I was better prepared to deal with that than I was to deal with her sugary words.
I released my grip on her car and took a step back.
Then, I pointed to the tree and started walking away.
Her pretty, singsong voice cooed, “And who are you? Aren’t you just theprettiestlittle boy I’ve ever seen? Oh, are you excited to see me, too? What a sweetheart you are!”
There was no way inhellPoppy was talking tomethat way. Little boy? Okay, well now I understood how she felt when I’dcalled her a little girl. Because that grated on me, something deep and unsettled shifted inside my chest.
But when I turned around to unleash a flurry of invectives at her, I saw that she was talking to Hopkins!
And what was my damn dog doing? Wagging his tail and smiling up at her like she was his new best friend.
A traitor had appeared on the scene.
“Get away from Dagger,” I growled. “He bites.”
Poppy laughed. “This little sweetie wouldn’t bite me, would you, Dagger? That’s a silly name that your daddy gave you. You don’t look like a Dagger to me. You look like a George. Or maybe a Felix. Yeah,Felix. You’re my new neighbor, Felix. How does it feel to have at least one civilized person within five miles of you? Oh, you like that? You want belly rubs?”
I stood there with my arms crossed while Hopkins flumped down into the snow, rolled onto his back and preened for her. She kneeled down and, true to her word, started giving him belly rubs.
“What the flaming fuck?” I muttered under my breath.
She giggled and looked up at me. “I think he likes me.”
Hopkins had been the ugliest dog at the pound. He was a big pit bull mix who’d seen some rough times. He was missing half a tooth and had some scars running down his face. The pound had told me he’d been raised by dog fighters, but the poor dog couldn’t hack it. He wasn’t a fighter. He was a lover.
They said he’d been days away from being killed when they raided the compound. They’d found over twenty pits out there, and Hopkins was the runt. Smaller than everyone else. More scars. He was the little guy who took the beatings.
It had taken me over a year to get him to warm up enough to sleep on the bed with me.
And here, this beautiful woman had befriended him within moments.
“Dagger. Get over here. Stop being a traitor.”
He whined and stood back up, coming to my side.
There was compassion in Poppy’s eyes as she rose back to her feet. “He’s been through some tough times.”
“Yup.”
“But those scars look old. Did he have them when he met you? Or is that from living out here?”
For the first time today, I saw real concern peeking out of her eyes.
She was wondering whether I was an animal abuser or not.
Andthatwas something I couldn’t let her believe. But I also wasn’t going to blow my cover as the surliest neighbor on the mountain. So I growled out, “Naw. That’s what happens when you fight a bear.”
Poppy cocked her head, parted those sexy lips of hers and said, “You and I both know a bear would take him down, Corbin. He’s a lover, not a fighter.”
Begrudgingly I told her the truth. “He came like that.”
She kneeled back down and scratched his head. “Poor baby. And now your new papa takes good care of you, doesn’t he? I see that big belly on you. You’ve been getting some oversized suppers at home.”
Hopkins grinned and panted at her. I could tell he was starstruck, halfway in love with the woman already. I’d never seen him act this way with anyone before.
“Most people are afraid of pits.”
