She’s standing a little off to the side, watching Rover and the boy, her arms crossed loosely. She’s not quite sure what to make of me.
There’s something about the way she’s standing that makes my chest tighten. A quiet kind of strength, the kind that doesn’t demand attention but pulls you in anyway.
I take a breath and jog up to them.
“Sorry about that. Rover’s got a habit of running off when he gets excited.”
She turns to face me, and I’m not sure what to expect, but it’s not that. Her eyes—soft brown eyes that remind me of something familiar—meet mine, and I forget how to breathe. Everything shifts, just enough to make my pulse jump.
“It’s fine,” she says, laced with amusement. “He’s a good dog.”
I rub the back of my neck, trying to keep it together. “Yeah, he’s got a bit of a wild streak. Usually it’s not this bad, but when he gets going, he’s impossible to stop.”
The kid’s staring at me now. I’m some kind of spectacle to him, but I’m not worried about him. Not really. I’m more focused on his mother.
“What’s his name?” the kid asks.
“Rover,” I reply with a grin. “He’s a handful, but I can’t complain. He’s good company.”
The kid nods. He’s still holding the leash, though he doesn’t need to. Rover’s taken a liking to him, and that means I don’t have to worry about the kid letting him wander off.
The woman steps closer to Rover, crouching down to let him sniff her hand. She glances back at me, then straightens, offering me a small but warm smile.
“This is Charlie,” she says softly, giving me a slight nod, acknowledging something between us. “And I’m Dakota.”
Dakota?
TheDakota?
I take a step back, trying to shake off the surprise of her name. Reid’s been talking about her nonstop lately, and Clint… well, Clint’s reaction whenever her name comes up is hard to ignore.
There’s been this… tension. Clint’s guarding something, but Reid lets his admiration slip through.
And now here she is, standing right in front of me.
I glance at her again. It’s not just that she’s beautiful, though she definitely is, no denying that. It’s more about how it feels to be around her. Everything’s a little more uncertain, a little more magnetic.
I can see why Reid’s got her on his mind constantly, and why Clint acts like there’s a storm cloud hanging over him whenever anyone brings her up.
But I’m not about to get tangled up in whatever that is. I’m just trying to make sense of the moment. The rest is none of my business.
Still, I notice the way Charlie looks at me. How he holds the leash, as a comfort he doesn’t even need. It’s got this odd calm to it.
It’s his eyes. His deep blue eyes remind me of Clint.
Weird.
“Charlie’s a good name,” I say, trying to focus back on the conversation. “Good to meet you. I’m Sawyer.”
Dakota smiles, but it’s a little distant. “Charlie’s named after my grandfather. He was a man who knew how to take care of things.”
I nod, trying to keep things light, even though I can sense there’s more to her than she’s letting on. “I’m sure he’d be proud. Sounds like a good guy.”
“You might know of him. He lived around here.”
“Charlie Fletcher?” I raise a brow. “He really was a good guy. Sorry you lost him.”
Dakota’s expression flickers, a shadow crossing her face. Then she straightens, her shoulders pulling back as though she’s bracing for something, and I can’t tell if it’s the mention of her grandfather, or something deeper that’s hit her.
