Page 39 of Seaside Cowboy's Marriage of Convenience

What did she expect? And really, how could she be jealous of the dogs, one of which had been abandoned to boot? More guilt piled up. She should be grateful the puppy was happy and the beagle was adjusting so well. And shewasgrateful. She just craved affection she’d never gotten back.

“I’d better skedaddle.” Marina walked past them into the hall.

“You don’t have to leave just because I showed up.” He placed the pets back onto the floor.

Marina’s mouth curved up. “My love is waiting for me at home now. And I miss him.”

Austin lifted his arms. “Then it’s totally understandable.”

With a smile and a wave, Marina walked out the front door, leaving only a faint scent of cherry lip gloss.

“I missed you all day!” He scooped Kennedy up, and for a few minutes, everything was right with the world. “If you worry about animal fluids, I took a shower and changed at the clinic.”

Delight left her bubbly, and she leaned into him. “I didn’t think of that, but thank you for letting me know.”

He cupped her face, and his blue eyes searched hers, causing her pulse to quicken. His thumb moved over her jawline, sending delicious tingles over her skin. Would this be the time he’d kiss her?

A real kiss?

Of course, he’d kissed her at the wedding. But that had been a chaste kiss and more from rules than affection. And she’d longed for affection. But she couldn’t ask for it. He’d already fulfilled his promises and beyond.

“Kennedy, I—” Austin started, but Caramel cannonballed into him, then jumped, and hung on his leg.

Not to be left behind, the beagle clutched Austin’s other leg, carrying a ball in his teeth. Austin shifted back and looked at the dogs.

She adored those pets, so she didn’t let disappointment consume her. Instead, she gestured at the dogs. “Why don’t you take them to the yard and play fetch while I set the table?”

He studied her, then let her go. “You don’t want me to help you?”

She managed a nonchalant shrug. She’d chosen a marriage based on convenience and not on love, and she had to live with it. “I’ve been setting the table for years. It’s not that difficult to add another set.”

“Right. I didn’t mean to encroach on your independence.” He picked up Caramel, who squealed in delight. Smiley pranced around his legs.

That wasn’t what she meant at all, but he’d already left. She was used to the quiet place, but now the silence felt overwhelming. Was she messing up already?

Kennedy swept her glance over the area outside for anything suspicious. She’d played it safe and stayed inside earlier, but considering the information Marina had relayed to her today, surely it should be safe enough to eat out in the open again. Right?

A residual worry lingered, but Kennedy pushed it away and took dinner to the terrace to listen to the whisper of the waves and see the spectacular hues playing over the ocean. To bask in the familiar when so many unfamiliar feelings assaulted her. Was she falling in love with Austin?

She placed the plates on the table, enjoying the breeze and taking a lungful of fresh salty air. It felt good to be out here.

Laughter and barking reached her from the yard. Although heartwarming, it also felt like those times other children had been playing and laughing, but she’d been excluded.

Unlike then, it was her fault now. The dogs had accepted her, to her utter joy. And Austin would’ve been thrilled if she joined them. Her gut clenched. What was wrong with her? If she couldn’t change her ways, she was going to lose them all.

“It smells awesome.” He walked onto the terrace and kissed her cheek, sending a wave of delight through her. “Thank you so much for making it.”

“I found I enjoy cooking. I just never had the need or time before. Or much desire.” She skipped the fact that her mother used to say people like them didn’t cook or clean. When little Kennedy had tried to mix a pie with the cook as a gift to her mother, Mom had scolded Kennedy and yelled at the cook.

Austin and Kennedy sat down, and he said grace.

It felt like a regular meal in a normal family. While she and her uncle were a family, it had always felt like something was missing. Had she found the missing piece in her life? And if so, had she discovered it only to never have it fully?

She’d never been much of a conversationalist, but Austin didn’t have that issue. He talked about his fun experiences with the animals today, and she couldn’t help laughing. After a few minutes, her earlier tension dissipated like a morning mist. Then the food tasted better, the sky looked brighter, and the longing grew stronger.

“I don’t have fun pet stories today.” Besides packing, she’d spent some time answering work emails and calls, despite her vacation. She couldn’t help herself.

He feigned disappointment as he helped himself to another dinner roll. “No alligator in a bathtub?”

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