Yardley watched the man emerge from his SUV. His back was to her but that didn’t delay her first impression.
The stereotype was so dramatic she almost laughed. Tall. Really tall. And dark. Check and check. Handsome? She wouldn’t know until he turned around. But the guy drew her eye anyway, like the gravitational pull of the moon. It wasn’t only that he wore a bright-red ski parka with black shoulder patches and a large blocky white cross on his back. She recognized them as emblems of ski patrol search and rescue. A little bit out of place in Virginia.
At that moment, he pivoted.
Her first thought was that he was ridiculously gorgeous. Broad face, bold nose, and high-definition mouth. And wide eyes that managed to be open yet intimidating beneath his heavy brows. It was really too much for one man. He had the height, width, and bronze good looks of a Polynesian god. Running up hard against that thought was surprise that she recognized him after all these years.
Kye McGarren.
The shock of recognition hobbled her stride. The only man who’d ever made her believe, if only for three days, that she was in love. That was twelve years, five months, and three days ago. But damn, she wasn’t about to admit she remembered it. Not to him. Most of all, not to herself.
Scowling hard, she turned her shock into a minute assessment as she approached. As if he were a K-9 she was considering buying. Yes, distance. She needed it badly.
He was bigger than he’d been a dozen years ago. The sexy lean physique of twenty-four had filled out impressively, if his jacket size was any indication. Gone, too, was the raw new-recruit haircut. His black hair grew in thickly on top though it was short on the sides. Crap. He was now a man in his prime. But none of that mattered. In fact, it only made her angry.
She moved purposefully toward her unwelcome guest. Oleg followed close by her side, in full K-9 mode. The ridge of hair along his spine stiffened as he sniffed the emotional surge sliding off his handler. After a few more steps, he added a soft growl.
Yardley frowned. Any other person facing Oleg should be getting very nervous by now. This man simply folded his arms, leaned back against the door of his SUV, and smiled.
Yep. Nailed it. She still recognized that smirky aloha smile after all this time.
“Kye McGarren. What are you doing here?”
His smile widened. Deep curves carved in his cheeks by humor emphasized his wide, perfect mouth. She suspected he was all kinds of pleased that she’d remembered his name, and was instantly sorry she had let him know that.
“Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou, Ms. Summers. I wasn’t sure you’d remember me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I remember everyone.”
She looked down at Oleg. His rumble was like a cat’s purr, only scary. Even her handlers weren’t sure of their ability to keep the wolfdog in check. He was the kind of K-9 who might get handed from handler to handler as being “too hot” or difficult. She wasn’t worried about that but didn’t want to test her control with a person she didn’t like. Being a jerk wasn’t a crime.
“Knoze.”
Oleg complied immediately, coming to heel and going silent, yet still wary.
“Your Czech friend runs a bit hot, huh? Or is he feeding off you?”
Damn. He’d noticed her hesitation.
Yardley looked up at him, her face expressionless. Nothing and no one got to her. Everyone knew that. “Why are you here? Dressed like that.” Damn, she couldn’t resist asking. Despite his ridiculous getup, his sexiness was leaking through into every pore of hers. That had to stop.
He glanced down at his board shorts and flip-flops, his smile holding. “Side trip on my way home.” He reached into the open doorway of the SUV and withdrew with an armful of dog. “But first I’d like to you meet Lily.”
She glanced at the toller and then back at him. He’d brought a dog to her. Of course. What other reason ever brought people here?
The faint disappointment stirring in her thoughts made no sense. A problem with a dog. That, she could handle. Just not today.
“Call and make an appointment. We’re closed for the holidays.”
She started to walk past him.
Kye fell into step on her right side but with a respectful distance between them. “Here’s the thing. I’m headed for Hawaii and I don’t know when I’ll be stateside again. I was at the airport when I thought I could swing by here first.”
Yardley shook her head. “My staff’s on vacation.”
“There’s no one here but you?”
Why was everyone suddenly so interested in her solitude? Yardley paused and glanced around, nerves tingling, as she did a perimeter search of her property in one direction and then the other. Finally her gaze came back to him. “How did you know I’d be here?”
“Who said I did? It’s a bit chilly out here, isn’t it? Can I come in?” He made a motion toward the house.
“No.” She made sure there was nothing iffy in her reply.