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“What in the…”

He faltered for a fraction of a second. That half second was all it took for Harlow to lose her grip. She started to fall backward.

Her bodyguard lunged forward. He frantically tried grabbing hold of her arm.

Out of the corner of her eye, Harlow caught a flash of movement. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, catching her before she hit the ground.

“Are you okay?”

The voice, low and husky in her ear sent tingles down Harlow’s spine. She didn’t need to look to see who had caught her. “Y-yes. I’m fine.” She pulled away, grabbing hold of the fence, which was thankfully close enough for her to reach.

“What are you doing?”

“We…uh. Vic and I didn’t want to bother you so we decided to take the side gate instead,” Harlow said.

Caleb frowned, tapping the lock. “The gate is locked.”

“We figured that out, which is why we were hopping the fence.”

Vic climbed back over the gate. He swiped at his jeans, a sheepish smile on his face. “Thank you for catching Harlow.”

She introduced them. “Vic Stern, meet Caleb Jackson, Mackinac Island’s fire chief. Vic is my bodyguard and good friend.”

“Nice to meet you.” Caleb shook his hand. “Knowing Harlow, I bet she keeps you on your toes.”

“You have no idea.” A wide smile spread across Vic’s face. “Caleb Jackson. Harlow has had nothing but good things to say about you.”

Caleb shot her a suspicious side glance. “What kind of good things?”

“I…uh. Well, you’re a great guy. Solid, you know.” Vic shook his fist. “The best.”

“I would’ve thought she had other things to say, but I’ll take what I can get where Harlow is concerned.”

She squared her shoulders, mustering up an indignant expression. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I get the vibe you’re not a huge fan of mine.” Caleb wisely changed the subject. “We’re finishing up. Feel free to use the main entrance.”

“Thank you.” Harlow, with her shoulders back, slid onto the seat of her scooter and took off.

Meanwhile, Vic, Caleb and the city worker strolled behind at a leisurely pace, casually chatting while they walked.

Harlow reached the gate, patiently waiting for the men to catch up. “Thanks again for breaking my fall. Aunt Birdie texted earlier. She’s at Dad’s place, working on lunch.”

“We’re going to clean up and will swing by in a few,” Caleb said.

“I’ll let her know.”

Before he could reply, Harlow hit the gas and took off, moving so fast Vic was forced to jog to keep up. “Where’s the fire?”

“I want to stop by the house and be out of there before Caleb shows up.”

“You really don’t like the guy? He seems like a cool dude.”

“We have some unpleasant history.”

“So, he broke your heart and joined the Air Force. You can’t hold something that happened years ago against him.”

“He came back and married someone else,” Harlow said.