Free His to Protect: A Fireside Novel by Stacey Lynn Page B

of my mind, was the niggling whisper warning me that I needed to leave soon. Unfortunately, every day I spent at Fireside, around Declan, not to mention his friendly staff and even friendlier—and generous—customers, I listened to that voice less and less.
    It wasn’t possible for me to stay in Latham Hills forever.
    It was probably the worst idea ever.
    Yet I hadn’t been able to bring myself to leave, either.
    “You going to be okay here, on your own?”
    I was sitting on the couch and the question startled me. I jumped.
    I twisted around to face the stairway Declan had just descended, and I watched as he twirled his key ring around his thumb. Next to me, Boomer’s head jolted up. He sniffed and then began panting before he leapt to his feet and trudged over to Declan.
    Not only was I not excited about leaving anytime soon, I suspected Declan had been providing Boomer with a plethora of treats over the last few days. Every time he entered the room, Boomer was right there at his feet, sitting patiently in a way that was rare for him.
    Perhaps leaving the stress of our home had been good for him, too.
    I ignored the way this made my chest feel warm and tingly and nodded. “I’m just going to take Boomer for a walk and then chill out here. Get caught up on my television.”
    At Declan’s insistence, I wasn’t going in to Fireside today. He demanded I put my feet up and rest. After years of having no one care about me or my needs, I decided to ignore the warm tingle that sent to my chest, too. Declan was becoming dangerous for me, for reasons antithetical to the reasons Kevin was.
    My lips twitched as I watched Declan scowl. “I don’t like the idea of you out walking by yourself.”
    “It’s not even dark out.” It was only three in the afternoon and night wouldn’t fall for hours. I would have thought that after being controlled for so long by Kevin, this over-protectiveness would bother me.
    Yet, with his concern, that silly warmth suffused my blood and made it pump a little faster.
    “You’ve got the phone numbers for Fireside, right? And my cell?”
    “Yes.” I waved him away with a quiet laugh. “Go to work, Declan. We’ll be fine.”
    His lips pressed together as we stared at each other, neither one willing to back down, before I finally saw the fight leave him.
    “Fine.” His shoulders dropped and he reached for a North Face jacket. “But call me if you need anything. Or if something happens.”
    “I will. Promise.”
    I wouldn’t, but the small lie seemed to make him feel better. With a quick brush against the top of Boomer’s head and a command for him to take care of his mama, Declan gave me a quick wave goodbye and headed out the door.
    Once he was gone, Boomer let out a sad, high-pitched whine.
    “Come here, boy,” I said and slowly got to my feet. I’d been sitting on the couch reading a book for the last few hours and my legs were cramped from the position. “Let’s go for that walk.”
    “Woof!” His tail thumped against the floor and he began jumping against the front door.
    With another quiet laugh, I grabbed Boomer’s leash, slipped on my shoes, and headed out for a quiet walk in the brisk afternoon air.
    It surprised me how fast fall hit in Michigan. In Kentucky, the weather stayed in the eighties through most of September, sometimes into October. But the temperatures had been in the low seventies, and last night I heard on the news that the leaves of the trees would be changing their colors soon. It seemed as if everything weather-related here happened a few weeks earlier than I was used to.
    “C’mon, Boomer.” I tugged on his leash, getting him next to my right hip where he generally walked with ease, and we headed out. We walked for almost an hour, while I kept track of streets and turns so I could find my way back to Declan’s without any problems. The last thing I wanted to do was get lost. When we returned to Declan’s house, my limbs ached with the immediate