Page 63 of Searching for Valor

Rylan watched Valor sniff around the yard, his gaze drifting to the tree line that bordered the property. The woods were quiet, still. Peaceful. So different from the chaos and noise that constantly churned in his head.

He leaned against the porch railing, the weathered wood rough under his palm. He didn’t know how long he stood there, letting the serenity of the morning seep into his bones. But eventually, Valor trotted back up the steps and butted his head against Rylan’s leg, breaking the spell.

“All right. I suppose you want breakfast. I hope Zak brought you food.“ He turned to go back inside, but movement at the end of the long driveway caught his eye. A familiar old Jeep Wrangler. His heart stuttered, then began to pound.

Izzy.

He watched, frozen, as her car crept closer. Part of him wanted to retreat

Part of him wanted to retreat into the house, to slam the door and shut her out. But another part, a stronger part, held him inplace, his gaze locked on her Jeep as it crawled to a stop in front of the cabin.

The engine cut off, and for a long moment, nothing happened. Then the driver’s side door opened, and Izzy stepped out, her chestnut brown hair pulled back in its usual ponytail. Even from a distance, he could see the uncertainty in her posture, the hesitation in her steps as she approached the porch.

Valor’s ears perked up, and his tail gave a tentative wag. Rylan placed a calming hand on the dog’s head. “Easy, boy.”

Izzy stopped at the bottom of the steps, her amber eyes flicking from Rylan to Valor and back again. “That’s a pretty dog.”

Valor wagged at the compliment, and Rylan smothered the completely irrational stab of jealousy.

Jesus, get a grip, Cross.

Rylan cleared his throat. “His name is Valor.”

“Hi, Valor.” She knelt to let Valor sniff her. The dog snuffled her hand and then tackled her with a series of furious licks, tail wagging madly.

She laughed, and the sound was like a balm to Rylan’s frayed nerves.

After a moment, she pushed Valor off and sat up. Her ponytail was askew, and she had a smear of dirt on her face.

He held out a hand to help her up. There was only a second of hesitation before she set her hand in his. He hauled her up, and the momentum brought her close. So close their bodies nearly touched, and he could smell the familiar citrusy scent of her shampoo, see the golden flecks in her brown eyes. His hand tightened on hers, his thumb brushing over her knuckles before he forced himself to let go and step back.

She took a step back, shoving her hands in her pockets as if she didn’t quite know what to do with them now. Her gazedarted around the yard, the porch, anywhere but his face. She finally focused back on Valor.

“He’s a friendly boy. Is he yours?”

“Yeah. Uh, I mean, no. Uh… Zak brought him over last night. He’s going back to the rescue today.”

Valor huffed and looked back at him with narrowed eyes. If dogs could scowl, he would one-hundred percent be scowling at Rylan right now.

Izzy rolled her lips together as if smothering a laugh. “Looks like he has feelings about that.”

Rylan rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a twinge of… something he couldn’t put a finger on. Was that… disappointment? Was he actually disappointed at the thought of giving Valor back?

”He’s a good dog. Smart. Intuitive.” He met Izzy’s eyes. “Zak thought he might be able to help me.”

Izzy studied him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. “And has he? Helped you?”

Rylan blew out a breath. “It’s only been one night. But… yeah. I think maybe he has.”

“So why do you want to send him back?”

When he didn’t answer, she chanced a step closer. “Why are you pushing everyone away when you should be leaning on them harder than ever right now?”

Because they’re not you.

The clarity of that thought startled him.

Silence stretched between them.

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