Page 2 of Trust

“You seem more of a coffee guy, so we’ll have that instead. I can go either way if there’s some caffeine involved.”

Did the woman forget her glasses?

Was she legally blind?

There had to be an explanation because there was no way to miss the two-inch red scar bisecting the right side of his face and the burns decorating his neck. He was scary, and why this woman wasn’t reacting in the typical fashion was odd. And more unsettling than he could put words to.

Most people slid their eyes away at the first opportunity, but his neighbor did the opposite. She mounted the stairs with a twinkle in her eyes and handed him a warm foil package that smelled like heaven. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She stroked her dog’s head as it sat on her feet. “And this is Bella, my beautiful girl. She’s recently adopted me and doesn’t have the whole discipline thing down, so I’ll apologize in advance if she does something naughty.”

“How exactly does a person get adopted by an animal?” he asked, trying to make sense of the woman standing well inside his personal space.

“Dogs can choose their family just like people do, and that’s what Bella did when she showed up at my house two months ago.” She ran her hands over her hair. “And to answer the unasked question: yes, I did my best to find her family before I claimed her as my own.”

“Why didn’t you just take her to a shelter?”

A look of horror crossed Olivia’s face as she bent down and covered Bella’s ears. “Don’t even suggest it; she’s very sensitive.”

Stepping back, he gave the woman a nod and added peculiar to the list of adjectives he’d keep handy to describe her. “Well, I won’t keep you, ladies. Thanks for the banana bread.”

“You’re not keeping us,” she replied, looking up at the house. “Aren’t you going to invite us in and introduce us to the famous family ghosts?”

“Now isn’t a good time, so perhaps another day.”

“Why, are they sleeping or something?” she asked with a snort.

“No, but…”

“Great,” she said, breezing past.

He watched the woman and dog saunter into his sanctuary and tried to devise a semi-polite way to get rid of them. When she turned in a circle and gave him a blindingly bright smile, he decided ten minutes of conversation wouldn’t kill him.

He just had to ensure that she understood it was a one-time thing.

Olivia stood in the middle of the foyer, letting her eyes travel over the worn wallpaper, exquisite woodwork, and light streaming through the leaded glass windows. “Beautiful.”

“What’s that?” Zane asked before closing the front door.

“I haven’t been inside this house since I was a kid and am both happy and sad to see that nothing much has changed. Are you going to give it some love and bring it back to life?”

“I’m going to restore it if that’s what you’re asking.”

She gave her neighbor a faint smile and wondered why the word love was objectionable. Did it have to do with the events that resulted in his scars or possibly an affair of the heart gone wrong?

Whatever the answer, she vowed to find out.

A feat that might take a while if his reticence didn’t give way before the end of time. Something she wasn’t sure was possible given that his scowl was foreboding, his physical presence intimidating, and his energy a pulsing gray.

Not that any of that would stop her.

Running her hand over a worn side table, she smiled. “That’s good news since keeping it as is would make the whole recluse thing you’ve got going a cliché and give you a troll under the bridge vibe that would be hard to shake.”

“I’m not a recluse, Olivia. Just a man who’d like to be left alone.”

Ignoring the not-so-subtle hint, she studied the harsh planes of Zane’s face and decided his noble forehead, strong Roman nose, and lush mouth made him quite handsome.

Unfortunately, his prickly porcupine personality might mean her fantasy of them becoming great friends impossible.

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