Ethan wondered if that was how it was going to be from now on. Were the people on his crew always going to treat him differently? Treat him like he wasn’t the same man he used to be? Was he the same man? Ethan pushed the troubling thoughts to the back of his mind.

“I’ve got to go,” Ethan reluctantly said. He hadn’t realized until now how much he’d missed these guys. “Some family stuff came up.”

“Hope to see you back in action soon,” Fred, a longtime co-worker and friend, said.

The other guys chimed in their agreement.

“Thanks. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Ethan headed for the door. As he stepped outside, he squinted in the bright morning sunshine. A mid-March breeze rushed past him as he headed for his pickup. He ducked his head against the cold air. Any day now the springtime weather would warm up. He couldn’t wait.

He climbed into his new pickup and started it. The soft purr of the engine filled the cab. He adjusted the heat and then glanced out the window. The red brick building of Engine 256 Firehouse stood proudly. The American flag hung between the two big white bay doors. The red, white, and blue material fluttered in the breeze.

It was within those four walls where he’d spent so much of his life. As a child he would come to this fire station with his father. He’d been in awe of the big, shiny trucks and the brave men and women who rode in them.

As an adult, he’d stepped into his father’s boots, becoming a firefighter himself. It was what was expected. It was a Walker tradition.

Since the accident, Ethan had struggled with returning to work. He knew if he didn’t push himself—if he didn’t get back to the business of putting out fires—that he might never ride in a fire engine again. And where would that leave him?

But family always came first. He put the truck in gear and headed home. He’d grab a few things and hit the road. He hoped there had been some sort of mix-up and he found his aunt ready to go home.

Chapter Two

3 days later...Bluestar Island, MA

She was one of the lucky ones.

She got to do what she loved every single day—bake.

And best of all, she was able to put smiles on people’s faces.

Hannah Bell remembered how excited she’d been as a little girl receiving a play-oven for Christmas. She’d baked up countless imaginary cakes with it. Eventually, pretend cakes gave way to real ones.

And now her life’s dream was coming true. She’d just bought the sole bakery on the island—the Bluestar Bakery. The ink wasn’t even dry on the loan papers. And yet it was all hers…at last. Or at least it would be when the renovations were completed.

In the meantime, she was baking special orders in her apartment. It wasn’t ideal, not by a long shot, but it brought in enough money for her to put food on her table and pay the bills. Thankfully, the arrangement was only temporary.