Page 15 of Pick Yourself Up
And that was all altruism.
His bullshit had him smiling as the sound of a dinner bell filled the house.
The scent of marinara and bubbly cheese drew him down the stairs. None of them were Italian, and he worried that the taste wouldn’t live up to the delicious aroma.
Then he’d try to find a few minutes alone with Amber.
He was still smiling as he followed his nose to the kitchen.
Chapter 4
Getting Up To Speed
Amber woke from a restless sleep, her norm for the past few months. Boomer lifted his head as soon as she rolled over. “Hey, Boomer. Did you sleep okay, or did I drive you crazy through the night?”
The dog tilted his head, making her smile. “Okay. It’s the first time I haven’t slept in a hotel room in about a decade. I’ll try to do better tonight. I still can’t believe we’re here.”
She stood and stretched, then lowered her voice. “And I can’t believe he’s here. Dark Eyes.”
How small was the world that the man who’d rescued her in Chicago was a friend of her brothers? All her brothers. A good enough friend that they’d asked him to join them on their farm. Now he was sleeping across the hall.
Mind-boggling. “Do you think he’ll keep my secret?”
Boomer didn’t have an opinion. He just yawned and moved through his stretching routine.
“I’ll have a quick shower, then we’ll let you out and grab you some breakfast.”
She’d dropped into the habit of talking to the dog. The sound of her voice helped her feel less alone and isolated. Reminded her she had someone to talk to, even if he didn’t talk back. Not with words.
She ruffled his fur as she moved into the bathroom, smiling at the yellow fixtures. They reminded her of Jolie and her brightness. And of Jolie’s plan to leave Burke with the pink fixtures.
Apparently, Ford oversaw renovations and maintenance at the farm. He would start working on the farmhouse interior once the weather stopped him from working on things outside.
The pink bathroom wouldn’t be around forever, and she wasn’t sure they could get Burke or Lawson here before it was updated.
When they headed down the stairs, she moved at Boomer’s pace. According to his trainers, he needed to inspect the entire property wherever she lived. That way, he’d be aware of scents that didn’t belong.
He’d reacted perfectly to the new people and Hemsworth so far. He was a fantastic companion.
Dark Eyes had studied Boomer throughout the previous evening. None of the men talked much about their time in the army. She was sure they’d all been through trauma. Much worse trauma than what she’d experienced. But none of them required a dog to help them cope with life.
Boomer stopped and whined softly as he looked at her. “Sorry, bud. Feeling sorry for myself.” Or ashamed of herself, but she wasn’t saying that aloud, not even to her dog.
She wondered if Dark Eyes—Gray—had drawn conclusions about Boomer. Probably. Unlike her siblings, he had the information about the attack, and she was sure he’d figured out Boomer was much more than a regular pet.
She’d avoided being alone with the man last night. With all the people and activity at the farm, it shouldn’t be difficult to keep doing that. Even though she was incredibly attracted to him, she knew keeping her distance was safer.
Knox had explained the group’s routine for meals the night before. They were all on their own for breakfast and lunch. Everyone ate supper together, with each person taking turns cooking while everyone helped with cleanup to make things go more quickly.
Amber had brought a cooler and several bags full of food with her. Nothing frozen as that wouldn’t have survived the trip, but enough that she wouldn’t feel like she was mooching off the others until she could shop locally.
She’d forgotten to bring in the food the previous night, so she headed to the exterior door. At her side, Boomer showed no nerves or anything other than curiosity. Still, it took her a moment to build up the courage to open the door. What if the Lauzons had followed her? What if they were waiting for her?
It was a ridiculous theory. She’d been alone on the highway for hours. It would have been easier to attack her at that point. The police thought no one was watching her, but they couldn’t be sure.
A shudder ran through her, but a peek through the door showed nothing unusual. Boomer didn’t alert and didn’t leave her side until they walked down the porch and the stairs to the driveway.
After Boomer checked out the area, she used the Easy Guard command. It let him know she didn’t think there was a threat. He could move about but needed to stay alert and close by.
