Four Flames for Angela

“We can go check on him if you want, but Rock and Sawyer will keep him out of trouble,” Hunter said, trailing one finger down her arm.

Angela turned to him and smiled, but kept walking toward the door. She needed to get away from these men and get her head together. “I’m sure your brothers will keep Todd out of trouble, but after last night, I don’t trust him out of my sight for long.”

“I understand how scared you must have felt. I’d like to look around a little more if you don’t mind?” River said as they walked toward the door.

“Sure. I guess. I’ll be outside.” Angela really needed to get outside and get some air before she said or did something she might regret.

She looked at Hunter. “Are you staying, too?”

“We’ll be out in a few minutes,” he answered, and turned to follow River up the stairs.

Angela practically ran out onto the porch and took a big gulp of air. She looked down at the side yard where Todd, Rock, and Sawyer were chasing the puppies. Todd was giggling so hard he could hardly stand up. She felt her heart swell to see him so happy. He’d been so sad and confused when he was brought to the foster home.

Angela walked over to her favorite chair and sat, watching Todd and the men play. A few minutes later River and Hunter came out of the house.

“We checked out the master bath and it could use some work, but you don’t want to get rid of that tub. It’s a beauty. They don’t make them like that anymore,” River said, Hunter following behind him.

“I know. I fell in love with that tub the first time I saw the house. I would like to update the sink so there’s a little more storage in there. I don’t know if you noticed, but there isn’t a shower in that bath and I’d like to add that also. The only shower in the house is in the bathroom across from Todd’s bedroom downstairs. It’s a little inconvenient. But I guess I need to fix the porch before I worry about that,” Angela told the two men.

“That wouldn’t be hard to add. You’d need to add the plumbing which would mean replacing one wall. They might have roughed it in when they redid the plumbing. Do you know how to check?” River asked.

Angie shook her head no.

“Come with me and I’ll show you.”

Angie led the way upstairs, and River followed her, Hunter choosing to stay and play with Todd.

River stepped into the tub and knocked on the wall above the water spigot. “Ahh. Come here.” He reached for her hand and helped her step into the tub with him. “Here, listen.” He knocked on the wall again, and Angie heard the difference.

“What does that mean?” She asked.

“It means they added plumbing for a shower. I don’t know why they didn’t finish it, but all we need to do is cut a small hole here and attach a little more pipe and boom. Shower. That’s something we can help you with, too.” River pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll just add that to the list and see if Alvin has something we can use. If he doesn’t I’m sure he will know someone who does. I’m sure we can get what you need either free or for very little money. Maybe later we can sit down and make a list of everything you want or need, and I’ll see what Alvin and his gang can do.”

Angie threw her arms around him in a big hug, and River wrapped his arms around her. When she looked up into his face, he lowere

d his head and brushed his lips against hers. Before she knew what was happening he had her against the wall and she was kissing him back.

“Hey, you okay up there?” Hunter’s voice carried up the stairs.

“We’ll be down in a minute,” River called down the stairs. He lifted Angie out of the tub and stood her in front of the sink and mirror.

“I’ll run down and see what he needs. Take your time.”

“Thanks.” Angela didn’t know what else to say. She’d known these men less than twenty-four hours and already felt like things were looking up.

Chapter Three

When Rock and his brothers had gotten the call from the Wild brothers saying that their woman was in trouble and would they mind checking on her, they weren’t sure what they would find. Heidi Rundle had been dating the three Wild brothers for a while, and they were the happiest the men had ever been.

Now that River, Rock, Sawyer, and Hunter had seen how well a ménage relationship could work in the small town, they were jealous. For years they had each dated separate women, with the twins occasionally dating the same woman, but it had never felt right. They weren’t really happy unless they were doing something together. In the years before they started working for the fire department, they had all had different careers. They had lived in different states, and none of them were happy.

Now that they were all working together and sharing a house again all the pieces were falling into place. Now they needed to find a woman that was willing to share all of them. They needed to find someone strong enough to deal with four alpha men on a daily basis. Not just any woman would do.

When they pulled up in the parking lot and saw Heidi with the little boy, they wondered who had let a child that young out on his own. The parents had to be pretty irresponsible to let him wander around on his own. Someone needed to remind them that the streets weren’t safe for young children to be alone. Rock had already decided he was going to be that person.

After he heard that the boy had wandered off after the puppy, his irritability lessened, but he still wanted to talk to the young man’s parents. They needed to know how dangerous it could be.

He was all set to pull the father aside and have a talk with him when he learned the boy’s situation. His first glimpse of Angela had him changing his mind about saying anything. She was beautiful. His pulse sped up just looking at her. When he realized she was the woman they had seen at the store that afternoon, he knew fate had a reason for bringing them together. Suddenly he needed to figure out a way to spend more time with her. He wondered if his brothers felt the same way. From the way they were all acting, he was sure they did.