Page 42 of Finding Love

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Brook laughed as Willy rolled in the wet sand. So far that day, they had stopped by a city park, where Willy had sniffed and peed on every bush and had had a few “meet and greets” with some local dogs. Then they had enjoyed lunch under a large awning at an outdoor café overlooking the bay.

It was a short walk to the beach from there, where Willy was enjoying rolling around in the surf and sand. At first, she’d sat and watched him, but he’d looked lonely, so she’d joined him in the shallow water.

The small dog had more spunk than any dog she’d ever known. Her parents’ dogs spent most of their time lying around the house. They enjoyed a walk or run on the beach, but there was something special about the French bulldog.

Willy’s intellect was far superior, and his character was easily ten times the size he was.

“Cute dog,” a man in gray sweatpants and a T-shirt said when she was drying Willy off to get back in the car.

She’d borrowed the Mercedes she’d found in the garage earlier. The fact that it was the least conspicuous car there was some sort of ironic joke.

“Thanks,” she’d said quickly and, feeling a little uneasy, tried to hurry up and put Willy in the passenger seat as the man moved closer to them.

Instantly, she could tell he was either high or running off adrenaline. Either way, something bad was about to go down and she was for sure in the wrong place.

Shit. She should have known better than to park in the small parking lot. She should have chosen someplace more public.

“What do you say, you and I…” the man started to say as he moved to pin her between the cars.

“No,” she said firmly, switching her stance. “And I think you need to back off right now,” she added in a much louder voice.

The man’s eyes drew up as his smile grew. Both of his front teeth were capped. Their dark silver appeared like holes in his teeth until the light hit them.

“Oh?” He shifted slightly, placing one hand on the driver’s door and another on her shoulder, stopping her from moving away. That was when the smell of him hit her. It was obvious he hadn’t showered in days, if not weeks.

It took one quick jab to his throat, a move her father had taught her in tenth grade, for his arm to drop away from her shoulder. The kick to the shins made him drop his hold on her, and she quickly slipped in the car and locked the door before he could recover.

His fist hit the car window just before she pulled quickly out of the parking spot, leaving a smear of blood dripping down it.

She was still shaking when she pulled into the garage fifteen minutes later. She shut the car off and rested her head on the steering wheel, allowing the tears to flow.

She lost track of time. She could have been sitting there mere minutes or several hours. When the car door yanked open, she screamed.

“What the hell?” Ryder said as he pulled her into his arms. “What happened?” he asked as she held onto him.

“I’m being stupid,” she said into his chest. “I… It’s nothing.” She tried desperately to get herself under control.

Willy was happily barking and trying to get Ryder’s attention.

“Down,” Ryder said softly, and she heard Willy jump out of the car. Then Ryder was pulling her up into his arms and carrying her into the house while Willy followed them. “Why are you crying and why is Willy wet?”

He sat down on the sofa, making sure to keep his arms around her as she sat on his lap.

“We went for a walk on the beach. I thought… I should have parked…” She stopped when she felt Ryder’s entire body tense. “I can take care of myself, but still…” She took a deep breath and got herself back under control. Looking up into his eyes, she allowed everything that had happened to spill out.

By the time she was done talking, Ryder’s eyes were dark, and he was frowning.

“We need to call the police.” He started to get up.

“No, I…” She shook her head.

“Brook.” Ryder cupped her face in his hands. “I’m very thankful your dad taught you self-defense, but not all women out there are lucky enough to have a father who works for the coast guard and is ex-military. How would you feel if tomorrow morning you woke up and heard on the news that, because you didn’t call the police and spend the time to report this, another woman wasn’t as lucky as you just were?”

She sighed and then nodded. “You’re right. I… should have called them right away. I… guess I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

He smiled at her and then kissed her lips. “I’ll call them.”