Luke wasn't prepared for the look of horror that sprung to Paige's face at his response. Yeah, he'd heard all the lawyer jokes in his life, and he knew that many people put his profession at about the same level of morality as loan shark, hit man, or blackmailer. He knew the stereotype, but he considered himself a pretty good guy, certainly not the kind who would elicit a look of absolute "God-help-me-no!" on a woman's face less than an hour after meeting him.

Maybe it wasn't him.

Maybe she'd just remembered that she'd left the stove on. Or…that she'd run over someone on the way home, and had just remembered that she forgot to call the police. He frowned. "Are you okay?"

She stared at him for so long without answering that he took a step forward to help her, stopping when she held up her hand. "Did you just say you were going to hire me?" she asked.

"Yeah." Again, she looked like she was about to pass out from terror. Huh. He was starting to think it was him, which really didn't make his day all that fantastic. He liked her. She was sassy and irreverent, and didn't take any shit. He kinda wanted to work with her, but if she was repulsed by him, that would make it slightly awkward. He frowned. "You don't want to work with me…us?" He decided to change the pronoun at the last second, on the chance that he was misreading the situation and it wasn't actually about him.

"Whaaat?" She laughed so awkwardly that he didn't buy it for a split second. Son of a bitch. It was him. She laughed and waved her hand dismissively, in that super-awkward way that no one with half a brain would believe. "Oh, no. It's no problem. It's great... I just wasn't expecting you to hire me is all. You sort of had that look like you weren't. No biggie. Okay, well, let's focus on the dog, then." She turned away, waving her hand in front of her flushed cheeks.

"Um...sorry." He was feeling a little thunderstruck, he wasn't going to lie. He'd spent the last couple decades running as fast and hard as he could from the small-town life that had sucked his childhood away from him. He'd worked hard to find solace in the big city, away from dirt, nature, and financial pressure. He wore nice suits, and he liked it. He drove a nice car, and he liked it. He lived in a flashy condo and liked it. He dated women who took time for manicures, and hairdressing appointments, and he liked them...well, honestly, he didn't really like them, but he was optimistic that at some point he'd find a woman like that who actually interested him.

Bottom line, he'd worked his ass off to get away from everything that Paige Turner represented, and yet he was completely ensnared by her, in every way, which meant, he was so not a fan of her "I-think-you-might-be-an-axe-murderer" reaction to him.

And her rejection of him also reminded him too much of the reaction that another small-town female had had to him a long time ago, the woman who had been the catalyst to galvanize him to throw a backpack over his shoulder, and get out of town for good.

Damn.

He didn't quite know what to do next. Walk away and spare himself an unwanted trip down memory lane? But everyone he'd met in town had said she was the best. He needed the best. Without the best, he wasn't going to be able to keep Muffin, and he couldn’t let that happen.

This was about the dog. His attraction to Paige had been unexpected, and his disappointment at her reluctance to spend time with him wasn't exactly his feel-good moment of the day, but this was, first and foremost, about the dog.

He owed his sister.

He had to find a way to get this dog to a point at which he could manage him.

Which meant, he wasn't giving Paige an out. So, instead of taking Muffin's leash from her hand, he jammed his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. "Do we start now?"

She stared at him for almost a full minute, and he could practically see the wheels turning in her head. For whatever reason, she didn't want to work with him, and she'd finally realized he wasn't going to let her off the hook.

He grinned, preparing himself for her next attempt to get rid of him. He liked her fire. He wasn't a fan of the fact she didn't want to work with him, but in some weird way, it was refreshing. He made enough money and had enough power that most people wanted a piece of him or his business.

Paige wasn't buying into any of that, and that made him even more interested.

She raised her eyebrows, and didn't disappoint him. "You want to start now? You plan to dog train in that outfit? Your shoes might get a little scuffed."

Stifling a grin, Luke glanced at his clothes. "Damn. I forgot I was wearing my suit." He'd been so caught up in being with her that he'd completely forgotten he was still dressed in his city attire. Damn. She was distracting. He liked that. More than he wanted to.

Maybe she was right. Maybe a step back and a little distance would be a good thing. With a sigh, he held out his hand for Muffin's leash. "I guess you're right. Later, then?"

"Great." She looked so relieved that he decided to take a little bit of offense. He was sure he'd remembered to put on deodorant, and he'd even showered, so what the hell? Why was she so resistant to him?

Then she surprised him. "Let's go inside, and we'll schedule an appointment. And I need a check."

"Inside?" The entire cottage looked as big as his den back in Boston. And it sort of reminded him of the farmhouse he'd grown up in. Hell. He didn't want to go back toward the life he'd worked so hard to leave behind.

She must have sensed his hesitation, because she set her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. "Do you have a problem with indoor living?"

"No." He ground his jaw. "It's fine."

She folded her arms over her chest. "I'm sure it's not as big as your place, huh?"

The defensive tone in her voice caught his attention. He frowned. "I didn't mean to offend you. My hesitation has nothing to do with the size of your home." He paused. "Just the memories it evokes," he said quietly.

"Oh." Some of the bluster went out of her defensiveness.

For a moment, they just looked at each other. There was something in her expression that spoke of an empathy, of a solidarity about having a past that wasn't welcome. For a second, he was tempted to reach out, to trace his finger along her cheek, as if that could chase away the shadows in her eyes.

She leaned forward ever so slightly, as if she were feeling the same temptation. He caught his breath, and the tension between them increased. What if he kissed her? What if right there, right then, as an almost stranger, he just kissed her? What if—

Muffin barked suddenly, making them both jump.

She sucked in her breath and pulled back, whirling away from him and practically racing toward her front door.

Luke took a deep breath, and glanced down at Muffin, who was watching a squirrel hop around at the edge of the woods. "Really, boy? What kind of wingman are you?"

Muffin looked up at him and wagged his tail unapologetically.

Luke sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "What the hell does she have against me anyway?" He was well aware that she'd jumped to the most negative conclusion possible about him when he'd hesitated about going into her house.

He didn't like that she was so resistant to him, but he knew he should appreciate it, and take it as a sign that he should be moving on and looking forward….except he couldn't. "She's intriguing as hell, Muffin. Don't you think?"

Muffin wagged his tail again, staring up at him as if he were actually listening.

Luke frowned down at him. "There are occasional moments, albeit few and far between, when I get a faint sense of why people might like owning dogs. Like now."

Muffin barked and sat down, panting at him.

Luke narrowed his eyes. "You're actually a human in a fur coat, aren't you?" He was amazed at the intelligence in the dog's eyes. "When I think you're taunting me, you really are, aren't you? Just like you're listening to me right now, and debating about whether to tell me to go for it with Paige, or run like hell?"

Muffin's tail upended some leaves, as he wagged it from the sitting position.

"So, which is it? Run like hell, or break through that enormous freaking wall she's erected around herself?"

"Are you coming?" The woman in question interrupted their discussion, and Luke looked up to see her standing in the doorway, holding her screen door open. "We have a contract to sign, and you need to give me money, but I have to be somewhere in about ten minutes."

Luke looked down at Muffin. "I think 'yeah,' don't you?"

Muffin woofed.

Luke grinned and tightened his grip on the leash as he turned toward Paige. "Yeah, we're coming." He headed toward her, noting the lightning quick flash of relief cross her face before she turned away and disappeared inside.

He caught the door just before it slammed shut, and then stepped inside her home.