Her warm brown eyes returned to mine. “I guess you can say Charlie saved me.”
“I’m glad he did.” For some unknown reason, a sudden urge to kiss her lunges through me. Without meaning to, I lean in.
“Uncle Noah.” Deacon’s voice snaps me from my daze, and I step away from Kate, acting as though kissing her is the furthest thing from my mind.
“Yes?”
“Can you get a dog like Charlie?”
“He’s a Cavalier King Charles spaniel,” Kate tells him. This gets her an If-you-say-so blank look from Deacon.
I laugh. “I’m not sure his breed would make a good ranch dog. If I got one, it would be big and—”
“Manly?” Kate supplies.
Charlie gives me a look that can be loosely translated to,Who are you calling “not manly”?
“So, is this going to be a regular thing?” I ask her. “You and Charlie volunteering at the library?”
“For now, yes. I figure it’s going to take me about two weeks to sort out Charlotte’s house before I can put it on the market. So in the meantime, Charlie and I can spend a few hours while we’re in Copper Creek, helping the library with their reading program.”
“Noah,” a woman says, approaching us. Her face is familiar, but I’m drawing a blank on the name.
She steps closer to me without acknowledging Kate’s presence. “Hi, Noah. How are things going?” Her face breaks out into a smile. It’s nothing like the one Kate wore a moment ago. This one has a shy yet seductive edge to it.
Yes, I do remember the night she and I hooked up at Joe’s, and yes, it was good. But even if she had been the best fuck of my life—which she wasn’t—I’m still not interested in a repeat performance. I find things less messy that way.
“I’d better get going,” Kate says. “I have a house to clean. It was nice meeting you, Deacon.” She nods at me. There’s nothing shy or seductive about it. “Noah.”
She smiles at the woman—who doesn’t even notice—and walks away. Charlie follows her.
“I was wondering if you want to maybe get a coffee?” the mystery woman says, drawing my attention back to her. “I don’t have to be anywhere for a few hours.” The way she says it tells me it’s not coffee she has in mind.
Deacon tugs on my hand. “Uncle Noah. I have to go potty.”
“Sorry,” I say to the blonde. “Duty calls.”
“I can wait.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m just not interested. And I do remember saying when we hooked up that it was a one-time thing. And that includes coffee or anything else you’re thinking of. I’m sorry, but I just don’t date. No exceptions.”
Having someone else stomp on my heart isn’t on my to-do list. Once was enough with Samantha. Plus, I’m too busy to have a girlfriend.
I don’t wait for her reaction. I know from experience that when Deacon has to pee, you don’t have a long grace period.
I take his hand and lead him to the men’s room at the back of the library.
“Uncle Noah?”
“Yes?”
“What does ‘hooked up’ mean?”
“Nothing you have to worry about.”For a very long time.
He nods as if that makes perfect sense.
8
