Page 49 of Wanted

“I said I’m fine,” I return sharply. My arm brushes against his as I pass by. The path isn’t hard to miss. The dirt cuts through the brown grass on either side.

Jude’s heavy footsteps crunch over debris behind me. His pace remains steady but slow. His effort not to catch up to me is noted and appreciated. The seconds to gather myself allow me to rebuild my defenses and shove these abrupt feelings down where they belong.

Chirping birds join the rustle of the dogs walking over brush. I drag in a cold breath of morning spring air and feel myself finally settle.

“Do you do this every morning?” I attempt to reset the mood of this walk. Our breakfast was amiable, and I don’t want to ruin our newfound friendship.

“Every day unless it’s storming.” Jude catches up to me and eases his pace at my side. “Some of the dogs get spooked by thunder.”

“I can’t imagine it’s too enjoyable being out in the rain either.”

“Some of them love it. Ashe and Toyota can’t get enough of the cold days. Ramona, on the other hand, won’t step outside if it’s colder than forty degrees.”

I smile, thinking of the sweet, fluffy dog who shares my bed at night. “I’d love to see that sometime.”

“Only if you bathe her after.”

I hold my purple-casted arm between us. “Then let’s hope there isn’t a storm for a little while. I can’t get this wet.”

Jude’s attention drops to my cast. His lips roll together tightly, blanching the skin before he looks away. “Yeah.”

As I lower my arm, our hands brush together. The warmth of his knuckles teases mine. My breath catches. The contact sends an electric sizzle across my broken bone.

What would happen if I didn’t pull my hand away? What would happen if I moved it closer?

Heat spreads across my abdomen, pooling low between my hips at merely the thought.

“There’s a pond up ahead.” Jude points across some land extending beyond the trail, his voice rough. “We’ll go right instead, but I like to let the dogs swim in the summer.”

“Do you swim with them?”

Jude tucks his chin into his shoulder and locks eyes with mine. “Not unless one of them needs my assistance.”

I fluster under the intensity of his stare. “I, um, I hope that never happens.”

“Hasn’t yet.”

He whistles sharply. Any roving dogs follow us to the right. “This loops back around. It’s a good trail, always clean. I take the pack twice a day, but I’d like you to help with the newcomers. They walk on leash only, so you’d only handle one at a time.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

“If your arm gives you any trouble, I can find someone else to take them.”

“Is that all you’re going to have me do? Walk a couple of dogs?”

“It’ll keep you busy,” he mumbles.

“Hardly seems like the type of work an employee would do.”

He shrugs. “It’s the type of work I need you to do.”

How can I argue with that? I don’t have a lot of experience working with animals, but he does have a couple of other employees who appear during the day. Maybe there aren’t enough tasks to go around. I just find the circumstances highly suspicious. He offered me a job, yet there isn’t any work for me.

I take in the scenery, the recognizable yet unfamiliar forest, and laugh beneath my breath.

“What’s funny?”

“It’s nothing. I just feel silly. I thought I was lost in these same deep, dark woods.”

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