“Not while we’re here.I got her from Forever Home, the local shelter, and I’ve spent a long time training her.But if we were in a less predictable environment, I’d leash her.”A corner of his mouth curled up in a grin.“You want everyone to be free.”
“She’s a fellow canine.I don’t want to see her held back.”
“She’s growing on you.”
“She is.”I glanced over at her.Once she was convinced I’d be okay, she’d found her beloved Rudolf and lay in the middle of the living room, happily giving him a chomp.“We’re in the middle of nowhere, right?Is there anything else we could do without getting caught?”
“Like what?”
I was so surprised he was willing to entertain the idea, I didn’t have a request prepared.“I’d like to go horseback riding.”Where did that come from?“And you mentioned the cookout?—”
He held his hand up.“The cookout is probably a pipe dream, but I’ll see what I can do about the horses.Do you ride?”
“I had a few lessons for a scene on the show.I kept saying I wanted to do it again, but it never wound up happening.”I sighed.“I love my job, but sometimes, I hate that everything has to take a backseat to the production schedule.”
Beau’s lips curled into a mischievous smile.“What else would you like to try?”
“I’m not really a hiker as a human.But I like it as a wolf.”I had to think about this.Like I had just said, all these little side quests had been left to fester on the back burner, and I stopped adding new ones.“I’ve always wanted to try ziplining.”
“Love that idea.Don’t know if I can make it happen while we’re here, but”—that blush was back—“maybe we could do it once the case is closed?”
Heat pooled in my core.I squirmed in my seat, but the sensation only intensified.“I’d like that.”
I should’ve turned back to the puzzle.Really, I should have.But I was mesmerized by the bear.“Where did you go?”
He furrowed his brow.
“Just now.It did seem like you and Gigi were gone for a while.”
“We stayed on the property.”
His tone was hesitant.I raised my brow.“And?”
“Talked to Barrett.Made sure he knew what you told me.”
My heart thumped in my chest.“How’s the investigation going?”
Beau stiffened.“He wasn’t as forthcoming with details as I was.But he assured me they were making progress, and the case would be solved ASAP.”
My wolf didn’t like that as much as she should.You need to make the most of every moment with this bear,she said.
Once I was alone, I’d remind her that he was way too young for me, and sometimes crushes were best left alone—I still had yet to learn that lesson.
But there was something about this bear that wouldn’t be easy to say goodbye to.So I’d take my wolf’s advice and take advantage of the time I had with him.
“Do you like working for Sawtooth Security?”I asked.
He let out a sigh.“This is my first civilian job out of the military.And I might have come into it with something to prove.”
“Have you?”I asked.“Or do you think they’ve underestimated you?”
“Maybe.”He pursed his lips.“But then I remind myself, this assignment is a big deal, and keeping you safe is just as important as being the one who catches the bad guy.”
I nodded, and that reality check made it really easy to turn back to the puzzle.The pieces were blurry, and I had to remind myself of a few things too.Beau was flirty, sexy, gorgeous…and this was his job.It didn’t matter that he loved the show.Thinking this could be anything more than it was, a raging case of full-on Bear Cabin Crush Syndrome, was a huge mistake.I was a middle-aged lady who attracted trouble and made terrible decisions, and he was being paid quite well to babysit me.
Any other thoughts about the bear…especially kissing him…would have to remain a fantasy.
ChapterSix
