Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Nicole gingerly opened the cage and walked in. The dog growled her way but more quietly this time.
He liked women more than men. It wasn’t unusual. Dogs—especially ones who’d been abused—could have gender preferences. This dog was probably kicked by a man and so he feared them.
A little like Nicole.
“It’s okay. I think I would rather stay here. I love dogs. And cats. Pretty much any animal,” she said as she eased down, sitting across from him. “Maybe Harlow or Landon could run the groceries back and Josh could pick us up when he’s done with work.”
Landon frowned but Harlow leaned over and whispered something to him that had him looking up at the security cameras.
They should be safe here.
It had been so long since she’d been willing to be alone with him.
Landon moved to pick up the bags Nicole had left on the counter. “Call if you need anything.”
Harlow held out her hand for the key to the truck. “I’ll text Josh to let him know to pick you up. Are you closing soon?”
It was their short day. It was exactly why he’d decided to stop by. He fished out his keys. “In about twenty minutes, but like I said, I’ll be here for a while. Josh won’t mind waiting around.”
He never did. He would come in and help with the chores.
They could have some quiet time with Nicole. Not to tempt her into sex. To show her she was safe with them.
“Hey, boss. I was actually needing to get home. My mom has a date, and I don’t want to leave my sister by herself. She tends to get into trouble,” Dakota said with a frown. “I know it’s bad timing.”
He shook his head. “You go and take care of business. Josh knows how to help me.”
“Thank you.” Dakota grabbed her bag. “I’ll lock up. Josh has keys.”
“And I’ll show you to your car,” Landon offered.
Dakota blushed. “Oh, thanks. That would be nice.”
Harlow’s eyes rolled, but she followed them out.
And he was left alone with Nicole.
“Do we just sit here?” she asked after a moment.
He looked over, and the dog had managed to down the treat when he’d figured no one was looking. It was a good sign.
Like Nicole willing to be locked in with him.
“The key is to get him used to people who aren’t going to hurt him,” Grim explained. “Dogs are a lot like people. You kick them too much and they get real scared. You have to build trust before they’ll let you get close.”
Her lips curled up. “Are you talking about the dog or me?”
“Maybe both.”
She was quiet for a moment. “It’s hard. I hate hurting you and Josh, but it’s hard for me to trust. Not you. I’m kind of getting over the whole Josh sicced a PI on me thing. Harlow’s been asking me all kinds of questions during our self-defense lessons, and they made me think. Josh was being Josh. The way Jack was being Jack. They’re overprotective men. Good men but overprotective. He didn’t mean to hurt me.”
“He didn’t.”
“So what I’m really afraid of is everything falling apart.”
He pulled another treat out of his bag, handing it to Nicole. “Toss it about a foot away from him. Just enough so he’ll have to move out of the corner to get it.”
She did as he asked, and the dog’s head turned slightly but it didn’t move. “You’re trying to show him it’s safe to get closer to us.”
“Yep.”
“Was the car a dog treat, Grim?”
He snorted at the idea. “The car was repayment because my dad is a freak who likes to cube vehicles he finds offensive. He owed you the car, Nic. You don’t have to feel bad about it. He knew he would be buying you one when he destroyed yours. He did it so Josh didn’t have to. Your car was dangerous.”
“My car was worth maybe three hundred bucks. I can’t even comprehend how much the Volvo cost. I still have sticker shock and I’ve been driving it for two weeks,” she said with a frown. “He didn’t have to get me some luxury vehicle. I was mostly kidding when I picked it. I wanted to shock him.”
Grim shrugged. “Jack knows what it means to fight to survive. The same way you and I do. I want you to think about this. If you had more money than you could ever spend, would you spoil the people you love?”
“Of course I would,” Nicole agreed. “I guess it’s been so long since anyone loved me that I don’t recognize it. I spent a couple of days thinking he bought it as a bribe.”
“A bribe?”
“So I would be nicer to you and Josh. He found out I wasn’t the evil person he thought I was so he felt bad. And then I realized he does care about me. He’s been teaching me how to ride. Do you know I don’t ever remember a parental figure sitting down and taking the time to teach me anything? For my father I was a reminder of something he would rather forget. To my stepmother I was a bother. Being around Jack and Sam and Abby is the first time I feel like I have parents.” There were tears in her eyes.