Page 31 of Her Wild Coast Promise

He gives a nervous chuckle, but the lighthearted moment is gone in a blink, and his face hardens. “Because I trust you.”

“No more secrets, okay?” I let my hand slip from his.

His eyes turn sharp. For a moment, I think he’s going to argue with me, but he nods. “Okay.”

Just like at the airport, he carries my luggage with ease while I wheel my carry-on. We walk up the path to the house and climb the steps, the weatherproofing strips crackling under my shoes.

When he slips his key into the lock, there’s the clicking of claws dancing on hardwood floor. “She’s going to be excited, but she’ll calm down in a minute or so.”

I had nearly forgotten about Rosie, his retired police dog. At my grin, he swings open the door.

Rosie is ten times cuter in person than the screensaver photo on Seth’s phone. She’s white with black spots, but her long ears and the way she tilts her nose up to greet me like a hound make it clear she’s not Dalmatian.

Seth kneels down to stroke her head and soothe her with his calm, deep voice. It works for an instant, and then she’s dancing around me, her wagging tail a blur.

“Hey girl.” I pet her silky fur. She tilts up her snout and gives me a softrawr, still dancing her welcome.

When finally satisfied, she trots across the open sitting area slash kitchen to a room out of sight. Moments later, the sound of her lapping up water echoes from the space.

“Welcome,” Seth says, brushing Rosie’s fur from his knees.

Behind him is a sitting area with a braided rug and comfy couch facing a wood stove and a window overlooking the front yard, and an open kitchen with a circular wood table in the middle and a window over the sink that faces the forest.

Straight ahead, a hallway leads into darkness, and to the right, past a handsome armoire with coats and shoe cubby, is a set of stairs to the upper floor.

I don’t know why I’m surprised it’s so nice, or spacious. Seth might be a bachelor, but that doesn’t mean he has to live in a cave.

“There’s only one kitchen, but I promise I’m neat,” Seth says, adding his keys to the hook on the armoire.

“I don’t doubt that.” I slip off my coat.

Seth takes it from me and hangs it between his and the big black one he wears to work. My tummy flutters in appreciation, and I force a deep breath to stop it from spreading.

I copy him and slip off my shoes, then tuck them into an open cubby next to his running sneakers.

Rosie trots over, her chops dripping.

“Let’s show Cora around, girl,” Seth says to her.

Rosie continues down the hallway, as if taking on the role of tour guide.

Seth flicks on the lights. Behind the first door is a workout and TV room with a fancy peloton stationary bike, weight training equipment on one side and a loveseat with end tables on the other, with the TV in the middle.

“Mostly I run with Rosie, but in the winter sometimes it’s too stormy. You can use this stuff anytime. The couch is comfy too if you want to watch something.”

I give him a look. “You didn’t hire me to watch TV and do CrossFit.”

He closes the door. “I could write that into your contract.”

I catch his eye and he smiles.

At the end of the hall, he opens the door to his bedroom. I’m surprised how simple and sparse it is compared to the rest of the house so far—king-sized bed with two thin pillows propped on the headboard and so tightly made it could double as a pingpong table. Two bedside tables below small sconce lights are the only cozy touches. The bed faces a wall of closet doors. Across the room is a door to a bathroom with white tile flooring.

Maybe it’s his military training. Both my brothers are like this too—saving the good stuff for company.

“Where’s your office?” I ask as we walk back down the hallway, with Rosie trotting at my side.

“If I need to work at home, I use the kitchen table.”

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