Lucas hauled the last of Dolly’s things into Jenny’s house. He had to admit, in the little time they’d spent around the dog, she’d really come out of her shell and been nothing but affectionate toward everyone. Getting her out of the shelter seemed to have been the key, and he couldn’t fault her. All that noise would make him want to hide, too.

He couldn’t shake the concern that Dolly’s rough past might make her unpredictable if she were frightened. If she bit Jenny or Omen, it would no doubt be a fear response. Lucas didn’t blame Dolly one bit. She’d been abused and any sort of fight-or-flight instinct she displayed would be due to her past treatment. Rehabilitating her soul would take time. It still worried him for the time being. He hoped Dolly proved him wrong, though. If any of those rescued dogs deserved a happy ending, it was Dolly.

Footsteps overhead gave away where the girls had disappeared to. Jenny was nothing, if not attentive to her new friend.

Lucas stared at the ceiling, wrestling with his thoughts.

They hadn’t really talked about last night, how it changed their relationship—if they had one—and now she was bringing a new animal into her life.

Was she simply ready?

Or was she throwing herself into a high-maintenance animal to keep herself emotionally unavailable?

What did it say about him that he had such layered thoughts about what Jenny did?

He needed to mind his own business, that’s what. Jenny had asked him to go with her—because she wanted his support, companionship, a friend, his muscles, whatever—and he’d gone. Simple as that. He enjoyed being around her, how easy it was to just...hang with her. And now he could do so guilt free.

At least until Mom found out.

Better just get that over with.

Lucas pulled out his phone and fired off a text.

Hey, I’m going to be spending time with Jenny.

The instinct to beg some discretion for the time being warred with his desire to stake his claim. In the end, he figured Mom would say what she wanted, and there was nothing else to do about it.

His phone vibrated.

Give Jenny my love! When will the two of you come 2 dinner?

Lucas shook his head. She took it all in stride. Only proved that there was no reason to worry. It would all work out.

With that task out of the way, he turned to admire Jenny’s home. It was very different from the one she’d shared with Walker. More her. Full of life, and not just function.

Lucas walked through the first floor of the old house, admiring the touches that were all Jenny mixed in with the original woodwork and features. She had always liked a shabby-chic, rustic look and it was evident she’d spruced the place up a lot.

He ended his tour in the kitchen, which looked like it was straight out of the 1940s. From the seafoam green and pink tile backsplash to the appliances, it was like walking into a time warp. Lucas flipped the burner on and held his breath, half expecting the stove to blow up.

The pilot light caught the gas and a flame danced around the burner.

Huh.

It worked.

He turned it off, opting to play it safe until Jenny clued him in on the quirks of her kitchen. For all he knew the range was still a ticking time bomb.

The kitchen counters had been replaced with a white quartz that blended with the original cabinets and finishing touches. He ran his hand along one of the uppers, admiring the smooth finish. To get it that perfect, the wood would have needed to be sanded down and painted.

A lot of work had gone into this house.

Many feet thumped down the front stair leading into the hall.

Lucas strolled through the dining nook and braced his arm on the archway leading into the foyer. Jenny’s cheeks were still pink, her grin wide and eyes bright. Both dogs wagged their tails and sniffed around, curious if not comfortable in their environment.

“Well?” he asked.

“She seems to be doing okay.” Jenny shrugged and slid her hands into her pockets.

“Good.”

“What’s that tone for?” Her eyes narrowed.

“I just said good...”

“Yeah, but you have that...hesitation. Like it’s not all good.”

“I’m cautiously optimistic.”

Jenny crossed her arms, that temper of hers flaring.

Lucas crossed to her, cupping her shoulders and stroked her arms.

“I do not want Dolly to fail, but in the priority order, I’m most concerned about you getting your heart broken if she doesn’t work out. That’s all. I know how much Batman meant to you, and that’s some big paws to fill. That’s all I’m saying.”

“She’s doing so well, though.” Jenny dropped her arms and glanced over at where Dolly had flopped down on the living room rug, Omen attacking her front paw with puppy gusto.

“She is, and I hope she keeps doing better, given the right setting. She doesn’t show any inclination toward aggression, and so far when she’s scared she doesn’t snap or growl.”

“I think...the key will be giving her that safe place to go to if she feels threatened.” Jenny’s sad frown tugged at Lucas’ heart strings. “I don’t want her to be afraid.”

“Give her time.” He squeezed Jenny and kissed her brow, because he could and she leaned into him. “Hungry yet?”

“Yes.”

“Is it safe to use your stove?”

“Gave yourself a tour, did you?” Jenny grinned at him.

“All I have to say is, this place has a lot of character.”

“I bought it in an auction.” She ducked her head.

“Jenny Moss—you did not.”

“I did! It wasn’t the smartest thing, I know. I just needed something that was all me, and not...Walker and Me. But there’s shiplap and all the appliances just needed some work.” She cringed.

“Show me?”

Jenny blinked at him a moment, as though he might take the words back or put conditions on the request. Walker used to do that to her, ask her about something then only give her half a minute of his time. He’d listen, but only if she did something for him.

Come to think of it, Walker not listening was how Lucas and Jenny first hit it off. He couldn’t remember what she’d been bummed about, but they’d sat on the porch while Walker and the others played beer pong, talking about whatever it was.

After several moments Jenny took him by the hand and guided him into the living room.

Dolly and Omen lay sprawled on the rug, not a care in the world.

“So, yeah. Living room.” She stared around the space as though she’d never seen it before.

“How much work did this room need?”

“A lot.”

“What’s original and what did you add?”

She licked her lips and shifted from foot to foot.

“You obviously poured a lot of time and love into this place. I want to see it the way you do.” He lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles.

“Well, the front windows were busted out, so all of this had to be replaced. I’ve just about redone all the windows with energy efficient ones, which helps, considering the attic needs professional work.” She turned toward the non-exterior walls. “That was all shiplap under molding drywall. I sanded it down and painted it.”

“Why not leave the wood as is?”

“I wanted to, but between the water damage and mold, after it was sanded it was pretty rough still. The paint I used will protect the wood from rot. That’s the original fireplace there.”

“Yeah, does it still work?”

“It does, here. Watch.”

Jenny launched into an explanation for how the whole house had been rewired for gas. She led him from one room to the next, pointing out the smaller features without his prompting. It was as though she’d forgotten this bond, that he cared not just about her and them together, but her interests, the things that made her tick and smile and laugh.

The rougher state of the house was more evident in some of the upstairs rooms that’d received only minimal cleaning and repairs. He couldn’t begin to imagine what it’d been like when she bought the place, but knowing Jenny, she’d needed something to throw herself into instead of outright dealing with the mess Walker had made of her life.

“Kellie’s boyfriend, Quinn? He’s been really helpful when I didn’t quite know what I was doing.” Jenny led Lucas down the back stair that deposited them into the kitchen. “I think I’m most proud of this room.”

“You’ve really made this place shine.” He looped his arm around her waist and kissed her temple. “Why don’t you go check on the girls and I’ll see about dinner?”

“There’s some chicken marinating if you just want to pop it in the oven?”

“I think I can manage that.”

Lucas pre-heated the oven, prepped the chicken and potatoes, shoved them in, and set the timer. That done, he peeked in on Jenny and the dogs, all happily sprawled on the floor. He left them to bond and did the rest of the set up for Dolly in the sun room.

He was grateful the shelter owner had recommended giving Dolly her own space at night, and the sun room was perfect. It had its own window unit, the tile floor would be easy to clean up if there were any accidents and there was enough space for Dolly to explore and stretch her legs without the rest of them being too intrusive. After a few weeks, he could even help install a doggie door once they knew if she was a flight risk or not and how the back yard fence had weathered.

Once Dolly was fully acclimated they—Jenny—wouldn’t have to take precautions like this, but Lucas would rather be safe.

He kept thinking in terms of they and them, combining he and Jenny into an obvious team. But they weren’t. It was what he wanted, but for all he knew, Jenny just wanted a fling. It was a sobering, bitter thought he didn’t like one bit.

g

Jenny backed out of the living room. It was almost too painful to tear her eyes off Dolly. How was it that such a small creature could become the center of her world so fast? How had she lived without a dog in her life?

It was because of Lucas.

She’d been head down, work, work, work, for so long that she’d shut everything else out. If it wasn’t part of her routine, she didn’t do it, didn’t consider it. There were a lot of things she hadn’t done, and getting a new dog was just one of them.

Everything good seemed to start with Lucas. Batman, her new take on life, pushing herself to do more, it all started either because of something he did, or the thought of him.

“Come on, they’ll be fine.” Lucas’ voice vibrated with laughter.

“I know, I just...I want to keep looking at them. They’re so cute together.”

“Sit. Eat. They’ll still be there.”

Jenny sighed and turned toward the dining table. She paused, taking in the oh-so-normal sight of two place settings, the food. A knot lodged in her throat. She hadn’t shared a meal like this with anyone in...she couldn’t remember when. Her only real girlfriends were Mary and Kellie, and even then, they were different enough it was a casual friendship. She’d made friends with a few people she’d worked with over the years, but they tended to be younger or have families. Lord knew she hadn’t dated anyone, period. That was too intimidating, and besides, what was the point? There was only one man she truly wanted and now he was sitting in her dining room.

“Jen, you okay?” Lucas perched in his chair, frowning at her.

“Yeah, I just...I realized I’m not sure if I’ve ever had anyone over for dinner.” She sat across from him.

“What?” He frowned. “What about—”

“Everyone took Walker’s side in the divorce,” she said quickly before he could name all their old friends. “They thought I should stand by him while he was in prison, support him.”

“Are you fucking with me?” Lucas’ sharp tone soothed some of the hurt.

“Nope.”

“After...” He leaned back in his chair and stroked his beard.

Dog feet pounded the floor and Dolly shot into the dining room, a low growl in her throat. She pressed herself to Jenny’s knees under the table.

Shit.

“Dolly, sweetheart, it’s okay.” Jenny pushed her chair back and pet the dog’s back.

Lucas did likewise, only he sat on the floor cross legged, shoulders hunched.

“Sorry, Dolly. I’m not mad at you or Jenny. Some people weren’t very nice to her. It’s why we need to be extra kind—because she deserves it. You understand?” He held out his hand, speaking softly.

Dolly leaned toward Lucas and licked his offered fingers, as though she accepted his apology. Jenny breathed a sigh of relief. For now. She dreaded the conversation Lucas would want to have about what’d happened after he left, because it was coming. He just hadn’t gotten there yet.

Once everyone had a good scratch and forgiveness licks, Lucas and Jenny took turns washing up before sitting back at the table, this time under Dolly’s watchful gaze.

“We need to watch our tones from here on out.” Lucas chuckled and settled back into his seat across from her. He popped a bite in his mouth, tucking into the food.

“I’m not getting rid of Dolly just because she growled at you,” Jenny blurted.

Lucas stared at her a moment, as if she’d sprouted another head or insisted the earth were flat.

“I didn’t think you should,” he said slowly. “I actually like that she’s identified you as her pack. She’s protective of you. Not us. That’s not a bad thing.”

“You don’t think it is?”

“No.”

“Oh... I just thought...”

“Look, am I cautious about Dolly acclimating to a domesticated, non-fighting life? Yes. Until we—you, I’m sorry—really get to know her, she’s a stranger in your home. If she were a new roommate, I’d be the same way. She has a personality, things she likes, stuff she’s scared of, and until you’ve spent a lot of time with her, you don’t know what makes her tick. I like that she’s defensive about you because that means that if—God forbid—something happened, she’d protect you.”

“Why wouldn’t we get to know her?” Jenny frowned. Was something else going on she wasn’t aware of? She ate a bite because Lucas was eating without hesitation, not because she wanted to eat right now.

“Well, she’s your dog.”

“Yeah, but...”

Jenny opened and closed her mouth.

They’d had sex.

She’d been painfully, mortifyingly honest with him about how she felt, and now he seemed to be drawing a line between them. Her, him, we—they were all words he was using intentionally. With purpose. And she was just now picking up on it.

“Jenny? Hey, Jen.” Lucas reached his hand across the table toward her.

She took it, because she needed to cling to him, hold him there with her.

“We went from not-speaking to complicated in less than twenty-four hours, didn’t we?” He stroked the back of her knuckles with his thumb.

Lucas hit the nail on the head, there. Had she just blundered into another mistake?

•  •