“Then you two go.” Boomer let out a small groan, apparently at being left out. “Youthreego. Excuse me for misspeaking, Boomer.” Conner tried to convince Edith to tag along, promising they could take things slow. But at the end of it, Edith waved her goodbyes. A few steps from the front door, she looked over her shoulder and said, “Midnight fishing.”
“Midnight fishing?” Sadie repeated, waiting for Conner to explain.
Instead, he shrugged. “No clue.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You up for a walk?” Boomer started pacing, his tail swishing in excitement. “You can record some footage while we’re out.”
Sadie’s heart pounded against her ribcage. How stupid would it be for them to be seen in public together, just the two of them? Marc wouldn’t buy that Boomer counted as a chaperone. If she were smart and not being led by the part of her that craved his presence, she’d go home. But that’s not what she did. “A walk sounds great.”
“Let me grab my shoes.”
Boomer danced around in excitement, running back and forth between them. “You sure love your walks, huh, buddy?” She squatted to give him a big hug, giggling when he licked her cheek. “You really are the best, aren’t you? Don’t suppose you have a brother I can adopt?”
“I don’t know if Boomer has siblings,” Conner answered from the recliner as he tied his shoes. “I found him in a drainage ditch during a thunderstorm. He was half starved and covered in more mud than the lobby was today.”
“Oh, boy. That’s a lot of mud.”
“You’re telling me.”
“So, you rescued him?” Heart. Officially. Melted.
“I think he really rescued me. I found him the day I broke things off with my ex.” He spoke so easily about his past, as if the sting no longer gutted him. Sadie envied his ability to move on. Or maybe he was compartmentalizing. Either way, she would happily take a lesson or two from him.
“No one needed me anymore,” he went on as they headed out the back door and waited for Boomer to get the zoomies out of his system. “My mom got remarried and had someone to fix the leaky sink faucet and clean out the gutters. My sister met an amazing guy and now they’re planning their wedding. He helps her through her anxiety attacks now.”
“That’s how you knew what to do,” Sadie said in more of a whisper. But Conner seemed to hear her anyway.
“I wouldn’t wish those on anyone.”
“Yeah, they suck.”
“I tried to find Boomer’s owners, but he didn’t have a chip. After three months of posting his picture everywhere, I gave up the search. Decided we were meant to be.” He whistled for Boomer and held up the leash. The dog raced across the yard at lightning speed and assumed the position, offering up his collar.
“I think it was meant to be.”
Conner turned his attention to Sadie, making her feel all kinds of vulnerable with those intense brown eyes boring into her. “You can call me, okay?” He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, effectively rendering all of her brain cells useless. “You don’t have to go through those alone. Iwantto help.”
Her first instinct was to ask why, but she didn’t let it leave her lips. She was quickly learning Conner was the generous kind of man who’d give a stranger the shirt off his back and never expect anything in return. His giving nature could equally rival her selfish one. Did they get any more opposite than that?
“Hey,” he said, suddenly standing close to her on the deck. Or had he been standing that close all along? Around him, reality was a blur at best. Sadie felt the heat of him radiate and warm her skin as her pulse jumped. “I mean it, Sadie.”
“I don’t deserve that.” The words escaped as a whisper, mostly because her focus kept moving to his lips. Her brain was malfunctioning because the only coherent thought rolling around inside was one that involved a forbidden kiss and whether it’d make her toes curl like it did in all those romantic comedies.
For one solitary moment in time, she swore he felt it too, the pull between them. The crackling attraction. The burning desire to stop pretending they didn’t feel something for one another. That he might actually see her as more than Marc’s little sister. He reached his thumb to her cheek, dragging it softly across her skin. Her entire body erupted in delightful shivers. “Don’t ever let anyone convince you that you aren’t worthy.”
Captivated by his brown eyes that reminded her of melted chocolate sprinkled with gold flecks, Sadie forgot how to breathe.Omigod. It’s going to happen. He’s going to kiss me.
Boomer chose that moment to wedge himself impatiently between them and bark. “All right, all right. We’re going, buddy,” Conner said with an easy laugh as he hopped off the deck, acting as though nothing had nearly transpired between them. If he felt even half what she felt, his carefree smile didn’t betray it.
Heart still in her throat, Sadie forced a smile of her own. “Let’s get your subscribers some videos.”
8
CONNER
KnowingMarc would be in early to go over the books and inventory as he always was on Thursdays, Conner made a point to meet him at the clinic before anyone else showed up. The conversation would be uncomfortable to say the least, but he decided it was necessary. He’d rather relive humiliation than have his pride bite him on the bum.
