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He grabbed her hand and led her through the door she thought went into the garage. Before they reached the garage door, however, he surprised her and veered right, where they entered a long, expansive hallway. They walked past cabinets lining both the left and the right side of the wide corridor—what she wouldn’t do for that kind of storage space. Finally, they entered the largest laundry room she’d ever seen. There were two big wash tubs, a built-in ironing board, shelves containing laundry baskets and hampers, a deep counter, drying racks, and a rod for hangers, not to mention a stainless-steel washer and dryer with more buttons than the space shuttle.

There were also French doors that looked out onto a small patio with pots and beds of flowers in full bloom. It looked so peaceful.

Phoebe immediately began sniffing the entire room.

Liam pointed to the wall next to the doors. “I was thinking about having a doggie door put in there. That way I can keep her in here when I’m gone during the day, but she can go in and out as she pleases. We can put a dog bed and her dishes in here, too.”

“I think that’s a great idea. Your dog walker will be able to access this area while you can keep the rest of the house locked. I mean, I’m sure they’ll be bonded and insured, but you can never be too careful.”

A frown formed on his features as he shook his head, so Utah felt compelled to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to use some company who pays their workers minimum wage while charging me fifty dollars an hour. I’d much rather pay someone who needs the money and doesn’t necessarily have the means to get bonded and insured.”

He’s far too trusting. He probably has the same password for all his online accounts that he hasn’t changed in years.

“Do you have someone in mind?”

“No. I’m going to talk with my housekeeper, Janice, to see if she can recommend someone. She seems to know everyone in the service industry. She’s how I met my landscaper and my snowplow service.”

“Okay, you ask her, and, in the meantime, I’ll check with Dakota. ARF might have a list of volunteers who also provide dog sitting and walking services professionally. It wouldn’t hurt to have a backup.”

He cocked his head and held her gaze. “Maybe you could be my backup.”

Her stomach did a little flip at the way he was looking at her.

Utah pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and quickly glanced down, then looked up at him through lidded eyes. Her voice was husky when she said, “I told you on the phone, I’m happy to help in any way I can.”

He closed the distance between them until he was hovering over her. The baby-blue hue of his shirt made his hazel eyes appear blue-green as they pinned her in place.

“I think I’m going to need a lot of help, little honeybee.”

Honeybee? That was a new one.

She couldn’t help snorting out a laugh and took a step back with her eyebrows raised. “Honeybee?”

His shoulders shrugged. “It’s Utah’s state insect. You’re named after the state, and you don’t know that?”

“I knew that, but how on earth do you know that?”

“I read an article about Utah changing their state flag to a beehive. It listed that as one of the reasons.”

“You read an article about Utah’s flag?”

“I read a lot.”

Why did she find that sexy?

Maybe because it was such a difference from the last guy she’d gone out with. He had seemed so proud of himself when he’d declared during their dinner conversation, “I don’t read,” like it was something to brag about.

Not that she and Liam were on a date.

But she did want to know more about the man. It was the reason she was there, after all. A home inspection clearly included getting to know him better.

“What do you like to read?”

“Well, every morning, I browse The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Boston Globe, then throughout the day, I go through industry articles and journals that I come across. And I try to finish a few chapters before bed from the latest spy novel or thriller I’m reading.”

“What novel are you reading right now?”

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