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Phil chuckled. “He just said you have a good heart, dear. Now he probably wants to take that back.”
“Eh… I needed another taste tester,” Stephanie said. “Do you want another one, by the way?”
Bennett cleared his throat. “No, thank you.”
Stephanie sighed. “Fine. I’ll go find her.”
My body went into full-on panic mode, and I started sweating as I considered my options. I could stroll in and feign surprise at his presence, pretending I hadn’t been eavesdropping. I could scramble back to the guesthouse and pretend I hadn’t been in earshot. Option three was to hide in one of the many guest rooms, where no one would think to look for me. I was leaning toward the last option. The responsible choice would be the first. I figured I’d split the difference and go with number two.
I grabbed my coat and hightailed it through the backyard. I was only a few yards away from the guesthouse when I heard galloping behind me. I stopped and turned just in time for Larry to barrel into me and knock me on my ass. He licked my face, his back end wiggling so much his tail came around and slapped my shoulder. He did an excited spin, and his tail whacked me across the cheek.
Spitting dog hair out of my mouth, I gripped his collar and pulled him off me so I could look at him. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
“There she is!” Stephanie called gleefully.
I looked up to see her leading Bennett across the yard. I caught her eye, and she winked at me.Grr…She and I were going to have words when this was over.
With a horrified look on his face, Bennett rushed forward, giving me a sense of déjà vu.
“Let me guess,” I said dryly. “You still haven’t started obedience classes.”
He gripped my hands and pulled me to my feet. “I swear he was locked in the truck. I don’t know how he got out.”
“His love for my sister has no limits,” Stephanie said helpfully. “You can relate, can’t you, Bennett?”
We both stared at her, and I felt my face flush. Leave it to my sister to make an awkward situation even worse. Stepping away from Bennett, I hugged myself.
“Okey dokey,” she said in a singsong voice. “I’ll just take my leave and let you kids sort things out. Ta-ta!” She waggled her fingers at us as she wandered back toward the house.
Words, I tell you, words.I looked at Bennett expectedly, but he didn’t say anything. He was too busy looking me over, probably checking for injuries.
“Why are you here?” I asked. “It won’t work, you know. Phil won’t change his mind.”
He frowned, the expression not making him any less handsome. Damn. How did I manage to forget how incredibly good-looking he is? How his broad shoulders taper down to a slim waist? How intense his eyes get when he’s focused? The way he was peering at me put me off balance.
“What?” His frown deepened. “You think I’m here because of the resort?”
“Well, yeah.” I wasn’t about to admit that I’d been innocently trying to do laundry when I’d overheard them.Is it eavesdropping if you do it on your own turf?“Why else would you be here?”
“Claire, the resort has fallen so far on my list of priorities I barely notice it.”
It took me a second to digest that. “Good.”
He reached out then let his hand fall listlessly to his side. “I’m here because of you.”
I gaped at him. “Me?”
“Yes, Claire, because of you. Trust me—I didn’t come to have my tongue disintegrated by your sister’s cooking and to get the third degree from Phil Markham.”
“Then why? Why are you here?”
“I told you—because of you.” He took several deep breaths. “I needed to see you in person because I need to tell you—shit, Larry! Don’t shit there!”
I turned to see Larry hunched over in the middle of my sister’s dormant rose bushes. He was panting so hard the skin around his mouth flapped with each breath.
“Shit, I’m sorry.” Bennett was flustered, and despite everything, I had trouble hiding my smile. He was endearing when he was rattled. “I have bags on his leash. They’re in the truck. Just give me a min—”
“Bennett,” I said. “Stephanie won’t care about the roses. He just fertilized them, right?”
