Heâs a man who wants it all...if only he could have it
Dreams of stardom took musician and firefighter Sam Marshall far from his Colorado roots. Starting fresh in Nashville hasnât been easy, especially after an injury on the job, but heâs working his way to the Grand Ole Opry one open mike at a time, teaching at the fire station to make ends meet. Yet Samâs intentions are shaken when he meets the lovely owner of a local café. Suddenly, Samâs dreams are filled with her. Too bad that as the daughter of country-music wannabes, Finn Learyâs been there, done that. Sheâll never choose a musician. So how can Sam possibly get the girl and keep the guitar?
With his fingertip, Sam traced the contour of her jaw.
âYou can do anything, remember?â
Finn held her breath; the last time heâd looked at her this way, he had kissed her. Or had she kissed him? Not that it made any difference. Standing in the circle of his strong arms, sheâd felt vulnerable and safe and more womanly than she ever had before...all at the same time.
And because it scared her, sheâd tried putting some distance between them to figure out if she could trust him. Until this moment, looking into eyes lit with kindness and caringâfor herâshe hadnât considered the possibility that he might be battling the same fears.
âThanks, Sam,â she said, taking a half step closer.
âFor what?â
Finn shrugged, wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest, hoping the gesture would be answer enough. She wasnât ready to say the words out loud.
At least, not yet.
Dear Reader,
Close your eyes for a moment and picture your first crush. Call to mind the way it felt, knowing you were falling in love with himâand had no idea how to admit it. If youâre like me, you were terrified. What if you put your heart out there and he rejected it! Far better to keep your feelings hidden.
Then one night, perhaps he tenderly tucked your hair behind your ears, or confessed that he couldnât talk to anyone the way he could talk to you, or kissed you as youâd never been kissed before, and you thought, This, this is the time! But when he looked surprised and uncomfortable instead of happy, you faced a whole new challenge: hiding your disappointment and heartache long enough to get home, where you could cry yourself to sleep.
Remarkably, your second crush came along, and yet again, your heart drummed with the sweet beats of new love. But this time, you were older and wiser: Why risk a repeat performance of that agonizing moment by blurting out âI love youâ?
Thatâs pretty much the dilemma faced by the main characters in The Firefighterâs Refrain.
Finn Leary has learned the hard way that living by the saying âbetter to love and lose than never love at allâ is dangerous and reckless. Sam Marshall, the product of a big, loving family, believes the exact opposite, and his impatience with her guarded behavior threatens to end them before they can begin.
Thankfully, we neednât remain prisoners of the past. My wish for you, dear reader, is that youâll open every dark corner of your heart to the possibility of love.
Hugs from me to you,
Loree
The Firefighterâs Refrain
LOREE LOUGH once sang for her supper. Traveling by way of bus and train, she entertained folks in pubs and lounges across the United States and Canada. Her favorite memories of days on the road are the hours spent singing to soldiers recovering from battle wounds in VA hospitals. Now and then she polishes up her Yamaha guitar to croon a tune or two, but mostly she writes. With over a hundred books in print (sixteen bearing the Harlequin logo), Loreeâs work has earned numerous industry accolades, movie options, and four- and five-star reviews, but what she treasures most are her Readersâ Choice Awards.
Loree and her real-life hero split their time between Baltimoreâs suburbs and a cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, where she continues to perfect her âidentify the critter tracksâ skills. A writer who believes in giving back, Loree donates a generous portion of her annual income to charity (see the Giving Back page of her website, loreelough.com, for details). She loves hearing from her readers and answers every letter personally. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
This story is dedicated to firefighters everywhere, and to the committed instructors who prepare them for the dangers theyâll face every day of their lives.
Itâs also dedicated to songwriters, singers and musicians whose tenacity makes the world a better place with every note they produce.
Last, but certainly not least, this novel is dedicated to Jesse Spencer, whose wholesome good looks and spot-on portrayal of a firefighter inspired the descriptions of Sam Marshall.
Acknowledgments
My thanks to Torry Martin, actor, author, comedian and all-around terrific guy, and Mark Ligon, singer and guitarist, who graciously consented to appear as themselves in this story.