LITMIR.BIZ

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here she sat with Josh and Cody on the way to Ellen’s. The whole thing blurred lines she’d been so careful to keep clear.

      “Gramma has a dog,” Cody announced into the silence. Josh had been very quiet. Thinking maybe of Lucy? She certainly was never far from Maggie’s thoughts.

      She half turned in her seat, grateful for the interruption. “She does? What kind?”

      “A big one,” Cody said, his gaze on the back of Josh’s head. “Right, Daddy?”

      “That’s right,” Josh agreed. He slid a glance her way. “Friendly, though. In case you were wondering.”

      “I like dogs,” she said. “What’s his name?”

      “Riley,” Cody said.

      “That’s a good name.” She thought wistfully of Bear, the dog she’d shared with Tony. Bear had stayed with him. One more thing she’d surrendered to be free of the marriage.

      “Are you okay over there?”

      She blinked and looked over at Josh. “I’m fine. I used to have a dog,” she blurted.

      “Really?” Josh and Cody said in unison.

      She was in it now. “Yes. His name is Bear.”

      “Where is he?” Cody asked.

      “Well.” Here goes. “He’s with my, um, ex-husband.”

      Cody’s eyes rounded and out of the corner of her eye Maggie saw Josh flex his hand on the steering wheel. A small ball of unease settled in her stomach. Had he known she was divorced? She’d told Ellen. She couldn’t remember if it’d come up otherwise.

      “Don’t you miss him?”

      She knew who Cody meant. “I miss Bear. I do.” She’d never really missed Tony, only what they never really had. In retrospect, it said so much about her marriage. “He’s a good dog, but an old one. We thought it was better for him to stay in his own familiar house.”

      “Gramma will share Riley. Right, Daddy?”

      “Of course.” Josh sent a quick smile her way.

      Touched, Maggie smiled at each of them in turn. “Thank you. That’s so sweet.”

      “You can meet him in a few.” Josh turned onto a gravel drive. “We’re here.”

      They wound through the trees for a short distance before opening up to a large lawn and a low ranch house. A big dog of any number of breeds loped across the grass, barking and wagging his entire rear end.

      “That’s Riley!” Cody cried as the SUV came to a stop. The little boy popped the seat belt on his car seat and jumped out the door to roll with the dog on the ground, the age-old greeting of little boys and big canines.

      “Good thing it’s not wet out,” Josh commented as he and Maggie unbuckled.

      “Would that stop him?” Maggie asked as she watched Riley lick Cody’s face.

      Josh paused, then grinned over at his son. “Not likely,” he admitted. His keys slipped out of his hand and fell with a clank on the floor.

      Since they landed on her side, Maggie leaned over and reached for them. Josh did the same and their heads bumped. She sat up. “Oh! Sorry.”

      “My fault.” He leaned over and touched her forehead lightly. Her traitorous nerve endings gave a little zing. “You’ve got a bit of red mark here.”

      For a heartbeat, their gazes locked and her pulse skipped, then kicked up as the teasing in his eyes melted to heat. Awareness sparked between them, a quick flare. She could smell the spicy soap he’d used, the detergent on his clothes. She curled her hand around her purse strap, as if it could keep her from leaning over just a little farther to see what he tasted like.

      A joyful bark broke the spell.

      “Ah. Well, we’d better get inside,” Josh said and nearly leaped out of the SUV.

      She shut her eyes for a moment. The past two weeks had slipped by so smoothly. No awkward moments like this one, where the inappropriate attraction reared its ugly head. She’d managed to convince herself it had gone away.

      So much for that.

      Maggie inhaled deeply as she got out of the vehicle, as if the extra air would squish the butterflies that rioted in her belly. She needed to settle her pulse before she went in to face Josh’s mother and the woman’s very sharp eyes.

      Before she could take two steps, Cody and Riley barreled around the front end of the SUV.

      “This is Riley,” Cody announced, his fingers trailing down the dog’s spine. “Wanna pet him?”

      Riley plunked his rear down in the gravel and wagged his tail. Maggie rubbed her hand between the dog’s big ears. “He’s a nice boy,” she said. “Isn’t he?”

      “Yeah. He’s my friend. C’mon, Riley, let’s go play!” Boy and dog raced off.

      She started toward the house and faltered. Josh stood between her and the door, hands in his pockets, his pensive gaze fixed where Cody and Riley had disappeared. For a wild second she wished she could go over and slip her arms around him, but that ended in a wave of guilt. She wanted to bang her head on the nearest hard surface. What was wrong with her? He couldn’t be more off-limits, widowed or not. He’d been married to her half sister. The fact she’d never known Lucy didn’t make it right.

      * * *

      Josh saw Maggie’s indecision, appreciated it. Best if they forgot about the thing in the truck just now. If he forgot how badly he’d wanted to lean a little closer, capture her lips with his own. See if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.

      Too bad it was impossible. Thinking how much Lucy would have loved to see Cody roughhousing with Riley put a quick damper on his inappropriate emotions.

      He shook off the melancholy thoughts as Maggie closed the distance between them and tried to act normal.

      “Like Riley?”

      He sensed her relax a fraction. “I do. What is he, part shepherd?”

      “And a lot of other things.” They started walking again and Josh noted she kept a few extra inches between them. Just as well. “At the shelter, they weren’t quite sure what all he had in him.”

      “A pedigree’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” Her tone was light, but he caught an undertone of something darker in her words. Referring, maybe, to the ex-husband? That had been a bit of a shock. Not that she’d been married, but that some stupid guy had let her go.

      Before he could formulate a reply, Ellen opened the front door and waved. “Hurry up, you two! Cody and Riley will eat all the cookies if you don’t get in here.”

      “What, there’s cookies? Before dinner? I’m there.” Josh heard Maggie’s soft giggle at his words and something that had been coiled tightly inside him loosened and warmed.

      “Well, we’ve got company, and Halloween is two days away. Good excuse as any to bake.” Ellen gave Maggie a quick hug before stepping aside. “Good to see you, honey. Come on in.”

      Josh followed the women inside, took Maggie’s coat and his own to the entry closet. He caught a whiff of her perfume, something light and fruity, from the shearling jacket she’d worn. He resisted the urge to bury his face in it and inhale.

      So different from the heavy, provocative scents Lucy had favored.

      He shoved the jackets in the closet and closed the door a little harder than necessary. Two things he knew. One, no more guilty comparisons allowed today. And two, leaving his matchmaking mother alone with Maggie for too long was not a good plan.

      * * *

      Later that evening, Maggie tied the laces of her running shoes,

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