Lying stiffly, she tried to breathe as shallowly as possible and let the anger wash over her. She closed her eyes and visualized a soft, cleansing light enveloping her as she controlled her breathing. She imagined the cabin steeped in the golden light, curling into the dark corners, and felt better. The cabin had Rush’s energy. Steady. Protective.
She closed her eyes and murmured sleepily, “Cujo hates me.”
Silence. Then, a slight cough that sounded suspiciously like it was masking laughter. “Riggs?”
“Yeah,” she said. “He hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you. He just responds to authority.”
Lily stiffened. Authority. Well, that explained a lot. The dog had taken one look at her and decided she was a pushover. Just like—ugh. Don’t go there.
“So what?” she muttered. “He just instinctively knows I’m not worth listening to?”
Rush shifted behind her, and the mattress dipped, pulling her toward the center. They weren’t touching, but they were close enough that the heat of his body reached her. She had to hold herself rigid to resist wrapping herself around all that delicious warmth.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You implied it.”
“Didn’t have to,” he said dryly. “You just did.”
She scowled at the wall, pulling the blanket higher around her shoulders. Of course he had her pegged. Not even a day and even the dog had figured it out. She was too soft. Too nice. Too easy to walk all over. “Great. So now I have to earn a dog’s respect?”
“He’d probably settle for a firm command and not acting like you’re scared of him.”
Lily bristled. “I’m not scared of him.”Much.
Rush didn’t respond, but the silence was loud.
She turned her head slightly, just enough to make out the strong slope of his nose and the shadows of his closed eyes in the dim light. “How long have you had him?”
“Riggs?” Rush paused as if counting in his head. “About four years now. He was my partner in the Marines. We did bomb detection together.”
“You adopted him when you left?”
She felt the slight rise of his shoulder in a shrug. “We finished our tours around the same time. After everything we’d been through, leaving him behind wasn’t an option.”
Lily absorbed that quietly. So the broody sheriff had a soft spot. Interesting. “He seems pretty happy being retired with you.”
“He’s mostly happy he gets to sleep in.”
On cue, Riggs let out a loud, sleepy sigh from the floor as if in agreement. Lily lay there, warmth gradually returning as she listened to the pop and crackle of the fire.
“You really think I’m a pushover?” she finally asked.
“Hell no,” he murmured, his voice a rough, lazy rumble. “You ran out of your own wedding. That takes some balls.”
“Then what exactly are you trying to say?”
He let out a huge yawn and settled into the bed morecomfortably. “Just that whatever made you run away must have been pretty damn big. Because if I had to guess, you’re not someone who walks away easily.”
She swallowed hard. “Maybe you’re giving me too much credit.”
“I don’t think so,” he said quietly. “My guess is you hold on way past the point where most people would have walked.”
“That sounds dangerously close to calling me a pushover.”
She felt the bed shift when his massive shoulders shrugged. “I’d call it loyalty. You don’t quit until there’s no other choice.”
