Dr. Landry Stark is hamstrung by trauma. After escaping abuse as a teen, the saucy physician doesn’t dare reach for anything beyond the sense of belonging she’s found in small-town Oklahoma. And though she enjoys flirting with her firefighter bestie, she knows better than to give in to her feelings… until in the wake of tragedy, he steals a kiss.
Daniel Davis’s roots run deep. Convinced his parents’ wedded joy is too rare to duplicate, the six-foot-tall boy-next-door’s delight over finally claiming his beautiful friend’s lips wars with worry that they’ll ruin their easy companionship. And the tension mounts when he convinces her to move in so they can temporarily foster a child hurt in a devastating explosion.
Discovering the pleasure of having someone to share life’s load, Landry grapples with uncertainty when she is called to New York City to respond to a medical crisis. And though Davis is unsure where their relationship stands in her absence, even the start of a global pandemic can’t dim his dreams of a lifetime of loving her.
Can they turn a terrible disaster into happily ever after?
Dr. Landry Stark is hamstrung by trauma. After escaping abuse as a teen, the saucy physician doesn’t dare reach for anything beyond the sense of belonging she’s found in small-town Oklahoma. And though she enjoys flirting with her firefighter bestie, she knows better than to give in to her feelings… until in the wake of tragedy, he steals a kiss.
Daniel Davis’s roots run deep. Convinced his parents’ wedded joy is too rare to duplicate, the six-foot-tall boy-next-door’s delight over finally claiming his beautiful friend’s lips wars with worry that they’ll ruin their easy companionship. And the tension mounts when he convinces her to move in so they can temporarily foster a child hurt in a devastating explosion.
Discovering the pleasure of having someone to share life’s load, Landry grapples with uncertainty when she is called to New York City to respond to a medical crisis. And though Davis is unsure where their relationship stands in her absence, even the start of a global pandemic can’t dim his dreams of a lifetime of loving her.
Can they turn a terrible disaster into happily ever after?
Sometimes our light goes out,
but is blown again into instant flame
by an encounter with another human being.
Albert Schweitzer
“Landry, go home,” the attending physician on duty commanded as he passed the young woman in the hallway.
“Almost there,” she promised, glancing at her watch. Monday morning. She’d been at the hospital since Saturday afternoon and felt more than ready to leave.
Dr. Landry Stark had relinquished the care of her patients to a new shift of doctors and nurses; they were in excellent hands. And yet, the tug to complete her rounds prevented her from leaving without putting eyes on each person she’d treated just one more time.
Quiet as a mouse, Landry slipped into each room, consulted the monitors, glanced over charts, adjusted lines, and smoothed blankets. Seeing her patients resting peacefully helped lift the weight of the last thirty-eight hours.
Reminding herself to put one foot in front of the other, Landry entered the doctors’ locker room, swapped her lab coat for her raincoat, grabbed her purse, and closed her locker. Finally, she walked toward the doors leading out of the hospital, ready to head home.
She turned down the last corridor on her way to the staff entrance and parking lot and immediately spotted a fireman sitting in a hard plastic chair along the wall. Alone. His knees supported his elbows, which kept his hands in place to hold up his head. Landry didn’t need to see his face. She didn’t have to look past the grime and soot covering every inch of his clothing. She knew exactly who sat there.
“Davis?” She kneeled in front of him, slow to put a hand on his arm so she wouldn’t startle him awake. “Davis, do you need to see a doctor?”
When he barely lifted his eyes to hers, Landry had the impression that picking up his head might be too heavy a task for him. Davis’s expression, along with the pain and vacancy in his eyes, scared Landry. The broken shell before her bore no resemblance to her friend, so well-known for his boisterous personality, his coquettish demeanor, and his endless charm. The fun-loving facets of the man her friends adoringly dubbed “The Flirtbird” had vacated the premises.
No, he’d not been asleep, but perhaps in a trance. They’d both seen such horrific things that day. It didn’t stretch the mind to imagine Davis fighting not to close his eyes.
“Davis, are you hurt?” Landry persisted.
“No,” his voice was raw. He took a deep breath, probably shoring up whatever strength he had left. He straightened and then stood, helping her stand up with a hand under her elbow. “No, I’m fine.”
He sounded more like himself. He looked more like himself — steady and solid. But he was not fine.
“Are you okay?” Davis searched deep into her eyes, ferreting out the truth.
“That was my first large-scale catastrophe. I hope it’s my last.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Davis said, his voice hollow again.
They stood in silence for a moment, neither one having the right words to help process the tragedy.
“Someone said Earl opened Triple T’s early to serve breakfast to first responders. Come with me?” Sensing they both would benefit from more human contact, Landry’s request came out as a plea. Besides, they needed food. Neither of them would’ve eaten since they were at Daisy Lake on Saturday afternoon. Almost two days ago. The distance between the peace she’d experienced at the lake and the exhaustion she felt in that moment had to be greater than a mere two days.
She hadn’t planned on going to the diner before coming upon Davis in the hallway, but her gut told her to take the detour. They both needed it.
“No, but thank you. I'm waiting for word on the Cadells. Eddie Cadell and his boy, Zane. Zane would’ve been on one of the earlier ambulance runs, but Eddie—” His voice hitched. He cleared his throat before trying again. “Eddie stayed in the building a lot longer. He was in bad shape.”
“Yes, I know—” she started to say.
“Is he dead?”
Book 4 in the Green Hills series focuses on two besties, fireman Daniel Davis and Dr. Landry Stark. The likable duo must decide if they dare risk their friendship for something even more special.
An explosion rocks the tight-knit town’s recreation center, and it brings out the best in everyone. Neighbors, church community, family, and friends put their faith and love into practice.
The event pushes Davis and Landry together to “play house” as temporary parents for Zane, a precocious eight-year-old boy. It also forces them to confront their personal hangups and fight temptation as they acknowledge their feelings for each other run deep.
I loved following the progress of their slow-burn romance and could relate to both of them. I chuckled out loud and sympathized with Landry’s lack of cooking and sewing skills, and Davis’s interactions with his big family and friends.
Anyone used to living in a small town will enjoy how the characters handle themselves in ordinary life situations. The supporting cast of characters from the previous stories also plays their part in creating a realistic setting. You feel like you know them all. The author does a splendid job of creating a community that cares for each other as they go about their work, sports, and recreation. One unifying challenge includes the search for arsonists who’ve plagued the community.
The author has an easy-to-read style of writing. She effortlessly weaves the recent Covid pandemic and racial tension into the story. Her reference to the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas highlights the best and worst of humanity and dark stains of history that we should “never forget”. Including all this in the story is a risky move that she just about gets away with, but it was tempting to skim over them. I like to read for fun and escape the realities of modern life.
Another eyebrow-raising aspect is putting the unmarried Christian main characters who are attracted to each other in the same house for three weeks. What a temptation!
This book will appeal to readers who love small-town, faith-based romances about family, fun, food, and friendship. You can read and enjoy the story on its own, but it is best read in the order of the series. I recommend Take a Chance on Love and look forward to the next book in the saga.