He released her hand and sat back. "After the joke my ex-fiancee and exbest friend played on me, I never laugh at anyone."

Sensing there was a depth of emotion here, both raw and turbulent, she waited for him to say something else. When it was obvious he wasn't going to... yet... she glanced in the direction of the other table and leaned toward Dan. "I'm getting a friendly vibe from Honey B. and her date. What about you?"

His gaze swept the room and then slowly settled on Meg's friend. Up until he'd been dumped, royally flushed-whatever you wanted to call it-he'd thought himself a good judge of character. He'd been hesitant to trust his judgment since then-obviously, or he wouldn't have pushed Meg out the door the other morning. He owed it to Meg and because of her, her friend Honey B., to observe the couple's body language.

From a quick glance, without really hearing the couples' conversation, he had to agree. "I don't think she has anything to worry about tonight. He seems to be keeping a respectful distance and his body is definitely relaxed." He paused to chuckle. "Maybe slouched is a better word. Is she going straight home from here, or does she have something else planned?"

"Just dinner, then home. I'm hungry; why don't we order?"

Despite the fact that he knew his way around a kitchen and liked to try new recipes, Dan wasn't a food snob. He'd eat whatever was put in front of him. "How do you decide? Everything sounds good to me."

"But you're a good cook."

"So? I like to eat. What are you having?"

"A burger."

"Are they good here?"

"Oh yeah." The look on her face actually convinced him to order one too.

While they ate, he kept an eye on Honey B. and her mystery date, but it wasn't as easy as he imagined with Meg sitting across from him licking her lips after taking a big bite of her burger.

"Don't you like it?" She was looking at him expectantly.

He blinked and looked down at his half-eaten hamburger. "It's really great."

She was frowning at him. "Then why aren't you eating?"

"I was watching your friend."

Meg snorted-an inelegant sound coming from such pretty lips. "If you say so."

"Why don't you just say what's on your mind, Mulcahy?"

"Ooooh." Her eyes lit with amusement as she picked up a fry and dipped it into the mayonnaise she'd ordered on the side. "Am I hitting a nerve, Coach?"

He picked up his burger took a big bite and frowned at her. When his mouth was empty, he grumbled. "Don't call me coach."

"Why not?"

He finished the rest of his burger before answering, "It reminds me that you look like you could be one of my students and I look-"

"Amazing."

He shut his mouth and didn't quite know how to respond to that. He knew he was strong; he worked out on his own and with his team. But he hadn't thought much about his appearance since he'd been dumped.

"Um... thanks."

She leaned across the table and said, "If you hadn't changed your mind about us, I'd be tempted to coerce you into the backseat of your car to pick up where we left off."

Dan's jaw dropped open and for a moment he just stared at Meg then reached across the table to grab her hand and was about to stand when Honey B. and her date approached their table.

Smoothing over what could be a delicate situation, Dan held out his hand. "My name's Dan Eagan. I coach high school soccer in Apple Grove."

The other man grinned. "Small world. My name's Patrick Garahan-Pat. Before I moved out here, I used to play for the FDNY Soccer Club." He looked at Dan and shook his head. "Isn't it funny that my date Honey's from Apple Grove?" He looked over his shoulder at her and then back at Dan and Meg. "From what Honey's told me, Apple Grove is a small town," he said slowly. "You two must know each other."

Meg looked at Honey B., who said, "Pat was curious when he noticed you and Meg watching us more than once, so I told him the truth."

Dan and Meg shared a look and Dan nodded. "I'm glad she told you."

"Can you join us for dessert?" Meg asked. "It'll save Dan from getting a crick in his neck."

When the table had been cleared, coffee poured, and dessert served, Pat glanced from them to Honey and back again. "I'm getting a pretty clear picture. You're Honey's friends and wanted to make sure I wasn't some psycho she'd met on the Internet. That about sum it up?"

Dan grinned. "Pretty much. Thanks for not getting mad."

Pat laughed. "I would have done the same for my sister or one of their friends."

"So, Pat," Meg asked, "how long have you been a firefighter?"

The other man relaxed and started to slouch down in his seat. Dan realized it was because the guy was exhausted, not because he didn't have any manners. Dan'd been wrong about that.

"Since 9/11, I started out in New York City, but moved here a few months ago."

"I'm from New Jersey," Dan told him. "I lost a good friend that day."

Pat looked down at his hands. "I lost two of my best friends," he told them before looking up to meet Dan's gaze. "I'd been trying to decide what to do with my bachelor's degree in English... that day was my wake-up call. And up until the fire last month..."

Dan watched the play of emotions cross the man's face and knew something raw and painful had prompted Pat to move from New York City to Ohio. "Well, I realized a couple of months ago that I needed a change, so here I am."

Honey B. reached out and took hold of his hand. "Thanks for not being mad that my friends were here to watch my back."

Pat looked down at their joined hands and grinned. "It's good to have friends who will do anything for you... it's almost as good as having your brothers here."

Dan picked up on the odd note in his voice. "I've got a sister who is married and living in Connecticut. How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

Pat grinned. "Three brothers and three sisters."

"Are your brothers firefighters too?" Meg wanted to know.

Dan watched as a look that could only be described as pride had the man nodding and shifting higher in his seat. "They're at different firehouses; after the attack, it was mandatory."

Dan started thinking and knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to ask about why Pat had made the move to Ohio. He'd made a life-changing move recently and it was still a touchy subject. An idea popped into his head. "Do the Newark firefighters have a soccer team too?"

"There are a couple of us that get together a couple of times a month and mess around on the field. Why?"

"Maybe I could round up a couple of guys and we could challenge your team to a game."

Pat grinned. "Let me see who's off shift. Between our three firehouses, I know I can get a team together."

While the men were talking to one another, Meg finished her pie, sat back, and smiled. "Did you enjoy dinner?"

Her friend nodded and leaned close. "I had a great time. Pat's a nice guy."

Meg agreed and added, "Does he remind you of anyone you know back home in Apple Grove?"

Honey B. hissed at her. "Shhh-not now, Meg."

Meg rolled her eyes at her friend. It was obvious to her that Honey B. was having a good time with Pat, but it was also obvious that Pat had a similar personality and profession to Mitch. Firefighter versus sheriff. "I bet Mitch would like to meet Pat."

"I need to use the ladies' room, Meg. Don't you?"

Meg started to refuse, but the look in her friend's eyes warned her not to. "We'll be right back."

Dan and Pat nodded but kept talking-they'd moved from soccer to football, and were now talking baseball.

"Men," Meg grumbled, following Honey B. to the ladies room.

"Why are you bringing up Mitch when I'm on a date with Pat?"

"If you can't figure it out, then I'm not telling you."

"Wait," her friend told her. "I've really gotta pee."

Meg washed her hands and tried to think of a way to remind Honey B. that, although Pat seemed like a great guy, he had baggage-just like Mitch. She didn't know if she should warn Mitch or root for Pat. Her heart went out to Mitch, even though he should have paid attention to Honey B. about ten years ago.

Men... so slow sometimes.

Honey B. came out and washed her hands. "We should be getting back."

Meg agreed. "Will you be seeing Pat again?"

Honey B. laughed. "I will if Dan has anything to say about getting together in town for a soccer game."

Meg was laughing as they walked back over to the table.

Dan looked up at her and smiled a warm and friendly smile before turning to the other couple.

The other man smiled and shook hands. "I'll give you a call in a couple of days. I know I can get a group of guys together for a pickup game."

Dan smiled. "Great. Maybe some of the guys from the varsity soccer team can come and get a different perspective on the game."

They paid the cashier and walked outside. Meg and Dan gave Honey and Pat a chance to say their good-byes.

"I like him," Dan said as he opened the door for Meg.

She slid onto the seat and clipped her seat belt. When Dan got in the other side, she waited until he started the car and fastened his belt. "I do too, but I'm not sure Honey B. should jump into a relationship with him... it sounds like he's got some baggage."

"Don't we all," Dan murmured, watching for Honey to get into her car so he could follow her home. "Maybe he just needs a break and someone to talk to."

"Is that all you need, Dan?"

He waited a moment before he answered. "I thought I knew what I wanted, but it turned out that I was wrong." He put the car in gear and drove out of the lot.

When they'd driven a couple of miles, Meg said, "So was I."

Picking up speed once they were on the highway, Dan finally spoke. "I didn't want to get involved with anyone yet-it wasn't in my plan."

Meg snorted out a laugh. "The last thing I planned on was getting involved with the varsity soccer coach."

"So, if I was a plumber, you'd be interested?"

She laughed a low sultry sound. "Now you're talking, Eagan."

Chapter 10.

The rain hitting the roof woke him up, but it was thoughts of Meg that kept him awake. The one night they'd spent in one another's arms played over and over in his mind until he'd all but given up on the thought of sleeping. He'd never been so wrapped up and turned inside out by a woman before. This was new-scary. He couldn't stop thinking about her.

He punched his pillow a couple of times and turned over; maybe he could fall back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later, he realized the futility of that plan. The soft sound of the rain had him wishing Meg were with him; he knew he'd fall back to sleep if he could just hold her in his arms. Well, maybe after they tired themselves out-once that thought was in his head, he couldn't shake it loose. If he was going to be honest with himself, he didn't want to.

"Damn." He gave up and sent her a text: Meg, are you awake?

He put his phone on the bedside table. "She's probably sleeping."

His phone beeped, signaling that he'd received a message. Grabbing for the phone, he held his breath, unsure of her response but hopeful.

He chuckled as he read her response. No.

Unsure of how she'd react if he actually called her, he sent her another text. Listening to the rain, wishing I could hold you.

She didn't answer right away. She could have fallen back to sleep. Angry with himself for starting something, backing away from it, and then realizing too late that he shouldn't have, he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

A cold splat of water hit him in the middle of his chest. "What the hell?" He rubbed at the spot and stared at his hand. Another drop hit him before his brain kicked in and he realized his roof was leaking.

He got up and turned on the light. Sure enough, there was a dark spot on the ceiling right over his bed. "Perfect." He'd never had to deal with a leaky roof before and had no idea what to do. A few drops hit the mattress, leaving a wet spot. "Better move the bed."

A few minutes later, he'd shoved the bed up against the far wall and watched the water drip onto the hardwood floor. "It's gonna ruin the wood." He got a towel from the bathroom and folded it up under the leak and stood there watching it. As the rain intensified outside, the leak dripped faster.

"Damn. I need a pot."