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I looked at the border collie in front of me, and my heart melted as he tilted his head to the side, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. I’d always wanted a dog, but Jeff never let me have one.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I realized how unreal my life was. I ran from a cheating boyfriend right into the arms of a hot stranger. Today felt more and more like a dream as it went on.
DUKE
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
When I saw the car on the side of the road, I never would have imagined I’d end up taking the lone woman home with me.
But why did I invite her to stay inmyhouse?
I knew why. Because my mother would hang me by my ears if I wasn’t a gentleman. It was ingrained in my DNA. A gentleman looked after a girl who was stranded and alone. Also, she didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea of staying at either Blake or Grace’s houses without them being there.
I was really hoping to come home and enjoy my night alone. I didn’t have to worry about going to work tomorrow. Liam was away for the night, so I had the house to myself.
Except now I had company. I could only pray I wouldn’t end up regretting inviting the young woman.
Abbey walked into the front room, Jax hot on her heels, and turned to face me. “This place is nice.” Her surprised tone had me taken aback.
Nice?My place was more than nice. It was masculine and roomy and clean and organized. It was way better thannice. Deep, rich woods ran throughout the house. The floors were all hardwood. The chairs and tables were thick mahogany, as well as other matching pieces around the house. We’d worked hard to make the house perfect for when we found the right woman to share it with.
Abbey spun around and walked over to the fireplace. Her hand touched the mantel as she took in the few pictures that lined the top. One of the small group of us who helped start King’s Ranch, one of Liam and Grace at the Olympics just a few months ago, an old one of Gavin, Travis, Jessie, and I when we were teenagers, and another of Liam and Blake when they were younger.
I placed Abbey’s messenger bag on the sofa before standing beside her. “Shall I give you the tour?”
A shy smile graced her face, and she nodded.
Weaving through the living room and kitchen and the hallway, I showed her where my bedroom was and Liam’s. It honestly wasn’t that big of a house to begin with. Liam and I had decided that when we expanded the family, we would add on, but years later, we were still in the three-bedroom house we started with and had no prospect of a woman to settle down with.
Stopping in front of the guest bedroom, I opened the door and stepped aside for Abbey. “This is the guest room where you will be staying. The bathroom is across the hall there,” I said, indicating the darkened room behind us.
Abbey strolled into the room and looked around. It was pretty empty. Liam and I never had visitors, so we hadn’t put much effort into decorating it besides the basics—a queen bed, a dresser, and a nightstand. There was a bookshelf with our overflow of books, mainly Liam’s murder mysteries. As if reading my mind, Abbey took a gander at the shelves.
“Are these all yours?” Her petite frame was more noticeable standing in front of the massive bookshelf. Her long, dark hair flowed down her back and stopped at her waistline. Her jeans cupped the swell of her butt nicely, and I could see streaks on the denim but couldn’t tell what they were from.
“Those are Liam’s. He loves to read.” I rubbed the back of my neck.
“What do you do in your spare time then?” She gazed up at me.
“I usually binge the TV. Mostly turn on the sports channel so I can clear my head.” I shrugged. It was a Thursday night, and there was a football game on, but I didn’t need to watch it. I glanced at my watch. “Did you grab dinner yet?”
“Umm, no. I hadn’t even thought about that.” Her cheeks took on a rosy tint.
“I was going to put in a frozen pizza, but we can go to the dining hall and see what the guys have whipped up.”
I immediately regretted giving that option when Abbey’s forehead scrunched and she shook her head.
“If you don’t mind sharing, I’ll have the pizza. I’m not picky.”
I held my hands up. “We can have the pizza. I’m pretty sure Blake and Grace have told you plenty of stories about the dining hall.” I tried to lighten my voice and show her I wasn’t going to pressure her with anything. To be honest, I was all for not having to deal with all the yahoos in the dining hall. The men tended to get a bit rowdy after a long day of work on the ranch. The single men especially. I just wanted to relax.
Her deep breath came out in a whoosh. “Thanks. It’s been a long day. I don’t know if I have the energy to meet a bunch of people.” She licked her lips, and my eyes tracked the pink tip as it made its way across her mouth. This was not the time for me to get sidetracked. She had enough to deal with and didn’t need to worry about me hitting on her.
Giving her a quick nod, I mumbled, “I’ll preheat the oven, and you can make yourself at home.”
I could feel the heat of her body following me until we parted ways at the kitchen entrance. Abbey was a friend of the girls, and I needed to make sure she had everything she needed. Blake and Grace trusted me with her, and I would damn sure keep my thoughts and hands in check.
“Is pepperoni okay with you?” I called from the kitchen.
