Falling for You

Prologue

Overview

The station house is quiet, most of the guys lying on their bunks waiting for calls to come in. Natalie, one of Collins's coworkers, comes in dressed for her shift, thanking her profusely for covering earlier. Collins gets up from the couch, her body aching from being at work so long. She tells Natalie not to mention it. When Natalie offers to take the shift back, Collins considers it but knows the extra money will be good—she thinks about doing some renovation at home, maybe buying patio furniture so she can actually sit out there when she's home. She tells Natalie she'll be fine to replace her at nine, that she has the weekend off and can catch up on sleep then. Natalie laughs, knowing Collins usually only takes one day off and tries to pick up an extra shift instead. Collins has worked hard her whole life to get where she is, and she still just barely keeps her head above water.

She walks out of the common area and heads to the second-floor bathrooms. Opening her locker, she thinks about not changing out of her paramedic uniform but knows she'll feel better if she does. She peels off the thick blue cargo pants, folds them, slides on her jean shorts, then unbuttons the matching blue shirt and puts on her white tank top. She walks out with her uniform folded in her hand and stuffs it in her big bag to take home and wash. As she leaves the station, she waves at a couple of the fire crew guys sitting outside, enjoying the warm night—that time of year when it's not hot and muggy yet, and everyone is taking advantage of it. Hudson, the lieutenant fireman, tells her to drive safe. She nods with a smile and says she will.

She throws her bag over her shoulder and makes her way to her Honda Civic, the first car she's ever driven, bought thanks to the local mechanic who took payments. The heat from the day seeps out as she starts the car and opens the windows. She pulls out of the parking lot, waving once more at the guys. Driving down Main Street, the only thing still open is the local bar, Thatcher's, music seeping out through the open doors. It's packed for a random Wednesday, the only bar in Montgavin where locals and visitors hang out thanks to a special with most of the bed-and-breakfasts in town.

She pulls up to the stop sign before turning onto the highway, listening to nothing but the wind filling the car. She never turns the radio on after her shifts, instead taking the twenty-five-minute drive home to decompress. She's practically dead on her feet after working an eighteen-hour shift when the sound of clunking reverberates through the car. She immediately pulls over, muttering to herself, please tell me this isn't happening. She grabs her phone, turns on the flashlight, and doesn't have to take more than a couple steps before she groans inwardly. Her front tire is very flat. Her long day just got even longer.

A field of corn stands behind her. Across the road, five farmhouses are spaced out with dark windows—no one is up. She mumbles "why me" for a good ten minutes before trying to pull up do-it-yourself videos on changing a tire. The first thing they tell you is to get your spare out. She closes her eyes, goes back to her car door, and pulls the latch to unlock the trunk, holding her breath, hoping like hell she has a spare tire. If she doesn't, she'll probably have to call a cab and leave her car here until tomorrow. She moves the bags and pulls up the felt cover, revealing the tire with the jack. She has a mini celebration, thinking she won the jackpot. Okay, step one is done. She puts her phone in her back pocket, takes out the jack, then hauls out the tire, practically spraining her back doing it.

She's trying to figure out where to place the jack when headlights come toward her. She moves onto the side of the road, out of the way in case they can't see her—she's been a paramedic long enough to know what accidents from being hit by a car look like. She waits for them to drive past. What she's not prepared for is the truck stopping in the middle of the road. The passenger-side window rolls down. A man's voice asks if she needs a hand. She can't really see him from here, and in the darkness, she's not about to get closer. Her head screams to tell him no, but she thinks about being out here for hours and hours. She answers him, "Depends, are you a murderer?" She waits for him to immediately deny it, but instead he laughs and says not that he knows of. She tells him that's not a no, but it's not a yes either. He offers a compromise: she can wait in his truck. If anything is off, she can leave him there, take off with his truck and the four good wheels she has. She hums, thinking about her only other option—calling her rig partner Roman, which would suck since he has to be at work in four hours, or maybe one of the guys at the station.

While she's thinking, his truck starts to move. He pulls over and parks right in front of her car. The door opens, one booted foot comes out, then the other. In the glare from the truck's lights, all she sees is his silhouette as he walks toward her. Only when he's standing in front of her can she take him in. And what a fucking sight he is. His face is rugged, his hair cut really short. She immediately thinks he is, or was, a military man. She says hi, trying not to gawk at him too much. His eyes are dark brown, maybe even blue, but she can't tell in this light. He's wearing a light-green T-shirt with a pair of black jeans. He smiles and introduces himself as Theo Williams, holding out his hand. She looks at it, then back at his face, and asks if a serial killer would introduce himself and give his full name. She nods and says that's the first thing they would do. He laughs again, and this time she can't help but laugh too. He tells her to forget he told her his name, then goes to the front of her car, crouches down, and picks up the jack. He asks if she has a lug wrench. She squats down beside him and asks if he's playing with her. He smirks and says he's not playing, that it's going to be easier to take the tire off if they remove the lug nuts. She gets back up and moves away, asking if this is when he tells her to go look in the trunk for it, and then he hits her over the head and murders her. He stands and says he'll get it, and she can watch him. She retorts that doesn't make it better. He leans into the trunk and comes out with the tool in hand, then guesses she watches murder mysteries. She says she's neither confirming nor denying, but she's probably seven steps ahead of him if that's what he's thinking. He says he'll take that as a yes. The musk of his aftershave floats past as he walks by her and kneels down again next to the tire. She makes her way back to his side gingerly, squatting down beside him, and only when he finishes loosening the lug nuts does she finally tell him her name: Collins. He looks over and says it's nice to meet her. He uses his jeans to dust off his hand before putting it out to her, and this time she shakes it, not knowing this handshake will change her life.

Key Takeaways

• Collins works long hours as a paramedic and struggles to make ends meet.
• After an eighteen-hour shift, she gets a flat tire on a dark, empty road.
• A stranger named Theo Williams stops to help her change the tire.
• Collins is cautious and suspicious, joking that he might be a serial killer.
• Their meeting ends with a handshake that will change her life.

1. Theo

Overview

Theo taps the steering wheel to the radio, driving to the office on autopilot. He sees his cousin Caleb’s truck already there. He parks, grabs the box of donuts from Ms. Maddie, and steps out into a sunny morning with birds chirping and fresh-cut grass. He grins.

He walks up to the black-bordered door with the CW Construction logo. He came to Montgavin to help Caleb with a few jobs, planning to go back home, but the work kept coming. He started at a motel, then rented an apartment, then moved into Caleb’s house when Caleb moved in with his girlfriend, Sierra. Finally, he decided to stay. When he told Caleb, Caleb made him a business partner—silent partner, Theo insisted.

Inside, the living room is now Mikaela’s office. She handles everything—receptionist, secretary, accounts. Without her, they can’t run the business. Her desk is empty, but she comes from the back kitchen with coffee.

“Good morning, sunshine.” Theo holds up the donuts. “I come bearing gifts.”

“Is that so?” She tilts her head. “That’s what you bring after being gone a full month?”

“These are special donuts,” he says, “because they’re all yours.”

She huffs and sits. “Is this to pay me back for fielding all your calls?”

“Yes. I’m sorry I left you scrambling.”

Caleb comes out of a converted bedroom. “Holy—I wasn’t expecting you until next week.”

“Work got done faster.” Theo has been helping his sister three states away. Her house flooded and she was eight months pregnant. “I’m here for the morning meeting.”

He asks Mikaela what’s going on. She asks if he’s back now. He jokes that he is. She rolls her eyes.

He walks to the whiteboards. One shows current jobs, another upcoming jobs, the third the waiting list. It’s doubled since he left.

Caleb says he’s going to the barn job at Mustang Creek Ranch—they’re demolishing and rebuilding a red barn. They’ll catch up later. Theo nods.

He asks Mikaela where to go. They go through all the jobs. An hour later, she reaches the last name: Officer Burke. He wants to fix his garage into an apartment.

“Do you have notes?”

She rolls her eyes. “We weren’t all off for a month.” She emails him the notes. He pulls out his phone and sees her name on the screen.

He asks if there’s any reason to go to his office upstairs. She laughs and says only if he wants to choke on dust. He’s been in there maybe five times.

He says goodbye. She bets him a hundred dollars he’ll have a date by Friday. It’s Wednesday. He says he plans to rest and relax this weekend. She says she’ll see him at the bar tomorrow to collect.

He walks out and calls Officer Burke. Burke says he’s on call but at the house—Theo can come anytime. If anything happens, he’ll have to leave.

Theo gets in his truck. “I should be there in about twenty minutes.”

He’s about to hang up when Caleb calls. Caleb’s voice is tight. “I just got off the phone with Carl, the wood guy. He’s on his way here. I can’t explain now. I need you to go to the site and see if anyone needs anything.”

Theo agrees. “You okay?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Caleb deflects. “So far so good.”

A funny feeling settles in Theo’s stomach.

He heads to Burke’s house. He rings the doorbell, waits, then goes around back. He hears an electric saw. Burke is building a treehouse for his son, Asa.

Burke shows him the garage. It’s just plywood walls and a concrete floor. Asa is staying with him this summer. He’ll need a nanny, and he wants them to have their own space.

Theo is about to say something when Burke’s phone rings. He answers, then runs. “Got to go. Shots fired at Sierra’s house.”

Key Takeaways

• Theo returns to Montgavin after a month helping his pregnant sister with a flooded house.
• Mikaela runs the office and bets Theo he’ll have a date by Friday.
• Caleb gets a mysterious call from Carl the wood guy and asks Theo to cover the site.
• Officer Burke wants to convert his garage into a nanny apartment.
• Burke gets an emergency call about shots fired at Sierra’s house.

2. Theo

Overview

Theo repeats the name “Sierra” out loud, hoping he misheard Officer Burke. It has to be a different Sierra. Burke jumps into his car and peels away, lights flashing, shouting that shots were fired at Sierra’s house. Theo feels his feet freeze for a second before he runs to his truck, dialing Caleb. The call goes to voicemail. He tries again. Same result. He swears under his breath, barely holding the speed limit as he drives to her house, telling himself this is a mistake.

Five cop cars block the street. Two ambulances race past him, sirens blaring. He pulls over and sprints toward the house. An officer stops him. “That’s my cousin’s house,” Theo says, hands on his head, watching people rush in but no one come out. The officer says reports say shots fired, one victim maybe two, still unclear. Theo takes off running.

A gurney comes out of the house with a woman he doesn’t recognize, and Carl, the wood guy, beside it. Then Caleb steps out—no shirt, blood streaked down his chest—running next to a second gurney. Theo stops, bends over, and feels like he’s going to throw up from relief. He pulls himself together and runs toward Caleb. But then he freezes.

A woman he never thought he’d see again is holding the top of the gurney, running beside the ambulance. She’s wearing a paramedic uniform, blonde hair in a high braided ponytail. Her gray eyes meet his. “Oh my god, it’s you,” she says. Theo whispers, “You.” He shakes his head, trying to make sense of it.

Caleb shouts that Sierra’s been shot, tells Theo to meet him at the hospital, to get him a shirt, to call Lilah, to call Sierra’s parents—his phone is inside. Caleb climbs into the ambulance. The door slams. The ambulance speeds away.

Theo runs up the steps into the house, stops cold at the sight of blood on the floor in two spots. He finds Officer Burke in a bulletproof vest, listening to another officer. A bloody, bruised man sits on the floor in handcuffs, one eye swollen shut, demanding medical attention. Theo walks past a photographer taking pictures of a bullet casing and heads upstairs. He grabs a black T-shirt from under gym shorts on a chair and goes back down.

Burke scowls. “What the fuck are you doing in here?” His voice is tight. Who let him in? Theo explains Caleb asked for a shirt. Burke tells him not to touch anything. Theo asks what happened. Burke gestures toward the handcuffed man—he shot off two rounds. Who is he? No clue yet. Theo asks if he can get Caleb’s phone. Burke says no, they have to photograph the scene first. Theo asks about cleaners for the blood. Burke says he’ll call him when they’re done.

Theo’s phone rings. It’s Mikaela in full panic. News travels fast in a small town. Theo tells her Caleb is okay, Sierra’s status unknown. He needs to call Lilah to reach Sierra’s parents. Mikaela offers to handle the cleanup crew when the time comes. Theo disconnects and calls Emmett, Lilah’s boyfriend. He tells Emmett Sierra’s been shot. Emmett says he’s on it and hangs up.

Theo looks around the house. The handcuffed man is gone. Most officers have left. He ducks under the yellow tape and jogs to his truck, drives to the hospital.

Inside the emergency entrance, he finds Caleb talking to Burke, now dressed in a hospital gown. Theo hands him the black shirt. Caleb thanks him. Carl steps out of the swinging doors, his own shirt bloodstained, rage on his face. “She’s in surgery,” he says. He asks where the attacker is. Burke says he’s being checked out, then booked. “He’s alive,” Carl retorts. “He’s lucky.” Burke says he’ll forget that. Then he turns to Carl, tells Caleb he’ll be back with questions.

Theo asks Caleb what happened. Caleb stares at his shoes, then looks up with tears in his eyes, confessing he’s never been more scared. He tells Theo the whole sordid story—Sierra’s complicated family situation and how it led to this. Theo puts an arm around his shoulder, reassures him she’ll be fine, jokes that soon she’ll kick him out. Caleb offers a weary half smile. “If she thinks I’m going to leave her side now, she’s sadly mistaken.”

Theo tells him to go change, says he’ll find coffee, maybe get an update. He walks through the swinging doors into the white hallway, past three rooms on each side, to a desk in the middle. His eyes catch on her—she’s bent over, writing. His feet move before his head can stop him.

“Collins.”

Her head shoots up. Blue-gray eyes meet his. Just like that night by the side of the road, he can’t help but smile at her. “Hey.”

Key Takeaways

• Theo rushes to Sierra’s house after learning shots were fired, only to find her being rushed to the hospital.
• He is shocked to see a woman from his past working as a paramedic at the scene.
• Caleb reveals Sierra’s complicated family situation led to the shooting.
• Theo helps coordinate calls and cleanup while supporting Caleb at the hospital.
• The chapter ends with Theo reuniting with the woman, Collins, in the hospital hallway.

4. Theo

Overview

The emergency waiting room is quiet, just past one in the morning. Theo has his legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles, his eyes past the point of being dry. Most of Sierra's friends left after the doctor gave the update that she was going to be just fine, but he stayed because Caleb's parents insisted on remaining. He dozed off a couple of times in the last hour.

His uncle Jensen tells him he doesn't have to stay, but Theo asks what kind of nephew would leave them alone in a new town. The doors swing open and Caleb emerges, finally getting some color back after a night of seeming one second away from passing out or destroying walls. Sierra's parents go to him, and Caleb says she's coming in and out. Her mother asks to go sit with her. Caleb's mother Hailey fusses over him, but Jensen tells her to leave him be.

Caleb asks Theo what the hell he's doing there. Theo jokes that if something happened to Sierra and Caleb went apeshit, his mother would go more bonkers, then his father, and someone needed to keep everyone calm. He kisses Hailey's cheek, tells her to call when she's ready to come to the house, and heads out. Caleb assures him they're good, and Theo reminds him he's a phone call away.

The sun is long gone, replaced by a quarter moon barely lighting the sky. Theo drives home with the windows down, the warm breeze rolling through, not another car on the road. At his house, he walks up the steps with a crick in his neck, slides the key in the lock, and steps into the darkness. He bypasses everything, making his way up to the shower. He checks his phone and sees texts from Mikaela about the cleanup crew being done and her covering for them tomorrow, ending with a sarcastic "Wow, thanks for answering. I could be dead." He laughs but doesn't reply, not wanting to wake her. He texts his uncle instead: "Not that you care, but I made it home." His uncle replies: "I was so worried. Thanks for not having our backs. We could be in jail right now."

In the shower, Theo puts his head down, letting the water run over his neck. His mind wanders to Collins. Seeing her was definitely not on his bingo card. He had a strict rule with himself not to go home with anyone who lived here, but he caved a few times, and Collins was one of them. Running into her was a fluke, something that should never have happened.

He remembers that night. He had been at the bar with guys from work and ended up driving Frankie home. Turning a corner, his headlights caught her blonde hair. She moved back from the road, and he saw her tire was flat. He asked if she needed a hand. She asked if he was a murderer. He told her his name was Theo. She crouched beside him while he changed the tire, shining her phone flashlight exactly where he needed it. He told her the spare had low pressure and insisted on following her home. She argued, but he was persistent. When they got to her little house with the overgrown grass, she apologized and asked him to come in and wash his hands. He should have turned her down. But her smile made him forget his own rule.

In her kitchen, they kissed. It went from a kiss to a serious make-out session, and the next thing he knew, they were in her bed. He should have left after the first time. Instead, he got up, disposed of the condom, and watched her turn on the shower. He went back for the second condom. In her tiny shower, he put his mouth on her, tasting a sweetness he had never experienced before. She was on her knees in front of him before he even got the condom packet open. They fell into her bed, bodies still damp. He took his time with her that second time. He should have made an excuse after round two, but he didn't. He lay there and listened to her breathing. It was the first time he had ever done that, and he didn't even understand it in the moment.

Theo hisses out a curse under the water, closing his eyes as it runs down his face. He tells himself he's a goddamn idiot. One-night stands are his norm, but leaving that morning didn't sit well with him. He knew he would see her in town eventually. It was like he was waiting for it to happen. But he never expected it to be today, his first day back. Tomorrow they'll have coffee. He'll apologize. Then it'll be over.

He turns the water off and steps out, grabbing a towel.

Key Takeaways

• Theo stays at the hospital with Caleb's family after Sierra is cleared, showing his loyalty and sense of responsibility.
• He has a strict rule against hooking up with locals, but he broke it with Collins.
• Their one-night stand was more intimate than his usual encounters, and he stayed the night for the first time.
• Running into Collins again forces Theo to confront feelings he tried to ignore.
• He plans to apologize to her over coffee and move on, but the memory still haunts him.