained to handle all of the veterinarian aspects, she’d immediately searched for someone to help with the business side of things. That someone was me. I loved working here because organizing things was my jam.
I smiled, feeling a flush of pride. “I’m glad to help. It’s my job.”
“Well, thanks for everything. And don’t stay out after dark tonight. There’s supposed to be a snowstorm coming in.”
“This is Alaska. There’s a snowstorm almost every week.”
She rolled her eyes. “Be careful anyway.”
Chapter Three
Wes
I stared down at the little boy standing in front of me. The moment my eyes collided with his dark-brown gaze, I felt as if I’d been punched in the chest. The jolt of familiarity was shocking. The little boy, who I’d just met seconds ago, eyed me. His gaze was assessing and curious with a hint of guardedness to it.
The woman waiting beside him cleared her throat. I realized I hadn’t said a fucking word since I’d opened the door.
“Hi, I’m Wes,” I finally said. “Come on in.” I opened the door wider and gestured them through. I breathed a silent sigh of relief that the house was clean. Even though I was a bachelor, I was not a slob.
The woman, whose name had promptly flitted out of my thoughts, placed her palm gently on the little boy’s shoulders as they walked in. The potentially tense moment was saved by the overenthusiastic rescue dog I was fostering, who came galloping in from the kitchen. The dog in question, Nilla, spun in a circle around my legs before greeting the visitors with her nose.
As Nilla sniffed up and down the little boy’s legs, a smile cracked across the boy’s face. When he peered up at me, the hesitance and innocence in his gaze twisted my heart. “Can I pet her?”
I chuckled. “Her name is Nilla. I don’t think she’s going to let you avoid it.”
The boy knelt beside the dog. Nilla was a sweet girl and happily rolled on her back, showing off her belly and licking his palms.
The woman smiled at me, offering, “Sorry this is such short notice.”
“It’s no problem,” I said even though it felt as if a meteor had landed in my life when I got her phone call yesterday.
Eight years ago, I had agreed to be a godparent to this little boy. Honestly, that commitment had slipped my mind. Even though I’d stayed in touch with my best friend from college, George, we’d both moved to different areas so our contact had been limited to our weekly online video game chats. He had been one of the closest friends I’d ever had.
The woman glanced over at Ross, George’s son. I’d just learned George had died a few days ago. “I’m thinking perhaps we could talk privately,” she said, her tone low.
I nodded. “Do you want to take Nilla for a walk?” I called over to Ross, thinking that would give us a few minutes of privacy.
Ross jumped up quickly. “Can I?”
“Sure thing. She won’t run away. In fact, she’ll just walk beside you. She’s due for a potty break.”
We walked back out the door, and I gestured over toward the trees to one side. “That’s the poop zone.”
Ross burst out laughing. “I like you.”
I smiled down at him. “I said it before, but I’m Wes. It’s good to see you.” I had met him before, but it was back when he was a toddler. I was certain I was all but a stranger to him.
He nodded quickly, a shadow flitting through his gaze. We stared at each other. For a moment, I could’ve sworn my friend was living inside his son. It was like looking into George’s eyes. Ross had the same straight dark brows with a familiar furrow between them.
“Just come back inside in a few minutes.”
Nilla stayed at his side as they walked down the stairs. If she could’ve held his hand, she would’ve. She was that kind of dog.
After the social worker took a long look and seemed satisfied that Ross was content playing with Nilla, she followed me back into the house. Her name jumped into my recollection: Eileen. I gestured toward the windows, commenting, “We can stay right here to keep an eye on him.”
Eileen cast me a quick smile before nodding, her eyes arcing about the space. I’d just finished building this house last year. When I took the job with a hotshot firefighting crew, I’d stayed with my mother for a month or so while working fast to get this place ready. It had been a half-finished house that someone else had sold off because they ran out of money.
I’d lucked out. Whoever had designed it initially planned a square with a courtyard in the middle. The main area had a wide living room with tall ceilings and windows all across the outer wall facing what I eventually intended to be a garden area. To one side was a kitchen that also had a bathroom and laundry off it. The bedrooms were on the other side down a short hallway. There was a main bedroom with a bath as well as two smaller rooms. The last side of the square around the courtyard was a garage. While I didn’t mind the snow, it was a relief to have protected parking.
Eileen’s eyes made their way back to me. “Nice place,” she said.
“Thank you.” I took a quick breath. “Now, I guess, fill me in.”
“Well, as I mentioned on the phone, you are listed as a godparent. This was completely unexpected, and there’s no other family for Ross.”
I tried to breathe slowly and ignore the subtle sense of panic building inside. When someone asked you to be a godparent, it seemed like a formality, not something that would ever become a reality.
“What happened?” I asked.
“They were driving home during a rainstorm. A power line had fallen over the road, and they drove over it. Obviously, there’s no way to know, but the police assume they didn’t see the line on the road since it was dark and rainy. When they drove over the line, it tangled in the undercarriage of the car and brought two electrical poles crashing on it.” She threw a hand up in the air, letting it fall. “It’s heartbreaking.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered, almost to myself. “Does Ross know what happened?”
“As far as I understand, someone at the police station explained it to him.”
I scrubbed a hand through my hair, feeling befuddled and overwhelmed and instantly thinking that the way I felt must be nothing compared to what Ross was feeling.
“George and Sarah were good parents. They doted on him,” I murmured, still in shock. “The last time I talked to George was—” I slipped my phone out of my pocket, tapping to open the screen and scrolling through my texts. “We play an online video game together usually once or twice a week and chat then. We texted two weeks ago and had a phone call the next day. I just texted him the other day, wondering why he hadn’t been online to play. We were really close friends in college and worked together for a little while afterward. He and Sarah moved, and then I moved, and you know how it goes. But I saw pictures of Ross.”
I looked out into the yard. Ross was throwing a stick for Nilla, who was happily fetching it.
Eileen nodded when I brought my attention back to her. “There is no family listed to contact. They actually had a will. Honestly, at their age, that’s kind of a surprise. They weren’t that old.”
My lips twisted. “Nope, they weren’t. George was thirty-two, like me. Sarah was a lawyer. She thought things through like that, so I’m sure she made sure they had a will.” I paused and looked out at Ross again. “Obviously, this is a shock for me, but I’ll take him, and we’ll figure it out.”
“Well, there’s one other thing,” Eileen said.
“What’s that?”
“There’s another godparent listed. The will requests that you share guardianship.”
I whipped my gaze back to her. “Oh? Who is that?”
