Page 48 of Her Rugged Guardian

The answer stuck in my mind as well as my craw. The kind of man who would murder innocent women. Had the asshole broken into her house, luring Moose out, knowing Cassandra would go looking for him? Did he hope to draw her here? Or was he fucking with her and nothing more?

As I started to cut the rope, I noticed the poor pup was covered in briars.

“Is he okay?” Cassandra asked, her tone no longer demanding.

“Yeah, I think so. He needs a bath.”

She half laughed, the sound turning into a mournful sob. “I think I can handle that. Just get him out. Please.”

As soon the blade had cut through the twisted strand, Moose fought to free himself from the mud, finally standing on shaky legs. Cassandra rushed forward, squealing after he shook himself hard, mud and water flying everywhere.

“Come on, buddy. Let’s get you out of here and back home.” The strange sensations remained, which I didn’t like at all. It was as if we were being watched.

“Oh, God. Baby.”

Woof!

“He looks fine. We’ll check him out and make certain,” I told her, studying the area to see if there were any strange clues or a definitive answer this hadn’t been an accident. At this point, I couldn’t find anything to indicate the rope had been purposely tied around the fallen log. However, red flags remained.

“Jake,” she said as she moved in front of me. “Thank you.” She pressed her hand on my chest, leaning in and managing to rise onto her toes. When she kissed my cheek, the same searing electricity we’d shared before jolted my system, my cock immediately twitching. She’d obviously felt it too, pulling away almost instantly.

Yet she didn’t move when I cupped her face, peering up at me the way she had two nights before. I rubbed my thumb across her cheek, trying to find the right words but I certainly wasn’t that kind of guy. “Come here. You have mud on your face.”

Sighing, she nodded and eased her head away, rubbing the same spot.

I watched her as she carefully walked away from me and the ache continued to build. Damn. I had it bad for this girl.

CHAPTER 15

Cassandra

Mud. Nasty water. Thorns.

Moose had been covered with all three, the bath taking both Jake and me trying to keep my fur baby from coating the walls with his adventure. I’d used at least eight towels in the process of getting him clean, more for the messy floor.

And still more for wiping mud from both Jake and me. Moose had been bathed, checked for injuries, and fed a treat, which included devouring both cold cheeseburgers in less than ten seconds. And still, I continued to worry about him. Fortunately, he was resting, obviously having dreams of rabbits and other critters during his terrifying adventure. I could tell by the way his tail was thumping against the wooden floor. Meanwhile, Jake had refused my offer of taking a shower, preferring to study the back door.

I continued to marvel at the way he’d grabbed the venomous snake, slamming it against a tree. The man was insane but I was so thankful he’d been there I still had a difficult time breathing.The tension remained between us, which was entirely my fault. I wasn’t certain what to think any longer, except that butterflies remained swarming in my stomach. “Did you get the check?”

Jake barely acknowledged my question, only tipping his head.

“I just wanted to make certain you got it.”

“Do you think that makes us square, Cassandra?”

“What do you mean?”

His laugh sounded bitter, the quick look in my direction full of heat as well as irritation. “In case you haven’t figured it out, I couldn’t care less about money.”

“Well, I do.”

“That’s the difference in you and me.”

He was still infuriating, but I had no energy to fight him. “Any idea what happened?”

“It appears the lock stuck,” he said, his tone entirely different. He’d removed both knobs, replacing them with a new set, which included an additional deadbolt. The man had worked quickly, almost finished with the job. I hadn’t argued, still unnerved I’d almost lost my baby.

“I don’t know how I didn’t see it.”

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