Grimacing, she grabbed the brush and ran it quickly through her hair. There was nothing for it; she’d have to take the risk of disturbing Dante. It would be cruel to make Bailey wait until they heard Dante stirring out there. He was young and might sleep for hours yet. Sighing, she set down the brush, then turned and slid the bathroom door open, only to pause when she saw that the bedroom door was cracked open and Bailey was gone.
Frowning, Mary crossed to open the pocket door all the way and peered out into a pristine living area. The couch was back to its L shape, the sheets and blanket removed, folded neatly and resting on the last seat with the pillows on top and Bailey and Dante were nowhere to be seen.
Moving to the window over the sink, she shifted the blinds aside and peered out, a small smile claiming her face when she saw Dante walking Bailey toward the river. He was wearing a pair of Joe’s jeans and the black T-shirt from the small stack of clothes she’d given him. Both items were tight on him, the jeans hugging him in all the right places, but at least reaching to the tops of his feet, which sort of surprised her. Joe had been six feet, but this man was a good eight inches taller. Of course, he was wearing them low on the hips whereas Joe had worn them at the waist, and he appeared to have a longer torso than Joe, who had been all legs. As for the T-shirt, well, it had certainly never looked that good on Joe. Where Joe had preferred loose T-shirts, this one was tight on Dante, at least across the chest and on his upper arms where it hugged him like a woman in love. It was loose at the waist though. The man had a smaller waist than most women she knew, Mary noted with appreciation.
Damn, he was a fine-looking man, she thought. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail low on his neck. She’d never thought much of long hair on men, but he could convert her. It was a shame she wasn’t thirty or forty years younger, she thought with a sigh and then made herself stop ogling the poor man and turn to the chore of making coffee.
Mary made a cup for herself, then prepared one for Dante and set them on the counter by the door before filling a dog dish with food and water. She carried the double-bowled dog dish outside first, and set it on the picnic table to protect it from visiting neighbor dogs. Mary then returned to the RV and grabbed both coffees and carried them to the picnic table as well. She’d barely settled on the seat and taken her first sip of coffee when Dante appeared, walking up the path with a well-behaved Bailey leading the way.
The perfect dog performance Bailey was giving ended the moment she spotted Mary seated at the picnic table. The German shepherd immediately jerked at her leash, trying to charge forward. But one word from Dante and she settled back to a walk, if a much faster one.
“I made you coffee,” Mary said, pushing his cup across the table as he sat down across from her. She then moved Bailey’s double dog dish to the ground, smiling faintly when the dog attacked the food as if she hadn’t eaten in days. Bailey always acted like she had to gobble it all up or someone might take it away. Perhaps a remnant of the first eight weeks of her life, where she’d been part of a litter and probably had had to eat quickly or her siblings would eat it all.
“You look tired,” Dante said quietly.
Mary stiffened and then continued to stare at Bailey, aware that she was blushing. Hoping he hadn’t noticed, she shrugged. “Didn’t sleep well. Probably just all the excitement of the day,” she added, although that was a blatant lie. It had been the excitement of her dreams and their disturbing Bailey that had caused her lack of sleep.
“Neither did I,” Dante murmured and then suggested, “Perhaps we should nap after Bailey has finished her meal. She could stay in the front of the RV with me so that she does not disturb you.”
Mary glanced at him sharply, but his expression was innocent. Still, he’d obviously heard something last night to know that Bailey had woken her repeatedly. Clearing her throat, she shook her head. “Dave and Carol are expecting us at the Round Up for breakfast at eight.”
“The Round Up?” Dante asked uncertainly.
“The restaurant here,” she explained. “It’s just a little shack, really, with outdoor tables, but they make the best food, and Carol and Dave invited us to join them for breakfast.”
“Ah,” he nodded and picked up his coffee. “Then we will have to leave soon. It must be almost eight now, it was ten to eight when I put Bailey’s leash on her.”
Mary automatically looked at her wrist, but hadn’t put her watch on yet. She glanced to Bailey to see that she was half done with her food already, and said, “As soon as she’s done then,” and picked up her coffee to take a drink.
She was only half done with hers when Bailey finished eating. Not wanting to have Dave drive down after them, Mary left Bailey to drink her water and took her and Dante’s cups and carried them quickly into the RV to set in the sink. She grabbed her keys then, locked the door of the RV and took Bailey’s leash as she joined Dante to walk to the main building, where the office, restaurant, store, and entertainment room were situated.
“I told them you were my nephew,” she murmured as they walked.