Page 4 of Shattered
The overjoyed dog wagged its tail furiously, the thick fur thumping against my denim-clad leg.
I turned my attention to Harper, still sitting on the grass. Her rich, dark hair—that reminded me of my favorite stout—piled high on her head. More than once I'd wondered what she'd look like with it tumbling over her shoulders or thoroughly mussed from running my fingers through it over and over again.
Okay, so maybe Brett had a point. My little obsession with this woman was starting to creepmeout. "You alright, Sugar?"
Eyes so green, they rivaled the grass beneath her ass, looked up at me. Nothing but six-foot walls shining behind them. "Yes." With the grace of a cat, she pushed to her feet and swatted the grass off her legs and behind. My eyes followed every trek of her hands with razor-sharp focus.
"Sorry for bumping into you. He-" she narrowed her eyes and pointed at the Rottie, his tongue lolling to the side and his tail still thump-thumping against my leg. "- jumped me out of nowhere."
She could bump into me any damn time she wanted, but I wasn't going to say that to her pretty little face. "No problem." With my chin, I pointed at the dog. "This boy got a human?"
Her face fell. "No, he's one of the shelter dogs. Flynn would love to take him home, but-" She stopped abruptly and if I weren't so keyed into everything she did, I'd have missed the subtle shake of her head. "Anyway, sorry again." Patting her leg twice, she smacked her lips together. "Come on Dozer."
Stunned, I watched as the dog fell into a steady pace next to her. Almost immediately my attention was drawn to the gentle sway of her perfectly rounded ass.Yeah, I was a creeper alright.As Harper sashayed toward the pen where they put the shelter animals, in hopes of finding them forever homes, my eyes zeroed in on the human sprinting toward her.
The moment she noticed her little boy, she dropped to her knees and spread her arms wide. The action reminded me of my momma. She always had so much love to give to her three boys. It didn't matter what a mess I'd gotten myself into; Daisy Jackson was always ready with a hug and a warm chocolate chip cookie.
"I think you lost something." Chase's voice broke through my thoughts. Looking to my left, I found my brother grinning and holding up a fresh slice of pie. "Don't think I've ever seen you bin pecan pie before, but then again I've never seen you this…infatuatedwith a woman before either."
"You gonna keep giving me grief or are you handing over that pie?"
Chase handed me the pie but kept a grip on the plate. "She's not like the women you're used to, Logan."
"Figured as much." With a pull, I retrieved the plate from Chase and promptly forked a large piece into my mouth. Irritation grating on me like sandpaper to my bones.
Chase sighed, "I meant, you have to approach her differently. She's skittish. Reminds me of a stray that hasn't had too much human contact. If you crowd her with your loud personality, she's gonna tuck her tail between her legs and hightail outta here, or she's gonna bare her teeth and attack."
Swallowing half-chewed pie chunks, my head snapped up, and I stared at my brother, "Did you just compare her to a dog? And you sayIhave issues?"
"I'm trying to give you advice, dumbass." Chase slapped a palm against my shoulder blade. "If you want her to notice you, you have to be smart about it. Subtly plant yourself in her daily life. Coax her out of her shell."
Animal analogies aside, my brother had a point. I didn't know a damn thing about being subtle, but I'd do just about anything to get Harper's attention.
I liked the reflection staring back at me, not because it was beautiful, but because it didn't resemble the weak person I had once been. Gone was Sarah Mercer. In her place a woman who was finally happy. Assuming the identity of Harper Evans had been a lot easier than I'd thought it would be.
I'd even managed to keep off Drew's radar for six years. That could also have to do with the fact that I never stayed in one place for too long. Life on the run was not the life I'd wanted for Flynn. I'd give just about anything to provide that boy with the stable home he deserved. But if Drew somehow found out about him-
I couldn't even bear to think about that.
Forcing the melancholic thoughts out of my brain, I gathered my thick hair and pinned it into a messy knot on top of my head. Happy with my appearance, I padded to the nightstand to grab my phone. Movement from beyond the window caught my eye, and my gaze automatically snapped to it.
No matter how many times I'd been privy to my neighbor returning from his morning run, I would never get used to it. My interest in men had been severely lacking until I landed in Willow Creek. The big grizzly of a man known as Logan Jackson had kick-started my heart within seconds of introductions.
His warm whiskey-eyes and easy smile had turned my insides to mush so fast; it terrified me. Reason warned me that it'd be in my best interest to avoid him at all costs–not an easy task when only a measly fence separated us, and he insisted on taking his morning run in nothing but basketball shorts and trainers.
Even from as far away as I was, I could still see his dripping wet chest heave due to his strenuous exertions. With an equal amount of fascination and awe, I watched his back and shoulder muscles bunch as he dragged a towel over his drenched neck. I'd fantasized about feeling those hard muscles beneath my fingertips more times than I cared to admit.
I could only imagine the things he could do with his big, manly hands. Or the words he'd whisper with his sexy, raspy voice. The feel of his beard as he scraped it along my skin…
Fantasies were all I allowed myself to have. I had to think about Flynn first, and it would be unfair to let him get close to someone when I knew that we'd be leaving again in a couple of months. Which was sad really because Willow Creek was the first place to feel like home.
"Mommy!" As if the thought of him alone roused him from his deep slumber, Flynn came barreling into my room, his arms outstretched and hair standing in every direction. Straight away, I dropped to my haunches and braced for the warm body that launched at me.
"Hey, baby." I pressed a kiss to his soft cheek and inhaled his scent.My boy."Did you have good dreams last night?"
"Mmm hmm, I was flying."
"Wow, flying, huh? That must've been amazing."
