As Matthew went to check out of the motel, I climbed into his SUV. I didn’t know who I was pissed at more, Matthew or Randy. The two acted like Neanderthals fighting over a piece of meat, and the thought did not please me. I was distinctly uncomfortable with Randy acting the part of a jealous lover. And Matthew’s lack of control at Randy’s deliberate provocation worried me. Intellectually, I knew that Matthew had challenges to face due to his war injuries, but the actual demonstration of those shook me. Just how dangerous could Matthew be in a situation if it came to blows?

Matthew opened the back door and let Parker in. Immediately, Parker poked his head through the seats and licked my face, just like he did when he was trying to calm Matthew.

“Looks like,” Matthew said. “My dog has a full case of doggie love for you, Ms. Harris.”

“All animals like me,” I replied. “It’s in the job description of kennel keeper.”

Matthew’s cell phone rang, and he answered it, then held it to me.

“It’s for you. Your grandmother.”

I scowled as I took the phone. “She shouldn’t have done that.”

“Not a problem.”

“Morning, Grandma.”

“Don’t ‘morning grandma’ me,” she said testily. “Where have you been?”

“Matthew was too tired to drive after the hospital, so we stayed at his hotel. I would have called, but you told me you’d be sleeping.”

“And I would be too if that damned fool Barker didn’t call me.” The grumpiness in her tone took me by surprise, I thought my grandma liked Randy.

“Yeah. He doesn’t like Matthew much. He must think he’s an ax murderer or something.”

“Well, that’s his problem,” she conceded.

“We’re on our way home.”

“Which is why I called. Mrs. Trenchant called asking for a ride for Daisy. Her husband isn’t feeling well, and she needs to get him to the doctor. But since she doesn’t know how long they’ll be there, she wants us to board her.”

“Hold on a second. Matthew, one of our clients needs transport for her dog. Can we pick her up? I mean, if it’s not a problem. I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with your rental company. And I wouldn’t want Parker to get upset.”

“Parker is totally cool with other dogs. Indemnify me from all losses, and sure, no problem.” Matthew winked at me, which I found as sexy as hell. It also made me want to pull his face to mine and give him a deep, tonsil-searing kiss.

Down girl, I told myself.

I was attracted to Matthew. There was no doubt about that. But I wasn’t sure if I was up to the task of dealing with Matthew’s problems. And I was also assuming too much. Who said Matthew wanted something more than one or two fuck sessions? Matthew wasn’t going to stay, and, after the incident in the motel, I didn’t know if I wanted him to.

But looking at Matthew’s sexy profile as he drove the car purposefully to our destination did something to me. At the moment, Matthew was focused and composed. Parker lay serenely in the back seat. A curious sense of belonging wrapped around me like a warm blanket. I imagined many such days like this together with this man, comfortable in each other’s presence.

I shook my head. No. I should not go there.

“Are you going to talk to me about it?” Matthew asked. His baritone shook me out of my reverie.

“What?”

“What happened at the motel?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“No, Meleyna. What do you want to hear from me?”

“Nothing,” I said.

“I don’t believe you. Usually, people are all in my shit after an episode.”

“Parker was there. He did his job.”

“He did. But it was you that brought me out and made me reassess.”

“No,” I insisted. “It was Parker. And you are handling things the best you can.”

“You must think I’m pathetic.”

“Why?’ I asked, getting angry now. “Can’t I be sympathetic without being a bitch?”

“I didn’t say you were a bitch.”

“No, you implied it.”

Matthew’s jaw tightened then loosened. “Oh hell. Sorry, Meleyna, you’re right. I’m too defensive about my PTSD. Sometimes I wish—but that isn’t right. It doesn’t honor the others that fought and died there. I was luckier than many.”

“I think the one being the douche is you—to yourself. Who says you have to accept with grace the burdens put on you? Who says you have to shoulder the guilt for stuff that you didn’t start?”

“My therapist, for one. On the first part of that. Otherwise, he tells me, it will eat me up. He told me we all change in life, that without transformation we are essentially dead. Mine, he told me, came sudden, giving me no time to adjust. But eventually, we all do.”

“That’s a nice speech. It might even be wise. Still, it’s not fair what happened to you.”

“Life isn’t fair. Just ask Jack. Oh right, you can’t—because he’s dead.” Matthew’s tone hardened with too much force. Parker’s head perked up then, and he whined.

Matthew took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Okay, buddy. I’ll calm down. Look,” he said glancing at me. “I’m not always this much of a jerk. I’m still working on things. My therapist says it will get better and I’m determined to get better. I won’t let this PTSD control and take over my life. Shit happened, and I just need to move on and forget about it.”

“I imagine this trip was more stressful than you thought it would be.”

“Yeah,” he said with a slight grin. “For one thing, I didn’t expect to find you. And now I have.”

“And you don’t know what to do with me.”

“Oh no, sugar. I know what to do with you. The question is will you let me?”

“Oh, so now you’re flirting with me?”

“You’re just picking up on that now?” I laughed.

“Well, I don’t know!” I grinned. “What do you have in mind?”

“Sin,” he replied. “Pure sin.” He glanced at me, and the look in his eyes was far from playful. It was downright smoldering and threatening to melt my panties.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I might have to ask my pastor about that.”

“Not if I have any say,” he said confidently. “Not at all.”

Jesus.

“You’re something else, Matthew.” I smiled looking out the car window.

* * *

I jogged up the stairs to Mrs. Trenchant’s house and rang the bell. Mrs. Trenchant came to the door immediately and abruptly handed the lead to me.

“I’m sorry to rush, but I really need to get Dave to the doctor.”

“It’s okay. I understand.” I patted the head of the beautiful German Shepard, almost a twin in Parker’s markings. “Let’s go,” I said.

Daisy pulled on her leash, whining and wagging her tail excitedly as we neared the SUV.

“Kinda of excited, aren’t you, girl?”

And then Parker put his paws against the window and barked at the female.

Matthew rolled down the window.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

I held Daisy’s tail and looked underneath and groaned. “I think Daisy’s in heat. Tell me, is Parker neutered?”

Matthew shook his head. “Nope.”

“And I suppose he’s just like his owner.”

He grinned.

“Yep, all alpha, all the time.”

“Great.”

“This should be interesting, Put her in the way back, I’ll put Parker in the front, and you, lucky lady, get to sit in the back seat between them.”

“Awesome,” I said sourly.

The ride back was filled with Parker and Daisy pawing the upholstery and whining, with a few barks at each other too. Matthew drove with an intense, focused look on his face and barely said a word the entire way. Finally, we pulled up into the driveway, and I hopped out.

“I’ll get Daisy into the kennel. Keep Parker here until I have her behind bars.”

Daisy whined and pulled back toward the SUV. I worked against eighty pounds of muscle and determination to wrangle her into the kennel. But only having one arm was a handicap, and with one lunge Daisy jerked the lead from my grip. I fell forward awkwardly but managed to recover my footing. But by then Daisy had streaked past me toward the SUV.

Matthew jumped out of his vehicle but didn’t close the door fast enough. Parker scrambled out the vehicle and dashed toward Daisy. One look at the oncoming Parker and Daisy took off in the other direction, past the house and up the trail that led into the woods.

“Parker! Heel!” demanded Matthew. But Parker took off after Daisy.

“Goddamnit!” Matthew swore.

“Let’s get the dogs,” I sighed.

“Parker and I are going to have to do some serious retraining,” huffed Matthew as we took off toward the escapees.

“I’m sorry. Mrs. Trenchant should have told us she was in heat.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Damn. Times like this I wish I had four legs.”

I led the way up the hard packed red clay trail, with Matthew following closely. “How far can they have gotten?”

Matthew didn’t say a word as we both jogged the trail. I checked the brush on either side to see if the dogs veered off the path but didn’t spot evidence of that. Finally, I heard barking ahead and to the right. The dogs had turned onto the footpath to the cabin, and I pulled ahead to lead the way for Matthew.

We broke into a clearing to find Parker trying to get close to Daisy, but she would have none of it. She moved backward or dashed to the side to avoid him.

“Parker!” snapped Matthew. “Heel!”

With a baleful glance to his master, Parker trotted to Matthew who took his lead. I double-timed it to Daisy and snatched her lead before she could take off again.

Parker whined and rubbed his head against Matthew’s knee. He patted Parker’s head but didn’t give him any slack in the lead.

“The lady doesn’t appear to be ready, boy,” Matthew said. “She was just teasing.”

Matthew glanced around.

“What is this place?”

“It was a hunting cabin at one time. It was on the land when my grandfather bought the property.”

“And what do you use it for?”

“Nothing, right now.”

“It looks pretty nice.”

“It needs work.”

“Hey, you are talking to a guy who lived two and a half years in a tent in the middle of a desert.” Matthew climbed the stairs and patted the wood beams that supported the porch roof. “Seems pretty sweet to me.”

“Well, good. This would be your new digs.”

“It would be?” he said with a smile. “Does this mean you’re thinking of taking me on?”

The double meaning of Matthew’s words didn’t escape me, not when they were coupled with a sexy smirk. But after Daisy’s near escape, it was obvious to me I couldn’t handle all the physical demands of the job, especially since my grandmother was recovering from her own injuries. Still, did I really want to hire Matthew, to have him close, and all that would mean…what? Was I ready to finally move on? Was I ready to start something with Matthew?

I nodded my head. “I’m giving it due consideration. There are only so many things I can do one-handed.”

Matthew raised his eyebrows.

“One-handed? Are you sexually harassing me?”

“No,” I said, feeling my cheeks burn.

“Too bad.”

“Not yet. I’d have to employ you first before it would be considered sexual harassment. And only if you told me to stop.”

“I’m not telling you to stop, am I?”

“Not yet. We’ll see. Now as to the cabin, it needs a good clean up and some repairs.”

“Hoorah!” said Matthew.

I laughed. “What does that mean?”

“No one knows. It’s just what Marines say when we take on a mission.”

“Well, let me show you the place before you make a commitment.”

I tied Daisy to a stout sapling, she whined and strained at the leash, and then I took the stairs moving past Matthew. I pushed open the rustic cabin door and ushered him in.

“Here are the living and dining areas.” I pointed to the large fireplace that was set with native stone. “Note the centralized heat for chilly nights.”

“So noted. Love the furnishings.”

My eyes swept the near empty room with chagrin.

“Yes, the sparseness adds to the backwoods cache.”

“Cache?” Matthew teased. “You seriously said ‘cache’?”

“Yes. Some of us have a grasp of the English language. But as to lack of accouterments—”

Matthew raised his eyebrows.

“Hush,” I admonished. “As to the lack of furniture, I can shop my grandmother’s attic for the finest Harris heirlooms.”

“Very fancy.” He watched as Parker sniffed through the room.

“In the kitchen is the finest in turn of the century, and by that, I mean the 1900’s, appliances.”

“Yes. The wood stove and the icebox are real draws.”

“That’s why you would take meals at the main house.”

“I wouldn’t dismiss my ability to handle a wood stove. When I was a boy scout, I learned how to handle fire.”

I eyed Matthew, with his long, leans legs and muscled arms, and how he moved. Every motion was so fluid, strong, and just plain sexy. I would be an idiot to let this delicious man out of my sight.

“Is that why you are so hot?”

Matthew smiled wickedly. “Now you are sexually harassing me.”

“Not nearly enough,” I said.

“Tease.”

I decided to get serious. My throat tightened with what I was about to say. “Grandma is right. We do need some help here, at least until she gets up to speed. It’s not just the animals. There’s a cabin that needs work, and clearing the underbrush and cutting wood if you are any good with a chainsaw. It’s way more than I do on my own.”

“Look, you don’t know me, and I just confessed that I can’t be trusted to keep myself together without my dog.”

“So?” I said, spreading my hands. “Look around. Animal heaven. Parker will have buddies, and you’ll have work. And don’t worry. If you get out of hand, you’ll have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting with my shotgun.”

Matthew grinned. “I’m trained to disarm any weapon. I think I can handle a shotgun.”

“Admittedly, the shotgun is more of a threat to the squirrels, but it can do some damage.”

“I’m sure.”

“So, the accommodations don’t faze you?”

“Nope.”

“And that the pay is shit.”

“Nope.”

“Or that your boss may sexually harass you?”

“Actually, I think that’s one of the perks.”

“So, let’s go talk to my grandmother and see what she has in mind.”