LITMIR.BIZ

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Being too thin had never been an issue.

      “You should have a vet take a look at her.”

      “You think she could be sick?” She pushed the words past her lips. “Like your dog?”

      “All I know is Buttercup started losing weight and we didn’t notice it at first. When we did, it was summer and we thought it was no big deal, just her eating less because of the heat.” He paused, as if considering how much to say. “Later—too late—we learned golden retrievers are prone to lymphoma. Early diagnosis is critical for survival.”

      Fear, heart-stopping fear, sluiced through Michelle’s veins quickly followed by a healthy dose of self-directed anger. She was a doctor. She should have noticed Sasha’s weight loss, not needed a stranger to point it out to her.

      “I’ll definitely have her checked. I certainly don’t want anything to happen to her.” Unexpected tears filled Michelle’s eyes, but she hurriedly blinked them back before he could notice. “Thank you for caring enough to speak up.”

      Before she could take a step, she felt his hand lightly touch her arm. She looked up into warm amber eyes. “Just remember, if it is something serious, you’ll have caught it early.”

      Michelle considered herself to be a strong, independent woman, but times like this made her wish she had a special someone in her life. A man to wrap his strong arms around her and tell her everything was going to be all right.

      After her experience with Larry, she’d begun to believe good men only existed in the movies or in the pages of a book.

      The spicy scent of Gabe’s cologne grew stronger and Michelle realized that while lost in her thoughts, she’d taken a step closer. Even though a respectable distance still separated her and Gabe, it wouldn’t take much to bridge that gap.

      She met his gaze. Almost immediately their eye contact turned into something more, a tangible connection between the two of them. A curious longing surged through her veins like an awakened river.

      Michelle experienced an overwhelming urge to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him close, to feel the hard muscular planes of his body against her soft curves. To press her lips against his neck and—

      “Dad,” a young female voice called out. “Grandma’s on the phone.”

      Gabe’s hand dropped to his side. He turned toward the house, where his daughter stood on the porch, cell phone in hand. “Tell her I’ll call her back.”

      Michelle took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest. Thankfully the crazy spell tethering her to him had been broken. She tugged on the leash and Sasha stood. “Thanks again for the advice.”

      “It was nice meeting you,” Gabe called to her retreating back.

      “You, too,” Michelle said without turning around.

      Tomorrow, when she saw her friends in church, she was going to tell them they could scratch the guy with the truck off their potential suitor list.

      No matter how charming, sexy or caring her new neighbor was, she now knew he had a teenage daughter. Which meant Gabe Davis was one man she wouldn’t have, even served up on a silver platter.

       Chapter Two

      Thirteen-year-old Finley stopped at the foot of the concrete steps leading into the small white church and lifted her chin. “I’m not going in.”

      Gabe expelled a breath and kept a tight hold on his temper. Before they left the house, he and Finley had agreed how the morning would progress. Apparently she’d changed her mind. From all the reading he’d done about adolescents, this behavior was typical for a girl Finley’s age.

      Unfortunately he only had minutes to remind his daughter of their agreement before the service began.

      “It’s not easy for me to walk in there.” Gabe kept his tone conversational and matter-of-fact. He’d learned to keep things calm around Finley. “But we have to start somewhere.”

      “I’m dressed all wrong.” She glanced down at her yellow sleeveless dress. When she lifted her gaze he saw the worry in her eyes. “All the girls I’ve seen have on skirts and tops.”

      Gabe knew better than to dismiss her concerns or try to placate her. At her age emotions were too volatile. “Perhaps you’ll start a fashion trend. After all, you’re a big-city girl.”

      Okay, so perhaps Philadelphia wasn’t fashion central, but surely in the minds of middle-school-aged girls, her being from the East Coast counted for something.

      Finley’s brows drew together and he could almost see her processing his words. Personally he thought she looked lovely. If he didn’t think a dad’s comment would make the situation worse, he’d tell her so. Finley’s hair was the color of rich Colombian coffee. Her blue eyes and fine features were from her mother. In several years she’d be a real heartbreaker.

      Gabe pushed the thought from his head. He preferred to ignore the fact the little girl who’d once invited him to tea parties was now old enough to wear lip gloss.

      “We need to hurry. I’m not walking in late.”

      Her words pulled him from his reverie.

      She practically sprinted up the steps. Gabe followed behind her, relief filling him.

      Although he and Finley had attended church regularly since she’d been a baby, this was a different ball game. New town. New church. And in the fall, a new school. They’d waited to move until early summer so Finley wouldn’t have to start at the end of the year.

      Now he wondered if that had been a mistake. Finley was already complaining of being lonely. His only hope was that she’d make a friend or two today at youth group. This morning she’d made it clear that she was only staying for the church service, but he still held out hope that he could change her mind.

      To make this relocation successful, it was important they both reach out to the community. Gabe had already marked his calendar to attend the next Jackson After-Hours meeting, a chamber of commerce function for young professionals. But attending church was a first step in reaching out.

      He realized that wasn’t exactly true. He’d met several guys at the Y yesterday. When they’d mentioned they attended this church, he’d decided he and Finley would check it out.

      Not knowing how casual the service was, he’d forgone jeans for a pair of navy pants and a button-down shirt. As he walked into the church, it appeared he’d guessed correctly, although he did see some guys in denim and a few older men in suits.

      The church appeared to attract a lot of young families. His heart twisted. He wished his daughter could have had the experience of having both a father and a mother. But Shannon had relinquished all parental rights when Finley was still an infant and had shown no interest in her since.

      Her loss, he told himself for the millionth time.

      He started to steer them toward a pew in the back until he saw all the parents with babies. Obviously the last few rows were reserved for those with small children.

      Gabe continued down the aisle. He wasn’t sure what to feel when he saw a tall woman with long wavy blond hair a couple of pews ahead. He recognized her immediately. His neighbor. Michelle.

      She was slender with long legs and curves in all the right places and big blue eyes. She appeared to be alone and he thought for a second about sitting beside her. But he wasn’t sure that was wise after what had happened in the driveway yesterday.

      He’d almost kissed her. He’d wanted to kiss her. Yet, making such a move on a new neighbor could have disastrous consequences. After all, they’d just met. And while she’d said she wasn’t married, she hadn’t said anything about not having a boyfriend. A woman as pretty as she had to have some guy in the wings.

      “Gabe,” a deep voice

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