Page 9 of Trust

“Who does the mongrel belong to?” Asher asked. “And why does it have a baby blue silk ribbon tied around its collar?”

“Bella is the neighbor’s dog; believe it or not, the woman wears a matching ribbon almost daily.”

“You mean the hot dish I saw standing next to the mailbox is your neighbor?”

Frowning, he set the cooler down and put out his hands to stop Bella before she skidded into his family jewels. He patted the dog’s chest and didn’t like the flare of anger his brother’s comment produced. “Olivia is not a hot dish. She’s a…”

Asher arched his brow. “Note taken and territory successfully marked, brother.”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s just…”

“No need to explain. And for the record, bravo. It’s about damn time you stepped into the land of the living.”

He picked up the cooler and walked into the house. “There’s no step, and I’m not interested in my neighbor. For your information, she’s pushy as hell, nosy, and has no respect for personal space.”

Asher winked at Bella and then followed the dog into the house. “Methinks he protests too much. What do you say, dog? Does Zane have the hots for your mama?”

A loud bark smacked against the old house's walls, and he ignored it and headed straight into the kitchen to unpack the food his mother had made.

The moment he stepped inside the room, a large window rattled in its casing, and he knew one of the family spirits was trying to send him a message from the great beyond. “Not interested,” he murmured, sliding two six-packs of his favorite brew into the restaurant-grade fridge.

Asher strolled in with Bella on his heel and whistled. “You weren’t exaggerating when you said the kitchen would make professional chefs weep.”

Looking up, he smirked. “Considering I never oversell anything, it shouldn’t be a surprise.”

“Point taken,” Asher said, leaning against the island. “Should we return the dog before we start on the beer or call fancy pants from down the lane to come and retrieve her beast of burden?”

“I’ll take the dog back, and you can get settled.”

“No way, man. I’m not gonna miss out on meeting my brother’s crush.”

“You remember that I’m the one in possession of all the deadly skills, right?”

“All the Hawker men are lethal,” Asher replied. “Shove that food in the fridge, and let’s go visitin’.”

Deciding that any reaction was a bad one, Zane took a couple of long breaths and told himself that Olivia meeting his handsome brother wouldn’t be a big deal.

Zane looked up at the sky and noted a distinct lack of storm clouds or anything else that would explain the strange and curious situation.

Perhaps it just needed another minute.

He waited quietly and couldn’t understand why Olivia didn’t flutter her eyes and start talking a hundred miles a minute in Asher’s presence. Perhaps she was coming down with something.

What other explanation could there be for her polite smile? She’d been a chatterbox and stood as close to him as a lover when they had been in one another’s company. Why wasn’t she doing the same with his brother? “Are you feeling okay?”

Olivia straightened Bella’s bow and then did the same to her own. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“No reason,” he replied quietly.

“Are you okay?” she asked, lifting her hand to his forehead. “Half the town has come down with the flu.” Lifting her eyes, she stroked his skin gently. “You don’t feel hot, and since you don’t mix with the locals, it would be difficult to catch the latest bug.”

Ignoring the pleasure her cool hand produced, he cleared his throat. “I never get sick.”

“He doesn’t,” Asher confirmed with laughter in his voice. “But maybe you should see if I’m running a temperature.”

Olivia glanced over her shoulder. “You look fine.”

He stepped back and watched the woman move closer, making it impossible for several of their body parts not to collide.

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