Luke shifted uncomfortably, the tape on his butt bandage catching on his sweats. He glanced out the kitchen window, watching his sister wrestle with Muffin. The dog's ears were tucked back with absolute joy, and the expression on his sister's face was pure adoration and love.

Damn.

Paige was leaning on his table, sipping her water patiently. She looked so at home in the rural, country kitchen. It almost made him want to stay there forever. Almost. If only he didn't know what that meant, what that life would be like. He wouldn't go back, wouldn't even start down that path, which meant he was staying away from Paige and all the temptation she posed.

"Becky sure treasures that dog," Paige commented.

Luke grimaced "I know."

"How's your butt?"

"It'll heal." He glanced again out the window. Becky was chasing after Muffin, who had a t-shirt or rag in his mouth. He was artfully dodging her each time she lunged for him, a classic game of tag. Becky was laughing hysterically, encouraging the dog each time he dodged her. He sighed. "No wonder the dog is such a mess."

Paige stood up and joined him at the window. She didn't seem to notice that her hip was against his, but Luke was all too aware of it. He tried to concentrate on the dog. "She's literally teaching him to be completely unruly."

"Mmm." Paige's response was completely non-committal, which was atypical of her.

Accustomed to her always speaking her mind, he glanced over at her. Unlike earlier, her hair was dry, and it wasn't in a ponytail. It was messy and glorious, giving her a delightfully rumpled look. She looked so appealing, so much better than the hair-sprayed women with designer dresses that he was used to. Paige was intoxicating on so many levels. With her so close, smelling like the fresh water she'd been swimming in such a short time ago, all his hormones were in full flow.

He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss, about how it felt to have her in his arms, about the way she'd leaned into him and kissed him back so fiercely…until she'd shut it down.

Damn. He couldn't do that to himself. He had to focus on the dog. "Is he hopeless?" Hell, that wasn't what he'd meant to ask. He'd meant to ask if she could still keep the dog, or if Becky would be okay without him, or something. He hadn't meant to imply that he wanted to know if Muffin was redeemable.

"Muffin? It depends on you."

Unable to stop himself, Luke fingered a stray lock of blond hair resting against her cheek, pushing it behind her ear. She didn't pull away, but he saw her tense at his touch. He dropped his hand. "You mean, it depends on whether I dedicate myself to training him."

She nodded.

Luke turned away and looked out the window again. Becky was sitting on the grass now, and Muffin was stretched out beside her, his head on her lap. The moment was so intimate, so loving. How could he deprive Becky of that love by sending her dog away? With their parents so far away, he was Becky's only family. He couldn't let her down.

But keeping Muffin meant spending time with Paige. Each time she laughed at him, or challenged his ways, his attraction to her grew. He didn't want to go back to the life she represented. He really didn't. Even as those words floated through his mind, he watched his sister scratch Muffin's belly, something inside him longed for moments like his sister was having in that moment. She just looked so damned happy, sitting in the grass, with a dog on her lap. He'd left his childhood behind to try to find peace, and he'd never felt like his sister was clearly feeling as she snuggled with her dog, so utterly at peace and complete. How could he take that from her? He knew he had no choice. He had to risk it. "The things you do for love," he said softly.

Paige smiled and touched his arm. "It'll be worth it. And by the time you finish, it won't just be your sister you love."

He stared at her, shocked by her words. "Who else will I love?"

Her eyes widened. "The dog. I was talking about the dog."

"Oh. Right. The dog." He sighed, realizing that he'd thought, for a split second, that she'd been talking about him falling in love with her. He didn't know why his mind had gone there, or why he felt oddly disappointed that he'd been wrong.

Paige cleared her throat. "Who did you think I meant?"

Suddenly, the tension was palpable in the room as they stared at each other. He was so tempted to tell her the truth, to see what she would say, to see if all her attempts to keep him at a distance were a façade, if she was feeling a fraction of what he was feeling…

"Luke?"

"Training," he said finally. "I thought you meant I'd love training."

"Oh." Her face fell, which gave him hope. Had she been wishing that his answer was different, that he'd meant her? Hell, yeah. "Yes, that too. It's very satisfying to learn to connect with your dog. Working with him will bond you guys in ways you can't imagine. He'll become such a part of your life, you'll never be able to leave him behind when you go back to Boston. You'll have to stay here, where he can be happy."

"Stay here?" He hadn't been expecting that. "You think I should stay in New Hampshire? Not move back to Boston?" He'd never even thought of that possibility, he was so consumed with getting back to his life. "Why on earth would you suggest I do that?" Did she want him to stay? The idea absolutely floored him. He didn't even know what to think.

Paige's cheeks flushed appealingly. "I didn't suggest it, and I don't care where you live. You can move to Alaska for all I care. I was only predicting that you'll love Muffin as much as Becky does and you'll want to keep him, even when you go back."

Luke cocked his head at her. She was staring intently out the window, but her eyes were glazed as if she wasn't focusing on anything. He couldn't read her expression at all, but maybe that was good. She was hiding her thoughts from him. Son of a bitch. Had she meant it? Did she want him to stay? Did she like him?

Suddenly, his entire world seemed to plunge into chaos. He stared at her. He'd left his home because of a woman, because the woman he'd loved had thought he wasn't enough as he was. He could barely even conceive of the possibility that Paige would want him if he stayed.

But he couldn't. He just…hell. He'd worked his entire life to be where he was. "I'm not going to stay here, Paige. And I can't take the dog when I leave."

She whirled toward him. "Why are you so unwilling to take a chance on your dog?"

"I said I'd keep him for now. But I can't take him back with me." And he was going back. He had to. "I can't just give him away to a stranger when I leave. Becky would be devastated."

"So..."

"So, will you keep him after I move back?"

She folded her arms across her chest. "You can't dodge your familial responsibilities by dumping them on me. I'm sure you'd never consider pawning your work off onto someone else, would you? No, you'd stay all night to get it done, no matter who was counting on you."

"Why are you so upset? It isn't as if I'm abandoning you."

"No, it isn't. Because I would never let myself depend on you, no matter how good you look in a bathing suit. You'd let me down, and I have to remember that."

He grinned. "You think I look good in a bathing suit? That's the first nice thing you've said about me."

"You're still an autocratic jerk."

"Well, that's fine that you feel that way, because I'm not interested in you either." A blatant lie, but it felt good to at least try to resist her.

"Gee, that's a surprise. I really thought you'd fall for a dog trainer when you have rich, sophisticated women falling for your stubborn, egoistic ways."

Luke gritted his teeth. "It isn't like that. I just like my life the way it is. I don't want to live this life."

"Or date someone from this life. That's fine because I don't want your life or anyone who likes it. So I guess we're a good match, then, huh?"

"I guess." Oh, they were quite a match, no doubt about that.

"If you're going to get rid of Muffin, I guess there's no point in training him, then."

Luke felt a flash of panic at her words. It was what he wanted, to keep her away from him, but now that he'd done it, he wasn't ready to let her go.

"Plus, you don't have time anyway." She looked at him. "I guess I'll see you around then. I know you don't care, but you did disappoint me. I thought there was more to you than there apparently is."

She started to walk away, and his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. "Wait."

"What?"

His mind was blank. "Um..."

"Let me go, Luke."

His mind raced, trying to find a solution. He didn't have time to train, and if he was going to rehome the dog when he moved back to Boston, there wasn't a point…unless…unless he spent so much time training with Paige that she fell in love with the dog. And then she would adopt him when he moved back to Boston. Becky would be happy because Muffin would have a good home and live nearby, and he wouldn't have to feel guilty. Yes, he could justify spending time training if it was for a bigger purpose, like getting Paige to fall in love with Muffin. There we go. He was doing it for his sister, not because he wanted to spend time with Paige. "I still want to train him."

She raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because he needs to be trained. I'm going to keep him for as long as I'm here, and that could be for a year. I can't manage him like this. It's a worthwhile investment for my sanity."

Paige narrowed her eyes. "You really want to train your dog?"

"Yes. And I need your help." He realized he was still holding her arm, but he didn't feel like letting go. Instead, he loosened his grip until it was almost a caress. "I know you think I'm a jerk, but Muffin doesn't deserve to suffer just because of me. You wouldn't abandon a dog in need, would you?"

She didn't pull her arm away. "You know I wouldn't."

"So we're still on? For dog training?"

"You have to be committed," she warned. "You have to train every day."

"I will."

"And you can't beat him if he bites you."

"I didn't beat him," he protested, before he saw the twinkle in her eye. She was teasing him again. "You're trouble, aren't you?" He loved it when she gave him a hard time. If he married her, she'd keep his life interesting for the next seventy years.

Whoa.

Married her? Where the hell had that thought come from?

She grinned. "No more than you are." Paige tossed the leash at Luke, forcing him to let go of her arm to catch it. "For the next few days, continue with the training we started this morning. Once Muffin is so good that you can't catch him with the leash on the corners, give me a ring, and we'll set up our next training session."

"Okay." Luke followed her to the front door, opening it for her. "Thanks for bringing the dog by."

"I'm glad you're keeping him." Suddenly, she leaned forward and gave him a light kiss that made his blood surge south. "That was for restoring my faith in people, particularly men. I'm really glad you changed your mind about the dog."

She was partway down the porch steps when she looked over her shoulder at him. "You should probably get some protection for your next session of dog training. Maybe some ice hockey pads, or a Kevlar jock strap."

"Funny." But he couldn't stop himself from responding to her twinkling eyes with a grin of his own. The woman was perhaps more difficult to figure out than his dog. Certainly, more difficult to maneuver. She was a challenge, and he liked it.

Yeah, he liked her way too damn much.

How the hell was he going to sort this out?