her.
Nodding, he turned and headed for the door. “Yell if you need anything.”
“Thank you,” Valerie said softly as he opened the door.
Pausing, Anders glanced back, his gaze shifting to the dog. “Does Roxy sleep with you, or should I take her downstairs?”
“Oh, no. She sleeps with me,” Valerie said, glancing to Roxy herself.
“Lucky dog,” he murmured and caught her surprised glance before he stepped out and pulled the door closed.
Anders paused there briefly, silently kicking himself in the ass for not kissing her, but then shrugged and headed for the door to the room he’d been given for the duration of his stay here.
He’d kiss her tomorrow, he thought, and he wouldn’t wait for a signal to do so. In the meantime, he was rather tired himself. He usually slept during the day, but Valerie’s waking around noon had cut into his sleep. He’d been up all night and then all day. He suspected his hours were going to be all screwed up for the next little while. Valerie probably kept normal hours and he’d have to do so too to spend time with, and keep an eye on, her.
R oxy’s whining woke Valerie. Opening her eyes to the dimly lit room, she took in the open bathroom door and the light spilling out of it. Despite Roxy being with her, she hadn’t been willing to sleep in complete darkness. Valerie had been afraid she might wake up and think she was back in that cage.
Roxy whined again and Valerie shifted up onto her elbow to peer to the bottom right corner of the bed, but the German Shepherd wasn’t there. She was standing on the floor beside the bed, whining unhappily. When Valerie glanced her way, she turned and moved to the door and then back.
“You have to go out, huh?” Valerie asked, recognizing the signal. Sighing with resignation, she tossed her covers aside and sat up, wincing as a shot of pain caught her by surprise. She’d forgotten about her back. Moving more carefully, Valerie stood up and glanced around for her robe, then recalled that it was still in the duffel bag. She’d been too tired to bother unpacking it, and had simply stripped off her clothes, pulled on the oversized T-shirt she slept in, and crawled between the sheets.
Valerie headed for the bags Anders had set on the table, but another, more urgent whine followed by a bark from Roxy made her change direction. Her T-shirt covered everything and the dog obviously really needed to go out. It made her wonder how long Roxy had been trying to wake her with her whines.
“Okay,” she whispered as she reached the door. “But quietly. People are sleeping.”
Roxy whined and wagged her tail and Valerie opened the door. The German shepherd was out the door at once, completely forgetting her manners. That said more about her urgency than anything else had and Valerie didn’t waste time reprimanding her, but hurried up the hall after her, grateful for the night-lights in the plug sockets that lit her path.
Roxy remembered her manners at the stairs and paused to let Valerie go down first. There were no night-lights here, but they started again at the bottom of the steps and Valerie moved carefully down with one hand on the stair rail.
As she led Roxy toward the back of the house with the help of the night-lights, Valerie wondered what time it was. She glanced around for a clock as she crossed to the French doors and began to work the lock, but hadn’t spotted one before she got the door unlocked. She pulled it open and Roxy bolted out just as an alarm suddenly started to blare. Valerie froze, only then remembering Anders saying something about a state-of-the-art alarm system. She’d just set it off.
Six
T he sudden screech of the alarm had Anders abruptly awake. A wash of adrenaline pumping through him propelled him out of the bed. Before he even knew what he was doing, he was at the door and dragging it open. Movement at the end of the hall caught his attention as he started forward. Anders slowed when he saw that it
Nodding, he turned and headed for the door. “Yell if you need anything.”
“Thank you,” Valerie said softly as he opened the door.
Pausing, Anders glanced back, his gaze shifting to the dog. “Does Roxy sleep with you, or should I take her downstairs?”
“Oh, no. She sleeps with me,” Valerie said, glancing to Roxy herself.
“Lucky dog,” he murmured and caught her surprised glance before he stepped out and pulled the door closed.
Anders paused there briefly, silently kicking himself in the ass for not kissing her, but then shrugged and headed for the door to the room he’d been given for the duration of his stay here.
He’d kiss her tomorrow, he thought, and he wouldn’t wait for a signal to do so. In the meantime, he was rather tired himself. He usually slept during the day, but Valerie’s waking around noon had cut into his sleep. He’d been up all night and then all day. He suspected his hours were going to be all screwed up for the next little while. Valerie probably kept normal hours and he’d have to do so too to spend time with, and keep an eye on, her.
R oxy’s whining woke Valerie. Opening her eyes to the dimly lit room, she took in the open bathroom door and the light spilling out of it. Despite Roxy being with her, she hadn’t been willing to sleep in complete darkness. Valerie had been afraid she might wake up and think she was back in that cage.
Roxy whined again and Valerie shifted up onto her elbow to peer to the bottom right corner of the bed, but the German Shepherd wasn’t there. She was standing on the floor beside the bed, whining unhappily. When Valerie glanced her way, she turned and moved to the door and then back.
“You have to go out, huh?” Valerie asked, recognizing the signal. Sighing with resignation, she tossed her covers aside and sat up, wincing as a shot of pain caught her by surprise. She’d forgotten about her back. Moving more carefully, Valerie stood up and glanced around for her robe, then recalled that it was still in the duffel bag. She’d been too tired to bother unpacking it, and had simply stripped off her clothes, pulled on the oversized T-shirt she slept in, and crawled between the sheets.
Valerie headed for the bags Anders had set on the table, but another, more urgent whine followed by a bark from Roxy made her change direction. Her T-shirt covered everything and the dog obviously really needed to go out. It made her wonder how long Roxy had been trying to wake her with her whines.
“Okay,” she whispered as she reached the door. “But quietly. People are sleeping.”
Roxy whined and wagged her tail and Valerie opened the door. The German shepherd was out the door at once, completely forgetting her manners. That said more about her urgency than anything else had and Valerie didn’t waste time reprimanding her, but hurried up the hall after her, grateful for the night-lights in the plug sockets that lit her path.
Roxy remembered her manners at the stairs and paused to let Valerie go down first. There were no night-lights here, but they started again at the bottom of the steps and Valerie moved carefully down with one hand on the stair rail.
As she led Roxy toward the back of the house with the help of the night-lights, Valerie wondered what time it was. She glanced around for a clock as she crossed to the French doors and began to work the lock, but hadn’t spotted one before she got the door unlocked. She pulled it open and Roxy bolted out just as an alarm suddenly started to blare. Valerie froze, only then remembering Anders saying something about a state-of-the-art alarm system. She’d just set it off.
Six
T he sudden screech of the alarm had Anders abruptly awake. A wash of adrenaline pumping through him propelled him out of the bed. Before he even knew what he was doing, he was at the door and dragging it open. Movement at the end of the hall caught his attention as he started forward. Anders slowed when he saw that it
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