by Carrie Elks
The distraction was working. Lydia quickly searched in her mind. “Um, it’s Freddie.” She nodded. “Freddie the Teddy. He wants to know if you’re hurting anywhere.”
“It doesn’t hurt.” The boy sounded calmer, his eyes pinned to the teddy.
“He also wants to know where your parents are,” Lydia confided, looking back at the stuffed toy.
“My dad’s in New York. My mom’s here.” The little boy looked around. His lip started to wobble again. “She was here,” he said, his voice lifting an octave. “Mom? Mom? MOM!!!”
Lydia looked around, her heart in her throat. “What does she look like?”
“She looks like my mom.” A sob tore through his voice.
Of course she did. For the next five seconds, while scanning the crowd, Lydia could imagine herself on the front pages. Travel Expert Causes Child to Lose Parent.
“Charlie!” a panicked voice called out. “There you are. Oh sweetie, what happened?”
“That bear knocked me over,” he said, his sobs making his chest shake. “He hurt me.”
“It was me. I’m so sorry. I tripped and caught your son.” Lydia looked up guiltily from where she was kneeling next to Charlie on the floor.
“You should look where you’re going. He’s only four,” Charlie’s mom said crossly. “Come here, sweetheart, are you hurt?”
He breathed in raggedly. “No,” he whispered.
“No thanks to you,” his mom said pointedly to Lydia.
“Is there a problem here?”
A pair of muscled, jean-clad legs appeared directly in Lydia’s line of vision. She slowly looked up, trying to ignore the way the denim outlined its owner’s thigh muscles, closing her eyes as she realized her gaze was threatening to stare right at his crotch.
“Oh!” Charlie’s mom breathed, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “No, there’s no problem. My son just fell over.”
Lydia looked up to see Charlie’s mom batting her eyelashes, a smile lighting up her face. She only knew a few men who had that effect on women. Her included, if she was being completely honest. And right now his sculpted thighs were firmly in her personal space.
She swallowed hard when her gaze met Jackson Lewis. Her future brother-in-law’s best friend.
“You need some help there?” he asked, reaching his hand down. She took it and he lifted her to her feet.
A blue cap was pulled over what she knew was thick, dark hair. He hadn’t shaved today, from the look of it, and the shadow of beard growth only emphasized the lines of his jaw. And she tried really hard not to stare at his lips, despite their perfect shape.
Was it her, or was it warm in here? Someone needed to turn up the air conditioning.
“Come on, Charlie.” His mom huffed, sending Lydia one last dirty look. “Your granddad is waiting for us.”
Charlie took her hand. “Bye, Freddie” he said, using his free hand to wave goodbye to the teddy.
“Bye,” Lydia said gruffly, waving Freddie’s stuffed arm at the departing boy.
Jackson sniggered, and she raised an eyebrow at him.
“How did you end up on the floor?” he asked, grabbing her suitcase in his hand.
“I was just, um, taking a rest,” she lied. Not that he believed her. She could tell as much from his expression. “All this flying can take it out of you.”
“Yeah, I get that.” He nodded solemnly. “First thing I do when I get off a plane is sit down in the terminal. It’s refreshing.”
A laugh escaped from her mouth. “I knew you’d understand.”
His fingers flexed on the handle of her case, drawing her eyes to his tanned forearms. A dusting of dark hair covered his warm, brown skin. She liked guys with a bit of hair. Maybe that’s why she liked Europe so much. The men there were dark, tanned, and sexy.
Her gaze lifted to his t-shirt. Was there hair on his chest, too? When she looked up to his face, and her eyes met with his, a shot of warmth rushed through her.
“Hi,” she said, smiling. “Maybe we can start again and pretend you didn’t see me on the ground.”
The corner of his lip curled up. “Sure.” He let go of her suitcase and held out his hand. “Hi,” he said. “I’m Jackson. I’ll be your driver today.”
She curled her fingers around his, smiling at the strength of his grasp. Why was everything about him so sexy? “Thank you for picking me up. I could have gotten an Uber.”
“It’s no problem. We’re gonna be godparents, we have to stick together. Now you want to pick up your boyfriend? My car’s in the short term parking.”
“My boyfriend?” she repeated. “I don’t have one of those.”
“I meant the stuffed toy.” He glanced at Freddie the Teddy. “I assume he’s yours.”
She grabbed Freddie, holding him with her left hand, and slid her other hand through Jackson’s arm, curling her fingers around his elbow.
“Yes, he’s mine, but hopefully not for too long. I’m hoping to fob him off on Skyler. He’s a terrible boyfriend. Keeps flirting with other stuffed toys.”
Jackson laughed. “A lothario teddy bear. Now I’ve seen it all.” She felt his bicep flex beneath her fingers. His muscles were hard as steel. “Let’s get him home before he causes any more embarrassment, like, you know, throwing himself on the floor.”
“Good idea.” Lydia nodded, her face straight. “Because that would be embarrassing.”
Griff should never have told him Lydia was verboten. Because right now, with her wrapped around him like a monkey on a tree trunk, all Jackson could think about was how good she felt.
How amazing she smelled.
And how the hell he was going to stop himself from doing the one thing he’d promised not to.
His grip tightened on her suitcase as he took a deep breath to center himself. It was easy. He was way too busy to do anything but work anyway. He could bury himself in code and goddamn meetings for two weeks, then she’d be gone. That way he wouldn’t piss Griff off, and that was a good thing.
He raised an eyebrow when he had to tug hard to pull her suitcase along. “What’ve you got in there?” he asked. “Dead bodies?”
“Just clothes. And toiletries, plus a few other essentials. After I leave here, I’m heading to Europe. From there to South America. I’ll be away for a while, so I need a lot. Anyway, it’s rude to mention how heavy a woman’s suitcase is.” She grinned at him.
He knew Lydia’s job was all about traveling. Autumn had told him she was an independent travel consultant. And yeah, he might have occasionally checked her Instagram.
“It is?” Jackson frowned. “How did I miss that one in etiquette class?”
She laughed. “Stop it.” Adjusting the ginormous stuffed toy she’d inexplicably brought with her, she curled her hand tighter around his bicep.
“You want me to take that for you?” he asked, inclining his head at the toy as they walked toward the exit doors.
“Nope, I’ve got him. Just.” She wrinkled her nose. “He seemed a lot smaller in New York.”
“Maybe he grew on the flight.”
“It’s all those beers I kept buying him,” Lydia said, nodding as they made it to the sliding doors leading out to the concourse. “I’m gonna have to put him on a diet.” Her warm eyes met his. “And take him out for bike rides.”
He tried – and failed – to suppress a grin at the thought of her cycling with the stuffed toy around town. Walking with her felt like walking with a ray of sun, light and warm. He wanted to bathe in it.
Yeah, and then he’d get burned.
He sighed, and pulled his arm from her hold, pretending to root in his pocket for his keys. “I’m parked in that garage,” he said, inclining his head to the left. “If you and your friend want to wait here, I’ll go get the car and come pick you up.”
“Oh. Sure.” She smiled brightly. “But if it’s too much trouble I can come with you. I’ll even pull my case.”
“It’s no bother,” he told her. He di
dn’t add that he already needed the space from her. Not because she was bothering him, but because he was bothering himself. He only had one job. Take Lydia home to Autumn and Griff and get on with his damn work. It was simple, yet so damn difficult, because she made him think of things he knew he didn’t want.
Of soft lips and warm breath. Of hands that caressed and a body that welcomed.
Damn it, this was all Griff’s fault. He’d opened Pandora’s Box. Made Jackson want things he knew he couldn’t have. And even if he could, they weren’t good for him.
Maybe it was him who needed to go on a diet. A Lydia Paxton diet.
3
Jackson was quiet on the drive, as though he had a lot on his mind. Lydia kept herself busy by scrolling through her phone, replying to email enquiries and responding to comments on her Instagram. This time in California was supposed to be a vacation from work. It was crazy, really, that she had to take a vacation from traveling, but that’s how her life was. When she was in a foreign country, showing her clients around the sights they wouldn’t normally see, it was non-stop. She barely got time to breathe. So she was excited about spending these few days with her sister and her family.
Sending the last email – setting up a video conference with a honeymooning couple she was taking to Rio – she slid her phone into her pocket and smiled up at Jackson.
“So, we’re going to be godparents,” she said, her voice light. “Isn’t that funny?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
“Could they have picked two people less suited?” She smiled to let him know she was teasing. “Poor Skyler’s going to grow up thinking we’re normal.”
Jackson lifted a brow. “I am normal.”
Oh, she liked the way his voice was teasing. The heaviness that had been pushing down on him seemed to melt into the California air. “You think being a workaholic is normal?” she asked lightly. She’d heard Griff and Autumn talking about his business. All work and some play, but nothing in between.
“More normal than living life as a permanent vacation.” His mouth quirked up, as he stared at the road through the windshield.
“I’ll have you know vacationing is hard work.” She crossed her arms over her chest in mock annoyance. “I haven’t had a break in three months.”
“So what do you plan to do while you’re here?” he asked.
“Spend lots of time with Autumn and Skyler, I guess. And maybe lie on the beach and work on my tan.”
“Doesn’t look like it needs much work,” he told her, glancing at her legs from the corner of his eye.
She bit down a smile. “I guess it’s more about the lazing than the tanning.” She couldn’t wait for a few days of doing nothing. Running the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip, she looked over at him. The sun was shining through the driver’s window, illuminating his face. No wonder Charlie’s mom had lost all her bite when he’d asked if everything was okay.
Jackson Lewis must have that effect on a lot of people. God knew he was making her skin feel all tingly.
Autumn had told her he was a player. Not that it bothered her. She liked games, too. Especially when they involved a guy as good looking as him.
“Are you planning on doing any work?” he asked her, his eyes meeting hers again.
“I might do a little,” she admitted. “I have to video conference with some clients who are honeymooning in June, and I need to finalize the itinerary for my trip to Barcelona next week.”
“I guess I’m not the only workaholic around here,” he murmured.
“Hopefully Skyler doesn’t take after either of us.”
He glanced at her again. She was getting used to the way he made her heart skip. “If she takes after either of us, I hope that it’s you.”
She wasn’t sure what to say in response. Instead she looked over her shoulder, at Freddie the Teddy who was in the backseat of Jackson’s car, a seat belt holding him in. “You hear that, Freddie?” she asked. “He wants Skyler to be like me.”
Freddie stared back at her impassively.
Ten minutes later, Jackson was pulling off the highway, onto the winding road leading toward the shore and Angel Sands itself. She could see the glittering ocean through the windshield, as they drove past brush and fields, toward the distant houses.
That’s when she saw it. Another bundle of fur. Not quite Freddie’s size, but big enough.
“Stop!” she shouted out, craning her head to look over her shoulder. Was that what she thought it was?
“What?” Jackson frowned.
“You have to stop. Right now! Go back,” she urged. “About a hundred yards. Please hurry.”
He gave her a weird look, but did as instructed, bringing his Prius to a halt before making a U turn and slowly driving back up the hill.
“Here!” she shouted when she saw the ball of fur again, behind a rock twenty yards into the brush. “Stop right here.”
“What’s going on?” Jackson called out, as she opened the door and ran out of the car, leaving a dust cloud behind her as her sneakers pounded against the dry earth.
“A dog,” she shouted back, her voice breathless. “I saw a dog.”
He waited for her sudden bolt out of the car to lessen the attraction he felt toward her, because right now he’d take anything. But instead it made him want to pull open his own door and follow her across the road toward wherever she was running.
So he did just that, climbing out of the Prius, and thanking god the road to Angel Sands was quiet at this time of day. Lydia was already ten yards into the brush, her bare legs a blur as she ran.
A moment later, she came to a complete stop, and crouched down, reminding him of how he’d found her at the airport, on her knees in front of a stuffed toy.
But now she was leaning over something else, her voice low as she whispered. Damn, he hoped it really was a dog and not a wolf or a coyote.
Hearing him approach, Lydia turned, her eyes wide. “Don’t scare him,” she whispered. “He seems jittery.”
She held her hand out to the dog. It looked fully grown, and of no particular breed that he could make out. If Jackson had to guess, there was some German Shepherd in him somewhere, but that had to be a generation or two back. “Is he hurt?” he asked, leaning over her to get a closer look.
“I don’t think so. Just scared. He has no collar or tags.” She reached out to stroke him, and the dog gave a throaty growl. “Hey, sweetie,” she whispered. “It’s okay. We’ll find your mom and dad.”
“Not out here we won’t,” Jackson said, looking around. There was nobody in sight. Wherever the dog came from, it hadn’t escaped from any walkers around here.
“You’re right. We should take him home.”
“In my car?” Jackson blinked.
“Got any better ideas?”
He opened his mouth to tell her that any idea was better than taking some unknown dog in his car, but thought better of it. She was looking up at him, her brows arched, her hands firmly on her hips.
Stern Lydia. He kind of liked it.
“Okay, we’ll take him in my car. My friend Brooke works as a vet tech in town. She can probably check if he’s on the list of lost dogs or something.”
Lydia beamed. “Great idea.” She petted the dog again. “See, little buddy. We’re going to take care of you.”
“Hey, I said nothing about taking care of the dog.”
“I know.” She was still smiling. “But hopefully your friend will help us reunite him with his owner, and we can be on our way.”
“Sure.” He nodded. Glancing at his watch carefully, so Lydia didn’t notice. It looked like he was going to be working through the next two nights at this rate. Lisa was going to be so pissed with him. “Are you carrying him over or am I?”
“You do it.” Lydia nodded. “You’re bigger than me. Throw me your keys and I’ll open the car up.”
“You want the good news or the bad news?” Brooke asked, as she walked into the
waiting room where Lydia and Jackson were sitting. The veterinary technician was wearing green scrubs, her blonde hair pulled back from her pretty face.
“The good?” Lydia said, because who would take the bad first? She and Jackson had arrived at the Vet’s Office half an hour earlier. Brooke had helped them carry the dog out of Jackson’s sparkling Prius, not even raising an eyelid when she noticed the giant teddy bear sitting in the back seat.
“There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s as fit as a fiddle. It looks like he’s been taken care of.”
“That’s great.” Lydia sighed. “So he has owners?”
“That’s the bad news. If he has owners, I have no idea who they are. I’ve scanned him and there’s no chip. And nothing on our database regarding a missing pup.” Brooke pressed her lips together. “I’ve called other clinics and to some of our local groups and there’s been no notification of a missing dog. So I can only suggest he goes to the shelter until we decide what to do with him.”
Lydia blinked. “What do you mean decide what to do with him?” She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that.
“Well, either we find his owners or…” Brooke glanced at Jackson.
“Or?” Lydia asked, feeling alarmed. “Or what?”
“Or we put him up for adoption. But the list is short at the moment. The shelter had a huge influx of dogs after Christmas, and we’re only just rehoming them all now. I hate the way people buy puppies for their kids, then get rid of them so fast.” Brooke tickled the dog’s ears. “The other option might be to find him a foster home.”
“How long would it take for him to find a new home?” Lydia asked.
“A couple of months at the worst.”
Lydia’s eyes met Jackson’s. “We can’t let him be alone for two months. We should take him home.”
He ran a finger along his jaw. “We?” he questioned, his brow dipping. “Who’s we? You can’t take him home, you’re leaving in less than two weeks. And anyway, Griff and Autumn have a baby. We have no idea what this dog would be like with kids.”