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“Shit.” He righted himself and started after her. “Molly, stop! Heel!”
But the dog didn’t listen. She galloped like a freaking horse toward the cabin, changing direction at the last minute to go around the side, the leash flapping behind her and whacking everything in its path.
“Sit, Molly.”
But his command went unheeded. He jogged across the grass and rounded the corner of the cabin, his heart sticking in his throat. If anything happened to this damn dog, his sister wouldkillhim.
Thankfully, Molly had slowed and was sticking her nose against a leaf containing another butterfly. She watched in spellbound wonder as the butterfly flittered up into the air and landed on her nose. For a moment, the dog didn’t move a single hair. Then she turned to Keaton, mouth open in a huge smile, as if to say:Look what’s happening right now!
Grinning like a goof, Keaton slowly crept forward and snatched the leash off the ground, causing the butterfly to take flight again. Snorting in annoyance, Molly glared at Keaton.
“Sorry, girl, that’s what you get for bolting on me.”
Now that his heart had stopped thundering in his head, Keaton noticed the sound of August’s voice floating through the open window around the side of the cabin. He’d opened it earlier to air out the smell of sex, just in case the staff came through to change the sheets or replace the towels. There was another voice, but it sounded much softer and farther away. It must be whomever she was talking to on the other end of the call.
“...he has always held me at a distance, and I’m not sure why. It’s like I’m on the outside, looking in. Never truly being seen for who I am.”
She was talking to the matchmaker!
Keaton stilled. Shit. If he tried to walk away now and made a noise, she would think he’d been listening on purpose! Molly tugged, so he slackened the leash a little so she could sniff around. But he held a finger up to his lips.Shh.
She tossed her head and went back to sniffing.
He dithered for a moment about what to do, stepping forward and cringing when a twig snapped loudly beneath his feet.
“I don’t want someone like him, you know. I don’t want to be with someone who’s going to hold themselves back the way he does. Who’s not capable of letting people in.”
Oof.
Keaton felt the blow right in his chest. Was she...was she talking about him? The voice on the computer was muffled and he couldn’t quite hear all the words.
“...the way he was...it’s not...you deserve...”
“I know.” August sighed. “I seem to attract people like that. They want me to be a certain way with no regard for what I want out of life.”
Had he done that very thing by sleeping with her?Shewas the one who’d set the boundaries and initiated things. But if he thought back, they were only in the room together because he’d decided to bait her into a challenge of wills. A challenge, deep down, he knew they would fail. And as much as it made him feel like a terrible person, being with her had done something to him. The sun felt brighter, the trees looked greener and the air felt easier to breathe.
“It’s gotten to the point where I don’t trust myself to make the right decision.” August sounded so frustrated he wanted to leap through the window and pull her into his arms. She was impossibly competent and capable, and the fact that she didn’t feel that way was a crime. “I know in my brain what I want and what I need, but...my heart wants to go in another direction and I don’t know how to force it to stop.”
“...getting to know...gathering data...no pressure just...”
He inched closer to the window, trying to catch what the matchmaker was saying.
“You can do a meet and greet with each of these men. I’ll let them know it’s not an official date, and you could even do it online if that feels more comfortable.” The voice was suddenly clearer, as if August were walking around with her laptop and had gotten closer to the window.
“I like that idea,” she responded. “I need to build my confidence back up.”
“Send me an email with your schedule for the next week and I’ll set them up for you. When I showed your profile to each of these three men, they wereverykeen to meet you. You’re a catch, August. Don’t forget it.”
“Thank you.”
It sounded like the call had ended. Now Keaton needed to figure out how to get Molly back around to the front of the cabin so he could make out like they’d just returned and that he hadn’t heard her private conversation.
He started to creep away from the window, trying not to step on anything that might snap or make a loud noise.
“Come on, Molly,” he whispered, tugging the dog away from something that had caught her attention. But the damn dog wouldn’t budge. “Don’t do this to me now.”
Molly turned and looked at him. He smiled, trying to remind the husky that they were friends now, and not enemies. If only he’d kept a few of those treats in his pocket, he might be able to lure her away. But when he tugged on the leash again, she stood her ground, eyes narrowed at him.
