would be bothering her, then, not while the Rottweiler was still here. She moved back toward the window, then the doorbell rang and she changed course.
She hurried up front, peered through the small square of glass set in the door, and stared into a pair of mocha eyes. Just what she didn’t need. But now that he’d seen her, she had to let him in.
She opened the door. “Captain Bing.”
Chapter Five
She was even prettier than he remembered, even with the slightly annoyed look on her face and the wad of paper towels she held to her chest. “I’m not here to arrest you. I don’t think we need to be that formal.”
“Ethan?”
“Everybody calls me Bing. Are you okay?”
She let her hand drop. “Just spilled some coffee.”
He blinked at the wet cotton shirt. The lace of her bra showed through the coffee stain. The stab of lust was instant and unexpected. And unwelcome. He just didn’t want to deal with it.
He forced himself to look back up into her eyes. “I thought I’d stop by to see how you made out with that dog.” An impulse move he was rapidly regretting.
He glanced into the house behind her and caught sight of the Rottweiler that stood outside on the deck, looking in. “I take it nobody called. Did you try the shelter?”
“They’re up to their eyeballs in fur.”
He smiled. “I could ask around. See if anyone could take him in temporarily.” He knew half the people in town. “I got some land a friend is renting to raise horses. I could check with him.”
She surprised him by saying, “I think we’re okay for now.”
She didn’t like getting help. He’d gotten that the last time around. “I thought you weren’t a dog person.”
She folded her arms. “My earliest memory is riding my tricycle down the driveway and a big, black dog charging at me, grabbing me by the leg, and dragging me over the gravel.” She shrugged. “I don’t have a phobia, exactly. I’m just uncomfortable around them.” The tight set of her mouth said she resented having to explain herself to him.
She resembled a grumpy fairy with all that wild curly hair, yet there was something insanely heroic about her, doing the one thing that scared her the most. People no longer surprised Bing, in general, but Sophie Curtis managed it.
He had no idea what to do with her. Of course, he didn’t have to do anything with her, really. She wasn’t his responsibility.
He’d checked on the dog. She didn’t need his help. Say good-bye. Walk away. “I see you haven’t planted your forest yet,” he said instead, held in place by something he didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about.
Her forehead furrowed as her gaze skipped past him to the miniature forest on her front lawn. “I’m looking for a landscaper I can afford. Just muscle, mostly. I can do the design. IT major, graphic design minor.”
“Is that what you do for a living?”
“Web site design and management, hosting, SEO, cloud computing, the works.”
Huh. Anything that required design or any creative pursuit mystified him, frankly. He wanted to stay and ask more, ask what SEO was, ask if in the night she’d dreamt about him as he’d dreamt about her. He turned to leave. “If you need help with the dog, you have my number.”
“Thanks.” She cleared her throat. “Actually—”
He waited as she bit her full lip, and tried to ignore the weird ping at the bottom of his stomach that reminded him of desire. Wrong woman. Wrong time. He had no intention of moving on until he’d brought Stacy’s killer to justice. “What is it?”
“I got him a collar.” She stepped back and grabbed a blue collar off the hall table, complete with tag. “I had them put my cell number on it. In case he got out.”
She was probably too scared to put the collar on. “I can help with that,” he said as he followed her in. “You got any treats?”
She walked to the kitchen and pulled a bag from the cabinet.
He
She hurried up front, peered through the small square of glass set in the door, and stared into a pair of mocha eyes. Just what she didn’t need. But now that he’d seen her, she had to let him in.
She opened the door. “Captain Bing.”
Chapter Five
She was even prettier than he remembered, even with the slightly annoyed look on her face and the wad of paper towels she held to her chest. “I’m not here to arrest you. I don’t think we need to be that formal.”
“Ethan?”
“Everybody calls me Bing. Are you okay?”
She let her hand drop. “Just spilled some coffee.”
He blinked at the wet cotton shirt. The lace of her bra showed through the coffee stain. The stab of lust was instant and unexpected. And unwelcome. He just didn’t want to deal with it.
He forced himself to look back up into her eyes. “I thought I’d stop by to see how you made out with that dog.” An impulse move he was rapidly regretting.
He glanced into the house behind her and caught sight of the Rottweiler that stood outside on the deck, looking in. “I take it nobody called. Did you try the shelter?”
“They’re up to their eyeballs in fur.”
He smiled. “I could ask around. See if anyone could take him in temporarily.” He knew half the people in town. “I got some land a friend is renting to raise horses. I could check with him.”
She surprised him by saying, “I think we’re okay for now.”
She didn’t like getting help. He’d gotten that the last time around. “I thought you weren’t a dog person.”
She folded her arms. “My earliest memory is riding my tricycle down the driveway and a big, black dog charging at me, grabbing me by the leg, and dragging me over the gravel.” She shrugged. “I don’t have a phobia, exactly. I’m just uncomfortable around them.” The tight set of her mouth said she resented having to explain herself to him.
She resembled a grumpy fairy with all that wild curly hair, yet there was something insanely heroic about her, doing the one thing that scared her the most. People no longer surprised Bing, in general, but Sophie Curtis managed it.
He had no idea what to do with her. Of course, he didn’t have to do anything with her, really. She wasn’t his responsibility.
He’d checked on the dog. She didn’t need his help. Say good-bye. Walk away. “I see you haven’t planted your forest yet,” he said instead, held in place by something he didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about.
Her forehead furrowed as her gaze skipped past him to the miniature forest on her front lawn. “I’m looking for a landscaper I can afford. Just muscle, mostly. I can do the design. IT major, graphic design minor.”
“Is that what you do for a living?”
“Web site design and management, hosting, SEO, cloud computing, the works.”
Huh. Anything that required design or any creative pursuit mystified him, frankly. He wanted to stay and ask more, ask what SEO was, ask if in the night she’d dreamt about him as he’d dreamt about her. He turned to leave. “If you need help with the dog, you have my number.”
“Thanks.” She cleared her throat. “Actually—”
He waited as she bit her full lip, and tried to ignore the weird ping at the bottom of his stomach that reminded him of desire. Wrong woman. Wrong time. He had no intention of moving on until he’d brought Stacy’s killer to justice. “What is it?”
“I got him a collar.” She stepped back and grabbed a blue collar off the hall table, complete with tag. “I had them put my cell number on it. In case he got out.”
She was probably too scared to put the collar on. “I can help with that,” he said as he followed her in. “You got any treats?”
She walked to the kitchen and pulled a bag from the cabinet.
He
Similar Books
