Page 5 of Trust

The guilt was crushing on good days and deadly on bad ones. Realizing he was about to be engulfed by a tidal wave of dark thoughts, he heaved a long breath. “Don’t give in to it.” Bella’s head pressed against his hand, and he stroked the dog’s fur, feeling the bleak emotions recede slightly. He kept himself still and waited until his heartbeat slowed.

“Better,” he muttered after several minutes. A doggy smile lit up Bella’s ugly face, and he found himself matching it. “Maybe we should keep that little episode between us.” The dog blinked twice, and he let out a short laugh before walking to the coffee pot. “I hate to admit it, but you’re almost as charming as your mama.”

He got a happy bark in response as he filled a big mug with coffee and thought about his two-hour visit with his neighbor. Surprisingly it hadn’t been awful. And if he was being honest, he wouldn’t hate it if it happened again.

Could he chalk it up to how damn beautiful the woman was?

Possibly.

Sure as hell wasn’t a man alive who wouldn’t want to look at her heart-shaped face with full lips and laughing eyes.

Not that he would do anything about being in her company anytime soon. No way.

The last thing he needed was to get involved with someone like Olivia because the care and feeding of a woman like that would require a lot more free time than he was currently in possession of.

Not to mention the mental health and emotional intelligence it would require.

He didn’t have much of either, and the short amount of time they’d spent together told him that would never suffice. And since he never entered a battle space he couldn’t dominate, he would keep his distance.

Right after he returned her dog.

He walked toward the two-story house a mile from his and let out a low whistle when he got close. He’d seen it from the road they shared more times than he could count but had never taken the time to study it.

The home was painted dark green, reminding him of a glammed-up summer cabin. There was a small enclosed front porch draped in ivy and an American flag waving in the breeze. The only thing that seemed out of place was the abandoned Ferris wheel that dominated the empty field to the left of the house.

There had to be an interesting story there.

He gulped his coffee and watched Bella run toward the back of the house with a happy bark. “Delivered, safe and sound,” he mumbled before looking around.

When Olivia didn’t appear, he decided to escape before she pulled him into a conversation that would last hours. One visit was more than enough, and seeing her heart-stopping smile two days in a row was utterly unnecessary.

Spinning around, he heard the slap of a screen door. “So close,” he muttered before hearing the pretty lilt of his neighbor’s voice.

“Did you stop by for more banana bread?”

He turned slowly and was glad that he’d worn his dark aviator sunglasses since it allowed him to enjoy the visual feast her curves and dips provided.

Making sure he gave away nothing, he tilted his head. “Your dog showed up at my door, and I brought her back.”

“How sweet,” Olivia said as she stepped down the short staircase.

“Not particularly.” Keeping his expression neutral, he watched her move into his personal space. “Don’t want to add dog-napper to my list of sins.”

“How long of a list of sins do you possess?” she asked, looking up. “And will you tell me the juicy ones?”

“No,” he sputtered, ignoring the mischievousness in her gaze.

Clasping her hands behind her back, she sighed. “Fine, tell me the boring ones.”

“That would be a hard no.”

“You’re no fun.” She frowned, stalked to a metal table beside the porch, and picked up a bowl. “But I forgive you since you brought Bella home.”

“So relieved.” He followed her and watched her scoop a handful of nuggets out of the metal container, creating a heart on the table. “What in the world are you doing?”

“Luring the big black cat from the woods closer.”

“With a heart?”

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