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“See? You don’t remember names unless they’re important to you.” “She’s not important to me. She’s a pain in my ass. I had to help her hold a funeral for a dead squirrel this morning.” Dad came in through the back door right as I said dead squirrel. His brow furrowed. “Where was there a dead squirrel?” “Audrey’s house,” Mom chimed in. “Wh...
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“Then why are we talking about dead squirrels?” Dad asked. “Because Josiah likes her,” Mom said. I groaned. “The squirrel?” Dad asked. “No, Audrey.” “Who’s Audrey?” “One of your tenants,” Mom said. “Josiah intervened at the Timberbeast when her ex was harassing her. And he held a funeral for a dead squirrel at her house. Those are separate things.” “So the ex didn’t have anything to do with the squirrel,” Dad said. Mom shook her head. “No.” “Maybe,” I said.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the town hero.” I did my best not to groan. “Hi, Aunt Louise.”
“Don’t be so modest. You certainly moved up a few spots on the bachelor hierarchy.” My brow furrowed. “What’s the bachelor hierarchy? On second thought, never mind. I don’t want to know.” “It’s just an unofficial ranking system of eligible Tilikum men.” “I said I didn’t want to know.” “We’ve divided it into age brackets,” Louise said, ignoring me. “And points are given for things like job stability, hygiene, style, and personality.”
“So, tell me about the new girl in town. I saw her coming out of Happy Paws the other day, but I haven’t had the chance to meet her yet.” “Her name’s Audrey,” I said. “She has a dog.”
What did she want me to say? She’s frustratingly sexy? I’m annoyed with myself for thinking about her all the time? I stood and took my plate to the kitchen. “I barely know her.” “This is the problem with men. Especially Haven men. Not the best communicators.” Mom set her teakettle on the stove with a laugh. “Isn’t that the truth.” “Hey,” Dad said. “We both know you speak half English, half caveman.” Mom moved closer and gave him a quick kiss. “Fortunately, I speak both.” He grunted. Mom shook her head with a soft laugh.
Bachelor hierarchy? I shook my head as I walked out to my truck. It figured there would be a bachelor hierarchy in Tilikum. And I was not going to ask how I compared to any of my brothers. I didn’t even want to know. Okay, I kind of wanted to know how I rated next to Zachary. But only out of curiosity, not because I was hoping to be the first to graduate off the bachelor list.
“Do you want go in and see the house?” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Yes.” My voice came out as an overly excited squeak. I cleared my throat and tried again, trying to fake as much chill as possible. “I mean, yeah, sure. Is it okay if Max comes?” “As long as he won’t pee on anything.” “No, he’s good about that.” Max chose that moment to pee on the tree. “And he just went. Let’s go, Max.”
“Wow, I didn’t know a house could look so naked.” Josiah chuckled, a low noise in his throat that brought the tingles back with a vengeance. Getting a laugh out of him felt like a hard-won victory. “It doesn’t look like much now,” he said. “But it’s going to be nice.” “Tawny oak would never do.” I gestured to the floor. “Not that I really know what tawny oak is, but it doesn’t sound pretty.” “It’s over there.” He pointed to a large stack of long rectangular boxes. “My dad was here when the delivery arrived and he didn’t realize it wasn’t right.”
“I assume the color your wanted is darker?” “Yeah, a richer brown.” “Do you pick the colors yourself?” “Mostly. If I’m not sure, I ask my sister, but I can usually tell what will work and what won’t.” He pointed to the opposite corner of the house. “The kitchen will be over there. We took out a wall to open things up and create more space.” “It’s hard to imagine what it would have looked like with a wall there.” “Too dark and closed off.”
Josiah leaned against the doorframe. “So, you work at the newspaper?” My heart did a little skip at his apparent interest. “Yeah. It’s… interesting. I’m still figuring things out.” “Have you always been in journalism?” “Not exactly. It was my major in college but I’ve done a few different things, mostly in PR and marketing.” “Then how’d you end up at the Tribune?” “Weird, right? The truth is, I got laid off from my last job and couldn’t seem to find anything. I fully admit, I took this one more out of desperation than because it’s my dream job.”
“It’s just temporary, anyway. I’m still looking for something else.” “Here in town?” “I sure hope not.” I laughed but the expressionless mask he wore threw me off. Did he not think it was funny or was that just his face? “Tilikum is fine but I never planned to move back to this area.” “Hmm.” He turned and headed for the stairs. “Come on, Max.”
Josiah glanced at him. “Your dog is kind of weird.” That made me giggle. “Oh my gosh, I know. He’s a total weirdo.” “Cute, though.” “Isn’t he? Come here, Max.” He zipped over to me, dropped to the floor and rolled onto his back. I crouched to give him a belly rub. “You’re the cutest weirdo, aren’t you good dog? Yes, the goodest dog ever!” I realized I probably looked like as big of a weirdo as my dog. But Josiah just looked at us with that almost smile that made my stomach tingle.
And he said he doesn’t like dogs lol
“So, Josiah Haven.” She met my gaze in the mirror and lifted her eyebrows. “What do you think of him?” I felt a tiny bit of panic rise from the pit of my stomach into my throat. What should I say? “He’s… nice?” “You think so? That’s not what most people say about him.” “Actually, I’m a little bit scared of him. But also not. I don’t know how to explain it. Wait, he’s not the cute boy you liked who never noticed you, is he?” “Oh no. Definitely not. I grew up with the Havens, I knew better than to crush on Josiah.”
Marigold
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good guy. As much as I say I’d love a Mr. Darcy, I’m probably too sensitive to be with a man who’s so serious all the time. I’d wind up feeling responsible for his emotional state and stressing about his moods.”
“It’s weird because the grumpy thing should be totally off-putting to me. I hate confrontation and he’s kind of intimidating. I’m not usually drawn to that, but –” “But?” I took a deep breath. “I am. He’s so broody and mysterious, but once in a while he smiles and it’s amazing. By the way, I haven’t admitted any of this out loud, not even to my dog. Sorry for pouring my heart out to you when we just met.” “Don’t worry, it comes with the job. Sometimes I’m equal parts therapist and hair stylist.” She put her comb and scissors down and grabbed a round brush and hair dryer. “And don’t worry about
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“I think it was about five years ago? He’d been dating a woman named Cassandra for a couple of years. Annika thinks he was going to propose when she broke up with him and moved to California.”
“Right? Although obviously it wasn’t meant to be. But the poor guy hasn’t dated anyone since. Not that I know of, anyway.” She paused and fluffed my hair. “Regardless, he’s not a guy I’d warn you away from, especially if you like broody lumberjack types.” “I never have before, but let’s be honest, my track record stinks. Not that I’m thinking of dating Josiah Haven. I don’t even know if he’d be interested in me.”
And then I saw my car. I’d parked on the street in front of the Tribune office, and when I’d left my car there this morning, it had been in perfect condition. Okay, so I was overdue for an oil change and there was a ding on the driver’s side from when some jerk had opened their door into mine a while back, and it definitely needed to be washed. But that huge dent in the front? That had not been there.
Josiah’s insistence that I call him if anything weird happened crossed my mind. But this wasn’t weird, exactly. More like frustrating and stressful. I didn’t need to bother him about it. But I probably did need to file a police report or something. With a heavy sigh, I sat at my desk and looked up the non-emergency number. I didn’t relish the repair bill I’d be facing, but it could have been worse. At least my car would still run.
My being there had nothing to do with the fact that Audrey was late getting home. I wasn’t waiting for her. Kitchens were the center of a house, the showpiece. Even in a rental, the kitchen had to be done right. I was just making sure we didn’t make a mistake we’d regret later. The sound of a car came from outside, so I got up to look. Still not checking to see if it was Audrey. Just curious to see what was going on out there. I wasn’t a great liar. Not even to myself.
Why did she have a dented bumper? Had she been in an accident?
happened?” I sounded angrier than I’d meant to, so I stopped and cleared my throat. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, I’m fine. Some jerk backed into my car, right in front of my office. Can you believe that?” “Did you get plates?” “No.” She crossed her arms and that pouty thing she was doing was frustratingly sexy. “I wasn’t there and the only one in the office at the time was Ledger the useless intern. Of course he didn’t see anything. The guy hardly ever looks up from his phone.”
“Did you call the cops?” “I did, but there’s not much they can do. It was your brother who came to take the report. Garrett Haven is your brother, right?” “Yeah.” “I thought so. Anyway, he was really nice but he basically said without any eyewitnesses, it would be pretty hard to figure out who did it and I should report it to my insurance as a hit-and-run.”
“Take it to my brother Luke. He mostly does restorations, but he’ll take care of you if you tell him I sent you.” Her lips turned up in a smile. “Thanks. I’ll do that.” “But why didn’t you call me?” “For this?” She gestured at the car. “It wasn’t like you could do anything about it.” “I know, but I told you to call me if anything weird happened.” “This isn’t weird. It’s more like frustrating and super stressful.” “And also weird.” “I was parked on the street and some jerk backed into me. That’s not weird. It probably happens all the time.” “In context, it’s weird. What if it was your ex?”
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“I don’t know, but I mean it, call me next time.” “Can we at least pretend there won’t be a next time?” “You’re too optimistic. There’s always a next time.” She put her hands on her hips. “Maybe you’re too pessimistic.” “I’m not pessimistic, I’m realistic. There’s a difference.” She opened her mouth as if to reply, but stopped and looked around. “Where’s Max? Max!” I didn’t see him, either. He’d been sniffing around her front yard a minute ago.
“Max, come!” She met my eyes. “Where could he have gone? He usually stays close.”
“I need to go find him.” She started up the hill. “He’s not the smartest. He’ll totally get lost.” “I’ll check the remodel in case I left the door open, then I’ll catch up.” “Okay,” she said over her shoulder. I hesitated for a beat. She was in a skirt and heels. Not ideal for hiking. But she was charging up the hill like her shoes didn’t matter, so I let her go.
Where was that dog? If he got himself truly lost, or hurt, or worse, it was going to break Audrey’s heart. Growling in frustration, I kept going. I was not stopping until I found her stupid adorable dog.
Max’s back was to me, his tail in the air as he dug furiously. Dirt sprayed behind him, making a little mound. He was filthy. “Max, what are you doing?” He paused and looked back at the sound of my voice, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Frustrated as I was at his disappearance—I was sweaty as hell—I almost laughed. He really was cute, in a derpy sort of way. “Come on, Max. Let’s go find your mommy.”
Lol he so likes dogs
“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” When I got a few steps closer, I stopped in my tracks and wrinkled my nose. Something smelled terrible. Where was that coming from? I looked at Max. Was he covered in dirt or was that something else? Wincing at the smell, I got closer. He was caked in something brown, some of which was certainly dirt. But dirt didn’t stink like that. “Fucking hell, dog. Are you serious?”
“Oh my god, you found him.” I saw the second the smell hit her. She stopped as if she’d run into a solid wall. “Whoa. What is that? Oh, Max. Oh no.” “I don’t know what he found but it’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever smelled in my life.” Her eyes started to water and she backed up a step. “What is that? No, I don’t even want to know. Max, how could you?” He hopped to his feet and shook. Dirt and – whatever else – went flying in all directions, sending the horrible scent with it.
“That’s so gross I might puke.” “Don’t puke. He’d probably roll in that, too.” “Good point. I’ll have to hose him down at the house. Is there a hose? I don’t have one, so I really hope there’s one in the back.” “Yeah, there’s a hose. If not, I’ll call one of my brothers to bring one over.” “Okay, Max. Let’s go home.”
I was at the top of a big-ass hill with a dog covered in either shit or the rotting remains of a dead animal, or both, with a woman limping in her heels who was absolutely not my problem. Except she was. She really, really was.
“Audrey, wait.” I moved in front of her, so I was on the downhill side, and bent my knees. “Hop on.” “You don’t have to carry me.” “Just get on.” She put her hands on my shoulders and jumped up. I caught her legs around my waist and hitched her up so she was secure on my back. Then I started down the hill.
Omg that’s adorable! He’s so sweet!
I set Audrey down. “Give me two seconds,” she said. “I don’t want to do this in work clothes.” “He better not run off again.” “I know. But I’m not letting him in the house like that.” “Just hurry.”
The house did have a hose. Max wanted to attack the water, and since neither one of us wanted to grab and hold onto him, we did our best. At least he seemed to be enjoying the process. Once he was somewhat clean, Audrey took off his collar. It was caked with shit or dead animal or whatever it was. She tossed it aside. “I have an extra in the house. I don’t think that one’s salvageable.” “Agreed. Toss it.”
“You better be careful,” I said. “He’s going to do that again just to get a bath.” “He does love his baths, although usually they’re not with freezing hose water.” “I’m just glad he’s not running away again.” “Oh my gosh, same.” She leaned in and sniffed her dog. “I can’t tell if the smell is gone. I think it’s just in my nose now, but I’m not sure.” I got close and inhaled deeply. “I don’t smell it anymore.” “Are you sure?” “Yeah, I think we got it all.”
“Thank goodness. What a nightmare. Sorry about all that.” My clothes were wet, I was tired, and I probably smelled like dog. But oddly enough, I wasn’t annoyed. “It’s fine. I’m just glad we found him.” “Me too.”
“Okay, Max, that’s enough adventures for one day.” She opened her sliding door and shooed him inside. “In you go.” He ran in and she shut the door most of the way, leaving just a crack. With her hand on the handle, she met my eyes. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome.” For a second, she didn’t move. Then she stepped closer and hugged me. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her and drew her in tight. Fuck me, that felt good. She was soft and warm and her hair smelled good. Her body pressed against mine, stirring up all kinds of things I wasn’t prepared for. She moved back and, almost
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“Missy at Happy Paws is sick and I guess everyone at Happy Paws is also sick, so there’s no one to do doggy daycare today. Max can be at home alone for a while, but it would be best if someone could let him out once or twice to go potty. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it back today, although I could try, but if—” “Sure.” His single word of assent stopped my babbling. “Oh. Awesome. Thank you. That’s a huge help.” He nodded. “Not a problem.”
“He should be fine until around lunchtime. I’ll put the leash by the door so you don’t have to worry about him running off again.” He nodded again. “Thank you. I think I said that already but I really appreciate it. It’s been such a hectic morning and Missy’s call was the icing on the cake, you know? And I’m new in town and I don’t know that many people.” “Audrey.” “Yeah?” “Go to work. I’ve got it.”
“Sorry. Yeah, work. Thanks. I’ll see you tonight.”
Around three, I checked the messages on my phone. My stomach flipped when I saw a text from Josiah. I wasn’t sure if it was a quick burst of worry that something was wrong or simply seeing that he’d messaged me. Probably both. It was a photo of Max, curled up on a blanket in the empty remodel. It simply said, hanging out. I sighed. Josiah had brought Max over to hang out with him. He’d even found him a blanket. How adorable was that?
“It’s just a picture of Max. Doggy daycare is closed today, so I asked Josiah if he could check on Max a couple of times. I guess he decided to bring him next door.” I held up my phone so she could see. “What a cutie. So, Josiah. Is there something you need to tell me, Miss Audrey?” “About Josiah? No. No, definitely not. Not at all.” Ledger snorted. I glared at him. “What was that about?” He didn’t look up from his phone. “You obviously like him.” “I didn’t think you were listening.” He just shrugged. Sandra raised her eyebrows. “There’s really nothing to tell. I guess we’re friends but that’s
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Maybe the point was, deep down, I wanted something to happen. I really liked Josiah Haven—and not just because he’d helped me clean off a gross dog, or carried me down the hill on his back, or because he was willing to hang out with Max today. I liked him because he was gruff and stoic and sexy and surprisingly sweet under that surly lumberjack exterior. I’d half admitted it to Marigold already. Maybe it was time I started fully admitting it to myself.
I opened the door, and as soon as I peeked inside, I almost swooned. Like a legitimate old-school Hollywood starlet swoon that would have had me on the floor. Josiah was sound asleep on the couch with Max spread out over his legs. Max cracked one eye open but apparently my arrival wasn’t exciting enough to entice him to move from his spot snuggled up with Josiah. I couldn’t say I blamed him. It was so adorable, I quickly fished my phone out of my purse and took a few pictures. Then I set my things down, right as Josiah started to stir. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, like he couldn’t quite
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“Hi, Max. Nice to see you, too.” I crouched down to give him a good pet. Josiah grunted again as he sat up, then stretched. “Sorry, didn’t mean to fall asleep.” I stood. “That’s okay. Max is pretty snuggly. It’s easy to do.” He got up and straightened his T-shirt. “He was fine today. Didn’t roll in anything.” “That’s good. Thanks again for your help.” “No problem.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m in your way.” He stopped and met my eyes, obviously waiting for me to move. But I didn’t. I got caught in those stormy blue-grays, my heart beating a wish I could scarcely dare to think. Kiss me, Josiah. His eyes lowered to my mouth. My pulse raced and excitement swirled in my stomach. Taking the chance, I stepped closer and put my hand on his chest. I let my eyelids close halfway and parted my lips, ready for whatever he wanted to give me. He cleared his throat and stepped past me. “I gotta go.” I sucked in a quick breath, shock turning my tingly excitement into a roil
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Was I mad because I’d almost kissed her when I knew I shouldn’t? Or because I’d almost kissed her and I should have? Probably both.
You definitely should!
