Catch the Fire

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. When he discovers his mistake, he apologizes. 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 the daughter he has disowned because she dared to make it in a man's world. 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.

326 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2020

About the author

Sydney Ann Cook born in 1948, Her pen names include Sara Chance, Sherry Carr, Lacey Dancer and Sydney Ann Clary. She started to publish novels in 1983, and continued through the late nineties when family demands took center stage in her life. As Sara Chance & Lacey Dancer, she won the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in 1991-1992 for Series Romance Love and Laughter, and a second Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in 1996 for Series Romantic Adventure. She was also awarded two Woman of the Year, 1991 & 1993. She has a number of Certificates of Excellence from Romantic Times under both Sara Chance and Lacey Dancer.
Sydney has ridden a bucking horse, driven racing boats and cars just because she was offered the chance. She collects salt cellars, rescues dogs and donkeys.
Currently, she resides in a house she designed and had built. She has taken up farming, raising pecans, pine trees and peaches. Just a little of each to start. Her current at home mode of transport are John Deere tractors.

Reviews

[Jolene MacFadden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catch the Fire is the 4th book in the Live Oak Series written by Lacey Dancer. The story continues with the lives and loves of those involved in bringing a much-needed construction project to the rural north Florida area. RJ and Nancy are part of the crew coming into the area from central Florida and will be doing the actual building.

The two have been sparking off each other for years but have never dated. He is a recovering soldier who lost his leg and a little more works in the office. She and her family are part of the construction crew that she runs. When their boss gets married in a small ceremony at the home the directors of the project they finally throw caution to the wind and get together.

The very next night it is discovered that someone has been neatly pilfering food from out of a snack and drink box set up on the construction site. To catch the thief Nancy and her brother sit up all night to find out who it is. RJ joins in on the stakeout. To their dismay, they discover a young child and her little dog are the thieves. The pup is in a very bad way and the child is not much better. RJ and Nancy are united in their quest to make sure they both survive.

Yes, you will laugh, you will cry and by the end of the story you will be looking forward to a new installment.

[Shirley Nott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another super read. This series has been great example of small town living. I have always lived in a small town so I can really appreciate this series. Ms. Dancer has captured the quality and equality of the people in this and most small towns. There will always be exceptions in all areas, in people, in attitudes and in living arrangements and conditions. She always adds characters that you just fall in love with. In this book there is Honey, the cutest, sweetest little girl and her best friend, who is an abused little dog. They both will fill your heart with joy, Really!