Firefighter Daddy by Lee McKenzie Read Free Book Online Page B

they’re unpacked.”
    “No problem. Everything looks great.” The dress fitting later that afternoon meant she had less time than she’d like to get settled, so she appreciated all the help.
    Mitch glanced around the small apartment, as though he was looking for something. “Is there a smoke alarm up here?”
    “This house is filled with smoke alarms.” Betsy moved the cushions off the chair and sat down. “A few years ago he gave me a case of them for Christmas,” she said to Rory in a stage whisper.
    “Did you install one up here?” he asked.
    “It’s over there by the skylight.”
    “When was the last time you tested it?”
    “If I said yesterday, would you trust me and not check it yourself?”
    “Did you test it yesterday?”
    Betsy shook her head.
    Rory laughed at them. Although neither seemed to realize they answered one question with another, their conversation was threaded with affection and Rory found it engaging.
    Mitch walked to the other end of the apartment, reached up and pushed a button on the smoke alarm. Nothing happened. He removed the unit and looked at it. “There’s no battery.”
    “Really?” Betsy didn’t seem surprised. “The last tenant must have taken it out.”
    Mitch shook his head. “I have some downstairs. I’ll go get one.”
    Rory couldn’t decide if he was really being helpful, or if he was just looking for a reason to stick around. Either way worked for her. She rolled a couple of suitcases over to the closet and went back for the baskets full of shoes and handbags that Mitch had left at the top of the stairs.
    “Are you sure there isn’t anything else I can help with?” Betsy asked.
    Rory inspected the apartment. There were still plenty of things to do, but her landlady’s help had made a huge difference. “Would you like to make some tea? I could use a break.”
    “Will do.”
    Betsy was filling the kettle when Mitch returned with a battery for the smoke detector. After he reinstalled it, he pushed the button again and it let out a loud squawk.
    “Yikes.” Rory clamped her hands over her ears. “I won’t sleep through that.”
    “That’s the idea.”
    “Hey, you scared Buick,” Miranda said. “I think he needs something to play with. Does he have any toys?”
    “He has a catnip mouse, but it must be still packed.”
    The little girl bounced to her feet. “I have a ball in my room. I’ll go get it.” She raced out the door and down the stairs.
    “Why is he called Buick?” Betsy asked, reaching for the teapot and a tin of green tea.
    “When he was a kitten, my mother said his purring sounded just like an old Buick my dad used to have. Apparently I was conceived in the backseat of that car.”
    Mitch rolled his eyes, but Betsy laughed. “Lighten up, for heaven’s sake,” she said to him. “It’s funny.” He was so not amused. In fact, Rory was beginning to wonder if he had a sense of humor at all.
    Miranda dashed back into the apartment, ball in hand. She rolled it across the floor and was crestfallen by Buick’s disinterest.
    Mitch seemed to relax. “We should get out of here and let you get settled,” he said.
    And before I say something else inappropriate, Rory thought. “Your mom’s making tea. You and Miranda are welcome to stay if you’d like.”
    “Please, can we stay, Dad? Please, please, please?”
    “We should go,” he said.
    “No fair. I hardly ever get to have tea.”
    Rory unfurled two gowns from the top of the basket and hung them on a hook by the closet door.
    Ignoring her father, Miranda crossed the room and ran her hand longingly over the cotton-candy-pink chiffon one. “These are like princess dresses.”
    “Not exactly,” Rory said. “They’re bridesmaid dresses.”
    “You’ve been a bridesmaid two times?” The little girl was wide-eyed and clearly impressed. “I wish I could be a flower girl someday, if anybody I know ever gets married.”
    Mitch’s face went a little red, and Rory could swear she saw