Page 55 of Nick

The party still carried on; I just didn’t show up. All that food I'd ordered plus all the alcohol needed to be used up. Mom told me everyone had a fantastic time dancing the night away. That was enough to know that all the effort that had gone into the planning didn’t go to waste entirely.

I used to say there’s no such thing as true love, and I was right. Who would fall in love with one person and decide to be with only them for the rest of their lives? I should have remembered that when I met Janet. She moved to town, and I thought she was almost perfect. I must admit there were a few things she did that bothered me. Her laugh used to get on my nerves, plus she always looked in the mirror, which also bothered me. She didn’t like dogs and that should have been the end of us. If I think about it, there were lots of things. She only ordered salad when we would go out for dinner. She left the bathroom a mess and never picked up after herself. At that, I chuckled and took a relieved breath of air.That was a close one, Ryker. Too damn close!

I was a fucking idiot. I’ll never fall into that trap again. I’ve been pissed off at myself for two years. I may have been growling at everyone, but that’s because I was angry that I almost fell into the marriage trap. Wow, I almost allowed myself to be shackled to one woman.

Those first few months, I was pissed at everyone, at least; that’s what my buddy, Grayson, told me. But fuck, Janet ran off with her boss. What the hell were the two of them doing at work? Whatever it was, it saved my ass.

During that first year of her leaving me, sometimes I would put myself in dangerous situations. I had to get away from everyone feeling sorry for me, and I couldn’t walk on the beach without someone coming up to me. So I went to other countries to rescue people and had to be rescued myself. To top it off, the Army Rangers had to save me twice. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it; it’s just that the Army Rangers had to rescue a Navy Seal, which made me angry at myself. I admit I thought my heart was broken for a while and was a little reckless. I was stupid. Now I’m thankful. I’m back to my old self. I date who I want to and when I want to, and I never get serious.

I got in late last night from a mission overseas. I stretched and looked at the clock. It was six in the morning. Why couldn’t I sleep later than six? Why can’t I sleep at least until seven or eight? I knew why. My brain thought it would miss something, and then it kept thinking of that delicious first cup of coffee. I had to be up and ready for the day as soon as my brain clicked on.

I took my coffee out on my front porch and sat in my favorite chair. George, my Golden Retriever, lay at my feet. I was drinking my coffee and reading the newspaper. It was still the same here as it’s always been. There was a festival this weekend and a pie-baking contest. The paper named the judges. I shook my head. Don’t the ladies know by now that Judge Matthews always ensured his wife’s pies would win?

I noticed there was a U-Haul over at Vic’s place and was reminded. I will miss those fresh vegetables Vic gave me. Most of all, I’ll miss his conversations. We used to have the best talks.Yep, I’m going to miss Vic more than I did Janet.George would miss him too.Both of us enjoyed visiting him.I hoped my new neighbor would be friendly and not a drunk. When I went to college and rented an apartment, my neighbor was drunk and noisy—always playing loud music and trying to sing along. He was also in college, but he went home after six months. The poor guy had too many parties and messed up his scholarship.

I knew I would move back to my hometown when I got out of the Navy Seals. I loved the Oregon coast. My buddies and I joined the Navy Seals after college. We pushed each other to the limit, making sure we all made it.

I saw movement next door and realized I was shirtless. Most people wore sweatshirts here, not me. I was always hot. I looked over, and a girl crawled into the back of the U-Haul truck. George stood up, wanting to investigate. The girl had long hair that was in a long braid all the way down to her hips. I watched as she carried a large box to the edge, then she jumped down, grabbed the box, and took it back into the house. She was maybe thirteen or fourteen. I should have asked if she needed help but I hadn’t. I got up and went inside to grab my tee shirt. I filled my cup with coffee and went back to the front porch. It was the perfect weather for sitting outside.

I saw a large dog walk out of their front door. George’s ears perked up. “Stay where you are, boy.” He turned his head and looked at me. I looked at the girl’s dog. I hope they didn’t get her for protection. I could have sworn the dog smiled at George and me. Then it jumped into the back of the truck. I heard a voice back there singing to the dog. That was one sexy voice.What the hell wasshe doing back there?I heard scraping and saw a curvy backside wearing shorts walking backward. She jumped down and pulled a small desk halfway out. Before I could reach her, the girl was there helping.

I walked to the edge of my property, where the fence was, and looked at her. “Do you need help?”

She turned and looked at me, “No, thank you. We got it.” She didn’t even smile.

Good.Once you start chatting with them, you can’t get rid of them.They carried the desk inside the house, and the dog followed. Oh crap, my heart started pumping fast. What the fuck is that about? I need to stay as far from her as I can get. Her dark hair was held back from her face with an old fashion turquoise comb. I wondered if it belonged to her grandmother, and her green eyes rocked my heart. Just because I wouldn’t get into a relationship with a woman that lasted longer than a month didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy being with them, and this one was a knockout—Hands off of your neighbor. This would be too close for comfort.

No wonder my buddies laughed at me. A new female comes to town, and I start drooling. I walked back to my porch and sat down. I looked at George. You stay away from that female dog. Or I’ll have to take you to the vet, and you know what he’ll do. He’ll clip you. George whined and walked back inside. I picked up my newspaper and started reading.

“Hi.”

I lowered my paper. “Hello.”

“My name is Madison Moore. We’re neighbors now. This is my dog, Mona.”

“Hey, Madison. I’m Ryker Malone. Is Mona a Bernese mountain dog?”

She chuckled. “She is. Mom wanted a large dog so people wouldn’t just walk up to us. But Mona loves everyone, and now more people step closer to us to meet Mona.”

“She’s beautiful. Welcome to the neighborhood.”

“Thank you. Your dog is pretty too. Where did he go?”

“George walked back inside. I’m sure he’s listening to you talking and will walk out anytime.” As if on cue, George walked out with his tail wagging.

“This was my great-grandfather’s house. He left it to Mom. Mom spent a lot of time here when she was growing up. How long have you lived here?”

“I grew up in this town. I bought this house two years ago.” She didn’t need to know that I bought it for Janet, whom I was supposed to marry. “Vic was a good man to talk to. Plus, he had that incredible garden.”

“My mom planted that garden for Granddad so he would stay outside and keep busy. We came here every spring and replanted the garden. Gramps had us add more vegetables each year.”

“That was a good idea. He was continuously walking around checking on his plants. I remember him telling me his granddaughter helped him plant his garden.”

“You were always gone when we came to visit. But I wanted to tell you that Granddad said you were a good man. He enjoyed talking to you.”

I watched as she wiped her eyes. I could tell she missed Vic.

“Mom tried to keep him healthy, so he could stay with us longer. But he said he was tired and wanted us to let him go. We miss him so much.”

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