“Which is perfect,” Emily said. “It just needs a few repairs and it’ll be good to go. Plus, I loved the charm of the main house. All it needs is some fresh paint on the walls.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve made a decision.” She smiled at her friend whose brown eyes were alight with excitement.
“Yes. I guess I have.” Emily grinned, pulling out her phone. “Excuse me while I call my realtor.”
Lyndsey and Isla stepped aside to give their friend some privacy, and quietly discussed paint colors and trends until Emily finished her call.
“Okay, it’s done,” their friend said, smiling from ear to ear. “She’s going to submit my offer and if it’s accepted, then I have to meet her at her office to sign papers and write a check.”
“So exciting!”
“I know!”
“My fingers are crossed,” Isla said as the three of them hugged. “When will you know?”
They broke apart and Emily shrugged.
“Could be five minutes, a few hours, or next week.” The wanna-be-homeowner blew out a breath. “I need to keep busy. Let’s go to the shelter. I have to sign paperwork for Kade, too.”
Nodding, she fell into step with her friends. “And maybe I’ll find my rescue today.”
“Have you been there since Thursday?” Lyndsey asked as they walked across the beach toward her house where Emily was parked.
They’d carpooled today, and Emily insisted on driving and spending the gas money since they were helping her out. No amount of protesting had swayed her, either.
Ten minutes later, they approached the car, and Isla couldn’t stop her gaze from straying to her sexy neighbor’s quiet house. She hadn’t seen him since yesterday morning at the bakery. That time, he’d been wearing an ESI shirt like the others,but he wore it best, and she couldn’t seem to stop tripping over her tongue in his presence.
Heat flooded her chest and funneled up her neck just thinking about how the shirt had stretched across his broad shoulders, and the black material had emphasized his gorgeous skin and dark eyes.
“Oh, wow,” Emily said, blinking at her from across the hood of the car. “Just who lives in that cottage?”
Lyndsey glanced from her smiling friend to Isla then to the house and back again, no smile in sight. “Someone I warned my cousin about.”
“I told you, I don’t need the warning,” she said. “I can take care of myself. Besides, Sinjin and I are just neighbors.”
“Sinjin?” Emily’s eyes widened before she waved at Lyndsey. “There’s no need to worry about him. He’s a nice guy. Heck, two weeks ago, he saved my life.”
She exchanged a surprised look with her cousin and then glanced back at their friend, eager to hear more, but Emily was already in the car. Isla scrambled into the back seat as her cousin dropped into the front passenger seat and frowned at the driver.
“Emily,” Lyndsey said. “You can’t just drop a bomb like Sinjin saved your life and leave us hanging like that.”
The woman grinned, meeting Isla’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I believe I just did.”
Isla chuckled and her cousin rolled her eyes.
“I also believe I did tell you about that incident,” Emily said. “I was helping Kade move that abused stallion.”
Lyndsey’s indrawn breath echoed through the car. “That was Sinjin who lunged in front of you when the horse reared up?”
“Yes.” Emily nodded, and Isla’s insides clenched tight.
“What happened?” she asked, leaning toward the front, her heart pounding hard in her chest.
Emily shook her head. “It was the darndest thing. He stepped in front of me, facing the horse, stuck his hand out in a stopping motion and made thisshushtype noise.”
“Did he get hurt?” she asked, trying to recall if she’d seen any evidence of bruising on the man.
“The horse stopped striking out with its front legs and came down on all fours again…without ever touching Sinjin.” Emily chuckled as she started the car and headed for the shelter. “I think even he knew the guy was too badass to mess with.”
