Without making a sound, Dale moved closer, his muscles tense and ready.
“Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my father’s house?” he ground out in a harsh tone.
The figure muttered an oath, slamming the fridge door shut.
Surprise tripped his pulse. It was a woman, staring at him with wide, startled brown eyes.
Ranger barked, but he ignored the dog, keeping his gaze on the intruder.
“Whoa, easy there…Wait…Dale?” Her brows rose in recognition while her hands lifted in mock surrender.
Dale?
He blinked, taken aback not only by the fact she apparently knew him but also the fact he didn’t know her. The woman was a natural beauty and possessed a vibrant presence unlike any he’d ever encountered.
How could he possibly forget someone like her?
He wouldn’t.
Which meant this could be a distraction tactic from an intruder.
The black, white, and tan dog barked and pawed at the woman’s leg, but not in aggression. It was more for attention.
She glanced down and smiled as she patted his speckled head. “Sorry, Ranger. I was interrupted.”
Without glancing at Dale, she reopened the fridge, pulled out a container, removed the lid, then set it on the floor in front of the dog. “There you go, buddy.”
The dog barked again, and as he began to eat, his tail wagged furiously.
Okay, so she wasn’t an intruder.
“How do you know me?” he asked. “And why are you in my father’s house?”
She stood up and turned to face him, a mischievous grin on her face. “Don’t get your SEAL senses in an uproar. Your dad asked me to feed Ranger.”
The neighbor…
Of course, dumbass. It made sense.
She was the neighbor his father had mentioned. It also made sense that his father had at some point told her about his sons, which was how she knew his precise military background and had guessed at his name.
He folded his arms across his chest and studied her.
She was a good half foot shorter than his six-feet-one inch frame, with curves in all the right places. Her brown hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she wore a lime green T-shirt with “I like to craft because punching people is frowned upon” on it. Her demeanor was calm and amused, and now that he’d pulled his head out of his ass, he realized she seemed more like someone he’d see at a farmers’ market than a burglar.
An unfamiliar emotion rushed through him that he didn’t bother to dissect. All he knew was that he was glad it was him standing in front of the beauty and not Caspian.
“Sorry about the scare,” he said, relaxing against the wall. “Since you already know who I am, care to tell me who you are?”
“Your dad’s neighbor,” she replied, nodding to his right. “I live in the blue house next door.” Disappointment flickered through her gaze as she frowned and set her hands on her hips. “You really don’t recognize me, do you?”
Chapter Two
Sadie’s childhood crush frowned. “No, sorry, I don’t.”
Ouch.
She lifted her chin. “I’m Sadie Quinn.”
