Page 8 of Unexpected Gifts

When they reached the top of the hill, he glanced toward the Ellison place. A sliver of smoke rose from Ramona’s chimney.His chest ached. He still couldn’t believe she was gone. It wasn’t that they were best friends or anything, but his mother always invited her and the kids to family holidays, and he liked her very much. The children were particularly sweet as well. He worried about them. Although Lily’s mother had left them, she had him and his mother and father, not to mention his brothers. Those two would only have a woman who, from what he’d understood, was basically a stranger. His gaze shifted to the fence that separated the two properties. There was a section that looked as if it had been trampled, leaving an opening. Odd. He hadn’t noticed it yesterday. When had that happened?

“Daddy, my is hand cold.”

He looked down to see that she didn’t have one of her mittens on. “What happened to your glove?”

She shrugged. “I do not know.”

He looked behind them, spotting a dot of red on the snow. “I see it. It must have fallen out of your pocket. I thought I told you to wear them the whole time?”

“Itchy.”

“Stay here, okay? I’ll get it. Stay exactly here. Do you understand?”

“I will, Daddy.”

He trudged through the snow, grateful it was the dry variety and easy to maneuver through. When he reached the mitten, he scooped it up, shook it, and stuffed it into his pocket. Before he could take a step, however, he heard a dog bark, followed by Lily calling out. “Daddy, look. A dog’s coming.” Lily’s voice was full of delight, and before he could register what was happening, a large yellow Lab barreled toward her, tail wagging. A giant dog. Who pounced on top of his little girl. Lily fell flat on her back and started screaming.

He cursed under his breath. As best he could, he ran through the snow toward her. His pulse raced. A vein throbbed on oneside of his forehead. What if he bit her? Her precious face. Or limbs. What kind of beast took down a small child? By the time he reached them, Lily was still under the furry fiend, flailing her arms and legs.

Theunleasheddog. The possible killer.

Although now that he was closer, he could see that Lily was not screaming out of terror but glee. Lily and the yellow fur ball were rolling around in the snow like a couple of puppies. The ridiculous dog had the nerve to thump his tail and look up at him as if they were friends.

“Are you okay?” He dropped to his knees beside Lily. She was already sitting up, laughing, completely unfazed.

“I’m okay, Daddy!” Lily grinned, pushing the dog’s big, dumb head away. “He’s just happy. He likes me.”

Luke exhaled and uncurled his balled fists. The dog wasn’t actually a threat—just overly friendly. He let out a long breath, glancing around to see where the animal had come from. That was when he saw her. A woman in a black jacket and blue cap rushing toward them from the other side of the fence, her cheeks flushed with cold and possibly embarrassment as they should be.

“Rufus, come,” she said, shouting.

Rufus. Perfect name for the troublemaker.

Rufus had no intention of coming. In fact, Rufus rolled onto his back, looking up at Luke with what could only be interpreted as a grin and a request for a belly rub.

“I am so, so sorry.” Rufus’s owner panted as she stopped in front of them. “He gets a little overexcited. Is she all right?”

Luke rose to his feet, his jaw tight. Regardless of intent, this stranger’s dog had knocked his daughter over, which made him dangerous. And Luke furious.

“Why isn’t he on a leash?” Luke asked through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know the fence was broken, or he would have been on a leash.” She peered up at him through eyes the color of a hazy summer sky. Really thick lashes. One of those cute, slightly upturned noses. Pretty teeth, too.

He blinked.Focus. This woman was a completely irresponsible dog owner, even if she was drop-dead gorgeous.

“He could have seriously hurt her.” Luke scowled at her, forcing himself to stay angry. As much as he wished he hadn’t noticed, it was impossible not to take in her flawless skin, flushed from cold. Her blue cap that matched her eyes. Long honey-hued hair cascaded over her shoulder. She looked vaguely familiar as if he’d known her from somewhere else. Had he?

“No, no. He’s gentle. It’s just that he loves children and gets excited. Our old neighborhood in LA had a lot of kids, and he’s accustomed to playing with them.”

Los Angeles? Why was she in Sugarville Grove? “Who are you? And what are you doing on the Ellisons’ property?” He narrowed his eyes, unsure whether he wanted to sound as intimidating as he currently suspected he was.

She lifted her chin, glaring right back at him. “I’m Abby Parker. Ramona Ellison’s cousin. I just arrived last night.”

This was the cousin? He’d imagined her middle-aged and frumpy. He wasn’t sure why. “Oh, okay. Sorry. Didn’t realize it was you.”

“I’m just getting settled. The children are…” She didn’t finish her sentence, merely gestured toward the Ellisons’ farmhouse.

“Well, I’d suggest you figure out how to control your dog. I’d heard you were a veterinarian, but that can’t be correct.” That had come out harsher than he’d wished, but it was too late to take it back now.

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