Forever Wild. Allyson Charles

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      “And that walk was a complete disaster. Those eight dogs can’t be walked together again.” He pulled his plastic key from his back pocket and stood before his door, tapping it on his other fingers. “They all want to go in different directions. We didn’t make it five feet without the leashes getting tangled.”

      Lissa prodded him toward his door. “Look, I’ll take the dogs out before I go clubbing. You get your work done and then come join me.”

      He opened the door, using his legs to block the swarm of dogs trying to make their escape. “Would you? That would be a big help.”

      “No problema.” She gathered the leashes.

      “Lock your backpack in your room first.” He rested his hands on his hips. “I won’t have you walking around with ten thousand dollars in cash, even with the dogs as protection.”

      Fifty thousand, but Dax didn’t need to know that. It would probably just make him grumpier. She gave him a pert salute and marched to the door. “Yes, sir. I’ll be right back, sir.”

      “Smart-ass,” he muttered as he turned away. But Lissa could have sworn she saw his lips curve up.

      She hurried to her room and tossed the backpack on her bed. Then she strode to the connecting door and opened her side. She knocked on Dax’s. “Permission to enter?” she asked when he swung it open.

      The black-and-white Bluetick hurtled past her and explored the new room, sniffing every corner.

      “Watch out for that one especially.” Dax handed her a leash, then snagged another dog as he trotted past and put a leash on his collar, too. “Two at a time is probably the limit with this group.” He peeked inside her room and frowned when his gaze landed on the backpack. “Do you have a safe in here? There isn’t one in my room.”

      “Not in this one either, but it will be fine.” She whistled, and the Bluetick bounded over to her, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

      “Well, I think we should sleep with the connecting door open, just to be safe.”

      Lissa paused at her door, the leashes in her hand. “Safe? Is that how Boy Scouts seduce women?” she teased. “Those that sleep together, stay safe together?”

      A dull flush crept its way from his neck up his face. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants. Or one set of the pockets. The cargos had pouches springing out everywhere, from his calves, to his thighs and hips and even around on his cute tush. Not that Lissa had been looking. What all could a man carry to necessitate all those pockets?

      “I just meant I want to be able to get to you quickly. In case someone tries to break in.” He blew out his cheeks with a heavy breath. “That is, if you trust me. I’d understand if you want to keep the door between us locked.”

      A corgi stood up on his hind legs and put his paws on Dax’s knee. He bent over to scratch behind the dog’s ears, the gesture automatic. Sweet.

      Lissa blinked. “I trust you, Dax.” Some people Lissa had a harder time reading, like Morris. She never would have pegged him as a crook. He’d sold her so many bills of goods, she’d lost count. But Dax was an open book. He was one of those rare good guys, of that there was no doubt. He was probably so wholesome he wouldn’t ever consider climbing into her bed at night, even if she handed him an engraved invitation.

      A tiny pit opened in her heart. Why was it that men like him and women like her never suited? Any of her artist friends she’d been attracted to had put themselves and their work first. Which she understood. She was the same after all. But men who were considerate, who were caretakers, ended up trying to stifle her. Someone like Dax wouldn’t be able to tolerate her quirks for long. He’d known her for all of one afternoon and he was already exasperated by her antics.

      That didn’t leave her many dating options. She rubbed her breastbone with the knuckle of her thumb.

      But maybe, if she was going to stick around his Pineville for six weeks, maybe she could be friends with his type. She could show him how to relax and have fun.

      A project. Lissa loved projects. She gave him a wide grin. Before she left for Santa Fe, she’d have Dax swinging from the metaphorical chandeliers. If Pineville had some real ones, she’d try to make it literal, too. “See ya in a bit,” she said and waggled her fingers before slipping out the door.

      The Bluetick strained at his leash, and Lissa trotted to give him his head.

      Dax’s life was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

      Chapter 3

      Dax woke with a warm body curled against his side. He stretched, turning into it, and a tongue corkscrewed into his ear. Jerking backward, he blinked at the hairy face of the Bluetick grinning back at him.

      He dropped his head to the pillow with a sigh. For a moment he’d thought … Well, no matter. Even if Lissa had climbed into his bed, it wasn’t as though he had much to give her right now.

      Dax pressed the heel of his palm into his eye socket and scratched the Coonhound behind the ear with the other. He was exhausted from staying up most of the night trying to do research. And what had he accomplished? One page of scribbled notes on the small notepad the motel provided.

      His meeting today wasn’t going to be pretty.

      He rolled out of bed and stretched. No matter. Even if he didn’t have airtight numbers on a five-year plan going forward, the banker would have to see his idea was a good one. And Dax could be very convincing when he wanted something. He would just have to get Mr. Ted Cooke, head loan officer at Crook County United, excited enough about his idea that he wouldn’t realize Dax’s business plan was anorexic. Maybe take the guy on a tour of his own to show him the potential. He could do that.

      Keeping one eye on the clock, Dax got ready. In order to get home in time to shower and change for his meeting, they’d need to get on their way in an hour or so. He knocked on the connecting door to Lissa’s room and started leashing up the dogs. Maybe they could each take half and make the morning walks go more quickly.

      The dogs swirled around his legs as he knocked again. “Lissa? You awake yet?” After taking all the dogs out last night, she had said her feet were too sore to go dancing. Judging by the time her TV went off, she’d gone to bed fairly early. She shouldn’t be too tired.

      “Lissa?” He pressed his ear against the door but only heard the sound of the dogs huffing and yipping next to him. He opened the door and poked his head through. “Lissa?”

      The curtain was open, showing rumpled sheets on an empty bed. The bathroom was dark, empty.

      “Huh.”

      The Bluetick darted past him and trotted around her room, the attached leash trailing behind him. He sniffed out every corner. When he’d made the circuit, he looked up at Dax and cocked his head, his ears raised into questioning points.

      “I don’t know,” Dax told him. “Maybe she’s out getting breakfast.” He checked his watch, adjusting the canvas band. “Well, hopefully when we get back she’ll be here.” He gathered up the leashes and forged out with all eight dogs barking and jockeying for position.

      When he returned, after СКАЧАТЬ