by Lucy Gilmore
“Ooh, look at you, using fancy dog-training words like ‘redirection.’” Dawn laughed, but he could hear her rummaging around in the wooden box he’d hammered together to house Gigi’s rapidly growing collection of behavioral bribes. “You’ve been doing some research.”
“Yes, well.” He put the final touch on the pie and stepped back. “You’re not the only one who spends all her free time being productive.”
“Me? Productive?” All of Dawn’s rummaging came to a stop.
“You just said you spent three hours at Bea’s house.”
“Oh, that. That doesn’t count. I like Bea. Apparently, I have a thing for bitter, reluctant curmudgeons who don’t want me around. Who knew?”
“Don’t be silly. No one actually likes Bea. We tolerate her because we have to.” Phoebe approached Adam from behind and placed her chin on his shoulder. “Nice work, brother dearest. That looks amazing. Are you sure we’re going to waste it on an ungrateful neighbor?”
“It’s not wasteful if it gets us what we want in the end.” He slipped the finished product in the fridge, where it needed to sit for a few hours before he could pop it in the oven. “I’d bake her a thousand pies if I thought it would get us closer to the final sale. Wouldn’t you?”
“Seeing as how I can’t bake, probably not,” Phoebe admitted with a laugh. “But I appreciate your commitment on my behalf.”
There was a brief pause before Dawn spoke. “What about you, Zeke? Don’t you think your expansion plans are worth a thousand pies?”
Adam knew something about the question was off the moment it left Dawn’s lips. Like her nonscent, it carried a feeling, a sensation, a weightiness. So did Zeke’s answer, which took a little too long in coming.
“I’ll reserve judgment until I actually taste the damn thing,” he said. “I’ve never cared for peaches.”
This was the first time Adam had heard anything to that effect, but he wasn’t about to start an argument over pie. Nor was he going to protest when Zeke changed the subject by asking Phoebe to help him finish checking the inventory lists.
“And then I’m heading into town to watch a movie and think about literally anything but cows,” he announced in a tone that dared someone to contradict him.
“Ooh, you should go see that new one with Channing Tatum,” Dawn said. “My sisters and I saw it last week. It was amazing. He’s shirtless for like nine-tenths of the movie.”
“Channing Tatum?” Phoebe’s voice took on an audible perk. “I didn’t know he had a new one out. Take me with you, Zeke, I’m begging you. I’ll even spring for the large popcorn.”
“But I wanted to see that one with all the explosions,” Zeke complained.
Dawn laughed. “You should offer him the large popcorn and pretzel bites. And take your big purse so you can smuggle in a few beers. That’s the only way I’ve ever gotten him to see a rom-com with me.”
“Goddammit, Dawn. I’m trying to spend less time with my family, not more.” Even Adam could tell that Zeke’s sigh was offered only as a token protest. Neither of them was very good at denying Phoebe what she wanted. “I’m a grown-ass man who can’t even go to the movies without dragging my little sister along.”
“Oh my God. Two minutes, Zeke. You’re literally two minutes older than me.” Phoebe’s voice began trailing off in the other direction, Zeke’s footsteps not too far behind. Adam took it as a sign of his brother’s capitulation. “And maybe if we hurry, we can make it a doubleheader. That way we both lose. You’ll be all right without us, Adam, yeah?”
“Have fun,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I’m going to finish cleaning up in here and then spend some training time with the puppies. I’d like to do some more harness work with Uncle.”
He spoke lightly so his siblings wouldn’t feel it incumbent upon themselves to invite him along. They did that sometimes, but it was almost always because they felt guilty leaving him alone at the house rather than an actual desire for his company. No matter how many times he told them that he preferred it here, that spending a beautiful afternoon outside with two puppies was pretty much everything a man could want, they always assumed he stayed home to wallow and brood.
Phoebe proved it by offering him an alternative. “Oh, I know!” she said. “You should have Dawn take you into town to pick up that new cattle bander we ordered. They called a few minutes ago to let us know it came in. After three hours of Bea’s company, she deserves a treat.”
Dawn’s laugh filled the kitchen before he could offer a protest. “You think cow-related errands are a treat? Gee thanks, Phoebe. You sure know how to make a girl feel special.”
“Cow-related errands and reluctant movie dates with my brother—welcome to my world,” Phoebe said and popped out of the kitchen.
Adam waited only until he was sure Phoebe and Zeke were out of earshot before saying, “I’m sorry about them. You don’t really have to take me to—”
Dawn cut him short with a hand on his lower back. The sudden contact caused him to jolt. He’d had no idea she was standing so close to him, but he liked the proprietary way her hand stayed in place—holding him until his heartbeat resumed a seminormal state.
“Are you kidding?” she asked, her lips so near his ear he could feel her breath move over his neck. It was both a whisper and a caress, the soft pout of her lips practically touching his skin. “After I worked so hard to get rid of those two? Three hours, Adam. I don’t even spend that much time with my own grandparents. If I don’t have at least that many orgasms this afternoon in return, I’m giving up this whole project.”
There was no chance of his heartbeat doing anything normal after that. Only her hand on his back—that light, easy touch—kept him grounded in place.
“Why is it that everything you do seems to come with strings attached?” he managed. “I’ve never known a woman so determined to wheel and deal her way through life. You could have just helped Bea out of the goodness of your heart.”
“No one has ever accused me of having a good heart before” came her prompt reply. Her hand slid lower. She wasn’t quite groping his ass, but the case could be made. “Nice legs, sure. A great rack, of course. Unfortunately, the curves of my cardiac system have never made the list.”
Bullshit. Adam had never known anyone with a better—or a bigger—heart than Dawn. She was the sort of person who had something nice to find in everyone, who gave her time and herself freely for no reason except that the spirit of generosity was ingrained into her soul. He wasn’t going to argue about her legs and her boobs because, well, they were amazing, but she was mistaken if she thought that was all she had to offer.
“Does this mean you’re in?” she asked, her voice low.
As if he had any choice in the matter. “Of course I’m in.”
Her lips moved the fraction more needed to make contact with his neck. The kiss she planted there was soft and slow, full of tongue and promising many more delights in store. Anyone who hadn’t been kissed by this woman might think that was an awful lot to promise in the ten seconds it lasted, but Adam knew better. Once her lips started moving over his body, they wouldn’t stop until he could no longer remember his own name.
“Excellent. Get your shoes—if you have any left—and we’ll run into town to pick up your stupid cattle bander. I’m sure the puppies will be fine without us for an hour.”
“Wait. What?”
“I know how you are,” she said, but with such warmth in her voice that he couldn’t feel insulted. “You’re the opposite of me. Work first, play later. A dog at his bone. You won’t be able to give me your full attention unless you’ve got all the tools where they belong in your toolbox.”
“I could make an exception this once,” he suggested. He was a man who liked to have his to-do list wiped clean, it was true, but he was still a man. And Dawn—her breath soft on his neck, her hair tickling his ch
eek, her hand still trailing toward his ass—was very much a woman.
“Oh no you don’t.” She pulled away. “I’m not about to let you get away with anything but the full Adam Dearborn treatment. Come on. If we hurry, we’ll be back in time to finish cooking this pie of yours before Zeke and Phoebe have even started their second movie.”
“Why do I get the feeling it’s never going to make it to Bea’s house?”
Her chuckle was warm and rich. “Because I wasn’t kidding when I said that food is the way to my heart. Well, one of two ways, anyway. The other takes a more direct course right up my—”
He coughed heavily. There was no way he was letting her finish that sentence while his brother and sister were somewhere inside the house. He knew most of the words for what she had in mind, and all of them would cause a hot blush to rise to his cheeks.
They’d cause other parts of his body to heat, too, but there was no help for that now. There hadn’t been help for that from the moment Dawn Vasquez had entered his life.
* * *
“What I don’t understand is why you guys don’t order this stuff from Amazon like normal humans.” Dawn’s car zipped along the highway, the familiar twists and turns leading into Deer Park so much a part of Adam’s memory that he could tell exactly where they were. “Two-day home delivery is what separates us from the apes.”
Adam allowed himself to relax into his seat. He should have known that an afternoon with Dawn would be a playful thing—an easy thing. He might be pining for her every second they were apart, but she was clearly here to enjoy herself.
“I love Prime shipping as much as the next guy, but I draw the line at buying specialty castration tools from Amazon.” He heaved a mock sigh. “Damn my principles.”
Dawn touched the brakes. “Wait—we’re picking up a castration tool?”
“Of course.” Adam felt his lips twitch into a smile. “What do you think a cattle bander is? They’re very humane, I promise. All you have to do is reduce the blood flow to the testicles and they just sort of—”
She touched the brakes again, this time enough to send him lurching against the seat belt. “You monster. Those poor little cows. You’re robbing them of their manhood—their prowess.”
There was enough genuine horror in her voice to set him laughing. If nothing else, at least Dawn was consistent in her appreciation for masculinity in all its forms.
“Not that I spend a lot of time feeling up my puppies, but I’m pretty sure you’ve had Uncle neutered,” he pointed out. “What about his prowess?”
She released a harrumph and regained her previous speed. “That’s different. There are already too many unwanted dogs in this world. Besides, his job is to take care of you, not get down and dirty with any bitch who saunters by.”
“Poor Uncle. He’ll never know what he’s missing. Getting down and dirty is my favorite thing to do.”
“You’re such a liar,” she said, laughing. “I just can’t believe you’re going to pick up something literally designed to remove a cow’s testicles and then take me back to your house and fuck me senseless. It seems cruel. Like eating cake in front of a dieting person or—Oh shit.”
This time, her touch on the brakes was more like a slam. Even though he was buckled in, Adam’s hand shot out to catch himself on the dashboard. He fully expected to hear the screech of metal or to feel the car come sliding to a halt on the side of the highway, but no sooner had Dawn slowed down than the engine revved and they lurched forward once again.
“What is it?” he asked, his voice sharp with anxiety. It wasn’t often that he felt encumbered by his blindness, but moments of danger were one of the exceptions. Until he knew what was going on, he was powerless to come to Dawn’s aid. “What happened? Did we hit an animal?”
“No, but an animal is trying to hit us. Hold on tight, Adam. I can outrun him, but I have to speed a little to do it.”
“A little?” he asked as they started racing even faster. Despite the obviously high rate of speed they were undertaking, he risked laying a hand on Dawn’s thigh. It was rigid with tension, her attention so focused on the task of driving that she didn’t seem to notice his touch. “Dawn, relax. Tell me what’s going on. Who is him? And why is he trying to hit us?”
She didn’t answer. He thought for a moment that she was too intent on the task at hand, that she had to concentrate on the road or risk their imminent death, but there was something deliberate about her silence.
“Dawn?” he prodded. “It’s not fair to keep me in the dark. You know I can’t assess this situation for myself.”
She released a soft curse. “I know, Adam. I’m sorry. It’s just—” She heaved a sigh. Some of the tension lifted from her body, though their speed stayed exactly where it was. “It’s this guy. He sort of…lies in wait for me.”
He bolted upright in his seat, his hand falling away. “He lies in wait for you? As in, this has happened before?”
“A few times, yes.” She swerved to the right and beeped her horn in a quick, friendly staccato. “Thank you, semi-truck driver. You’re a doll for letting me by. See? I’m already four SUVs and one hauler ahead of him. A few more minutes, and he’ll be nothing but a blur in the distance. I don’t think he does a very good job maintaining his engine.”
“His engine?” Adam echoed. He was still trying to process what Dawn was telling him—and how coolly she was doing it. The last time he checked, a man lying in wait to chase a woman down the highway was something to be alarmed about.
“Yeah. I don’t pretend to be a wizard when it comes to cars, but even I know to top up the oil and spring for the new air filter every year or so. My dad’s really insistent about stuff like that. He wouldn’t let me or my sisters take our driver’s tests until we learned how to change a tire on our own.” Her laugh, at least, was shaky. It was oddly comforting to know she could show some fear. “He didn’t want us to be at the mercy of any crackpot with a truck on the side of the road. Sorry, Dad.”
“How many times has this happened?” Adam asked, his voice grim.
“This is technically the fourth.”
“And you know him?”
Dawn didn’t answer.
It was all he needed to hear—or not-hear, as the case turned out. “You know him.”
“I don’t know him know him,” she protested. “He’s not a crazed ex-lover or anything like that. He’s, well…”
Adam froze. He knew that tone. He recognized that tone. It was the same tone Phoebe had used whenever she’d gotten in trouble at school and didn’t want him to know about it. He’d never gotten angry with her for skipping classes or talking back to her teachers—and he definitely skimped in the punishment department—but that hadn’t seemed to make a difference. He was older and ostensibly wiser, which meant that the lines were drawn and there was nothing he could do about it.
He hadn’t cared for it then, and he didn’t care for it now either. He wasn’t that old and he didn’t feel particularly wise, but the barriers were there all the same.
It was bad enough coming from Phoebe, but from Dawn…
As she usually did, Dawn both surprised and delighted him with her frankness.
“I lied to you, Adam, and I’m sorry.” This time, it was her hand that found its way to his thigh. She probably found him just as tense as she’d been, though for entirely different reasons. “I didn’t find Gigi abandoned on the side of the road. She was chained up in that rotter’s backyard—though how anyone could call it a backyard is beyond me. It was more like a dirt pit, without any shade or any water or even a place where she could comfortably lie down. He had her chained so tightly that she could barely move.”
Every muscle in Adam’s body hardened. “He what?”
“Her little body was heaving—with the heat and the dehydration and the fact that the chains were literally pinning her down.” Daw
n drew a deep breath. “I tried calling animal control, but they weren’t any help. They said I could lodge a formal complaint, and that they’d process it through the normal channels, but it would have taken weeks for them to get around to checking on her. She didn’t have weeks to spare, so I made Zeke help me steal her.”
The car had slowed considerably by this time, so Adam could only assume the moment of danger had passed.
“I don’t regret it,” she said, her voice heavy with meaning. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat. That man had no business owning a dog if he meant to mistreat her like that. If he hadn’t had a gun, I might have given him a strong piece of my mind.”
“A gun?”
She ignored him. “And the truck chases aren’t that bad—really, they aren’t. The first one took me by surprise, I’ll admit, but I think he’s only trying to intimidate me. He never does anything but flash his lights and gun his engine.”
“Stop the car.”
“Adam, I know it sounds crazy and totally irresponsible, but it wasn’t. Something had to be done for her.”
“Stop the car,” he repeated.
“I’m not going to apologize for it. I am sorry about lying to you, and we probably should have told Sheriff Jenkins right away rather than make up that story about her being your support dog, but I only wanted to get her somewhere safe. The rest was just details.”
“Dawn, for the love of everything, will you please pull the car over to the side of the road?”
She eased up on the gas but didn’t stop. “Why?”
“Because I’m asking you to.”
It was the sort of comment that drove Phoebe and Zeke crazy—this autocratic demand for compliance. It was also the sort of comment that drove a wedge between them, since Adam was always the one who had to make them. But Dawn didn’t take offense. Nor did she hesitate. The click of the blinker was on for only a few seconds before the car crunched to halt on the side of the highway.