Читать книгу The Bachelor Next Door - Kathryn Springer - Страница 11

Chapter Three

Laughter.

It was the first thing Brendan heard when he opened the front door the next morning.

That’s all he needed. Someone in the house holding a paintbrush in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

Brendan bypassed the kitchen, ignoring the lure of freshly brewed coffee as he strode down the hall to the living room. If he and Lily Michaels were going to be sharing space for the next two weeks, it wouldn’t hurt to establish a few ground rules. Let her know what he expected…

He pulled up short in the doorway.

Lily was kneeling in front of the fireplace. The paint-splattered overalls she wore somehow managed to enhance her slender curves rather than detract from them. Two bright golden tassels peeked out from underneath the green bandanna tied around her head.

No paintbrush. No cell phone. Instead, she was holding on to the corner of another bandanna…the other end was attached to an overweight basset hound.

It couldn’t be.

“Missy?”

Brendan realized he’d said the word out loud when Lily’s head jerked up.

“Is that your dog’s name?” Smiling at him, she surrendered the colorful strip of fabric.

“She’s not my dog.”

Missy clattered over to him and deposited the damp cloth at his feet.

“Really?” Lily rose to her feet and parked her hands on her hips, a pointed look at Missy conveying her skepticism.

“My mother volunteers at the shelter and she tries to find people willing to adopt the animals that end up there.” Although Brendan had no idea how the dog had covered the mile-long trek from town on those stubby little legs.

“She’s a stray?”

“Not anymore,” Brendan said quickly. “Mom found a home for her before she left. Missy must have gotten loose somehow and wandered away.”

There was also the distinct possibility she’d been dropped off on his front porch in the middle of the night.

“Maybe she thinks this is home.” Lily looked down at the basset hound, and her expression softened.

The furry martyr collapsed at his feet with a heavy sigh.

Brendan inwardly rolled his eyes. “I’ll give Mr. Wilson a call and let him know Missy’s here.”

“She’s probably thirsty.” Lily moved past him and the scent of her shampoo, something light and citrusy, teased his senses. “I’ll get her some water.”

“There’s a dish under the sink.” Brendan pivoted in the opposite direction and retreated to his office to find a phone book. He was expecting a call from a customer within the next few minutes and a shipment of materials for their next order was on its way, something Brendan needed to sign for when it arrived.

He punched in Ed Wilson’s number, foot tapping the floor in time with every ring. Just before he was about to hang up, Brendan heard a click.

“Wilson residence.”

“Mr. Wilson? This is Brendan Kane. I’m calling because you must have—” give the man the benefit of the doubt now “—misplaced something. Missy showed up here a little while ago.”

“So that’s where she ran off to.” Brendan heard a rusty chuckle. “All I can say is the good Lord must have put a homing device in those critters when He created them.”

“Her home is with you,” Brendan reminded him.

“Can’t keep her,” Ed said bluntly. “My son called last night and invited me to spend the summer in Chicago, but he lives in one of them fancy condos. No pets allowed.”

“I understand.” Brendan squeezed the base of his skull, a futile attempt to ward off the tension headache snaking its way up the back of his neck, one vertebra at a time. “Thanks for your time, Mr. Wilson.”

“Sorry I can’t help you out.”

Not as sorry as Brendan.

The second call he made was to the animal shelter. It rang ten…twelve times…before Yvonne Delfield answered with a breathless hello. The woman was a close friend of Sunni’s, one of the few who’d actually supported her decision to take in three rowdy boys who’d slipped between the cracks of the child welfare system.

“Missy is with me,” he said without preamble.

“Brendan?” And then, “Oh, that’s a relief! I was hoping you’d decided to keep her.”

“What? No, I didn’t…. July is one of the busiest months of the year.” Brendan put Yvonne on speakerphone and fired up his computer to confirm the time of an afternoon appointment. “She managed to escape from Ed Wilson and ended up back here. I was just calling to make sure someone would be around when I bring her back to the shelter.”

“Oh.” The word rolled out with Yvonne’s sigh. “One of the county deputies found a litter of puppies living in a shed and brought them in, so we’re a little short on space at the moment. Would you be willing to keep Missy until Sunni gets back and finds another home for her?”

“No problem.”

Brendan heard the words, but he hadn’t said them.

He pivoted toward the doorway, and his gaze locked on Lily. Her wide smile didn’t hold the least bit of repentance for eavesdropping on a private conversation. Missy sat at her feet, and it looked as if she was smiling, too.

If Brendan hadn’t known for a fact that, at that very moment, his mother was sunbathing on the promenade deck, he would have accused her of orchestrating the whole thing.

* * *

Lily finished rinsing out her paintbrush and turned off the faucet in the laundry room sink. A few yards away, Missy dozed in a patch of afternoon sunlight streaming through the blinds, paws pedaling the air as she chased a phantom squirrel in her dreams.

She couldn’t help but smile as she remembered Brendan’s reaction to her impulsive announcement to provide a temporary home for the dog. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but a deliveryman had shown up at the front door with an invoice that needed Brendan’s signature. She’d arrived just in time to hear a woman asking him to keep the dog until Sunni returned.

Guessing what the answer would be, Lily had squeezed in a yes before Brendan could say no.

Honestly, how could the man even consider returning Missy to the shelter when he had plenty of space for a dog to roam?

A question she’d asked after he’d hung up the phone.

Brendan had taken the clipboard from her outstretched hand, walked out the door and tossed one word over his shoulder.

Trouble.

Lily begged to differ. From what she’d witnessed so far, the dog was proving to be far more agreeable than its master.

Brendan hadn’t been exaggerating about the amount of time he spent in his office. Their paths had intersected once in front of the coffeepot, but other than that, the door to his office had remained firmly closed the rest of the morning.

Lily plucked a towel from a hook on the wall next to the sink and dried off her hands.

“I don’t know about you, Missy, but I’m getting hungry. What do you think about lunch?”

Judging from the speed with which the dog rolled to her feet, she must have thought it was a pretty good idea. Missy followed her to the kitchen and watched Lily raid the refrigerator.

A quick inventory of the contents yielded the ingredients for a fairly presentable Cobb salad. While the eggs boiled, Lily diced up a thick slice of smoked ham and shredded a pungent wedge of Wisconsin cheddar to sprinkle on the top of the fresh greens. After laying everything in a pretty glass bowl, she stepped back to admire her work.

Plenty for two.

Lily yanked out that thought before it could take root.

No. Way.

Brendan had made it clear he didn’t want any interruptions.

Until God had gotten her attention, Lily been the same way. She’d turned down so many invitations from her coworkers to join them in the employee lounge for lunch, they’d finally stopped asking.

Lily felt an internal nudge and groaned.

Really, Lord? Because I’m pretty sure the man keeps a box of thumbtacks stashed in his desk drawer in case he gets hungry.

Another nudge.

And because Lily had made a promise she would never ignore those divine promptings again, she took a deep breath and rapped on the door of Brendan’s office.

“It’s me. Lily,” she added unnecessarily.

She waited. And waited some more. Just when she was about to give up, the door swung open and Lily found herself face-to-face with a…wall of blue denim. Lily was by no means petite, but she was forced to tip her head back to meet Brendan’s gaze.

“Five minutes,” he growled.

“Five minutes,” Lily mused, refusing to be intimidated by The Frown. “Five minutes to pack my bags and get out of Dodge? Five minutes for the police to arrive and arrest me for trespassing? I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.”

“Four minutes and fifty-eight seconds.” He wasn’t closing the door when he said it, though, which gave Lily the courage to follow through with her mission.

“I wasn’t sure what your plans were for lunch—”

“I usually eat in my office.”

Alone.

Even though he didn’t say the word out loud, it flashed like a blue neon sign in his eyes.

Oh, well. She was halfway up the hill. Lily decided there was no point in retreating now.

“It’s a beautiful day to soak up some sunshine and the beautiful view.” The view you can’t appreciate because your desk faces the wall. “You could eat outside at the picnic table.”

From the expression on Brendan’s face, Lily would have thought she’d asked him to participate in some unfamiliar—and slightly disturbing—ritual.

“Sunni put you up to this, didn’t she?”

“Up to what?”

“Lunch. Sunshine.”

Lily grinned. “You make them sound like health hazards.”

Brendan took a step back, as if she were the health hazard. “I can’t today, but…thanks. I’ll grab something later.”

“All right.” She shouldn’t have been surprised. “I’ll put half the salad in a container for you. I used up the rest of Sunni’s salad dressing, but I can pick up a bottle when I go to the grocery store later this afternoon.”

Lily knew she was chattering. Brendan didn’t care about salad or salad dressing. What she didn’t know—and what she was afraid to analyze too closely—was the pinch of disappointment she’d felt when he’d turned down her invitation.

Brendan glanced down at Missy, who’d bravely camped at her feet during their brief exchange. “I have an appointment with a client, so I won’t be able to keep an eye on the dog.”

“That’s all right, I’ll bring her along.” Lily reached down and fondled one of Missy’s silky ears. “She’s been a perfect companion all morning. I don’t know why you called her trouble.”

Suddenly, there it was again. The shooting star of a smile that had had Lily’s stomach performing backflips the day before.

“Who said I was talking about Missy?”

The door snapped shut.

* * *

Brendan stepped onto the patio and felt a stab of unease.

The evening breeze stirred shadows into the river, turning the water from sapphire to a deep indigo.

After Lily had returned from the grocery store, he’d watched her disappear into the woods, a colorful backpack slung over one slim shoulder and Missy trotting along at her heels.

They should have been back by now.

Had Lily decided to hike up to the falls? Alone?

The path along the river wasn’t well marked, although Brendan could have found it in the dark. He and his brothers had explored every inch of these woods when they were kids.

If you’d had lunch with Lily, maybe she would have told you her plans.

Brendan tried to shake the thought away but it stuck to his conscience like a burr on a wool sock.

It had been self-preservation, pure and simple. There was no doubt in his mind that Sunni had had an ulterior motive when she’d hired Lily.

Mom thinks you’re lonely.

Once again, Aiden’s words cycled through his mind.

It wasn’t that Brendan was anti-relationships. He just knew the successful ones took time and attention—and right now, the business required all of his. He’d been talking to the CEO of Extreme Adventures for several months and, finally, it looked as though his persistence was paying off. Filling orders for the sporting-goods chain guaranteed stability in a competitive market and uncertain economy.

Brendan should have realized that Sunni hadn’t given up her matchmaking, she’d simply changed tactics. His mother knew the long hours he spent in the office weren’t exactly conducive to getting to know the single women living in Castle Falls, so she’d imported one.

Although why Sunni thought he’d be attracted to someone like Lily Michaels was a mystery. The woman was too stubborn. Too…perky.

Too distracting.

The fact that he was in front of the window instead of his computer screen proved it.

Unfortunately, Lily was also running out of daylight.

Which meant it was up to him to make sure her and her furry sidekick made it safely back to the house.

Brendan grabbed a flashlight from a shelf in the hall closet on his way out the door. The moon was already rising over the trees, and adrenaline spiked Brendan’s blood as he picked his way along the narrow foot path that ran parallel to the river. If Lily was on her way back, he should have met up with her by now.

He hiked another quarter mile, judging the distance by the subtle change in the river’s current. Castle Falls was just up ahead, an appropriate name for the steep sandstone wall that towered above the water.

“Lily?” Brendan pitched his voice a notch above the rushing water. In the fading light, he spotted the trunk of a dead aspen near the base of the falls. The jagged stub of a branch had caught on one of the rocks, holding the tree in place as it bobbed gently in the foam.

Like a suspension bridge.

Brendan’s breath snagged in his lungs even as he tried to rein in his overactive imagination. The challenge of crossing the river on a stick might prove irresistible to his two younger brothers, but a grown woman would be too level-headed to attempt it….

“Hi!”

He twisted toward the lilting voice and saw Lily waving to him from the opposite side of the riverbank.

Apparently not.

Stubborn. Perky. Now Brendan could add reckless to the list he’d started.

“It’s so beautiful here!” Lily skipped across the fallen tree with the nimbleness of a professional tightrope walker.

Halfway across, the log shifted, and Brendan heard her gasp.

Without thinking, he splashed into the shallow water, shoes and all, and reached for her.

“Thanks.” Lily latched on to his hand, and the warmth of her touch shot up his arm like a current of electricity.

Brendan sucked in a breath and let her go the moment their feet touched dry land. “What—” he tossed the word down like a gauntlet “—did you think you were doing?”

Lily smiled up at him, eyes shining in spite of the fact she’d almost fallen into the river. “Exploring, of course.”

Of course.

Brendan shook his head. “Look, the sun is setting—”

“I know! I watched it from up there.” She pointed to one of the granite turrets that bracketed the water spilling over the top of the falls. “The best seat in the house.”

The best seat… Brendan tried to shut down the image what could have happened if Lily had lost her footing and slipped. Or somehow stumbled upon the cave located behind the falls.

Brendan battled the temptation to share the discovery he’d made years ago. To watch her face light up with wonder.

Now who’s the reckless one?

“You probably spend a lot of time here.” Lily clapped her hands and Missy trundled out of the brush, sporting a brand-new collar that could have only been purchased in the pet food aisle of the grocery store.

“No.” Spotty cell phone reception and no internet equaled no customers. “Not really.”

“You should.” Lily cast one more longing look at the falls before she fell into step beside him.

Brendan didn’t answer.

There were a lot of things he knew he should do.

Spending time with Lily Michaels definitely wasn’t one of them.