favorite movie, Shrek .
Chloe bent over to smooth his hair. Life was complicated as a single mother, but she had no regrets. Jeremy was the joy of her life. She kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back in a blink, big guy.” The Bower house was only one street over. Jeremy would besafe for the few minutes it took her to drive Tracy home.
After dropping Tracy off, Chloe drove home faster than usual.
She no sooner killed the car engine than she realized the yard was still dark. She hadn’t thought to flip on the porch light. She muttered under her breath.
Stiff with tension, she struck off across the lawn. It was stupid to be so jumpy. Roger was an entire state away, and she had no reason to believe he might show up here. It was time to turn loose of her fear and get on with her life.
Just as she reached the rickety steps, a deep voice said, “Hi, there.”
She braked to a halt so suddenly that she almost pitched forward on her face. Her heart gave a wild leap when a man emerged from the shadows on the porch. For a horrible instant, she thought it was Roger. Then her panic-stricken brain registered the fact that he was far taller, and darker as well.
Ben Longtree . Chloe clamped a hand over the center of her chest, where her heart was doing an erratic tap dance. “Oh,” she said weakly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She moved her hand to her throat. It was going on midnight. What reaction did he expect? “It’s okay. I, um, just didn’t anticipate company.”
“I was going to telephone.” He rubbed his jaw. “Then I got to thinking that I’d rather tell you in person. Are you all right?”
“In need of defibrillation to reestablish a normal heartbeat, but otherwise I’m fine.”
He chuckled. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I should have parked in your drive or stayed in the truck until you reached the house.”
He stepped into the moonlight. He looked so—well, big. He looked big. And masculine. Too masculine for her taste. She could almost feel the heat rolling off him.
“I suppose you’re wondering how I found your place.”
She made a noise that passed for an affirmative.
“Jeremy called this evening. He gave me the address. I hope you don’t mind. I know it’s late for guests.”
Chloe’s brain had stuck on one thought. “Rowdy—he’s dead, isn’t he?”
Even in the moonlight, she saw his mouth tip into a grin. “Actually, no. He’s doing better. Right when I thought sure I’d lose him, he started to rally.”
Chloe groped for the wobbly porch rail. “He started to rally?” she repeated incredulously.
“He isn’t out of the woods yet,” he added. “Judging by the look of him, I’d venture a guess he was weak from starvation before he got sick, and the virus has robbed him of what little strength he had. But with proper care—meaning rest and plenty of nourishment—I think I can pull him out of it. I wanted to tell Jeremy. You know that saying, ‘Bad news can’t wait.’ In this case, it was good news that wouldn’t keep.”
Chloe imagined him working over the puppy half the night and then making a special trip over here to share the news. “Jeremy will be over the moon. I don’t usually wake him so late, but this calls for an exception.”
Ben’s eyes shimmered in the moonglow. “You don’t have to do that. The good news will wait till morning. I wasn’t thinking in terms of a six-year-old’s time schedule.”
“Hey, you have no idea how I dreaded having totell him the puppy didn’t make it. Now I won’t have to.” A smarting sensation washed over her eyes. “He had such grand plans. Then they all blew up in his face. I felt responsible, you know? When he was choosing a dog, I knew Rowdy wasn’t the best choice, but I didn’t put my foot down and—” She broke off and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m blabbering, aren’t I? It startled me out of ten years’ growth when I saw you on the porch.”
“I got the impression
Chloe bent over to smooth his hair. Life was complicated as a single mother, but she had no regrets. Jeremy was the joy of her life. She kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back in a blink, big guy.” The Bower house was only one street over. Jeremy would besafe for the few minutes it took her to drive Tracy home.
After dropping Tracy off, Chloe drove home faster than usual.
She no sooner killed the car engine than she realized the yard was still dark. She hadn’t thought to flip on the porch light. She muttered under her breath.
Stiff with tension, she struck off across the lawn. It was stupid to be so jumpy. Roger was an entire state away, and she had no reason to believe he might show up here. It was time to turn loose of her fear and get on with her life.
Just as she reached the rickety steps, a deep voice said, “Hi, there.”
She braked to a halt so suddenly that she almost pitched forward on her face. Her heart gave a wild leap when a man emerged from the shadows on the porch. For a horrible instant, she thought it was Roger. Then her panic-stricken brain registered the fact that he was far taller, and darker as well.
Ben Longtree . Chloe clamped a hand over the center of her chest, where her heart was doing an erratic tap dance. “Oh,” she said weakly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She moved her hand to her throat. It was going on midnight. What reaction did he expect? “It’s okay. I, um, just didn’t anticipate company.”
“I was going to telephone.” He rubbed his jaw. “Then I got to thinking that I’d rather tell you in person. Are you all right?”
“In need of defibrillation to reestablish a normal heartbeat, but otherwise I’m fine.”
He chuckled. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I should have parked in your drive or stayed in the truck until you reached the house.”
He stepped into the moonlight. He looked so—well, big. He looked big. And masculine. Too masculine for her taste. She could almost feel the heat rolling off him.
“I suppose you’re wondering how I found your place.”
She made a noise that passed for an affirmative.
“Jeremy called this evening. He gave me the address. I hope you don’t mind. I know it’s late for guests.”
Chloe’s brain had stuck on one thought. “Rowdy—he’s dead, isn’t he?”
Even in the moonlight, she saw his mouth tip into a grin. “Actually, no. He’s doing better. Right when I thought sure I’d lose him, he started to rally.”
Chloe groped for the wobbly porch rail. “He started to rally?” she repeated incredulously.
“He isn’t out of the woods yet,” he added. “Judging by the look of him, I’d venture a guess he was weak from starvation before he got sick, and the virus has robbed him of what little strength he had. But with proper care—meaning rest and plenty of nourishment—I think I can pull him out of it. I wanted to tell Jeremy. You know that saying, ‘Bad news can’t wait.’ In this case, it was good news that wouldn’t keep.”
Chloe imagined him working over the puppy half the night and then making a special trip over here to share the news. “Jeremy will be over the moon. I don’t usually wake him so late, but this calls for an exception.”
Ben’s eyes shimmered in the moonglow. “You don’t have to do that. The good news will wait till morning. I wasn’t thinking in terms of a six-year-old’s time schedule.”
“Hey, you have no idea how I dreaded having totell him the puppy didn’t make it. Now I won’t have to.” A smarting sensation washed over her eyes. “He had such grand plans. Then they all blew up in his face. I felt responsible, you know? When he was choosing a dog, I knew Rowdy wasn’t the best choice, but I didn’t put my foot down and—” She broke off and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m blabbering, aren’t I? It startled me out of ten years’ growth when I saw you on the porch.”
“I got the impression
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