Page 23 of The Love Shack

“I was glad he’d stayed with the dog. He took one of my cards.” She cleared her throat. “He also offered to bury the dog. He was...irritated that the driver hadn’t stopped.”

“You mean pissed off.” For only a second, Lawson leaned a little closer. “There’s a difference.”

She gave a half smile. “Yeah. He was pretty pissed off. It looked as if the dog had been on his own for a while. I’m glad he had company at the end.”

“Me, too.” Maintaining their slight physical connection, they sat in silence. Even through his T-shirt, he could feel the warmth of her skin, and the sunshine amplified her scent, that of sweet musk. Of woman.

Of this one particular woman.

Hero still fretted, watching Berkley, while she leisurely stroked the dog’s neck.

Knowing she must see some awful things in her line of work, he wondered how she handled it, and at the same time, he was glad the animals had her.

She was so different from what he’d imagined when he knew her as a kid. Different, too, from the persona she now projected to the world. Her personal style exuded bold confidence. Edgy jewelry. Fun hair.

A killer red bikini.

Yet in her daily life, she was overall reserved and private. Fascinating conflicts that made him want to know more. About her, her thoughts. Future plans.

He didn’t doubt that her direct manner made her more than capable of dealing with people who dropped off unwanted pets. She’d be brisk but polite, and deep down she’d be glad to have the animals so she could care for them properly.

She’d do equally well with people anxious to adopt a new furry friend, probably researching them to ensure the dog or cat would be safe, loved and included.

When the silence stretched out, he asked, “Do sad things like that happen very often?” How many times had she been called to an impossible situation?

She used her hat to fan her face. “There’s always something.”

When she said nothing more, he got the message: she didn’t want to elaborate. Nothing made a guy feel more helpless than wanting,needing, to make things better, but not knowing how.

The sun sank lower in the sky, glinting on the metallic hoops in her ear. A light breeze, scented by the lake—and the dead fish—stirred the pink tips of her hair. She was all color, shine and sadness, rolled together.

He should be getting as far away from her as he could. In some indefinable way, she was a threat to his peace of mind, to the new life he wanted here in this odd little town where gossip and a creepy mannequin were the biggest problems. He had a load of work to do yet tonight. The coolers in his truck would only protect the food for so long. It was getting late.

None of that seemed to matter right now. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

She let out a sigh. “Honestly, you already did it.”

Didn’t that just make him feel ten feet tall? Glad that he hadn’t budged, he studied her profile, the line of her small nose and the curve of her rosy cheek. Those lips that had softened...

The urge was there to put his arm around her, to ask more questions, but instead, he remained still, afraid that anything at all might spoil the moment.

She turned his way and gave him a small smile.

Yeah, pretty sure he just fell into her gaze. Smack-dab into all that blue. “I’m glad I spotted you, chased you down, accidently caused you to fall in the lake and didn’t let your grumpy face scare me off.”

That earned him a grin, which had Hero flagging his whip of a tail hard enough to leave marks.

“Damn, ease up, boy.”

“Don’t cuss in front of my dog,” she reminded him, then added, “And yeah, that tail is almost a weapon, but then his block head is, too.” She cuddled the dog closer. “He’s left a few bruises on me. Once when I was going in for a kiss, he turned his head and nearly broke my nose.” She cupped the dog’s face, saying sweetly, “Sometimes, Hero’s love hurts.”

That concerned Lawson, because although Berkley stood five feet five inches, and wasn’t a delicate woman, more like compact, it wouldn’t take much for a dog Hero’s size to knock her over.

He could see that Hero was a big lover-mutt and never meant any harm. Unfortunately, the dog sometimes had the awkwardness of a puppy and, as Lawson had already pointed out, the fretfulness of a grandma. He also had the heart of a rescuer, so overall, the dog was pretty awesome.

“You have a way with awkward pets.”

“Just Hero,” she said.

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