LITMIR.BIZ

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but to lock lips with him, to taste his whisky breath and feel the absolute thrill of kissing him. Almost as if he heard her thoughts, his mouth cocked up and he drew a long breath.

      And then he said, “I’ll walk you to your car.”

      Disappointment that the stranger who’d just rescued her didn’t want to kiss her into oblivion, she said, “Okay.”

      In a few minutes she’d be headed back to her guest cabin at the Flying E, with no job, no prospects, and trying to find a productive way to spend the next month or so. Her job being little Faye’s nanny had ended when her employer Will Brady had found love here in Texas. And apparently, scandal-plagued grade school music teachers were not in hot demand, apparently in Seattle or anywhere else for that matter.

      She pointed to her car. “It’s just over there.”

      She could dream of a goodbye kiss from the stranger. Or she could give him one herself. It was risky, but she was warming to the idea. Executing it would be a different—

      A car came to a screeching halt, right in front of them on the street. Then a loud yelp rang out and something hit the pavement with a thud. And a dog began to whimper. The sound of his pained cries curled her stomach and she glanced at Dan. He didn’t waste a second. He grabbed her hand and took off running toward the downed animal. The car sped off, the driver not even giving the poor animal a glance. Dan was at the dog’s side immediately, kneeling beside him, cradling his head. “You’ll be alright, boy,” he said, whispering confidently near the dog’s face as he began a thorough scan over his body. His big hands were gentle as he probed. He found a few gashes on the dog’s backside where blood was beginning to pool. “You need some patching up, is all.”

      “Are you a vet?” she asked, noting the care he took with the animal.

      “No, but he needs one. He’s scared, probably in shock. That A-hole just drove off after hitting him.”

      Erin couldn’t believe it, either. It was heartless and cold. She wished she could’ve gotten a look at the license plate.

      The dog looked to be a mix of collie and German shepherd with big round brown eyes. He watched Dan carefully, giving him blind trust. “Will you stay with him?” Dan asked, sparing her a brief glance. “I have a blanket in my car.”

      “Sure, of course.”

      Dan rose and Erin took over his position. “You’re gonna be just fine, pretty boy,” she said, carefully stroking the dog just above the eyes. She made massage circles and the dog’s whimpers stopped as his eyes drifted closed. He wore no collar and there was no way to contact his owner, if he even had one. Why had he been wandering out so late at night?

      “That’s it, boy. Rest. We’re going to get you all fixed up.”

      Dan was back in an instant, and immediately tucked the blanket under the dog, careful not to cause him injury. The blanket was thick enough to absorb the little bit of blood at the wound site. “Bleeding isn’t too bad.”

      “That’s good, right?”

      He nodded.

      “What can I do to help?”

      “You mind watching him in the backseat of my SUV? My vet is gonna meet me at my house. It’s closer than his office.”

      “Sure,” she said, stroking the dog’s golden coat gently. “Of course I will.”

      And once Dan got her situated in the backseat of his car, the big blanketed dog scooted next to her and planted his sweet mug on her lap. Thatta boy. She smiled and continued to massage the dog’s head, just over the eyes and occasionally stroking over his ears.

      Dan didn’t say much as he drove, but he kept glancing in the rearview mirror to see how the dog was doing. She was touched by his concern, the kindness in his eyes.

      “Pretty nice vet to come out in the middle of the night for this sweet guy,” she said.

      Dan nodded, and she didn’t think he’d say anything but seconds later, he admitted, “I do business with him at my ranch. He’s a neighbor.”

      So Dan really was a cowboy. “Is it far?”

      “Five more minutes.”

      And a short time later, Dan pulled into one of the garages of a beautifully appointed two-story estate. It was dark; she couldn’t see more than what the ground lights surrounding the property gave away, but her instincts told her this ranch was massive and successful.

      “I’ll set up a bed in the kitchen and then come get him,” Dan said.

      Lights flicked on in the garage as he entered his home and Erin waited patiently. The dog was breathing heavily, but other than that, his whimpers from earlier were all gone. Thank goodness. Erin had never owned a dog, but back in her college days she used to walk dogs to pick up extra spending cash, and she’d grown fond of the species, even as she was also picking up their poop. She was sure this big guy would’ve stolen her heart too. He had those kind of eyes that seemed to touch her deep inside.

      Once Dan came back, he removed the dog from the backseat, lifting him with as much care as he’d lifted her from the mat after her mechanical bull fiasco. Erin followed him inside to a kitchen a chef would envy. Despite the ivory cabinets, black granite countertops trailing with gold vein, contemporary appliances and stone fireplace, the room looked cozy and lived-in.

      Dan set the dog down and stroked him lovingly a few times. Then he grabbed a towel he’d soaked with warm water and began dabbing at the animal’s wounds.

      “You came up with that bed really fast,” she said, kneeling beside Dan, curious about this man. “I’m impressed.”

      He shrugged. “I sorta rescue animals.”

      “You do?”

      “Not deliberately.”

      “How does that work?”

      “If strays come by, they end up staying. One I found stranded by the side of the road, another was left behind after the family moved out of Texas. The cats are all freeloaders. They kept coming around searching for food and I fed them.”

      “How many pets do you have?”

      “Four dogs, three cats, a string of horses.”

      “Is this a horse farm?”

      He shook his head. “Cattle ranch.”

      “Lots and lots of cattle, I assume.”

      His lips quirked up a bit. “Something like that.”

      Erin could easily imagine Dan surrounded by animals. He was one of those men that appeared tough on the outside, but she didn’t doubt he was a total softie on the inside. When the dog was hit, Dan went into action mode, seeing to the injured animal’s needs immediately.

      Sort of like how he’d come to her rescue with the bull.

      A few minutes later, Dan’s neighbor, a man he introduced as Doug Bristol, walked into the kitchen armed with his medical bag. He quickly went to work on the dog, giving him a thorough visual examination along with poking and prodding him gently in a few places. “He’s lucky,” he said after his exam. “He got pretty banged up, but nothing seems broken.”

      They watched the vet administer pain meds to the dog and then bandage his wounds. When he’d done all he could for him, Dr. Bristol told Dan to bring him by his office in the morning. “I want to examine him again. What’s his name?”

      Dan shrugged, then said, “How about we call him Lucky?”

      Dan gave his neighbor a nod. “Lucky.”

      “Okay, I’ll see Lucky, then, tomorrow. Nice to meet you, Erin.”

      “Thanks for stopping by, Doc,” Dan said, and the two men shook hands.

      After seeing his neighbor to the door,

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