Chapter 10
ALLIE WOKE UP to the sun barely streaming into her bedroom. Hadn’t she closed those damn curtains last night? Kermit was whining, probably because he needed to go potty and was tired of being in his crate, so Allie swung her legs off the side of the bed. Her clock on the nightstand read six-thirty in the morning, and for the briefest moment, she wondered what had possessed her to ask for the dog. Now she was going to have to take him outside at all hours while she housetrained him.
Groaning, she opened his crate and picked him up. The minute his little body snuggled against her, the grumpiness melted away.
“What do you say we take you to go potty and have a bowl of cereal?”
A tiny, excited tongue on her chin was her answer as she opened the bedroom door and made her way to the living room. She set him down briefly to pull on her jacket and her boots by the back door, sweeping him into her arms before he got the chance to have an accident. Taking him out the side door, she shivered as the cool morning air bit through her thin pajama pants. She was really going to need to invest in a flannel set and some house slippers. She walked down the back porch steps and let Kermit down.
“Go ahead, pumpkin.”
The puppy nosed around at the dirt and leaves for a few seconds before he squatted down to do his business. Allie’s gaze wandered around the forest, grudgingly admitting that it was a beautiful place. She could get used to being here.
When Kermit was done, Allie called him over and picked him up. Once they were back inside, she set him down on the hardwood floor and took off her boots and outerwear once more.
“What do you think? Kibble for you, Fruity Pebbles for me?”
Kermit chased after her feet, skidding across the floor when she stopped abruptly once she saw the kitchen.
As she took in the chaos of the crime scene with horror, Allie’s emotions twisted between fear and fury. She looked up at the cardboard covering the hole in the ceiling, but it was still in place. How the hell had that furry bastard gotten back in last night? Then her gaze landed on her box of Fruity Pebbles, which had been snug and safe in the cupboard when she’d gone to bed. The cupboard that now hung wide open, like a giant mocking mouth.
Her delicious Fruity Pebbles. The box had been ripped open and its guts shredded. What was left of the colorful cereal was spread across the counter and smashed into what looked suspiciously like raccoon feces.
Allie’s entire body surged with molten rage.
“Damn you, you no-good son of a bitch!” Allie threw the chewed-up box of cereal across the room, surprised when she heard a familiar grunt.
She looked up toward her front door and found Dex standing in the doorway. He stooped to pick up the mangled box, giving her a dry look as he tossed it onto the overturned trash can.
“I’ve been dreaming my whole life about a woman who looks like an angel and cusses like a sailor.”
Allie glanced around for something else to throw, but couldn’t find anything worthwhile.
“What is it with you? Don’t you know that cheesy lines and breaking and entering are not sexy?”
The panty-melting grin he shot her almost made a liar out of her. “That’s too bad, ’cause that’s all the game I’ve got.”
“Obviously! What are you even doing here this early?”
Waving at the tool belt on his hips, he said, “I have the day off, so I figured I’d get started on those repairs. After all, the sooner I get them done, the sooner you start paying me.”
“Next time, you need to call and then knock before you just come barging in. I could have been sleeping or in the shower.”
“Now you’re just teasing me,” he said, shamelessly grinning at her.
“Whatever. The first thing you can do is figure out how he got in because your stupid cardboard is still there.”
Dex walked over to stand under the cardboard, turning his head from every angle, as if looking for a weakness. “Huh. Maybe he never left the cabin after all. Maybe he’s in a cupboard or something right now?”
Allie picked up Kermit, her gaze darting around the room in alarm. “Do you think so?”
“Could be. I’ll do a thorough search. Your cupboards, your closets … I should probably check your underwear drawer, too.”
She realized he was messing with her, again, and glared at him. “Ha-ha, I had my door shut, so there’s no way he was in my room.” A lump crawled up her throat, and she hated that she was about to cry, especially in front of Dex. “Please just find him and make sure he doesn’t get in again, okay? I can’t stand the thought that he might hurt Kermit if I don’t realize he’s in here.”
Every trace of humor left his face. “I’ll fix the problem.”
“Thank you.” Grimly surveying the mess once more, she said, “I guess I’ll put Kermit in his crate while I clean up.”
Kermit wasn’t happy about being locked up again, but she didn’t want him underfoot while she cleaned. Especially if any raccoon poop had gotten onto the floor.
As she scrubbed the counter, her gaze kept straying to Dex as he inspected every nook and cranny. He looked good in the white T-shirt and jeans, the tool belt slung low on his hips. He was wearing a dark ball cap that covered his sun-streaked brown hair, and the shadow of the bill gave his face a mysterious edge.
Hunter. Focus on Hunter, remember? He’s the catch here.
“I’ll be gone most of the day, so don’t worry about me being in your way.”
“Working today?” he asked without turning around.
“No, Hunter Gracin is showing me around.”
Did his shoulders stiffen or was that just her imagination?
“Oh, well, that’ll be good. Hunter’s a good guy.”
“Yeah, he seems nice.”
“Plus, he’s a doctor.”
Allie bristled at his tone, as if he were insinuating that was the only reason she’d said yes to Hunter. Okay, so he was settled with a career and that was a factor in her decision to go for him, but that didn’t mean she was a gold digger. She had money of her own.
“What are you saying?”
“Nothing, I just know that most women want to score a man with money and a high-powered job. Doctors are the ideal, right?”
“I told you, I’m not looking for anything right now. Hunter and I are just friends.”
He stood up with his hands in the air. “Whoa, don’t jump all over me, sweetheart. I was making conversation. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”
“I wasn’t explaining myself, I was emphasizing the fact that there is nothing going on with Hunter!”
“Gotcha.”
Allie violently tackled the rest of the cleanup, sanitizing the counter. Finally, she announced, “I’m going to take a shower.”
The jerk had the nerve to leer at her. “You telling me ’cause you want some company?”
That was enough. Grabbing an apple from the bowl, she hurled it at Dex’s head. He barely ducked out of the way in time, but when the edge of the apple skimmed his shoulder, she felt marginally better.
Until she reached the door to the bedroom and she heard him shout, “You’ve got some weird ideas about foreplay, darling.”
Slamming the door closed and locking it with a click, Allie threw herself across the bed and buried her head in the pillow before releasing a frustrated scream.