Another Chance for Love

Bree Matthews loves running the local homeless shelter and helping people get back on their feet. But when a blizzard hits New York City, it’s everything Bree can do to keep up with the overflowing shelter.

Robert Miller has seen his share of unwanted media attention and this last bar fight has put him out of work. When he offers to volunteer at the homeless shelter where Bree works, he doesn’t expect to fall in love with the beautiful, spunky owner.

While Robert is the last person Bree wants to have working at the shelter, he constantly surprises her as he makes repairs that are so desperately needed. Will their budding attraction for each other survive the worst storm New York City has seen in years, or will their hearts be frozen forever?

 Bree stared at the TV in disgust as Robert Miller made a fool of himself yet again. The son of a billionaire and big-shot agent for an ad agency, he couldn’t seem to go into a bar without causing a huge fight. And of
course, the news loved to follow him through every mess he made for himself. Bree changed the channel, wondering when he would ever grow up.

The sound of voices came from the front of the homeless shelter, so she set her pen down and left her office. She shivered as she walked through the kitchen and into the main room. The furnace had been giving them fits again, and with the outside temperature dipping into the single digits, she needed to get it fixed.

A small, round young woman came in from the cold, rubbing her arms to get warm. Marianne smiled when she saw Bree. “Hey, how are you?”

Bree wrapped her in a hug. “I’m good. I just made some soup, so you can get warmed up.”

“Wonderful, thank you.” Marianne set her backpack down on a bed and made her way over to the large pots filled with vegetable soup. The suit she’d rented made her look sharp, but it was so different from the flowing skirts and peasant blouses she normally wore while volunteering at the shelter. “You always know exactly what I need.”

“I try.” Bree dished a few scoops into a bowl and handed it to her. “How’d the interview go?”

Marianne shrugged. “We’ll see. I didn’t know a few of the questions about computers, but I was one of the more qualified.”

Bree smiled. “It’ll happen.”

Several more people came in shortly after, and Bree busied herself, making sure they had food and a place to sleep. The beds were soon full, and the low hum of voices brought peace to Bree as she watched the group laugh and joke together.

Bree went to her office to make a list of groceries she’d need for breakfast the next day, then went through the accounting books. She’d barely scrape by for yet another month, but it was enough. She ran her fingers through her hair and crunched more numbers, trying to figure out where she could cut costs.

“Hey, Bree? Someone’s here who needs to talk to you.” An older volunteer, Damon, stood at the door.

“Thanks. I’ll be right out.” She set her pen down and adjusted her ponytail as she left the room, but stopped short when she saw Robert Miller standing in the middle of the chaos. She’d known he was good-looking, but wasn’t expecting her heart
to stop as his blue eyes met hers. His nice trench coat and designer suit were a stark contrast to what everyone else wore. His expression showed a distaste toward the shelter that angered her.

“Can I help you?” Bree just wanted to send him on his way. No reason to let him show his disgust for her patrons.

Robert looked over at Bree and gave her a once-over. “You run this place?”

Bree forced a smile. “Yes. Do you need a place to stay?”

“Hardly. I came to see if there was a way I could help out.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and avoided her gaze. The room had gone silent, and everyone’s eyes were on him.

“I think we’re just fine. We don’t need any volunteers right now.” The words came out harshly, and she swallowed hard.

Robert’s face fell. “Look, can I talk to you privately?”

Bree almost told him no, but Marianne’s meaningful glance and the shake of her head told her she should listen. Her mouth was always getting her into trouble. “Fine.”

The only semi-private place was her office, so she walked back, assuming he’d follow. She sat down and gestured for him to take one of the folding chairs she kept in the room in case more people showed up to the shelter.

“What do you need?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Look, I’m in trouble at work, and I promised to get some help. Or, rather, learn to help other people. My friend told me about this place, and I thought since it’s called Second Chance Homeless Shelter, I’d be able to make a fresh start here. But if you don’t need anything, maybe you know someone who does?” The
resignation on his face made her hesitate. She’d seen it too often in the people who stayed here.

“You’d have to help with cooking or cleaning. That’s what the volunteers do while I take care of the rest.” Like all the bookwork and making sure her tenants stayed out of trouble while at the shelter.

“That sounds easy enough. Are we just feeding those people out there?”

Bree shrugged. “We make sure they get food, a bed to sleep in, and clothes if they need them. But just so you know, I won’t let people stay here if they’re in trouble with the law. I expect that from you too.”

Robert nodded. “That’s my intention. So we have a deal?”

Bree leaned back in her chair, studying him. With his curly brown hair and blue eyes, he was drop-dead gorgeous. But with his looks and family background, he brought a lot of attention from the media. Something she didn’t want. “If we
didn’t need the help so much, I’d say no, but it’s been busier now that winter is here. I’ll let you volunteer on one condition. No media. Some of these people are trying to lay low until they can find a better place to work. I need to allow them that privacy.”

“No media. I promise.” Robert’s face broke into a grin. “I could use a little
privacy myself.”

Bree stood and put her hand out. “Welcome aboard. Just . . . don’t do anything stupid.”

“Of course not.” Robert shook her hand, tingles racing up Bree’s arm at the contact. “I’ll be here first thing tomorrow.”

“Don’t you have work?” Bree searched his face, trying to figure him out. If he was such a bigshot, this should be the last place he’d want to be.

Robert shifted uncomfortably. “I’ve been put on a temporary leave. I plan to return as soon as possible. Thanks for this chance.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you in the morning.” Bree followed him out into the main room and stared as he left the shelter. She just hoped she hadn’t started something she’d regret later.

Murmurs erupted as soon as Robert left, but Bree decided to ignore them and went back to her office to work. A soft knock interrupted her calculations again and she sighed. “Come in.”

Marianne poked her head into the room with a smile. “Robert Miller? Really?”

“Yes, really.” Bree wrote down six-dozen eggs on the grocery list.

“Please tell me you’re letting him work here.” Marianne sat down in the chair that Robert had been sitting in a few minutes before.

Bree sighed and dropped her pen on the desk. “Yes, but I think it’s a bad idea. He’s in the news every other day.”

“That just means he’ll get the word out that we’re here.” Marianne rested her legs on a pile of boxes in the corner.

“I don’t think that’s the kind of publicity we want.” Bree folded the list into fourths and stuck it in the side pocket of her purse. “I’d better get going. Are you good for the night?”

“Most of our troublemakers aren’t here tonight, so I should be fine.” Marianne paused. “You know, this is one more reason that it’ll be nice to have another guy working here.”

Bree laughed and pulled on her coat. “I know. You’re right. I’m giving him a chance, but one mistake . . .”

Marianne shook her head. “Look, the way I see it, this man is in need of your help just as much as anyone else in this shelter.”

“Except that he gets to go home to a nice apartment that probably has a fireplace in every room that he doesn’t even use because he has central heating. Meanwhile,
we’re freezing. The repair guy didn’t come by again.” Bree shook her head in disgust.

Marianne frowned. “Sounds like it’s time to find another repairman. Now go. It’s supposed to snow tonight, and I don’t want you stuck out there.”

Bree zipped up her jacket and opened the office door. “All the repairmen are too busy. I called a dozen of them today, and the soonest anyone can come is next
week.”

“Figures.” Marianne followed Bree out and locked the door. Too many break-ins had taught them to install a few deadbolts so it wouldn’t happen again.

The chatter was quiet as Bree walked down the row of beds to leave the shelter. Most of the residents were already settled in for the night, but a few talked on their phones or read whatever magazine they could get their hands on. She called out a good night and left.

An icy blast hit Bree, nearly taking her breath away. Small flakes fell, adding to her worry. If they didn’t get the heater fixed soon, the people would freeze.

Bree escaped the cold and slipped into the grocery store a few doors down. The manager waved to her and finished a conversation with a customer before heading over. Joe was one of Bree’s favorite people, and had a heart of gold.

“Hey, pretty lady. What can I do for you?” He took an order form from off the counter.

“Besides finding me a new furnace, I added some supplies onto what I normally buy.” Bree pulled the list out of her purse and handed it to him. “Did you get any donations today?”

Joe pointed over his shoulder using his pen. “We got several bags of clothes, and a Scout drive just dropped off several bags of canned food. Hopefully, you can do something with fifty cans of tomato sauce and twenty jars of peanut butter.”

“You’d be surprised.” Bree laughed. “I’m going to grab a few things for myself and then be back to sign the form. Is that okay?”

“I’ll have it ready for you.” He nodded absentmindedly as he filled out the order. “Oh, and we also have a few boxes of outdated food ready for you as well.”

“Perfect. Thanks.” Bree grabbed a basket and went through the store, checking the sales in case something looked good for the shelter. It was how shopping trips usually went. She’d go to the store to buy herself some milk and end up buying
a whole week’s worth of food for the shelter based on the sales.

“Oh, hey. It’s Bree, right?” It was Robert Miller. In her store. He had his own basket filled with fruit and a few instant meals.

“Hi. What are you doing here?” She cringed. “Sorry. That’s not what I meant. Obviously, you’re shopping. But I’ve never seen you shop at this store before.”

Robert picked up a loaf of bread and set it in his basket. “I don’t usually come in here, but I was in the area and figured I’d grab a few things before heading home.”

“I see we have the same taste in hot chocolate. And is that a frozen chicken dinner?” Bree cringed. She sounded like a stalker, mentioning things in his basket. Put her in a shelter where she could help people, and she was fine. Put her with a hot guy in a grocery store, and she couldn’t carry on a conversation.

Robert laughed, his eyes dancing. “Yeah, I tend to eat these when I get home late from work. As for the hot chocolate, it’s my favorite.”

“Mine too. Well, I’ll see you in the morning.” Bree turned and walked away, hoping he wouldn’t try to follow. His perfect blue eyes and smile were enough to make her
melt, and she didn’t want to allow him into her life. Even if he made her
stomach flip with excitement every time they talked.