Stray Hearts
Page 17
Matt closed his eyes. “Heaven help us.”
“No. Heaven help you. You’re the one who neutered him.”
Matt teased a fingertip along Kay’s cheek. “You’re not afraid of the animals anymore, are you?”
“Afraid?”
“You don’t hate animals, Kay. You’re afraid of them. I’ve known that for a long time.”
That surprised her, but only for a moment. There wasn’t much about her that Matt didn’t know, when it came to important stuff, anyway. He still didn’t know she ate the middles out of Oreos and was obsessed with Angry Birds. She smiled. All in good time.
“You’re right. I was afraid. But you know what? I don’t think I am anymore.”
“I don’t think you are, either. You’re crazy about every one of those animals. And they’re crazy about you.”
She felt so lucky, so happy, so loved that she almost couldn’t stand it. She’d finally found a place where her family’s opinion didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she and Matt were there together. “You’re right. I want all of them to get homes. And I’m not going to stop until that happens.”
“God help the next poor soul who comes in. You’ll send him home with a whole menagerie.”
“That’s right. If one animal is good, five must be better.”
All at once the bedroom door squeaked open. Buddy nosed his way in and jumped up on the bed. Kay looked at Matt pointedly.
“Buddy,” Matt said admonishingly. “Go on. Get out of here.”
Buddy scooted toward them on his stomach, probably thinking that if he did it really slowly they wouldn’t notice. He reached Kay and stuck his nose under her hand, his tail thumping against the sheets. She looked at Matt as if it was the most disgusting thing she’d ever seen, then rolled her eyes and petted him anyway.
“This dog is spoiled rotten.”
“Nah. He’s just trying to stay on your good side. See, he never knows when you might pick up a pair of dog clippers, flip those suckers on—”
Kay grabbed a pillow and smacked Matt across the face. Laughing, he yanked it out of her hand, tossed it aside, then pinned her against the bed and kissed her—a deep, delicious, kiss that knocked the fight right out of her. When she came to her senses again, Matt was staring down at her.
“I want it to be like this forever,” he whispered.
The man she loved was offering her forever. Did it get any better than that?
Matt pulled her close, tucking the antique quilt around them. She melted against him, enclosed in a cocoon of warmth and caring and love. As she drifted off to sleep, her last thought was that sometimes the oddest things happen.
How was she to know she’d come there for a hundred hours and end up staying a lifetime?
The End
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About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jane Graves is a nine-time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Rita Award, the romance industry’s highest honor, and is the recipient of two National Readers’ Choice Awards, the Booksellers’ Best Award, and the Golden Quill, among others. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
Jane lives in the Dallas area with her husband and a very sweet kitty who kindly keeps her lap warm while she writes.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
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