Page 18 of Naughty by Nature

Cheyenne glanced up at him, her gaze connecting to his own for a timeless moment, and awareness crept into her expression. Her skin flushed and she glanced away.

Sheridan wondered what it would take for her to return his interest.

Clearing his throat, he straightened. “Maybe this is a good time to show you the property, and the security I have in place.”

“I had forgotten you’d bought this. Didn’t Crazy Roger used to own this?”

He nodded. “Yes, but he wasn’t so crazy. Just eccentric. And lonely. His kids had moved away years ago and it was just him and his dogs for years. So he had plenty of time to tinker and play. There are still a few metal sculptures around.”

They circled the house. There was a huge pool in the back yard, decorated by bright metallic jumping fish sculptures.

“Those are set into the concrete, so there’s no moving them without a lot of effort.”

She laughed lightly. “I kind of like them.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “They’ve grown on me, too.”

“Can we go swimming, Mama?” Grace cried.

“No, definitely not. Maybe this weekend.”

They walked beyond the pool. “The yard, two acres, is completely fenced with eight-foot wrought iron. There are cameras positioned at several locations around the property and I receive notifications on my phone when the motion detectors go off.”

She laughed again. “You sound like my brother Chad, going on about the security he’s put in for Mercy and Lora.”

“Well, a lot of this was already here, but I updated a few things, thanks to the issue your brother had. It reminded me that Olivia is the most precious thing in my world, and I have to protect her.”

She glanced at him out of the corners of her eyes, nodding once. “That’s a perfect reason to do it. I would if I could.”

Her eyes turned luminous and he didn’t want her to cry. “I have a feeling your brother would do it all for you if he knew you needed help.”

“You’re probably right,” she whispered, “but he has so much going on right now.”

Sheridan didn’t think that would keep Chad from helping her, but he kept his thoughts to himself. If she didn’t want to call her brother, he would let that ride for now.

“If you give me your smartphone I can set it up so you can log into the system and see what’s going on at the house as well.”

Her expression lightened. “Yes, please! I mean, the girls are with me almost twenty-four seven, but it will still give me peace of mind.”

“I can understand that. And in spite of the way he was acting today, Wulf is an excellent guard dog. He stays out at night.”

She watched the dogs and kids playing, smiling occasionally, until Beowulf sprawled on the ground, panting heavily.

“This is more exercise than he’s had in a while,” Sheridan explained.

Grace and Daisy ran around more, but Savannah sat at Wulf’s head and stroked his ears. The level of connection they’d established already astounded him.

Cheyenne left the porch to cross to the dog and girl. Wulf lifted his head to sniff at her and wagged his tail, licking at her fingers. With the ease of a young girl Cheyenne sat crosslegged on the ground beside Savannah and stroked the dog as well.

Beowulf looked to be in heaven. His eyes were mere slits and Sheridan had a feeling he would be asleep in no time.

“Pizza’s about ready,” Carolyn called, sticking her head out the door.

They trooped inside and Sheridan secured the door behind everyone. Daisy came up to him, wiggling her butt. He scratched her on the head and patted her side, then she started wandering around, checking out the house.

Carolyn had done wonders with the boxed pizza, incredibly, and she’d found the salad container. Grace turned her nose up at the green stuff beside her plate, but didn’t say anything too bad. They all settled around the table to eat.

Olivia crashed through the front door like the whirlwind she was, and he looked up in time to see a flash of hurt in her eyes. In her place, he guessed he’d feel the same, seeing a big group of people sharing a meal in his own home.

---