Page 2 of Begin Again

“Oh my god!” I exclaim as I rush toward them. “I am so sorry!”

The hiker props himself up on his elbows. Tousled dark hair frames a chiseled jawline, and his sharp red-rimmed blue eyes sparkle with mirth despite his undignified position. Of course. Of course, he has to be stupidly good-looking on top of it. Like a romance novel cover just came to life, and now he’s sprawled out on a hiking trail with my dog looming over him like an overenthusiastic dragon guarding its hoard.

“No harm done.” His deep voice carries a hint of a chuckle. “Though, I think your dog just tackled me for my tumbler.”

I groan, trying to rein in my mortification. “She has a thing for shiny objects.” I grab Valkyrie’s leash and give it a tug. “Drop it.”

She obeys reluctantly, her tail nub wagging as she relinquishes the tumbler. The hiker sits up and dusts his hiking pants off.

“Well, she’s got good taste.” He chuckles, flashing me a grin that makes my heart trip over itself like an idiot. “I’m Theo, by the way.”

Of course, he has a nice name.Theo.

“Selene,” I reply, keeping my voice as smooth and unaffected as possible. Not that my pulse gets the memo. “And this troublemaker is Valkyrie. I’m really sorry about that. She’s… a work in progress.”

Theo chuckles, his deep, velvety voice forcing my stomach to do an unfamiliar little flip. He stands, brushing off his jeans. I get a better look at him—tall, easily over six feet, with broad shoulders, and a muscular build that suggests he knows his way around physical labor. His dark hair falls in artful waves across his forehead, just long enough to be tempting enough to pull. For purely scientific reasons, of course. Nothing else.

His easygoing smile doesn’t hide the confidence oozing in his posture—he’s a man who knows exactly who he is and is perfectly comfortable in his skin.

And those eyes—embers burning at the edges of an ice-cold flame.

“Aren’t we all a work in progress?” He asks, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. The expression wreaks havoc on my already compromised sense of self-control. “This isn’t even the worst thing to happen today, so don’t even worry about it.”

I let out a nervous laugh, easing the tension slightly. “Well, I promise she’s harmless. Just… overly enthusiastic.”

His gaze lingers on Valkyrie. “I can see that.” Then, just as smoothly, he flicks his gaze back to me, eyes steady, like he is trying to figure me out.

“You’re the woman the town has been talking about. You bought the old house on Brier Rose?”

I arch a brow, lips curving in amusement. “The town? Or are you talking about the local busybody Aubrey?”

“They’re one and the same. If you want news to spread in Shadow Grove, tell her and everyone will know about it by the end of the day.”

Exhaling a laugh, I shake my head. “That’s us–I mean me. I bought the house, Valkyrie failed at the one job she was supposed to do so she got fired. So I’m the only one with a job at the end of the day, she’s just a freeloader.”

His lips part like he’s about to ask what she did to get “fired” but instead he just grins, a full, crooked grin that makes his already devastatingly attractive face even more infuriating.

Oh, no. He’s got the good type of smile—the dangerous kind. One that makes you forget why swearing off men was ever a thing.

Theo laughs and holds his hand out to her palm up in a silent offer of friendship. Valkyrie hesitates all of two seconds before shoving her snout into his hand, completely betraying me.

He whispers, “That’s okay girl, if you ever need any treats just stop by the cafe and tell them Theo sent you. They’ll give you a peanut butter cookie for being such a good girl.”

The way he talks to her—low and warm, voice just a little rough around the edges—has my traitorous heart skipping a beat.

Men are not in the plan.

Men are not in the plan.

Men are—

Then looking at me he says, “Maybe I’ll run into you two again—preferably when she’s not gunning for my tumbler.” His lips twitch, before he tilts his head slightly, weighing a decision. “Unless you’re going my way and want some company?”

My brain stutters for a second. The practical side of me knows I have deadlines, a to-do list a mile long, and an entire life to settle into. But the other part—the part that just spent the last five minutes getting absolutely steamrolled by this man’s presence—wants to say yes.

Instead, I smile, hoping my face isn’t betraying just how flustered I am. “We’re headed home. Besides, it’s a small town, we will run into each other again.”

With that, he lifts two fingers in a casual, almost lazy wave before he turns and continues down the trail, moving with an unhurried confidence that suggests he’s entirely comfortable being watched.

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