Remembering his groceries and the cold stuff that needed to be refrigerated, Gage grabbed the bag off the hood and one-armed it into the kitchen as Rufus snuggled into the crook of the other arm.
He set the bag on the counter, and then opened the refrigerator and pulled milk, butter, and a few other cold items out of the bag and placed them on the shelf. Then he went back for the next bag. Rufus was content where he was and wasn’t trembling as much as he had been, so Gage decided he’d get the groceries unloaded first and then he’d call the number on the collar. A few minutes later, he closed the fridge’s door and then looked down to find Rufus asleep with his scruffy head propped on Gage’s arm.
Grabbing the phone, he walked out onto the deck and sank into a chair. The now snoring dog rolled over in the crook of his arm and passed out, legs sprawled in all directions, belly up.
Gage laughed. “Why don’t you relax, little buddy, and make yourself at home.”
He was dialing the number when he heard someone yelling. He paused pushing numbers on the keypad and looked around; Shar was coming down the beach.
“Rufus,” she called. The word broke up in the breeze.
Gage shot out of the chair in instant reaction to seeing her. The movement woke Rufus; the pup jerked awake and barked as it scrambled to roll over in Gage’s arms. Barely able to hang onto the suddenly overactive animal, Gage was laughing when Shar spotted him. She stopped in the sand and they stared across the expanse between them. His pulse was scrambling more than Rufus had been and instantly, he moved down the steps toward her. She took his breath away.
Rufus barked again and started to wiggle the moment he spotted her. And maybe it had been the wind, but it was apparent that until that moment Shar hadn’t realized that Gage was holding her dog.
Now she noticed him and her eyes widened when she spotted Rufus. Instantly, joy bloomed over her face and she sprinted the last little stretch of sand between them. Gage had never in his life believed he could envy a puppy but in this moment he did. He wanted Shar to see him, just him, and react with that much joy.
“You found Rufus!” Tears sprang to her eyes as she took the now squirming and barking pup from Gage’s arms. “Sweet boy, you must have been so scared.” She hugged the pup close and then lifted him up so she and Rufus were eye to eye. “I won’t ever let that happen again. I promise.” And then she hugged him close again.
Gage had been in many boardrooms and tough negotiation situations in his life and always had been able to take control of the situations with ease. But right then, in that moment, he was at a loss. He swallowed the lump lodged in his throat just as she lifted her misty green eyes to his.
“Where did you find him? I’ve been looking for over an hour.”
“He was in the bushes beside the garage. I just got home and found him. I was dialing the number on his collar when you showed up.”
“I’m just so grateful. I had a plumber coming today and I got here late but the plumber went inside my house without me and left the door open.” Her eyes flashed that fire that he’d seen when she’d been trying to free the turtle. “Rufus is a rescue dog and as you can tell, he’s very nervous. He ran and probably never looked back until he found just the right bush to hide in.”
Gage smiled. “I’m glad it was at my house.”
“Me too. But Mr. Meeks the plumber is not going to be so glad about anything after I pay him a visit tomorrow.”
She had a temper but then, he didn’t blame her for being mad. Rufus had been through a lot and something could have happened to him. “He let himself inside?”
“Yes. He found my back patio door unlocked but he left me a note and a few dirty footprints before he left.”
Gage frowned. He didn’t like the sound of Mr. Meeks at all. “I think you need to come inside or sit here on the deck and relax for a few minutes. I’ll get you a drink. What would you like?”
She tapped her toe on the deck and snuggled Rufus against her neck—instantly Gage was thinking about placing kisses along her neck. He held back a groan. He was really in deep here.
“Coffee would be great if you have it.”
He grinned. “A woman after my own heart. Sit right there and I’ll bring it out. Or come in, if you’d like.”
She looked thoughtful and then she nodded toward his house. “Actually, I’ve never been inside the Glass Castle. I’d love to see it.”
“The what?”
She laughed. “The Glass Castle. That’s what the locals have always called this place. There are so many levels and so much glass.”
He looked up at the three different floors with an abundance of huge windows. “You’re right. I can see what you mean. My assistant rented it for me.” He held the door for her. “After you and Rufus.” He scratched the pup’s head as Shar brushed past him. It was all he could do to not take a strand of her dark hair in his fingers. Okay, so he had officially lost his senses. The woman was driving him crazy and she was doing nothing but being near him.
“So, is this beach always so deserted?” he asked to distract himself from focusing on Shar. He walked around the bar into the kitchen.
Shar moved to stand in the living room. Late afternoon sunbeams highlighted her through the window behind her.
“You rented a house in a very exclusive spot. The only reason I live in the neighborhood is because I live in the pool house of one of the homes. The older couple who own the house only come down ‘sometimes’ in the summers.” She did air quotations with her fingers around sometimes. “They were looking for someone to watch over the place for them. They’re donators for the sea turtle hospital, so when they mentioned it to me, I jumped at the opportunity.”
“Sounds like a great arrangement.” And lucky him—he really liked the arrangement. If he hadn’t been at the grocery store, he might have seen her on the beach sooner.
“It is for me. Most of the people who own these homes visit every once in a while, so this stretch of sand is probably the quietest on the island. I can tell you that there is no one else staying in any of the homes right now. I’ve just spent time in all the shrubbery. It’s a wonder someone’s burglary detection system didn’t rat me out.”
He chuckled. “You’re probably lucky.”
“My brother would have been surprised to arrive with sirens blazing to find me in the bushes.”
He paused putting coffee grounds in the coffee maker. “Your brother is a cop?”
“One of my brothers, Levi, is police chief.” She set Rufus on the ground and the puppy eagerly raced around the room sniffing and checking things out. “I have five brothers.”
He coughed. “Five. You have five brothers?”
She laughed and sank onto the barstool. “Oh yes, I do. And I have three sisters.”
“Wow.”
She laughed. “I’m used to that reaction. I love my big family.”
“I’m an only child so my upbringing was probably a lot more sedate than yours.”
She snorted. “Oh, believe me, it was wild. Cam, our cowboy, was always roping someone and Jake, the daredevil turned scuba diver among other things, was always scaring my mom to death with his antics. And then there was Levi, now the chief of police, always pushing limits growing up and my other two brothers Trent and Max—so yes, it was very active. Plus me and my three sisters.”
He digested the size of her family. “Let’s give us a chance for a few minutes before calling them in. Eight,” he said as the number sank in. “You have eight brothers and sisters.”
“Yes I do,” she said with an emphatic nod of her head. “You don’t have something against the number eight, do you? Or nine if you count me.”
“No, I was an only kid so that’s a big number to me. You must have had huge family gatherings.”
She laughed. “Oh, we still do. I’m sure if you were the only kid then they were way louder than yours.”
“An understatement, I’m sure. I was actually going into the office with my dad pretty ea
rly on. My mother died while giving birth to me. A string of nannies raised me. At least they did until I was ten and drove the last one away. At that point, my dad started taking me to the office with him.”
She looked sad. “I’m sorry about your mother. I can’t imagine not having my mom.”
“We made it work.”
“After you ran off no telling how many poor nannies.” She laughed. “I bet you were a terror.”
“Hey, I take offense to that. I was a curious kid who wanted to spend more time with my dad, who tended to work all the time.”
“So you knew what you were doing.”
“I hoped I knew what I was doing. All I know is that when we were between nannies, I’d get to go to the office. It was like a magical place to me. I’d get to see my dad and the secretaries would get me anything I wanted. It couldn’t be beat.”
She studied him. “You were going to the office at the age of ten. You’re going to have to tell me more about that. It sounds awful. I’m twenty-six and if it wasn’t for the fact that I was in an office with my sisters and they tend to let me do my own thing when I want to, I’d straight up go bonkers. Full-time office life is not for me.”
He grinned at her and instantly her eyes narrowed. “What’s so funny about that?”
“I think I’d already figured that out.” She was not only gorgeous, spunky, and passionate…she was cute. It was irresistible. “I think you like running around wearing your superhero cape better.”
She looked confused. “My what?” She then laughed.
The sound swirled in his chest and he was helpless against the force of it.
Chapter Six
“I think you’re the local superhero. After talking to the guys at the hospital earlier today, I realized you didn’t find Don Juan by accident. You were out turtle hunting, like you do often.”
Shar swirled in his chest like a song playing over in his head.
“You were the hero on that one.” She got a picture of him coming out of the surf and her mouth went dry.
“Hey, I just helped. You were the hero and from what Alex and John told me today, you make searching for and protecting sea turtles a daily endeavor. And it looks like you rescue pups too.”
Feeling uncomfortable with the high praise, Shar stood. “I just want to help them.”
He held her gaze and she was warmed by his praise. “I think I’ll take my pup and head home now.”
“But what about coffee?” Gage came around the bar. “I wish you’d stay. I was about to make dinner. And you haven’t looked at the house. I sound desperate,” he said and looked a little sheepish. “I actually am. I know earlier you said you had other plans but, I don’t know anyone in town and I thought, now that you know me a little better, that maybe your plans could be changed.”
Oh, how they can be. Shar tried not to listen to the wistfulness of her inner voice. “Well, to be honest, the plumber was my big date. And he blew me off and let my dog out, so the date hasn’t exactly been all I had hoped for.”
He laughed at her humor. “I guess not.”
“And dinner was going to be a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of water, if you must know.”
So it hadn’t been with a boyfriend. Gage’s mood hefted up a major mountain. “Then let me save you from the sandwich and hope we can salvage your day. What do you say?”
“You’ve already done that because you found Rufus.”
“Then reward me with your company for dinner.”
“Ha! I don’t know how much of a reward that will be, but you’re on.”
“Perfect. I have to warn you that I’m not the best cook but I can manage a few things. However, there are no guarantees that we might not have to resort to peanut butter—except that I don’t have any in the house.”
She smiled broadly. “We’ll manage. And I’ll fess up that my skills aren’t great but I bet we can figure it out between the two of us.”
Gage fought the urge to take her in his arms and tell her that he thought the two of them together could figure a lot out. Instead, he forced himself to move back into the kitchen. “I’m thinking we’ve got this covered.”
She shot a smile at him. “Thinking positive. I like it.” She walked into the kitchen and turned on the water, and then washed her hands. “Just a piece of advice: don’t ‘bless my heart’ about anything and we’ll be okay.”
He laughed. “Sounds like there’s a story there.”
“Oh yes, there is.”
“Then out with it. I’m all ears.”
Chapter Seven
An hour later, with the scent of chicken Alfredo simmering in the oven, Shar looked around and laughed. “Wow. I just can’t get over the mess we’ve made. This looks like the first time all of my brothers and sisters and I decided to fix Mom breakfast for Mother’s Day. It took her two days to get it cleaned up.”
He picked up a dirty pan before she could. “She must be something to have raised that many kids.”
Shar sighed. “She’s the best. But…I don’t know. I sometimes wonder what she would have done with her life if she hadn’t had so many kids. Her entire life was built around my dad and us. Still is, for that matter.” She held her hand out for the pan but he didn’t give it to her.
“Do you think she regrets it?” He moved to place the pan under the running water.
His arm brushed hers and sent a shiver of delight and electricity sparking through her. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean it that way.” She tried not to let the way he made her feel cause her to do or say something ridiculous… Kiss me…now, would be nice. She ignored the pestering voice in her head and opened the dishwasher.
“No, I’ll do this.” He reached around her to place the pan in the top rack of the dishwasher. The movement had him very close. Her rampaging heart kicked against her ribcage.
He let his gaze roam over her face and that only kicked her heart into the stratosphere. The clock on the wall sounded as if it were on loudspeaker as it was the only sound in the room.
And then he wrapped his arms around her.
Instantly Shar’s blood rushed through her at the explosive speed of a rocket launching into space. She couldn’t breathe as she looked into Gage’s baby-blue eyes. His arms were strong around her.
“I’ve been wanting to hold you close since the first moment we met.”
“Oh,” she breathed shakily as his blue gaze shifted from her startled gaze to her lips. Her knees melted like butter in a microwave. Oh, my… Shar didn’t get shook up; she didn’t…but she was…
“You’re beautiful, you know,” he murmured and then he lowered his head and kissed her.
Oh, oh… She sighed as her arms went around his neck automatically. His kiss was powerful, like crashing waves slamming down and then washing onto shore only to recede again into the next wave. Shar’s fingers curled into his shoulders as he stepped closer, backing her up against the kitchen counter as he deepened the kiss. All there was in that moment was the feel of his lips against hers and the strength of his embrace as she kissed him back with enthusiasm…but suddenly the crashing waves she felt were real as warm water poured over the side of the sink and drenched her.
She yelped, and then laughed as she broke the kiss. “The dish water.” She laughed, pulling away from Gage, and reached for the faucet.
Gage burst into laughter too and grabbed a handful of dishrags from a drawer and bent to clean up the water.
“We just thought we had a mess.” He laughed, crouching down to begin sopping up the water.
While he cleaned up the floor, Shar reached down into the soapy water and found the drain. She couldn’t stop laughing. “Nothing like getting doused with water to kill a moment.” She laughed. Or a fire.
“Sorry about that.” He looked up from where he crouched, wiping the floor. “You’re soaking wet.” He jumped up and headed out of the kitchen. “Hang on, I’m getting a towel.”
She wiped the counter while she waited, glad to have a moment to
pull herself together. He had a fluffy white towel in his hands when he came back into the room. He handed it over with a smile.
“I’m really sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She took the towel and wrapped it around her waist. “I’ll dry before you know it.”
“I could get you a pair of my warm-ups. They’ll be big on you but you’d be dry.”
“No, really, I’ll be fine. This towel will have me dry as can be in no time.” Feeling more unnerved than she was used to, Shar clung to the towel as if it were a life preserver.
He studied her with a perplexed look. “If you say so. Let’s eat on the deck—that’ll help, too.”
“Great idea.”
“And when we’re done, I’ll walk you home and then I’ll come back and do the dishes.” He chuckled as he took the casserole out of the oven and set it on the stovetop. “I have to say that this smells delicious. I think we might not have to eat your peanut butter tonight.”
Shar knew that at that moment it didn’t matter what they ate; she wasn’t going to taste anything because all she was thinking about was Gage and the feel of his lips on hers.
A few minutes later, they each carried plates out to the patio, with Rufus trailing them. He pranced out to the edge of the deck and stared out at the ocean.
“Don’t even think about running off.” Shar set her plate on the table. As if knowing she was speaking to him, he turned his bushy head her way and cocked his ears. “Yeah, you know I’m talking to you.”
“Does he run off often?” Gage sat down across from her.
“No. I haven’t had him but two weeks. But he’s never run off. I think today a stranger came in and either he ran off right then or while the plumber was in there, he hid and when he left, Rufus found the door open and went exploring.”
“I bet he realized soon after he was lost that he wanted you back.”
Somewhere With You (Windswept Bay Book 2) Page 4