I had about an hour before my mom would arrive. Plenty of time to run to the pet store for dog food. I probably would have had time in the afternoon before my plans with Marigold, but I wanted to get it done. Plus, if I stayed home I’d just stress about the state of my house. It was decently clean and neither Josiah nor I were all that messy, so a quick tidy had done the trick. And to be fair, my mom was a lot of things, but judgmental about cleanliness wasn’t one of them. She had a blind spot for pet hair at least, probably because of her affection for long-haired felines.
Josiah was still next door, so I decided to pop by and let him know I was heading out—and get a sneak peek at the kitchen.
I found him in the garage, shirtless and sweaty.
“Hey,” I said, trying not to salivate too much. “How’s it going over here?”
“It’s hot. AC stopped working and my guy can’t get over here to take a look until tomorrow.”
“That sucks.” I moved closer and, heedless of his sweaty body, threaded my arms around his waist.
“Don’t do that. I’m gross.”
“I really don’t care.”
He leaned down and pressed his mouth to mine. I tasted the hint of salt and flicked out my tongue to lick his lower lip.
The low growl in his throat gave me a swirl of desire.
“Ugh, gross,” a voice said behind him.
“Shut up, Z,” Josiah said and kissed me again.
“Dad, Josiah’s making out with his girlfriend in the garage,” Zachary called.
Josiah just chuckled and kissed me again. “Ignore him.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “I’ll let you get back to work. I just wanted you to know I need to run to the pet store.”
His brow furrowed. “Can you wait? I’ll go with you later.”
“My mom is coming over for a surprise visit in about an hour and I have plans with Marigold after that. It’ll just be a quick trip.”
He growled again. “I don’t like you going out alone.”
“I won’t be alone. I’ll bring Max.”
“As if that will help. If your stalker shows up, he’ll roll over and ask for belly rubs.”
He wasn’t wrong. “True. But you can’t come with me everywhere I go. I’ll run into town and come right back.”
“I still don’t like it.”
I lifted myself up to kiss him. “I’ll be fine.”
He cupped my cheeks and kissed me again, deeply this time. Apparently Zachary had gone back inside because there were no more brotherly groans. I sank into his kiss, heedless of the sweat he was leaving on my clothes. My head spun with the pleasure of it—the warmth of his mouth and the tenderness of his touch.
Who knew this rough man could be so gentle.
When he finally pulled away, I glanced around to make sure Max hadn’t wandered off. He was sniffing the ground near the garage door.
“Hurry home,” Josiah said.
“I will. Wait, can I see the kitchen first?”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Not yet.”
“Really? You’re not going to let me see it?”
“Not until it’s done.”
My shoulders slumped. “Fine. But is it turning out the way you wanted?”
“So far.”
“That tells me nothing.”
“You just have to see it.”
“I want to see it, but you won’t let me.” I stuck out my lower lip.
He leaned down and grazed his teeth along my pout. “Later.”
I loved the pleasant tingle that raced through my veins. There was more to his promise of later than just a tour of the new kitchen.
I couldn’t wait.
We said one more goodbye, then I peeled myself away from him and loaded Max into the car.
On the way into town, I found myself looking at the surroundings with a fresh set of eyes. I’d made a decision last night. Primarily, for Josiah. I wanted him more than any job or place to live. But I’d also made a decision for Tilikum. This quirky little town was not where I’d envisioned myself ending up. But as I drove past the shops and pine trees, with the mountain peaks in the background, I felt a surprising sense of peace.
I liked it here. And it was getting harder and harder to remember why coming back to the central Cascades had felt so much like failure. So what if I’d once declared that I’d never live here again? Audrey in her early twenties hadn’t known what she wanted. All she’d known was what she didn’t want—the life that had been expected of her.
This wasn’t that life. This was a life of my own making, my own choice. And it was shaping up to be better than anything I’d imagined.
When I pulled into a parking spot outside Happy Paws, I was in a great mood. The sun was shining, I was in love, and best of all, Josiah Haven loved me back.
My phone rang. Restricted. I decided I wasn’t going to let a stalker bring me down.
“Hi, this is Audrey. Are you going to say something this time, or just keep hanging up on me? Because I don’t think the weird hang-up calls are doing what you hope they’ll do. I’m not scared of you.”
No reply but the call remained connected.
“Maybe we could just talk this out, like adults. What do you think? You tell me what’s behind this and we can find a way to resolve it.”
Still nothing.
“Would that really be so bad? Listen, just last night my boyfriend and I finally said the things we needed to say and I have to tell you, it was amazing. Simple honesty goes a long way.”
I waited. It wasn’t that I expected a reply, but I’d never stayed on the phone with whoever this was for so long. I opened my mouth to keep talking—because why the heck not—when I got the shock of my life.
“I hate you.”
The voice was low, definitely male.
“Why?”
The call ended.
I swallowed hard, a sick feeling swirling in my stomach. That voice. I didn’t recognize who it was, but the malevolence had been unmistakable. Whoever he was, he’d just told me the truth. He hated me. Deeply.
As much as I didn’t want to let him steal my joy, it was with a subdued sense of happiness that I got Max out of the car. I glanced over my shoulder, unable to escape the feeling that I was being watched.
Maybe I shouldn’t have gone out by myself after all.
But I was there, so I decided to go in and get the dog food. Then get home as quickly as possible. I needed to tell Josiah about the phone call.
“Hey, Audrey,” Missy said when I walked in. She looked a little older than me, probably forty-ish, with strawberry blond hair and freckles, and was one of the biggest animal lovers I’d ever met. Max adored her.
I veered toward the checkout counter first so Max could say hi. “Hey, Missy. I just need to pick up some dog food real quick.”
She crouched down to spoil Max with attention. I left him with her and found our preferred brand, then brought it to the check out. I spotted some cat toys on the way and decided to pick up a little present for Duchess. My mom would appreciate it.
“Is that all for you?” she asked.
“Yep, this will do it.” I grabbed a pouch of sweet potato dog treats—his favorite—and got out my wallet.
I glanced out the front window while she rang up my purchase. Max happily wagged his tail next to me. I didn’t know what I was looking for, exactly. I couldn’t see my car from where I was standing. Did I think I’d see the stalker, peeking in the window, watching me?
The voice on the phone had unsettled me. I just wanted to get out of there.
Missy handed me a small bag with the cat toys and dog treats. I grabbed the dog food and settled it on my hip, then grabbed the rest. “Thanks, Missy. I’ll see you later.”
“Have a great day. Bye, Max!”
My heart beat uncomfortably hard as we walked out of the store. The sidewalk on this side of the street was empty, just a few cars parked nearby. A couple walked out of a store two doors down, but otherwise, no one was around.
I took a deep breath. I was fine. Just feeling jumpy after that phone call. I shouldn’t have answered it in the first place. That had been stupid.
The leash jerked as Max hit the end of it. His nose was to the ground and he pulled toward my car.
“Hang on, Max. I know you want a treat, but you can wait.”
He half-dragged me to my car where he kept sniffing furiously.
“Was there a squirrel?” I adjusted the bag so I could get out my keys. There was a squirrel, chittering at us from the roof of the building. “It’s gone now, silly dog.”
Max didn’t stop sniffing. He tried to do a lap around the car, but I kept a tight grip on the leash while I opened the passenger door.
“Max, seriously, stop. I need to put your food in the car.”
I tossed the stuff onto the passenger seat and shut the door, then let Max do his lap.
“See? The squirrel is go—”