Page 6 of Nanny for the Firefighters

I offer him a weary nod. "I might actually take you up on that sooner than later. The nanny quit last night."

Ethan's eyebrows shoot up. "Man, that's rough. But hey, why not consider one of us stepping in when you're in a bind? Between the four of us, we could manage it."

The suggestion takes me by surprise, but as I watch Lily laughing with Will, her delight unmistakable, the idea doesn't seem so far-fetched. "You think that could work?"

"Why not?" Ethan slaps my back. "We're practically family, Marcus, and Lily's one of us. Plus, it might be the perfect excuse to escape some of the less exciting paperwork. While we help you, I'll look around, see if there is a live-in nanny available, someone who would offer more reliability."

I glance over at my daughter, her face alight with joy. "It's worth a shot," I agree, the seed of an idea beginning to take root. Maybe it's unconventional and maybe Vanessa would have a fit, but the thought of my daughter being cared for by the people I trust most in the world offers a comfort I hadn't realized I was missing.

As the day wears on, the simple joy of seeing Lily interact with my friends, her honorary uncles, solidifies my decision. This might just be the solution we need, a way to keep Lily close and safe, enveloped in the extended family of firefighters who love her almost as much as I do.

Plus, if Ethan puts his networking skills to the use, I have a feeling he will find her a good nanny.

All too suddenly, the alarm blares out loud. Instantly, all eyes are on the dispatcher's screen, the numbers and codes flashing up signaling the severity of the call.

Ethan catches my eye. He hates this part of the job—something about getting his eyes clawed out, I believe.

But he's also the best at it.

"You go," I say firmly, my voice carrying over the clatter of boots and equipment.

Before he can mutter something by way of protest, I give him a winning smile.

He relents with a snort. "Oh, damn you, Big Mac. Fine. I'll go."

3

ETHAN

Before I became a firefighter, the thought of getting called for a cat up a tree was just a silly story, but in a small town like Harborview, it's more common than I like. I mean, don't get me wrong, I enjoy being the handsome hero, winking at the ladies with a cute furball in my arms. What woman wouldn't swoon at the sight?

But it's not the heroics I imagined when I put on my gear.

Twelve rungs up, I reach for the cute, gray, hissing fluff. It digs its claws into the branch as I whisper, "Come now. I know you could have gotten down yourself, but you see that fine young thing with the low-cut blouse? She's watching, and you're going to give me the edge in, so let's go, come to your irresistible Uncle Ethan."

After a few more tries, the cat claws itself onto my jacket and clings to me for dear life.

My mind turns to the nanny search as I descend the ladder. Marcus told me has already gone through the local lot provided by reference from the local agency. I'll look up some more agencies online to find new names, and we'll hopefully have a list of interviews by tomorrow morning.

It just doesn't seem like enough.

A niggling feeling settles deep in my chest like we're missing an important piece to the puzzle. Like someone's slipping through our fingers, and I can't figure out where it's coming from.

Pivoting on the cement sidewalk that encapsulates the large but lonely tree, I smile at the small crowd gathered around and wink at a few of the ladies. Cradling the cat that doesn't seem to want to release its hold on me, I give them all my all-in-a-day's-work charm.

It might not be the high-stakes daring rescue I live for, but it offers some nice community outreach PR. Not like me or my brothers need it, but it's good for the ego.

"Who's the beautiful cat mom waiting for this little troublemaker?" The woman in the low-cut blouse gives me the full-body scan with a bite to her lip. I haven't seen her around town, so she must be visiting for the scenic beauty.

I smirk internally. Lucky her, she gets an eyeful of me.

Tottering old Mrs. Malone steps forward with her arms out to take the rescued cat from my arms. After a few tries and a lot of coaxing, the feline releases its hold on me, and I turn back to flirt.

The lovely lady has multiplied, with another sweet thang beside her, shoulder to shoulder. They both smile at me as I unzip my jacket to show them the hard body I'm hiding underneath. No reason I couldn't take my lunch right now for these two.

Give me a blonde and a brunette duo anytime.

"Ladies." I give them my panty-dropping grin and plant my hands on my hips. "My friends call me Blaze. What should I call you?"