Catch the Fire: The Live Oak Series, #4

By Lacey Dancer

RJ Ryder is a war veteran with a past that has cost him his future. He lost his right leg and the ability to father children in a landmine explosion in the Middle East. When Lydia North dares him to fight for his future, he takes her job offer as second in command of her growing construction company. In the first weeks of work, he is almost involved in accident on a building site. Nancy Jackson slams into the man Lydia has brought into the company, shoving him out of harms' way. Not realizing Nancy has no idea of his injury, he is furious. An uneasy alliance develops between them, aided by the geographic distance between them and the demands of their positions with North Enterprises. RJ is the head of the office part of the company and Nancy heads the work crews on the job sites all over Florida and South Georgia. Professionally, they complement one another.

 

The Live Oak Project, one of North's most ambitious undertakings, throws them together in ways that can't be ignored of made easier by geographic distance. They have to deal face to face. Two of the sons of the founding families have formed an alliance to bring the small town of Live Oak into the twenty-first century while keeping intact the heritage that matters so much to those who have created the community. When a bit of thievery at the new job site turns into a stakeout to find the thief, RJ and Nancy are suddenly confronted with an abused child and a dying dog. United to save the child and the pet she loves, they embark on a journey that is filled with one crisis after another. The damage in the aftermath of a hurricane. An angry judge. Lydia's father who needs something from his daughter. The missing father of the abused child. The child's identity. The huge amount of work involved in bringing the Channing-Weston vision for Live Oak to fruition. Add in another wedding and two honeymoons into the mix and it is a recipe for controlled chaos, filled with tears, laughter and changes. The two opponents and sometimes friends, find that all their differences are outweighed by the way they can solve problems and beat the odds. The law wants one thing and they are determined to have another at all costs. They assemble an army of friends in this community that they are working to help. All the characters of Book,1, 2, and 3 make their contributions. They have seen these two in action and have joined the fight to save Honey and BeBe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sydney Clary
• Release date: Dec 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9798223475910

Lacey Dancer

International, Award-Winning Romance and Suspense author, Sydney Clary a.k.a. Lacey Dancer, has written and published over 36 books over her lifetime. She is working on adding 20 or 30 more to the count as well as bringing her backlist into the 21st century. Currently, she is concentrating on writing stories in two new series. The first is called the Live Oak Series which is a romance/suspense story set in North Florida. The second is The Truth Series, a thriller/suspense series set in Montana and other places around the world. Finally, she is enhancing and republishing the very popular Pippa Romance series.

Book preview

DEDICATION

I am dedicating this book to some wonderful women, three friends who have become essential members of the team who have helped me prepare and present my books.

Shirley, wonderful critic and proofreader. I can call day or night to discuss a new idea and you always answer with insight and humor.

Erin, the fantastic voice actor for each of my books in audio form. I love hearing the words come alive with the emotion you infuse in every sentence I have written.

Jolene, social media coordinator, who has shown me so much in the months of our association about social media and how best to reach out to my readers. Best of all, you speak my language which is not geek.

I think of us as a team. I couldn’t do what I do without each one of you. Thank you all.

LETTER FROM LACEY

I have never been a writer who created each story in a certain way. Sometimes, the story begins with a character and, sometimes, it is born out of a situation. Catch the Fire had its birth in both ways.

First, I had RJ and Nancy who appeared in Strike the Fire. He is a war vet who lost a leg to a landmine. He spoke to me from the beginning, his needs, his history and the reality that we have so many veterans returning home with injuries and memories that shred sleep with the trauma of war and blood. I had to do justice to his story.

Then came Scooter, a dog I rescued. I am an animal lover and I started rescue dog adoption before it had a descriptive name. Lost or unwanted dogs that no shelter could keep for long were always my choices. Each one came to me with a story and I had the joy of watching each leave behind the misery of his past and become lifelong members of my family.

Scooter, a recent adoptee is the model for BeBe. I contacted my vet for a reference since I had room to add another rescue and she told me about Scooter. His story was the same as BeBe’s in that his leg had to be amputated because someone had used an electrician’s tie on him, cutting off circulation until he was turned in to the vet. She amputated the leg to save his life.

Somehow, the morning I started on RJ and Nancy’s story I felt the creative ideas rearrange themselves. BeBe was born. With him came his friend Honey.

I hope you enjoy RJ’s story. Also, you might wish to keep an eye on the new characters in town. Both have stories of their own just waiting to be told.

As always, I am just a few clicks away. You can contact me on the sites listed in the back of this book. I love feedback and comments and I always answer personally.

Lacey Dancer

CHAPTER ONE

Nancy Jackson stood on the edges of the group of people around the pool. It had been a long day of dealing with the aftermath of a brush with a hurricane. Archer Channing’s farm had survived the assault with minimal damage, mostly limbs down and a few trees. Grid power was down but he had equipped his operation with back-up generators. She could hear the growl of the engines in the background of the various conversations going on around her.

Archer, standing with his fiancée, Randi had his cell on speaker, listening, as they all were, to her boss, Lydia, announce her sudden decision to marry Max. She had seen that one coming. Years of working for her tiny, black haired, lavender eyed employer had taught her that Lydia had a sharp, decisive mind that knew what was best for her even if it threw those around her into chaos.

She smiled faintly as she watched the intense Archer and more laid-back Randi deal with the surprise. She saw his business partner, Alex, and life-long friend laugh and shake his head as he slid an arm around his fiancée, Lucy. What a pair those two made, Alex with his sleek golden look and his soon to be wife with her flashing dark eyes and gypsy lush body.

Then there was RJ. Like her, he had long dealings with their boss. If anything, Lydia or anyone else had done had ever surprised him, she had never seen any signs of it. She watched his face, a habit she had developed to an art over the years. As usual, RJ hid his feelings well.  He even had a faint smile as he sipped his beer while the crowd of friends and co-workers expressed their delight over Lydia’s and Max’s announcement. Nancy clearly heard Max demand that the wedding take place the following evening so that his children wouldn’t have to change their return flight to California. She grinned. Lydia’s choice in mates was perfect. Max was no slouch at quick thinking and planning either.

Archer glanced at Alex and got a nod as the other man pulled out his cell to make a call. We can do it. The pool area is a mess but we can get it ready for the ceremony, Archer agreed with a laugh. Alex is talking to a friend of ours. She and a friend of hers have started a side business of planning and catering weddings since Live Oak doesn’t have an official wedding planner yet.

Give me the phone, Randi demanded with a grin.

It’s on speaker, Archer reminded her.

Randi ignored the comment. Martha says she and the wives will help with the food since we have power and Tina and Jennifer may not. Thank you for not wanting a huge wedding cake. Even with help that would be wishing for the moon.

Nancy finished the drink in her hand as the arrangements took on a life of their own until Archer called a halt to the ever-widening circle of people trying to talk at the same time. Come on over. The beer is cold and the grill is hot. We can all talk without shouting.

She glanced at RJ as he stood and eased through the crowd of farm workers, family members and friends. Without making an issue of it, she followed, taking her time to answer questions and trade laughs with the celebrating crowd. It had been a tiring day of hurricane clean up and assessing the damage to the construction site and to the travel rigs of her crew. RJ had worked as long and as hard as she. She knew the cost of that kind of effort. Her muscles ached and she did this kind of work day in and day out.

RJ Ryder was seriously ripped but he was not one of her crew. His function for North Enterprises was to handle the problems of running a rapidly growing company for a boss who demanded and got the best of every one of her employees. Lydia ran her company with style, grace, and a razor focus that needed top people on their toes just to keep up with her visions for the future.

Nancy knew she was a key member of the team, as were her father and brothers. RJ was Lydia’s second in command. He handled tough problems the way another man might handle a daily ritual. He had a temper he controlled with ruthless strength as long as it didn’t involve any bureaucrats. He was known to eat that breed for a snack.

Since the rigs had been moved out of the path of the storm, the damage there was little more than removing a few downed limbs so that the rigs could return home. She was tired and tomorrow promised to be a busy day even without the impromptu wedding of her boss and the man who was strong enough to match her strength, determination and sheer grit.

There was no one she admired more than Lydia North unless it was the stubborn, often cranky as a badger, second in command she was tracking. She found him leaning against a tree and staring across the pastures of Archer’s farm. The sun was setting and the fiery light surrounded his lean body, highlighting every sharp angle and plane in a face sculpted by an artist who had made sure that every line radiated with the power that was as much a part of RJ Ryder as his nitro temperament.

Following me, Jackson?

You betcha, she agreed as she stopped beside him. Her world was peopled with men of all sizes and dispositions.

She had learned to navigate that world before she had been old enough to understand that women had their universe and men had theirs. RJ was unlike the others in her life. His shadows drew her as much as his humor and strength. He was a fascination, an irritant and, too often, a man who appealed to her on every level. She wished she could believe she held the same appeal for him. Once in a while, she caught him looking at her with an intensity that said he felt something for her as a woman. Those rare glimpses were a tease that she had taught herself to ignore since he had never even hinted at acting on those looks.

What about Joanne and Millie? You know they will be really hurt if they can’t come to the wedding. Frank too, she said, naming Millie, the receptionist/office manager who kept the North Enterprises office running smoothly, Joanne who handled the human resources and Frank who took care of security. All of them had been with Lydia since she had created her construction company. Just as she, her father and brothers had. NE was definitely a family team, if not by blood, certainly by choice.

I already called Millie and Frank. She’ll take care of getting a temp to man the switchboard and Frank will get the back-up team security for twenty-four hours. As soon as everything is in place, Frank will drive everyone up here. He studied her for a moment. Did you really think you would need to remind me?

Nancy shrugged. One of these days, he just might use her first name when he spoke to her. She should have given up long ago on hoping that he would knock a hole in that wall he had built between them.

It’s my excuse to slide out of the festivities for a minute.

He studied her as he sipped his beer. Five years had not dimmed her appeal. What she did to a pair of faded work jeans should have been illegal. She wasn’t a beauty. He had certainly seen that in other women, his boss being a prime example.

Nancy’s attraction lay in her slender body with that deceptive walk that demanded that any man with blood in his veins should pay serious attention. It was rare to see her without a smile and a calm that made complicated problems seem workable. She rode heavy equipment as though it was a simple machine. She commanded men he respected with a light hand but with a will of steel that never wavered getting the job done.

Worried about Lydia getting married so quickly?

Nancy toasted him with her glass of wine. Aren’t you? In a little more than three months, he pops the question and we are planning a wedding. I like him. I think he is good for her. But marriage? Even for Lydia, that’s a leap.

RJ glanced past her for a moment to the RV castle that was Lydia’s home. His boss had made him redefine his ideas on what a woman could accomplish with no help from family or friends. He had always respected the female gender, but he had never known any person to have the sheer guts and grit to take on the world that had nothing but disdain and disrespect for what Lydia had begun to build.

If it was anyone else but her, yeah, I would worry. If I was the worrying type.

Which you’re not, she said dryly. He didn’t worry. He was a man of action. Hand him a problem and he would toss back a solution before a person could blink.

He inclined his head, the fading light seeming to spark in the coal black strands. What’s bothering you?

Nancy hid her surprise at the question. Until now, the only conversations she had ever had with RJ had been about work. Even at the few office parties, he had kept the conversation on their work and the people they both knew. Another tier of bricks in the wall he had construction when she hadn’t understood who he was and what secrets had lurked in his past, secrets she had unknowingly stumbled, literally, into.

Max has more money than even Lydia can claim. He certainly doesn’t need a piece of NE and he is definitely old enough to know his own mind. He has a good relationship with his kids and, from what I have heard, also with his first wife. RJ listed the information without taking his eyes from Nancy’s face. He had learned to respect her instincts.

He isn’t afraid of getting sweaty and dirty on the job either, she added, thinking of how Max had pitched in, working on equipment with the crew. He had even saved one of the crew from being badly injured while they had been using a ditch-witch to dig a pipe line.

Do you like him?

His brows rose. He had wanted solitude. Jackson had followed, bringing that inconvenient itch with her that demanded that he notice her as a woman not just a co-worker. Walking away should have been easy. He didn’t lie to himself. It wasn’t. He was tired to turning his back every time she got in front of him.

Do you have any reason to think I don’t?

Your mood. Your face won’t crack if you smile.

That touched a cord, plucked it hard enough to bring out his temper. Have you forgotten that I am one of the bosses of you?

She grinned. There was a low growl in his deep voice. A warning. Not exactly. If anything, we are laterals. I actually have seniority, she murmured, knowing an opening when it popped into view. You try to hold that between us every time you get a chance. You’re friendly with everyone but me. You don’t even use my first name. It’s always Jackson.

RJ held her gaze for a long moment. It wasn’t the first time she had baited him. Each time her claws had dug a little deeper, gotten a little closer to his temper. He ignored her when he could and the rest of the time avoided her easily because she was based in the field on whatever job NE had running and his work was primarily out of the office. But there were times and circumstances that threw them together. The problem this time was time. He would be spending some days on this job site as well as the office because of Lydia’s wedding and honeymoon. When Lydia broke ground for the new north Florida office for NE, he would be all but living here at different points.

If using your first name will make you back off with the digs, Nancy, I will forget your last name entirely. He placed deliberate emphasis on her given name.

It will do for a start, she said quietly. Suddenly the sounds of congratulations filled the night. Nancy glanced over her shoulder toward the patio and the people gathered in a tight group. Looks like Lydia and Max are here.

RJ stepped away from the tree, very aware of Nancy walking beside him toward the light. He was not fond of crowds on his best day. He was tired and his leg was hurting. It would be at least two hours before he could leave without someone commenting.

Don’t forget to smile, Nancy reminded him. She would bet her favorite pair of work boots that his leg was hurting. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, especially to her if she was fool enough to even hint of a problem in that direction. No one was allowed to refer in any way to the leg he had lost in the war. He had a slight hesitation in his stride that she doubted many noticed. If it slowed him down, she had seen no signs of it.

You’re pushing, Nancy, he murmured as they reached the edge of the crowd.

One day I might get there, she returned smartly with a grin.

He shot her a look that held more temper than usual. "Playing with fire?’

Catching the fire.

A good way to get burned.

Not if you are quick and I am. She slid into the crowd without giving him a chance to reply. He wasn’t thinking about pain any longer. Right now, he was probably thinking of ways to murder her and hide the body.

Taking a break from all the talk of the wedding? RJ asked as he joined Max in the shadows of the barn. Lydia and the women were planning the food in the kitchen. They had Tina and Jennifer on the cell. Archer’s friends would be handling the cake and the decorations. Nancy and the rest were putting together a work schedule that would start at dawn to get the place ready for the event as well as do what was needed to done at the construction site.

I hadn’t done the math on the number of people attending. Sounds like half the damn county is coming. The last count was ninety-three.

RJ laughed. He hadn’t expected to like Max Greene as much as he did. He was an outsider, known only to Lydia. Then he became a large part of Lydia’s life in less than three months. His boss had always made quick decisions but, even for her, going from lover to fiancée was light speed work. It was impossible not to see how well Max suited Lydia. Their strong personalities complemented each other in the best possible way.

With Millie and Joanne bringing their husbands that swelled the numbers too.

Max nodded. Thanks for arranging for them to come. The look on Lydia’s face when you told her said how important it was to her to have them here.

To them too.

Max sighed deeply. That damn family of hers deserves the worst of whatever the future holds.

She told you about her father? RJ asked slowly. To his knowledge, he was the only one Lydia had ever confided in about the details of the rift between herself, her father and her brothers.

Max studied him, easily reading the knowledge in the younger man’s eyes. She told me. I wish I had been there. That bastard would have flown out of the window in her hospital room. What kind of man would behave like that to his daughter?

I had the same reaction as you. I’ve met him. When NE started getting a lot of media attention, I guess he decided he had better mend some fences. He came to the office unannounced.

She didn’t tell me that.

She wasn’t there the day he stopped in expecting her to be available with no appointment. She was breaking ground on a new job. I got to intercept ‘his arrogance’ and show him the door. He was not pleased.

Tell me you broke something. His teeth, his arm, his neck?

RJ flexed his fingers as he remembered the almost overwhelming urge to do just that. The restrained rage in Max’s voice matched his own feelings. I wanted to. She wouldn’t have liked it.

How long do you figure she will be locked in here?

Why?

He would rather concentrate on the future he could change and not the past he couldn’t.  If there was any justice, one day he would get the chance to even the score with Lydia’s father.

I want to have a honeymoon. Her first marriage and my last. If we are doing a wedding with cake and a bunch of guests, I want a honeymoon.

RJ laughed at the anticipation and determination in the older man’s voice. Good luck with waiting for her to not be busy with NE. How about an end run around the defense? I am here and so is Nancy. We can handle whatever comes up. You fly. Alex has a plane that I am sure he will loan you again. What about a holiday in the islands?

The idea appealed for so many reasons. Max liked the way RJ thought and his plan might very well succeed. I wasn’t thinking about how close they are. In fact, I know someone who has a private island in the Bahamas. He doesn’t usually visit at this time of year so his house might be empty.

If you arranged it as a surprise wedding gift, she would take it and leave Jackson and me holding the fort. She doesn’t get enough surprises.

Can you manage a week away from the office? Max asked.

Easily. Internet and cells make geographic distances no problem. Something I am sure you know well. Besides, Orlando is only about three hours away if I have to be at the office. It won’t be the first time both of us have been absent.

Lydia stared at the laptop screen that was rapidly filling with a list of things to do. Lucy was manning the computer while Randi and Martha conferred with Jennifer and Tina about the supplies and the decorations. She had given up on trying to point out this was going to be a small ceremony with just a few friends. The attendees numbered well over a hundred already. She had yet to meet Jennifer and Tina in person. Both were friends of Archer and Alex and, apparently, were ready to lend a hand in spite of the mess they each had in the wake of the hurricane which had whipped through the county, flooding lightly but heavily damaging homes and power lines.

Tina was responsible for the food and she had no power. Jennifer was handling the decorations with supplies she had on hand. She had power but a huge tree was blocking the drive to her home. Archer had already dispatched a crew to her place to clear the way and another to Tina with a backup generator to at least keep the refrigerator and water pump running. Lydia really appreciated the way the people of the county were banding together to handle the storm crisis and now her wedding.

Alright, Randi, I think Tina and I have everything covered with all that you, Lucy, Martha and the wives are doing. Lydia, I can’t wait to meet you, Jennifer said in closing.

I’ll have the coffee waiting, Lydia replied with a grin. We can drink it. Since Lucy and Randi are pregnant, they just get to smell it.

Jennifer laughed. I can’t believe Alex and Archer are going to be fathers in the near future.

Lucy chuckled. Believe me, Alex can’t believe it either.

I’m making cinnamon buns for breakfast tomorrow. I need sugar if I am going to be cooking all day, Tina added with a laugh. I’ll even make sure we have enough for the men.

I like the way you ladies think. Can’t wait to meet you either. I’ll offer to guard the buns since you are refusing my help with everything else.

Tina giggled. Honey, you are the star of tomorrow. No work for you accept to enjoy and be happy. We’re hanging up now. The guys have the generator hooked up here and the men at Jennifer’s say the way is clear. I’m heading over as soon as I load the van.

Are sure you don’t want to stay here until your power is back? Randi asked. We’ve got the room.

Jennifer and I will be fine, Tina assured her.

Randi set the phone aside and eyed Lydia. She had been friends with Lydia long enough to know the way her mind worked. If she was banned from the preparations, she would be checking on her equipment and the construction site.

Don’t even think about trying to get involved with the set up. We have more than enough hands. And, you can’t go popping over to the job site either. It is your wedding day. If you have to do something, it’s a really important something. Think about your dress. You can’t possibly walk down the aisle in jeans.

Lydia cocked a brow at the orders and the look in Randi’s eyes. You know very well I have my entire wardrobe in the motorhome. I believe you pointed out that my new closet is easily twice as big as my last one and it qualified as a room then, Lydia reminded her. All I have to do is pick something out.

Do you have something white? Lucy demanded. Clothes were a serious discussion on just a date. For a wedding, they ranked at the top of the list. It is your first wedding. I could help you with something from my closet...

Only if you whacked off six inches from the hem, Lydia interrupted with a grin. I am short, remember?

You’re not short. Tiny but not short, Randi corrected. Maybe we better go over to your RV and help you decide.

Ladies, if you are doing the fashion thing, I am going home. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, Martha said as she headed for the door. You will make a beautiful bride, Miss Lydia, no matter what you wear, even your jeans.

Now, I really have to find something special, Lydia murmured. Do you think that’s why she said that?

I’ve learned that Martha is a very canny woman. I wouldn’t put it past her. Either way, you are going to look spectacular if we have to go shopping tonight.

I’m safe from that threat since we are an hour from any large clothing stores and it is late. By the time we could get there, they would be closed, Lydia pointed out.

I wonder who Alex or Archer might know? Lucy murmured with a wicked look in her eyes.

Nancy entered the kitchen in time to hear the last two comments. I had hoped to get here sooner to help with the planning.

Believe me, they have it under control, Lydia said with a grimace. I am even getting orders too.

How do you feel about helping pick out a wedding dress? Randi asked.

I’m better with jeans and boots but I do like special occasion stuff a lot so lead me to it.

You’re out voted, Lucy said as she shut down the laptop and got to her feet. She was tired. The pregnancy was already making itself felt. Randi, on the other hand, seemed to have energy to burn.

Lydia rolled her eyes as she stared at the three women who were clearly not taking no for an answer. I should have eloped.

Nancy shook her head. Do you think any of us who know you wouldn’t have made you pay if you had. Digging through that department store you call a closet will be a lot easier.

Lydia eyed Nancy, knowing the truth of that statement very well. You just had to put that image in my head, didn’t you?

Nancy linked her arm with Lydia’s and urged her through the door with Randi and Lucy following. How about this image? Max’s eyes glued to you as you walk down the aisle in a spectacular gown. He just can’t wait to get his hands on you.

He’s already had his hands on me, thank you very much. We don’t have to be married for that to happen.

Married sex is different from lover sex.

Lydia stopped at the door of her home and stared at Nancy. What makes you think that? You have never been married.

Nancy reached past Lydia to open the RV. Every friend I have assures me there is a difference. She glanced at Randi then Lucy. What do you think, ladies?

Lucy gave a slow smile that had the look of the devil behind it. Since neither of us is married yet, I am not sure. However, I am definitely looking forward to finding out.

Randi chuckled. I like the early mornings best.

Lydia thought she had known her friends. She was discovering a whole new side to each of them. Let’s go shopping in my closet. You three go have a look while I call Max and tell him that the RV is off limits until we are done.

Nancy started to follow Randi and Lucy to the back of the RV but stopped on the last comment. He can’t come back here at all. The groom isn’t supposed to see the bride the night before the ceremony.

Randi and Lucy turned, laughing at the look on Lydia’s face. 

You have lost you mind, Nancy. I am not kicking him out of our bed tonight. She shoved her fingers through her hair. This wedding is getting out of hand. Read my lips. We are just making living together legal.

Really? Randi asked quietly.

Love has nothing to do with it? Lucy added just as quietly.

Lydia dropped onto the sofa and glared at the three females eying her like a specimen under a microscope. It had been so simple when Max had asked her just a few hours ago. It wasn’t simple now. Caterers, decorations, walking down an aisle, wedding dress or as near as she could get. Tradition. A hundred or more people coming to