Page 40 of SEAL's Resolve

The Marshal slid him a pointed glance. “Is this kidnapping tied to her first one?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” Digging into that crime would give him a great excuse for discovering the child abuser’s name.

They watched the woman and dog play together for several minutes. “She’s good with him, and it’s obvious Oliver loves her,” Deke murmured. “Think she’s interested in a pet?”

“Maybe. Why?”

“Since Oliver is an S & R fail, he’ll have to go back to the animal shelter if I don’t find him a home. He’d already been there for six months without being adopted. You didn’t see him when I brought him out of the shelter, Rafe. Oliver hated that place.”

“How do you know?”

“I went back in the next day to sign paperwork and took Oliver with me. He didn’t want to go into the building. Oliver must have thought I was going to leave him there. I don’t want to take him back.”

His heart went out to the dog. “Didn’t they take good care of him at the shelter?”

“They do the best they can, but Oliver wants a family of his own. I think he’s chosen Kristi.”

“She doesn’t know anything about dogs.”

“How long will you be in Otter Creek?”

Rafe grimaced. “Not long enough for my peace of mind. She needs to be back in Bakerhill tomorrow for a bridal consult, and Kristi won’t want to take Oliver into a potentially dangerous situation.”

“I’ll teach her the basics of dog care if she’s interested. As far as the timing goes, I can keep him here and do more training with him until you resolve her situation.”

His hand fisted. “Could be a while. At the moment, we have a male friend who wants to be her husband to advance his career, her father wants Kristi to marry the friend, and who knows how many business rivals of Stewart Group and possibly Kristi’s Bridal who might resort to desperate tactics to get ahead. At the moment, they’re all on my list of suspects.”

Deke chuckled. “Buddy, you need to narrow the possibilities. Otherwise, you’ll be on this mission for a long time.”

Rafe snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Okay. You have a thing for the lady.”

His eyes narrowed. “A thing?”

“Yeah, a thing.” Deke looked at him. “Does that mean you’re finally letting go of Callie?”

Rafe’s gaze shifted to Kristi. “That’s what my two weeks of leave was about, to find closure. Maddox owes me twelve days. I was hiking on the same mountain where Kristi was being held, so he sent me to rescue her.”

“No coincidences in our business.”

“I don’t see how my past could be connected to her kidnapping.”

“Did you know her before this op?”

“She was a friend of Callie’s. Although I talked to her while I dated Callie, no one with a brain in his head would assume Kristi and I had a relationship. We didn’t.”

“And now?”

He watched the beautiful woman playing with Oliver, eyes sparkling, enjoying this moment of respite from fear and stress. Her strength and courage tugged at him. So did her beauty. He was a guy, after all. He’d have to be dead not to appreciate her picturesque features. “I kissed her,” he admitted. “I haven’t kissed a woman since I lost Callie.”

Deke squeezed Rafe’s shoulder. “Don’t pass up the opportunity to see if you two have something special together.”

Maybe. Although he still felt tied to Callie, she was gone. Did he have the courage to risk his heart again? Provided, of course, that Kristi was interested in something beyond a kiss or two and an offer of friendship. Just because Callie overlooked his upbringing didn’t mean Kristi would be willing to do the same. Society princesses didn’t normally form relationships with street rats from the wrong side of town.

When Oliver dropped the frisbee at Kristi’s feet and sat, panting heavily, Deke led the dog to the watering station.

As Oliver drank his fill, Deke turned to Kristi. “What do you think of him?”

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