Chapter 20

The dance officially ended at midnight, but it took another hour for

everyone to clear out. Shannon was content to sit back and watch Nick maneuver the stragglers out the door as quickly as possible without offending any of them. He was good at it. Very good. The kids respected him, that much was plain. But they also liked him.

What did it say about a man, she wondered, that kids liked him,

contemporaries sought his advice, women—at least this woman—found him irresistibly attractive, and his true calling was walking into burning buildings?

To her, it said one thing: Hero.

For now, she would keep that thought to herself.

The man in question came strolling back to her, his limp barely noticeable, even after all the dancing. But she wouldn’t mention it. Not until she got him alone. And when she got him alone, she didn’t want to talk. She wanted to hold him close and never let go.

The look on her face nearly took Nick’s breath away. She wanted him.

Him, Nick Carlucci. And she cared. Maybe