“Sorry about that.” Kieran stooped to pluck the seeds from the dog’s fur. “What’s your name, fella?”
“It’s Snoot.” When Addy crouched to join him, her knee bumped into his, sending a spark of awareness over his skin.
Living up to his name, the dog gave Kieran a thorough sniff, then nudged his head into Kieran’s palm.
“I’ve never met a Snoot before.” While petting the pup, his hand brushed Addy’s, and damn if another electric thrill didn’t zing his nerves.
“His previous owner named him.” When he raised an eyebrow, she added, “He was an Army explosives detection K9.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “A very skilled snoot indeed.”
At the mention of his name, the pup tried to crawl into Kieran’s lap, knocking him onto his bum.
“Easy, bud.” Addy grabbed the dog’s collar, but the beast was determined to give Kieran a tongue bath.
“Snoot, leave it.” Her tone was stern now, and the dog immediately obeyed, sitting at her feet and gazing at her with rapt attention.
“Good boy.” She gave his head a pat. “Well, we’d better move along.”
“You’ve come all this way and don’t want a tour?” Kieran hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the lighthouse tower.
“Up there? The vet says he should avoid stairs, so…”
“Not a problem. I’ll carry him. Come on, pal.”
Tail wagging, the dog trotted after him, and after an audible scoff, so did his owner.
Kieran opened the door and began his well-rehearsed patter. “Welcome to Gull’s Point historic lighthouse. Dating from 1894, it helped sailors navigate the treacherous waters at the mouth of the Columbia River, and—”
“Don’t we need a ticket?”
“Consider it a veterans’ discount.” He flipped a switch, illuminating the information plaques that showed the building’s structure and history. “Over here you’ll see trinkets left behind by the former lighthouse keepers: spy glasses, logbooks, snuff tins.” He tapped the glass. “Here’s my favorite—a racy novel from the 1920s.”
While Addy bent to examineLady Donatella’s Gardener,Kieran examined her. Lithe, graceful, with threads of silver wound through her wavy dark hair. The hand she held those tresses back with had short, unpainted fingernails. Her casual, outdoorsy clothing revealed nothing about her background. He’d have to tease that information out of her, and he only had a brief time to do so.
“Care to go up? It’s a bit of a climb, but I promise, the view is worth the effort.”
She nibbled her full lower lip before giving a crisp nod. “Why not?”
“Right. Up we go, doggo.” He scooped the Labrador into his arms and tilted his chin toward the spiral staircase. “Ladies first.”
She flashed a knowing grin over her shoulder and started up, fully aware of his intention to gawk at her arse. And what a fine view it was, curvy and firm, muscles clenching with each step. Good thing his hands were full with fifty-plus pounds of panting pup, lest they be tempted to stray where they weren’t invited.
And what would it take to get an invitation from the lady?
Funny, since coming to this beach town five years ago, he hadn’t felt compelled to extend a woman’s acquaintance beyond the half-hour lighthouse tour. Easier to manage his own darkness without having to don a happy face for a ladylove. But after just ten minutes with Addy, he was already dreading the moment she waved goodbye.
They stopped at each level so he could present, and Snoot could sniff, the storerooms, the keeper’s sleeping quarters, and the equipment room.
“Do you live up here?” she asked, eyeing the stiff, narrow cot.
“Thankfully, no. I’m in the little cottage at the base.”
“But you make the climb every day?”
“At least twenty times.”
And damn if her gaze didn’t skim down his body, lingering on his thighs. He bit back a grin.
