Instead, what I did was part my lips, anticipating that next brush of his tongue against mine. I’d just decided to throw caution to the wind, wrap my arms around him, and get lost in the kiss, when a high-pitched bark startled us apart.
“What—” Hudson snapped his head toward the sound, tugging me into his side, as if he was about to pull me right around behind him.
In my dazed state, it took me a moment to register what had startled us apart. I rolled my eyes and batted his hand away, glancing down at the tiny dog that stood a few feet away, wet and raggedy but obviously happy to see us if the unrelenting wag of its tail was any indication. “It weighs all of fifteen pounds, Hud. I think I’ll be okay.”
Still trying to catch my breath—whether from the climb or the kiss, I had no idea—I glanced around in search of the dog’s owner. So far, we hadn’t passed anyone on our hike, though that wasn’t a surprise. It was late in the year, the weather unpredictable, and not many people had the skills or the equipment to deal with fluctuations like that.
“Size doesn’t matter much if it has rabies. Just stay behind me, all right?” He squatted down, making sure to keep himself between me and the animal, not even giving me the opportunity to listen to his order—not that I would. His protectiveness was ridiculous…and yet it still managed to make my heart flutter.
“I don’t see its owner,” I said. “I wonder if it got lost?”
He leaned over, tipping his head to the side as he studied the dog. “I don’t know. It doesn’t have a collar or anything, and it looks like it’s been out here for?—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the dog ran toward us, taking a flying leap straight into Hudson’s lap.
I breathed out a laugh and squatted down next to them. “Aww, I think you’re its favorite.” I held out my hand for the dog to sniff, and when I got the green light, I scratched behind its ears. “Pretty sure you’re its owner now.”
Hudson laughed. “She’s confused.”
“Or in love,” I said dryly as the dog snuggled further into Hudson’s lap, nudging its head under his hand and not allowing him to let up on his petting. “And ‘she,’ huh?”
He shrugged a single shoulder. “No dangly bits, so that’s my guess.”
I laughed, reaching over to settle a hand on the dog’s back. “Aw, she’s shivering. Poor thing must be freezing. Or scared.”
“Or both,” he said, standing to his full height, the dog clutched to his chest.
Forget talking with him or making out with him—watching Hudson care for and cuddle this tiny dog was going to be my undoing.
“We’re not gonna leave her out here, are we?” I asked, not bothering to hide the worry in my voice.
My love for dogs had started back when Will had worked at the animal shelter in high school. Daddy had never allowed us to get a dog, so I had loved on each one of the pets in the shelter as much as possible. It sort of stuck, and everyone in town knew to call me if they needed a dog sitter.
He raised an eyebrow as he tucked the dog into his sweatshirt, zipping it until just her head poked out. “You just called me Captain America, and you think I’d leave this tiny thing out here with a cold front movin’ in?”
My God, how was I supposed to just continue a conversation with him as if he weren’t standing there looking like a romance novel hero, complete with a puppy nuzzled to his chest?
“You gonna rip apart a log for me later before we get the fire goin’?”
He glanced at me as we continued on our path, almost near the summit where we’d planned to camp. “That depends—on a scale of one to ten, how hot did you find that when he did it in the movie?”
“Seventeen,” I said without thinking.
Hudson tossed back his head and laughed, and I marveled at the sight. I’d worried being in the military would change him…harden him. And though I’d noticed subtle differences in him, especially when he was in a group, I was relieved that he was very much the same when it was the two of us.
“In that case, I’ll see what I can do. This winnin’ me any hot hero points?” he asked, gesturing to where he cradled the dog against his chest, his hand cupping her head to let her know he had her.
Who knew a tiny, scruffy dog would be my undoing?
“You have no idea.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
HUDSON
By the timeKenna and I had reached the summit where we’d decided to set up camp for the night, dusk had settled in, the chill in the air seeping through our layers and making us desperate to start a fire.
Though I had fully intended to set up the tent Kenna had brought for herself, we’d spent valuable daylight minutes chasing after our new canine companion when a squirrel had captured her attention and she’d taken off into the brush.
