Page 15 of Housebroke

Despite this being all in her head, it was important to keep it that way, and extinguish the fantasies while she was at it.

The paycheck was way more important to her future.

CHAPTER SIX

Linc was engrossed in plumbing fixtures when he heard the tapping on the concrete. Figuring it might be one of the dogs coming downstairs, he ignored it. Until he caught sight of Freddie grabbing hold of his ruler and taking off toward the steps.

“Dammit, Freddie.” He straightened and headed up the stairs. He peeked in the open door to Hazel’s room. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, typing on her laptop.

“Hey,” he said. “Sorry to bother you, but did Freddie run in here with my ruler?”

Her head snapped up. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I was engrossed in something and I didn’t see him. Let me take a peek under the bed.”

She laid the laptop down and then got on all fours, which positioned her very fine ass right at him. He tried not to look, but how could he help it?

She rested back on her heels to look up at him. “No, he’s not under here.”

“Huh. Okay.”

Today she was dressed in cotton shorts and a tank top, and hecouldn’t help but notice her long, tan legs and smooth shoulders. Her hair was wound up on top of her head, wispy little tendrils escaping that bun.

Why was she so damned beautiful? He didn’t need that kind of distraction. He was trying very hard not to think of her as a desirable woman. Kind of difficult when her very amazing ass was right there. He decided to look out the window instead, waiting for her to get up, which, fortunately, she did. Because his attraction to her was his problem, not hers.

“Let me help you look for him. Freddie? Come here, Freddie.” She left the room, so he followed.

“He usually comes right when I call him,” she explained as they made their way down the hall. “Unless he’s harboring a treasure—like your ruler—then he hides. Sorry about that.”

Linc rolled his eyes and wandered into the two empty bedrooms. Closet doors were closed, so no dog hiding in there.

Which left his room. The dachshund had short little legs, so he knew he wouldn’t find him on top of the bed. He bent down to check under the bed. And there was Freddie, happily chewing on his ruler.

“Dude. Seriously?”

Hazel joined him. “Oh, Freddie. This is not okay.”

Hazel wriggled under the bed frame and gently grasped the dog, pulling him out and onto her lap. She extricated the now-mangled ruler and handed it to Linc, an apologetic look on her face. “I’ll replace it.”

“No need. I have others.” He shook the ruler at Freddie. “Not a toy, Freddie.”

Freddie barked happily at him, his tongue wagging in anticipation of Linc handing the ruler back to him.

“Ha. Not a chance, buddy. This thing is trash.” He stood, then held his hand out for Hazel, who grasped it. He hauled her up.

“I’m really sorry,” she said. “I thought all the dogs were in the room with me. I guess I lost track. Freddie’s the sneaky one.”

“It’s fine. I’m going back to work now.” He pivoted and went back downstairs, tossed the ruler in the trash can, then fished in his tool bag until he found another one. This time he intended to keep a close eye on it.

As he worked, he wondered if Freddie just needed a chew toy. He noticed some old toys spread around the house, but very few. When he took a water break outside he walked around the yard to do an inventory.

Yeah, not much, really. He was sure that Hazel didn’t have a lot of excess funds for toys and chew things for the dogs. The care and feeding of them likely cost her enough.

He pulled out his phone and went to a pet toy site, searching for things that dogs could chew on and play with, adding them to the cart. Might as well add some treats, too. Who didn’t like snacks? He sure did. He wondered what dog food she fed them. He went into the guesthouse to check, added a few bags and cans of that, then paused.

Why did he fucking care? These dogs weren’t his responsibility. He started to cancel the whole thing, but then Lilith wandered in and sat, staring up at him.

“What’s up, feisty?” he asked.

The tiny dog always had a judgmental look, as if she knew what was going on in his head. Which was just ridiculous. He crouched down and reached his hand out. Lilith inched over to give him a sniff, then shoved her head under his hand for a pet.

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