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Daniel was glad his friends had come. Once Tasha saw the kind of men he called brothers—good, solid friends who would do anything for each other—maybe then she would let down her guard and trust him.
Of course, that meant he’d have to devise ways to spend time with her this weekend. Fortunately, their visit to the vet was only hours away.
* * *
Tasha had always wondered what it would be like to be part of a big family, to have a real home you could run to when things were bad. Now, after traveling to the vet with Daniel and his friends—who scooped up nearly every squeaking, squishing, rattling, and tug-of-war toy in the pet store—she was pretty sure she knew.
Daniel’s family was wonderfully fun, crazy, and out of control in all the best ways.
Only Evan stood back a bit. All afternoon, she’d felt his eyes on her, as though he was assessing her. Taking in everything she said, breaking it down, then splicing the pieces back together, as if that might help him figure out what she was hiding.
It was utterly unnerving. Not only because she knew damn well just how much she had to hide. But also because she couldn’t seem to stop her headlong fall for Daniel…and wishing that things could be different.
He had been so wonderful at the vet, asking all the right questions: What should they feed the puppies, did they need extra vitamins, when should they have their shots, suggestions on training. The vet gave the puppies clean bills of health, saying they’d been rescued before permanent damage was caused by dehydration or starvation. In the vet’s expert opinion, the puppies were a German shepherd mix and about five weeks old, so too young for some of the shots they’d need. They’d have to come back, which meant more time Tasha would get to spend with Daniel.
Unless Evan figured things out first.
“Hey,” Daniel said softly, pulling her slightly away from the group in the pet store aisle. “This stuff is on me, okay? My friends are going crazy, so I’m paying for it.”
He must have seen the worried look in her eyes and assumed it was because she didn’t have the money for dog toys. “I don’t—”
He put a finger to her lips, and a sizzling hot flame burst to life inside her. Her whole heart and soul ached to lean into his touch and ask for more. But she couldn’t.
“I’m paying,” he said again. “For the vet, for the toys, the crate, for everything. No argument.”
“But—”
He moved in on her, so close she was hypnotized by his delicious all-male scent. She could close her eyes in a room and pick him out immediately.
“No buts.” His eyes were such a deep, alluring coffee color. She wanted to fall into his gaze. Into his arms.
It was a seduction, like the prelude to a kiss. Every nerve in her body shouted to feel his mouth on hers.
Until, over Daniel’s shoulder, Evan’s assessing gaze hit her like an avalanche.
“Thank you,” she said, trying to act normally, as though she wasn’t burning up from the inside out from that one simple touch. Feeling awkward and worried about what Evan—and the rest of the Mavericks—must think of her drooling all over their friend, she said, “I appreciate everything you’re doing.”
As Daniel frowned at her polite response, she was sure he was going to call her on it.
Fortunately, Will drew everyone’s attention as he scooped up Froggy and asked, “What about homes for them? My brother-in-law, Jeremy, would be ecstatic to have this little guy.”
“And my son, Noah, would love this dude.” Matt stroked Spanky’s ruff. “Maybe as a late birthday present.”
When Sebastian reached for Darla, her heart wrenched extra hard at the thought of letting her go.
“Tasha definitely needs to keep one.” Daniel leaned in close, saying for her alone, “To replace the cat you had to leave behind when you were a kid.”
He’d recalled her offhand comment. How could a man be so thoughtful, remembering details, big and little? Then come up with a way to make things better?
“What about you?” she asked. Something flashed in his eyes, a longing that was gone so quickly she thought she’d read it wrong. “Don’t you want one of the puppies?”
“I travel too much.” He turned to his friends. “Let’s think about it, guys. It’s a great idea to give them all good homes, but we should keep them together until they’ve had all their shots.”
“Noah will be begging to visit,” Matt warned.
“And Jeremy will be driving Harper crazy asking when, when, when.” The smile on Will’s face shone with love. Jeremy might be his brother by marriage, but Tasha saw vividly that he owned a huge piece of the big man’s heart.
Though she hated to let any of the dogs go, she felt the rightness of giving them to families who would love them with all their hearts. She touched Daniel’s arm. “I really can’t keep three dogs.” She lowered her voice. “I’m not sure I should keep even one.”
