Page 1 of Seaside Cowboy's Second Chance

Prologue

HE SHOULD’VE RUN.

It might be too late now.

Exhaustion had settled in Earl Lane’s bones, but that wasn’t the reason he’d stuck around this quaint coastal town where the locals knew each other’s names and celebrated their milestones together. The place had undeniable charm, and so did Dolores Rafferty.

He squinted at the setting sun and the spectacular play of peach, gold, and blue dipping into tranquil ocean waters. How many more of these sunsets would he be able to witness? Seagulls bid him farewell as Breeze, the two-year-old golden retriever he’d recently adopted, chased them, her pink tongue lolling.

His heart contracted. Dolores was the reason he’d stayed here. Something inside him shifted.Howdid he happen to fall in love, even at his age, skeptic that he was? Not just with a place. With a woman.

Ridiculous? Yes.

Yet a rare smile tugged at his lips as he took a deep breath of the salty ocean air. The mere thought of her gave him a pleasant jolt. He never expected to become this attached to her. He’d resisted it as long as he could. It wasn’t in his plans when he’d driven to this beachside gem named Port Sunshine. He’d learned the hard way he shouldn’t get attached to people. It was selfish of him to propose, just as it was selfish to adopt an abandoned dog rather than take it to a local shelter.

Should he try to rehome Breeze? Leave tonight? Everything in him protested against the idea. He couldn’t do it to Breeze. Couldn’t leave Dolores a month before the wedding just like that, with no explanation. It all had gone way too far.

A chill having nothing to do with the ocean breeze rushed down his spine. That man had killed once. Would he hesitate to do it again?

They knew each other’s secrets, and it kept them safe from one another. But some things had changed.

Premonition twisted his gut.

Breeze tired of chasing birds and darted toward him. He picked up a stick and threw it as far as he could. She leaped into the air and caught it, then brought it to him with such pride as if it were a rare treasure.

Dolores’s granddaughter would be arriving soon, and he was the only one who knew she might be in danger. He winced but patted Breeze with affection. “Good job.” Then he hesitated. “If something happens to me, take care of Dolores, will you?”

Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Dolores hadn’t even met Breeze yet. The golden retriever mix was going to be a surprise.

A breeze ruffled his hair. The evening was growing colder and darker. Goosebumps erupted on his skin. “Let’s go back.”

The dog kept running, refusing the suggestion. She might be getting that stubbornness from her new owner.

Exhaling, he rubbed his palms over his forearms where the shirt offered no defense against the picking-up wind and troubling thoughts. “What am I going to do with you?”

Breeze stopped running and tilted her head, staring with soulful brown eyes, but not moving closer.

“I’m going to pick up a blazer. Then we can stay outside longer, okay? I don’t have fur like you do. You can stay on the porch. I’ll just run inside for a moment.”

The dog seemed to find his explanation logical as she trudged nearby, running forward, then returning. He couldn’t walk fast any longer.

The moment he entered the small rental, he could feel something was wrong. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end even before he heard the painfully familiar voice.

“It’s about time we met again, isn’t it?”

Earl flinched. He should’ve left today.

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