AllFreeNovel
Share Us
However, Mrs. Russo had indicated the person was making her way around the house. Being that it was quite a large place, he would need to make the rounds in order to surmise if the intruder was still there.
He stepped out of his car. Immediately, Mrs. Russo came rushing out of her house. He waved her off, signaling for her to go back inside until he had the situation under control.
It could be as simple as a salesperson, but then why would they have ventured around the house? Ric moved carefully and quietly. He wasn’t about to engage the intruder if they were armed. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t witness what they were up to so he could report it to the police.
As he neared the back of the house, he noticed a young woman in a flowy white-and-aqua top. White capris clung to her curves and a coordinating purse completed the summer outfit. As his gaze lowered, he noticed she only wore one high heel. As she hopped around on one foot, he noticed the other aqua heel, which appeared to be stuck between two cobblestones.
Her face was turned away from him. She had short, dark, spiky hair. If she was a burglar, she was an awful one. First, that summer outfit was bright and eye-catching. And those shoes, wow, how could anyone walk in them? Well, obviously she couldn’t, or she wouldn’t be hopping around on one foot. Whoever this woman was, she certainly seemed quite harmless.
Ric stepped into the backyard. “What are you doing here?”
The woman’s head turned. Her eyes rounded. Her mouth opened, and for a moment nothing came out. “I...uh, heard something back here.”
“Heard what?” He crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for her to explain herself.
He’d been down this road before. Beautiful women made up every excuse possible to access his home or the office. One had even posed as his sister to get past his assistant. The problem was, he didn’t have a sister.
The movie release had been just the other week. His very brief movie debut had been the result of losing a bet to the star of the film—an old friend from school. The press coverage over his nonspeaking appearance hadn’t died down
at all. In fact, it appeared to be getting worse as time went on. If this kept up, he was going to have to hire a security detail. He didn’t relish the idea. He valued his freedom to come and go as he pleased without checking in with anyone.
The fact that his privacy had been invaded to such lengths infuriated him. So if this woman thought he was going to fall for some concocted story, she had another think coming.
Before either could speak, a sorrowful whine filled the air.
“Please help it.” Her big blue eyes begged him.
Regret for jumping to conclusions assailed him. Her dog had gotten loose, and she’d followed it into this overgrown garden. When Uncle Giuseppe had grown sick, he wasn’t able to continue working in his beloved garden. Ric had offered to hire a gardener, but his uncle wouldn’t hear of it. His uncle never lost hope that he would win his battle with cancer, and he would one day be back in the garden. That day had never come.
The woman balanced on one foot while hunched down, trying to free her other shoe. Seriously, how did he end up in these situations?
The whine sounded again.
He moved to help the woman first.
“No.” She shook her head. “I’ll get this. Go help him.”
Ric found a new appreciation for the woman, more worried about her pet than herself. He looked around but couldn’t see the animal. He wasn’t even sure about the size of the dog, but it couldn’t be very big or he would have spotted it by now.
Still, it would just take a moment for him to help the woman. He bent over and pulled on the heel. To his surprise, it was thoroughly wedged in there. She really was in a bit of a bind.
He pulled on one of the stones with one hand while working the shoe free with the other. And then it pulled loose. When he handed it over, he waited for her to have a meltdown about the mangled shoe, but she quietly slipped it back on her foot.
He felt compelled to say something. “Sorry about the shoe.”
“It’s okay. It’s kind of the way my life has been going lately.” When she put weight on her foot, her face scrunched up into a look of discomfort. She immediately raised her foot again.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I twisted my ankle when my shoe got stuck. It’s not a big deal. Just help the puppy.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
He did as she asked. However, his light gray loafers weren’t the best shoes to venture through this overgrown jungle either. Limbs poked and prodded him.
There went the high-pitched whine again.
