Free The Fireman's Secret by Jessica Keller Page B

her eyes turned different colors depending on the light. Her features were so small, they gave her a vulnerability that made him want to tuck her under his arm and take care of her.
    Mrs. Clarkson chuckled. “It sure looks like Shelby’s not the only one who knows how to needle a body. I’ve seen this all before and I think I’ll take these old bones to get a seat and watch how this plays out.”
    Had Mrs. Clarkson observed the way he’d looked at Shelby? Evidently.
    Joel held out his hand to the elderly woman. “Do you want me to help you?”
    “I may be old, but I’m still tough as Monday morning. Don’t you worry about me.” She waved and headed into the crowd.
    Shelby looked at her hands and tugged on her sleeves so they reached the palms of her hands. “When I said I needed you, I meant for the fund-raiser, of course. That was...I hope you don’t...you know.”
    Why did she always wear long sleeves? The thermometer must be reading in the upper eighties already and it was only morning.
    “Of course.” He offered his arm in a playful gesture. “Shall we?”
    * * *
    Like in a black-and-white movie, Shelby took Joel’s offered arm and cupped her hand over his biceps. He smiled at her and she couldn’t help but shake her head good-naturedly at him. Other than Caleb, no other man walked around with her on his arm—especially not in public. But perhaps that explained everything. Joel was being brotherly. That was all.
    Whatever the reason, he possessed a talent for making her feel at ease. Even when her brain was overanalyzing things, which she needed to stop doing around him because she kept making them share awkward moments—such as the one at the firehouse and just a minute ago.
    Joel raised his eyebrows. “So, what’s the plan today?”
    “I made these informational flyers.” She tugged a sheet of paper from the bag slung over her shoulder. Unable to sleep much last night, she woke up early and made handouts to give to the businesses. They described the fund-raiser and her hope of rebuilding the church. “I figured we could go door-to-door and use them to try to get donations for the silent auction.”
    He took a flyer from her and scanned it. “Silent auction? But I thought we were doing a pancake breakfast.”
    “We are. We’re doing both.” The tilt of his head told her she needed to explain. “What I mean is I thought it would help bring in more donations if we held a silent auction at the pancake breakfast.”
    Joel handed back the flyer. “You do realize we’re doing this fund-raiser a week from today, right?”
    “Yes.” She tucked the flyer into her bag. Maybe the silent auction was a dumb idea. “Why?”
    “Well, it sounds like we still have a lot of kinks to work out before we can make a go of this. Do we even have items for the auction? I’ve helped with these kinds of events before when I worked in Indy. Auctions take a lot of work to run. I’m not trying to discourage you, so don’t hear me that way. Whatever you decide we need to do, I’m going to support it. My only caution is we don’t want to commit to something we can’t see through to the end. That’s all I’m saying.”
    “There will be no kinks. Just work.” She motioned so he would follow her toward the businesses that lined the town square. “Are you afraid of a little work, Mr. Palermo?”
    “Not at all. Lead the way.”
    Two hours later they stopped by the firehouse to drop off their donations. The chief had offered Shelby the use of a drawer in his office for storing their supplies.
    All the walking had caused her to work up a sweat so the air-conditioning inside the station was a welcome change. She’d been fighting the desire to roll up her sleeves all day. She knocked on the chief’s door.
    “Come on in,” Wheeler’s voice boomed. Not because he tried. He just had one of those voices that always sounded as if he were shouting.
    As they entered, he stood up and straightened some files on his