Page 31 of Steel

That was after I’d smashed him in the head with a limb much heavier and denser than I would ordinarily be able to lift?

I’d say karma had it in for me.

But damn it, the man had pissed me off.

Distractions I didn’t need. A model neighbor I didn’t need either. There was so much prep work to do including locating a few perfect locations for the test shots. And talking to the rodeo people. And finding where the smokejumpers hung out.

Maybe finding a part-time babysitter. Oh, my head hurt just thinking about everything that needed to get done.

Instead of laying out a decent plan, as I should do and as Eric would demand seeing within a couple of days, I was playing with the boy next door.

Or the gunman next door.

A sharp chuckle left my mouth. He did look entirely too dangerous with a gun in his hand. Maybe I could dress him up as a bank robber. It was obvious last night’s lack of sleep was getting to me.

“Focus. Just focus and breathe.”

I slammed the door behind me, slapping my hands on the door while I caught my breath. The man was… infuriating. Sexy. Strong. Pushy as hell. Rough around the edges.

So handsome he would make love to the camera lens.

If I could ever get him to consider posing. He certainly didn’t seem the type. He was also a rogue, a man who didn’t like to follow the rules. I’d gotten all of that out of just chatting with him for a few minutes.

Chatting? Arguing.

I couldn’t imagine managing to convince him to sign a contract. Oh, this was infuriating. So much so I wanted to scream.

And I still had to figure out a way to dig myself from a very deep hole that was currently being loaded with quicksand.

Giggles from behind me dragged my attention back to front and center. Wait. Actual giggles? From my son? While he’d been lost in the woods, had aliens spiraled to Earth in a gleaming spaceship, snatched him for research, and left a doppelganger in his place?

Earth to Violet.

“Honey. You can’t go running off like that. You scared your mother half to death and my heart can’t take it.” My voice sounded a little maniacal. I was almost laughing, which was ridiculous given the circumstances but was my usual reaction when I was pushed to the brink. I’d gone from worrying something had happened to seeing the gun in the strange man’s hands to the insanity of how I’d felt when I’d touched him. Well, he’d touched me, the bastard. Completely unwanted and unwarranted.

I’d tried to break into his shed for a good reason.

“Mom. You’re notthatold.”

“Ah, well, thank you very much.”

Damon huffed. “What was I supposed to do, allow the puppy to continue crying? I had to save him. Think about if bears and wolves showed up. This little baby would just be a snack for their sharp teeth.”

“Wolves? Bears?”

“Duh, Mom. I read up on Missoula.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel any better that you raced off into the woods?” No one told me anything about bears and wolves. The worst creature I’d been forced to deal with in LA had been on two legs, even if he was a Neanderthal.

My son’s giggles almost brought a fit of my own, but I resisted since I was supposed to be the parent of this little family.

“Mom. Isn’t he adorable? I’m going to name him Zorro. What do you think? He is black, although he does have an adorable white spot on his chest.” My child knew how to pull the heartstrings. What was I supposed to say at this point?

I couldn’t even think straight.

The puppywasadorable, so much so I knew we were going to have an issue. He looked purebred, like a labrador retriever except for the tiny white spot.

I had a nagging feeling someone was missing the little guy.