Page 17 of Sweet Somethings

Stopping abruptly, she froze, then whirled around and started to run back the way she'd come—only to barrel straight into a hard male chest.

A man's hands came out to catch her—Roman!

She stared at him in shock, only to have surprise turn to fear as the big dog came closer, still barking his head off.

"We have to get out of here," she said. "I don't think that dog is friendly."

"Are you kidding? He's super friendly." Roman turned his head toward the German shepherd. "Barkley, calm down, buddy." He let go of Juliette to pet the dog, whose barks of warning had turned into woofs of joy.

"You know this dog?" she asked in amazement.

"Yeah, he chases me almost every morning for about two blocks. He likes to run with people."

Her racing heart began to slow down. "Good to know. I thought he was going to take a bite out of me."

"Why were you running into his backyard?"

"I was following someone."

"That little kid?"

"You saw him?"

"Yeah, I saw you chasing him."

"So you followed me?"

"Well, you were following him," he returned. "I was curious as to why."

"He stole some cookies out of the bakery."

Roman raised an eyebrow. "And you always chase down eight-year-old thieves?"

She felt a little foolish now. She really wasn't giving Roman the best impression of her. "Not normally. But this isn't the first time he was in the bakery, and he has a look about him that worries me. I wondered what his story was. But I lost him when Barkley here decided to come after me." She paused. "Have you seen the little boy before?"

"Nope—not that I've noticed anyway."

She glanced toward the neatly landscaped property and the stately house. "I don't think he lives here."

"You don't think rich kids can steal cookies?" he asked, a sharp note in his voice.

"I didn't say that."

"It's what you were thinking. You'd have felt much better if he'd taken you the other direction, to the apartment buildings on Randolph Street, or the run-down area off Gardner."

"I wasn't thinking anything. He stole two cookies. I followed him. That's as far as my thought process got." She realized her defense wasn't painting her in that good of a light.

"You're right. I forgot how impulsive you are."

"Considering you've known me for less than a day, I don't see how you can make that statement."

He smiled—the man actually smiled—and it sent a crazy shiver down her spine. It was the first time he hadn't looked annoyed or closed off, and it was shockingly sexy.

"I could have made that statement five minutes after you burst into my grandfather's house," he said. "First you want to stop a remodel on a house you don't own, then you want to buy a house you can't afford. Now you're chasing a cookie thief in a pair of bunny slippers."

"I wear them when I bake," she said defensively. "They're comfortable for standing up for hours on end. I was going to change, but I didn't have a chance." She paused. "Just so you know, I wasn't going to yell at the kid; I was going to ask him if he was hungry, if he needed help. There was something in his eyes. It looked like—desperation." She shook her head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Now that I would understand," he said quietly.

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