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I snorted. “You’re not fragile.”
“I’m sensitive.”
I cut my eyes over to him and he batted his lashes innocently. “I should spray you again.”
“Then it’ll only be fair if I get to spray you back,” he warned.
“Hmph.”
After a final rinse, I turned off the water and toweled the dog off. She wasn’t shaking anymore, so that was a win.
Teague gently set her on the floor and she lay beside him. He scooped another dog up as if he weighed nothing.
This one tucked his tail as if he’d accepted his fate. The dreaded bath.
“I’m sorry,” Teague said as he massaged shampoo into the dog’s skin. “About yesterday. My sister arrived into town early and she wanted to go see Cassano.”
“It’s fine. You have no obligation to us.” But my tone said otherwise. That it wasn’t fine. And I didn’t want him to know he’d hurt my feelings. Actually, I didn’t want him to have the power to hurt my feelings. Maybe that was what bothered me most.
“He was injured in the fire where I found Ash. Almost died.” Teague paused scrubbing as if trying to collect himself. “It could’ve been me.” He resumed shampooing. “Maybe it should’ve been.”
The last part was spoken so quietly I almost missed it. Survivor’s guilt. It was obvious he was struggling with it.
“I’m sure your visit meant a lot to him.”
He shrugged. “Or my sister’s did.”
The playfulness was back, and I was relieved. I didn’t like to see him upset, though I wasn’t exactly sure why it mattered.
“Where does your sister live?” Curiosity got the better of me, even as my brain screamed at me not to learn any more about this man or I’d be in trouble.
“London.”
Oh. Wow. I’d been thinking Rhode Island or somewhere stateside.
“Are you close?” No. No. No.Stop asking personal questions.
The way his features brightened told me everything I needed to know.
“Yeah. She’s a giant pain in the behind, but I wish she’d move back.” He rinsed the suds from his hands. “She annoys our brother more than she does me.”
“You have a brother?”
Apparently I’d gone all in on investigating every nook and cranny about him.
“An older one. Who also is a pain in the ass.”
“Sounds like it runs in the family.”
He snorted. “I guess it does.”
We finished bathingthe last dog and all the others were sound asleep.
“What do you need?” Teague asked, just above a whisper.
I looked around, not even sure where to start.
“Food. Beds. Bowls.” I threw my hands up. “Everything.”
