Kelsie caught sight of the coffee cake sitting on her kitchen counter as she fixed breakfast the next morning. Suddenly, the gesture that had seemed kind yesterday felt a lot more loaded. She wasn’t sure she had the guts to knock on the demigod’s door and offer him cake. She wasn’t even sure what demigods ate.

Maybe she should still go over and introduce herself. They were neighbors, after all. At the same time, they were almost certain to run into each other in town, and it might be better to introduce herself then. He might take it the wrong way if she just showed up at his house.

After all the morning chores were done, she called for Cowboy. Her companion trotted into the room carrying his leash.

Kelsie laughed. “Yes, it is that time. I’m glad to see you prepared.”

Normally, Cowboy got enough exercise herding sheep, but Kelsie enjoyed rambling down the road with him, as it meant they both got a change of scenery and a few minutes away from work.

As she walked, Kelsie thought over her mental to-do list, which seemed to get longer all the time. She needed to go over the farm schedule for the next few months with Francesca, since they had a few sheep that would need shearing again in August.

Plus, they had been talking about expanding for the last six months, and Kelsie wanted to make a decision one way or the other. She thought they were ready—the clinic was growing, since she was the only vet for several towns around. They needed more barn space, and if they were going to build for the clinic, they could build more space for sheep, too.

Francesca wanted to hire another farmhand or two. Kelsie thought they were ready for that, too—if they added more sheep, they would need the help. Plus, it would also give them a chance to expand their business if they hired someone who knew about things like making sheep milk cheese.

If they had a few more jobs in town, they might be able to attract a few more people. Kelsie didn’t want the town to change its vibe, but like almost everyone else in town, she didn’t want to see the little town wither away. She knew she could always move somewhere else, but Rancho Cordero was home.

Even when she’d left for school, she had known she’d be back. He father was buried in the town cemetery, as were his parents. Her roots were in the town, and she wasn’t going to give that up easily.

She was so deep in thought that she didn’t see the other dog-and-human pair walking toward them until Cowboy tugged at the leash sharply enough to make her look up. With a start, she realized that the demigod was right there, but she didn’t have time to react since the two dogs were engaging in a doggy-greeting.

Kelsie grinned down at the gorgeous pit bull sniffing at Cowboy.

“Well, aren’t you a doll?” She looked up at the man. “Do you mind if I pet her?”

His eyes narrowed at her, like he wasn’t used to people asking permission to pet his dog, but he nodded and said, “Not at all. She’s very friendly.”

“Of course she is. I can tell you’re a sweetheart, aren’t you?”

Kelsie knelt and offered the dog the back of her hand. When the rough pink tongue licked her hand, she laughed and took that as an invitation to scratch behind the dog’s ears.

Cowboy nudged her, as if to remind her that he was there, and Kelsie laughed and stood up. “Where are my manners? This is Cowboy.”

The man smiled at her and Kelsie thought her heart might stop. He had a great smile. He leaned down and ran a hand over Cowboy’s head.

“It’s nice to meet you, Cowboy. This is Leila.”

Cowboy offered a paw and the man laughed as he shook it.

“You are a very polite dog.”

Kelsie grinned again. “It’s his one trick. He does it to show off.”

The man looked down at the dogs. “Sorry, my friend. I left all the dog treats at the house. Didn’t think I was going to need them on our morning walk.”

Cowboy cocked his head and Kelsie reached down and patted him on the side. “That’s a good thing. If you give him a treat now, every time you see him, he’ll want you to shake his paw.”

“Ah, I see. He’s got everyone around him trained.”

Kelsie laughed. “Exactly.”

“Now that our dogs have met…I’m Masoud Al-Saffar. I just moved to town.”

Kelsie knew she was blushing, remembering watching him arrive yesterday, and she hoped that he chalked her red face up to the summer heat.

“I believe we’re neighbors. I live in the house next to yours.”

“That would indeed make us neighbors, Ms.…”

And now, Kelsie knew she was blushing enough for him to notice. “Kelsie Mack. It’s nice to meet you.”

She held out her hand for him to shake, and as he did so, he also gave her a wicked grin that she rather liked.

“Are you going shake hands and ask me for a treat, too, every time we see each other?”

Surprised laughter burst from her lips. There was a wicked sense of humor to match that grin. He might be handsome, but he was also smart. And she could tell he was good with dogs, as evidenced by the sweet pit bull who was leaning against his legs.

“Depends on what kind of treats you keep around. Though, to be honest, I was thinking more along the lines of coffee this morning.”

“I think coffee is an excellent reward for a hand shake. I would offer you some, but I don’t have any in the house yet. I was going to run into town next to do some shopping.”

“Please, I’ve got plenty. If you’ve got time for coffee, I’ll give you the rundown on the town, too.”

“I would be delighted to accept. Thank you, Kelsie.”

They walked back and Kelsie had a moment of panic as she tried to remember if she had anything embarrassing lying around. She normally cleaned house on her day off from the clinic, and tried to keep things tidy in between. Unfortunately, tried and did were often two different things, especially if she had unexpected patients at the clinic.

She realized that Masoud was asking her a question.

“How long have you lived in Rancho Cordero?”

“All my life. Well, except for the six years I was in school. But I was born here.”

That answer seemed to throw him. “You must have done a lot of traveling to find the peace and quiet appealing.”

Kelsie laughed. “Only if you count a road trip down to Tijuana, and that was senior year in high school. Back then, you could get across the border with your driver’s license, and we thought we were hot stuff.”

He nodded. “I’ll have to admit that I’ve never traveled to Tijuana. Actually, I’ve never been to Mexico.”

“But you do travel a lot?”

“Yes. Mostly in the U.S., though I’ve spent time in India and China, among other places.”

“That must be amazing. What’s your favorite place in the world?”

Kelsie could tell he was really thinking about his answer, and she liked him more because he wasn’t just saying the first thing that popped into his head.

Finally, he said, “Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve found my favorite place in the world, yet. My home city is high on the list, but I never have a problem leaving, so maybe I’m still looking.”

“What’s your home city like?”

“It’s the capital of Al Hayla, which I’m not going to blame you if you haven’t heard of. We’re a small country—an island, actually, in the Red Sea—and we’re often overlooked because of our larger neighbors.”

He paused a moment to think.

“There’s been a lot of development in the city, so many of the buildings are modern, but they’re mixed in with buildings that are hundreds of years old. The architecture is beautiful and the people are wonderful. Surrounded by the ocean as we are, we love spending time on the beach.”

He sounded a little wistful, Kelsie thought.

They reached the house and Kelsie directed him up the staircase just inside the door. The first thing Kelsie did when they reached the kitchen was find another bowl for Leila and give both of the dogs water from a bottle out of the refrigerator and a dog treat.

She looked up to see Masoud watching her with a smile.

“Thank you,” was all he said, though.

Kelsie quickly made coffee and then cut two pieces of the coffee cake while Masoud looked around at the pictures on her kitchen wall.

“That’s my dad,” Kelsie said, nodding at the photo of a man in a cowboy hat leaning against a fence and grinning at something off in the distance.

Masoud took one of the coffee mugs and a plate from her and sat at the kitchen table. He waited for Kelsie to sit down as well, then took a sip of the coffee, followed by a small bite of the cake. His eyes widened and he looked up, clearly pleasantly surprised.

Kelsie smiled. “The first thing you need to know is that Marge Clark runs the little sandwich shop downtown. Her food is excellent, but her desserts are outstanding. Nothing beats one of Mrs. Clark’s cakes.”

Masoud took a larger bite this time and nodded. “I can see I might not have to cook for myself as much as I first thought.”

Kelsie chuckled. “There are only three restaurants in town, but they’re all good. If you like sandwiches, Italian, and Mexican, anyway.”

“For a small town, it’s quite lovely.”

“We like it here. Everybody knows everybody and we’re all up in each other’s business, but you can depend on pretty much everyone.”

“I’m looking forward to living here. I’m ready for a little bit of peace and quiet.”

“You’ll definitely find that here. It’s our number one export.”

Masoud laughed at her dry tone and Kelsie was thrilled to hear that sound. It was like little sparks of electricity on her skin. She brushed her hair behind her ear, flustered partly by her reaction to him and partly by the fact that she was just wearing jeans and an old tank top.

He was perfectly dressed, even for a walk with his dog, in a fitted polo shirt and pressed slacks. He looked like a model out of some men’s magazine. Plus, he was apparently as rich as a demigod, too, if his clothes and the travel he did were any sign.

“What do you do here, besides take care of dogs and stray humans?”

Kelsie shrugged just a bit. “As it happens, I take care of dogs for a living. And other animals.” He gave her a slightly confused look, so she smiled and explained. “I’m a vet—my clinic is on the first floor of the house here.”

Masoud leaned back and nodded in understanding. “I wondered why you lived upstairs.”

Kelsie nodded. “I grew up in this house, and I’ve been practicing here since I moved back. I converted the first floor three years ago, and there’s enough room for both the clinic and living space, since it’s just me.”

As soon as she said the words, Kelsie regretted them. She didn’t want to sound lonely or desperate, because she wasn’t. But Masoud didn’t seem to take her words that way.

“Do you get a lot of patients here? The town’s not that big.”

Kelsie nodded. “But we have several farms here, and most people in the county come to me.”

“Well, I’ll admit, I’m happy to know there’s a vet close by just in case Leila ever needs one.”

“She really is a beautiful dog. How long have you had her?”

“About three years now. I was living in San Francisco and happened to walk through an adoption fair at one of the local parks. She was a rescue, and even though it was clear she had a sweet temperament, no one wanted her. I’d never had a dog before that because of my travel schedule, but she gave me a look, and I couldn’t leave her there.”

Kelsie liked him even more. Pit bulls were notoriously difficult rescue dogs, because all people knew were their bad reputations. Masoud had seen beyond that, and given the darling dog a home.

Jeez. How many brownie points does this guy have going for him already? she thought to herself.

“So, what are you and Leila doing in our little town?” she asked. “As you might imagine, we don’t get a lot of new people moving here.”

“I’m an investor, just looking for a bit of the quiet life. Thought it was time to get out of the city, maybe catch up on a few other projects. Slow down a bit.”

Something about his answer didn’t sit right with her.

“What do you invest in?”

He waved a hand as he took another sip of coffee. “This and that. High-tech stuff, mostly.”

Kelsie nodded, but wasn’t satisfied by his vague answer. Still, they had just met, so she let it go. His business was his business.

Masoud pointed at the picture of her father. “Your dad must be pleased you moved back home. Does he still live in town?”

Kelsie took a deep breath. Three years, and it was still hard to talk about.

She shook her head sadly and said, “He passed away suddenly a few years ago.”

Masoud leaned forward and lightly covered her hand with his for a brief moment. “Kelsie, I’m so sorry. For your loss and for bringing up that pain. You must miss him.”

Kelsie felt a little light-headed. She wasn’t sure if it was from Masoud’s touch or from his sincere sympathy, but she appreciated both.

“Thank you, and it’s okay. I don’t think it will ever be easy to talk about, but it’s not a subject I try to avoid. I’m happy to remember my dad every day.” She sat back and gathered herself together.

“Was he a vet, too?”

“No,” Kelsie smiled, pride in her voice. “My grandfather worked on a sheep farm and he taught my dad everything about raising and caring for animals. My dad decided to start a farm of his own, so he bought the land, built this house, and started his own farm.”

Understanding lit up Masoud’s eyes. “So, the sheep are yours. You may have to introduce Leila to them; she seemed fascinated last night.”

Kelsie chuckled. “I’ll have Cowboy give her herding lessons.”

She got up to pour some more water from the bottle into each of the dog bowls and heard Masoud ask, “Not that I’m complaining, but do you always give your dogs bottled water?”

Kelsie turned and leaned against the counter. “Only when my kitchen plumbing is giving me fits. The sink is broken and I haven’t had a chance to fix it yet.”

“Want me to take a look at it?”

Kelsie held up a hand and shook her head. “You don’t have to do that, really.”

“It’s no problem. I don’t have the time to get into fixing up my own house yet, but your sink shouldn’t be a problem. Where’s your tool box?”

Kelsie decided there was something intensely attractive about a man who didn’t question if she could fix something, and simply offered to do it for her just because he could. She got the tool box and handed it to him.

Masoud looked around in the box and asked, “Is it leaking?”

“Yeah. I’m not sure if it’s the pipe itself or the gasket.”

“Got a flashlight?”

Kelsie reached up to the top of refrigerator and pulled down a large square flashlight. “Here. This should help.”

“Thanks.” He sat the light down inside the cabinet and then sat down on the floor in front of the sink.

Kelsie watched him work, sticking his head inside the cabinet and checking the pipes and gasket. “I really appreciate this,” she said.

There was laugh from inside the sink cabinet. “You told me about the best places to eat in town, so I think we’re even.”

“There are only three. You would have figured it out eventually.”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t have known to make friends with Mrs. Clark.”

Kelsie grinned. “That’s true.”

“Why does that name sound familiar?”

“Ah, probably because Josh Clark was your realtor.”

“Right, of course.” There was a small grunt from inside the cabinet and then Masoud said, “Okay, try it now.”

Kelsie reached over him and carefully turned on the sink. Immediately, water squirted out of the pipe and all over Masoud.

“Crap. Hang on, let me turn it off!”

“No, wait. Hang on, just a bit there…got it.”

The water stopped spraying, and Masoud ducked out of the cabinet. Kelsie looked at him in dismay.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. You’re soaked.”

He laughed and quickly pulled the polo shirt over his head.

Kelsie thought her brain might have blacked out just a little bit at the sight of his bare chest and shoulders. The man really did have the body of a demigod, and it was all Kelsie could do not to reach out and touch his skin.

Masoud squeezed water out of his shirt into the sink and then held it up.

“Yeah, that’s going to have to dry out before I put it back on.”

Kelsie managed to apologize again but he waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad I could help.”

“You are definitely my hero for that. Thank you.” Her phone chimed and Kelsie looked at the clock. “And I have to head downstairs to open the clinic for the day. I’m so sorry to drench you in water and then run.”

He laughed. “All in a day’s work. And speaking of work, I’ll let you get to it. I’ll see you around, neighbor?”

Kelsie wondered if he was asking if they would see each other across their yards or if there might be something more to the question. From the look on his face, she thought he might be asking himself the same question.

“Thank you. I’ll definitely see you around,” she said.