The Bullhead fire was new, unpredictable, and even though models said the town of Lewens had to be evacuated, the fire might not even head this way. Flames crowned and jumped from one treetop to the next and burning embers started spot fires. Before long, the central fire caught up with the spots and then everything blended in a fast-moving wall of heat — a fire tsunami.
We drove past people leaving town, the ones who were smart, or scared enough to know to evacuate, cars with kids and animals inside, some of the drivers acknowledging us as we drove in. Frankie and I took the first call, ensuring the ranch on the outskirts was empty, it seemed derelict as it was, and it stood in a clear area, so we moved on rapidly, until one by one we’d gotten to maybe three houses from the end. The air was smoky, and the wind direction had changed. We knew that, but we had to trust that Command had control of the information. We’d had no call to leave, and Dale wasn’t unduly worried.
The last house going out of town was a one-story set back from the road, the yard immaculate, the little place pretty and well-maintained, and on the stoop, arms folded over her chest, was a woman who wasn’t leaving.
There were procedures for this, a mandatory evacuation was just that, but in California, there was such a thing as evacuation fatigue. Lewens had been evacuated twice this year already, and both times the fire had turned, and some townspeople had reached the point where they were happy to take their chances.
“They’re calling us out,” Dale informed as Frankie and I left the engine. “Get her, and whatever is holding her here, and let’s get the hell out of Dodge.”
Frankie followed me over to the small woman with a stubborn tilted chin, whose body language screamed for us to go.
“Louella Herrera. Get off my property,” she said before I could even open my mouth.
“Mandatory evacuation,” Frankie responded evenly. He was always more diplomatic than me in situations like this. I would be tempted to pick her up, throw her over my shoulder, and force her into the truck, but he was all about the calm approach.
“Third time this season,” Louella snapped.
“What’s keeping you here, ma’am?” Frankie inquired, in his best we-totally-understand voice.
“I don’t drive, and there are two cats in carriers, one arthritic dog, sixty years of memories, and my husband’s ashes spread in the land out back.”
Frankie nodded. “Fetch the dog, Eric and I will get the cats, get them into the truck, you have the memories in your head, and your husband wouldn’t want you dying next to him.”
She eyed him suspiciously, and I held my breath. I was all ready to pick her up at that point when her shoulders slumped.
“This time’s for real?” she asked.
“Wind’s turned,” Frankie explained as if we had all the time in the world, which we fucking didn’t.
She turned from us, indicated two cat carriers, and put her ancient and placid dog on a leash, hoisted a backpack on her shoulder, then shut and locked her door.
“Let’s go,” she said and marched toward the engine as if it’d been her idea to leave.
Frankie and I exchanged glances, took a cat carrier each, then followed her, and within a minute or two of stopping we were back and heading for the service road. Louella sat next to Frankie, across from me, staring out of the window, sadness marking her face. We could see the fire, dancing at the top of the valley, maybe three miles away.
“It’s closer than any other time,” Louella whispered, tears welling in her eyes. Her dog, a lab-collie mix, rested his head on her lap, and she scuffed behind his ears. “I’m done,” she said and leaned over her dog, kissing his head.
We made it back to the main road and back to Command with time to spare, everyone pulled back to this position. The Hotshots had burned a break line, but the town of Lewens had to be sacrificed when the fire raced so fast it couldn’t be saved.
We watched the town burn on the monitors, news bulletins that spoke of no fatalities, that evacuation had been smooth.
Louella was picked up by her frantic daughter an hour after we’d gotten her out, demanding her mom relocate to Seattle with her, where it rained a lot, and she’d be safer.
Last I heard from Louella, apart from a soft thank you to Frankie and me, was a disgruntled explanation to her daughter about Seattle—earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. Night had fallen, bringing an otherworldly calm as it began to rain gently. It wouldn’t be enough to stop the fire, but the flaming beast had reached the point where Command confirmed they had it somewhat contained. We were done, and when I arrived home a little after three in the morning, Leo was ready with coffee and broad shoulders in case I needed to talk, and a bottle of whiskey if it had been so bad that I needed to drink my grief away.
Single
Reeling from the painful rejection of a man he thought he loved, Asher is left holding the baby.
Ash wants a family, and is determined to continue with a surrogacy he’d begun with his ex. Bringing baby Mia home, he vows that he will be the best father he can be. Nothing in this world matters more to him than caring for his daughter, not even accidentally falling in lust with the doctor next door. Challenged by his growing attraction to Sean, and confronted by painful memories of his family, Ash has to learn that love is all that matters.
When ER doctor Sean moves in with his friends next door to sexy single father Ash, he falls so quickly it takes his breath away. The sex they have is hot, but Ash is adamant his heart is too full with love for his daughter to let anyone else in. Why is Sean the only one who sees how scared Ash is, and how can he prove to his new lover that he desperately wants the three of them to become a family?
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Today
When the world labels a man and judges them blindly, is it possible to ever find love?
Firefighter Eric is on the front line, battling the threat of nature’s destruction in the California grasslands alongside his CalFire team. Focused and calm, even in the direst of situations, he has a strong affection for his fire truck, loves his career, and has best friends he can rely on. All he needs now is love, but that seems to be impossible to find. At his friend’s wedding. Eric falls in lust at first sight with the shy, slim and sexy Brady, even if Brady isn’t the type of guy he usually goes for. What Eric longs for is an equal in his bed, not a smaller guy who might want Eric to role-play big strong firefighter every time they have sex. He wants to find someone he can be vulnerable with, someone who will love him for his soft heart and quiet ways.
Brady’s life plans grind to a halt when his niece and nephew lose their parents in a tragic accident, and he becomes a dad overnight. His Developmental Coordination Disorder rules his life, but he fights both DCD and the fears that chase him every day, to give Maddie and Lucas a home. Agreeing to go to a friend’s wedding is a decision he regrets long before he even gets there. But, he refuses to give in to his fear, even if he might do something that makes him a target for people’s comments and laughter. Meeting Eric, a huge man with a gentle voice and a flair for chivalry, he falls hard. Now, if only he can let himself get past his panic that Eric would never want someone like him, then maybe he could fall in love for real.
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Promise
Leo Byrne is a cop, Jason Banks is an ex-con. Even after one stolen kiss, something has to give before Leo can convince Jason that falling in love is even an option.
Adopted at a young age, Leo is part of the sprawling Byrnes family. With his dog Cap, three siblings and a whole mess of nieces and nephews, he is never lonely, and his life is full. Love is the last item on his to-do list, but seeing his best friends Sean and Eric happy and making new families makes him want things he doesn’t think is possible. Kissing Jason at an event to honor his bravery was one thing, but anything other than that is off limits. Until Jason has no one left to turn to, and it’s Leo who helps him at his lowest. Taking Jason and his daughter into his home is one thing, but falling for the ex-con is something else altogether.
Jason made a deal to keep his daughter safe and spent years behind bars as a result. Volunteering as a convict firefighter was as much about helping the community as saving his sanity, but now that he’s out, he doesn’t even have that. He’s lost his future, his self-respect, and has no friends or a place to call home. Worst of all, even after rescuing his daughter he still can’t keep her safe from the man who wants to use her as a bargaining chip for money. Meeting Leo might give Jason a way to keep Daisy safe, but falling for the stubborn cop means the truth has to be revealed, and he could lose everything all over again.
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Single Dads Collection Books 1-3
Single (Single Dads 1)
Reeling from the painful rejection of a man he thought he loved, Asher is left holding the baby.
Today (Single Dads 2)
When the world labels a man and judges them blindly, is it possible to ever find love?
Promise (Single Dads 3)
Leo Byrne is a cop, Jason Banks is an ex-con. Even after one stolen kiss, something has to give before Leo can convince Jason that falling in love is even an option.
This collection includes the bonus story - Single Dads Christmas - Austin & Paul's story
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Single Dad Christmas
It would be a Christmas miracle if he loved me back.
Hiring Paul is the best thing I’ve done for my small family. With love, care, and ruthless organizational skills Paul has taken care of my children, Anna, AJ, and Aden, with me as part of the deal. He always told me he’d only stay two years and that he wanted to travel the world, but it didn’t stop me falling in love with him. I never told him, because who am I to steal his dreams? Now he’s handed his resignation to me so I have a decision to make. He’s leaving us and I can either tell him I love him and ask him to stay, or watch him go.
I only have one Christmas to make things right.
A short story based in the Single Dads ‘verse.
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Always
Lives change in an instant, but with family found and forever love, there is always hope.
Impetuously putting his life on the line, Adam saved a child trapped in a car wreck and suffered career-ending injuries. Living with chronic pain, and at his lowest moments, he had friends who wouldn't let him give up, a family who had his back, and even though his future was different from what he'd always planned, he at least had hope. When Cameron and Finn land on his doorstep, he never dreamed that he would fall in love with the small family or that maybe he'd get to be a hero again.
Cameron goes from being a devoted husband to a single dad overnight. With his neatly planned future in ruins, he will do anything to make a new life for his son, even if it means moving to the other side of the country. Renting a room from Adam is the first step in making a home for him and Finn, but falling for the former firefighter was never part of the plan.
The shadows from Cameron's past might take a long time to touch this fragile future, but will he have to face the consequences alone when they do? Or will there always be hope?
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Listen
He only wanted to make the best home for his new daughter; he never meant to fall in love with the man who might steal her away.
Nick and his husband had always wanted a big family, but when cancer took Danny six years ago, Nick was left a single dad of three. He never considered his broken heart would heal enough to add to his family, but as soon as he meets Teegan he knows he wants to adopt the little girl. Born profoundly deaf, Teegan has been rejected twice already in the adoption process and hasn't found her forever home. Nick wants to be her hero—her dad—and create a world that is safe and happy for her. He knows he wants to make her life perfect—he doesn't know how to go about it or understand the best thing to do for his family, and he needs help. Enter Elliot, and Nick finds himself falling for the frustrating, sexy, inspiring, and caring teacher who can make things right.
Elliot is wary of helping the man who appears more interested in public opinion than the needs of his own family. But, learning that Nick, wealthy and entitled, is now adopting a deaf child, Elliot knows this is a step too far and strides into battle. As the child of deaf adults, Elliot knows he is the best person to advocate for little Teegan and, if needed, he is determined to intervene and halt the adoption. Nothing and no one will get in Elliot's way when it falls on him to protect Teegan.
This single dad story features a widower struggling to make things right, a teacher battling for a child's wellbeing, an adorable toddler, three loving siblings, a home with a view of the ocean, and families standing behind them both.
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Pineapple and Rings
An Elliot & Nick short story, following on from Listen (Single Dads 5)
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Pride
A blazing connection between single dads from opposite sides of the tracks is fraught with secrets and lies, and a happily ever after is impossible, unless they take a chance on love.
Saved a long time ago by a man who saw a diamond in the rough, Logan is a single dad and the owner of Redcars Automotive, a haven for those in need. With custody of his daughter under scrutiny, his life is upended when a journalist looking for a story slips into his life without him realizing. Logan doesn’t want Gray more than once, but when sharing the secrets of his past won’t get the journalist to leave, what else can he do?
After blaming himself for missing signs that his son was ill, Gray feels Ben is safer with his ex-wife and her new pediatrician husband. With a heart heavy with guilt, and his documentary company failing to find a story, he’s searching for some spark in his life to fix everything. When a series of arson attempts draws him to Los Angeles, he meets the secretive, scarred, and tattooed Logan, who makes him an offer that Gray knows he should refuse.
This opposites-attract love story features two single dads reaching a crossroads in life, angst, secrets, arson, intimidation, and a found family so tightly connected that nothing can break it apart.
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Miracle
An abandoned baby, a poignant note from his long-lost twin, and unexpectedly, Jax’s world is turned upside down.
Despite being adopted by a loving family when he was a child, Jax feels part of his life is missing, and driven by dreams of his brother being in danger, Jax is consumed by his search for his biological twin. Shocked to find a surprise delivery on his doorstep, Jax discovers that not only is he an uncle, but apparently, he’s a legal guardian to baby Charlie. He calls on the unwavering support of his friends and family to solve the mystery surrounding the new arrival, but also finds help from an unexpected source—Arlo, the enigmatic bear of a man who works for him.
Arlo is no stranger to caring. When his parents passed, he dropped out of college to care for his siblings, working construction to pay the bills. With his brothers grown and having left home, it’s Arlo’s turn to live, but when the next stage of his life means owning up to his love for Jax, he can’t find the words to be honest about how he feels. The problem for Arlo is that he’s been in unrequited love with his boss for three years and can’t bear to not be part of his life. Is it too much to wish for a miracle to make Jax fall for him too?
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Rainbow
Details to follow - December 2024 Release
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