If we ever fuck, I might not live to tell the tale, he’d said. Wasn’t going to happen, but he wasn’t the only one at risk of expiring there as the mere thought of fucking that perfect ass of his had me shifting in my saddle. What sounds might he make? Would he beg? Would he⁠—

  Nope. I shook my head. Couldn’t let my brain head down that trail.

  “If you’re hurting, you can head back,” I offered, already knowing he wouldn’t.

  “Absolutely not.” He made an indignant sound. “I love it out here.”

  His love was tested a few minutes later as a sharp wind whipped through, making him shiver in that inadequate puffer coat of his. His skinny jeans were undoubtedly too thin as well.

  Not liking my sudden urge to bundle him up, I shook my head. “We gotta get you some better work duds.”

  “Yeah.” Adler shivered again. November was coming in cold. “The one thrift store I could find was no help. Where do you even get cowboy clothes?”

  “Feed store’s not a bad start.” I shrugged. I didn’t think much about clothes. I’d been in Wranglers since I’d been old enough to sit on a horse, and if a decent work shirt went on sale in the racks between baby chicks and horse supplies, I bought it.

  “The feed store?” Adler raised his eyebrows.

  “It’s like a superstore for ranch life.” It was also the hub for the cowboy community. The more I thought about my recommendation, the less I wanted Adler to go alone. He was friendly and could likely handle himself, but if he got hassled, I’d need to rattle some skulls. “I gotta run there after this. Suppose you can tag along.”

  I wasn’t lying. I had a list of odds and ends we needed, but I’d been putting off the trip. Nothing too urgent, and I’d probably regret the offer, but Adler inspired a protective bone in me I hadn’t been aware of having.

  “That sounds fun.” Adler beamed like I’d proposed a trip to Disney. “Thank you.”

  Watching him all excited, I resolved not to let him down the baby chick aisle as he’d likely clamor for Maverick to add a chicken coop. As it was, I fully expected him to ooh and aah over the most mundane of items. And damn it, I was totally looking forward to that.

  Glowering, I rode on until we were almost done with the circuit I’d planned for us.

  “Is that fence sagging?” Adler’s eyes narrowed like a seasoned hand as he spotted something I’d missed in my ruminating over him.

  “Yep.” I nodded. I supposed a little praise wouldn’t hurt. “Good eye. I’ll mark it for fixin’ next week.”

  Adler wriggled in his saddle, all happy while I marked the fence with a piece of bright-yellow rope. We made our way back to the barn, where a bleary-eyed Kat was giving the girls their Saturday lesson.

  “You sure you want me coming with you to the store?” Adler asked as we unsaddled and took care of our horses.

  No. “Yep. Daylight’s a wasting. Let’s go.”

  We headed to my truck, where Adler proceeded to look too damn at home in the passenger seat. I immediately flipped on the news station I kept the truck tuned to in an effort to keep conversation to a minimum. It worked until we were halfway to Lovelorn when Adler gasped.

  “Look out!” he called right as an animal of some kind darted in front of us. I swerved hard, hoping it would be enough to miss the creature without sending us into the ditch.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Adler

  My heart was racing so fast I could barely speak. Grayson had swerved so hard I swore the truck had been on two wheels for a split second before righting itself and narrowly avoiding the steep ditch. We were on a country road, no houses for miles, but I knew what I’d seen.

  “It was a dog. Out here. In the middle of nowhere.” I panted, trying to catch my breath. A large yet skinny mottled black and gray dog, definitely not a wolf or cougar or other wildlife. All alone out here. We had to do something. “We have to—” I started to command Grayson to go back so we could rescue it, only for him to pull a wide U-turn before I could finish. “You’re turning around?”

  “Not gonna leave it to get hit by another truck,” he said grimly. He pulled up even with where we’d seen the dog dart away. We both got out of the truck. We hadn’t taken more than three steps into the ditch when the dog appeared, backing slowly away from us like it wasn’t sure we were trustworthy.

  “Hey there. Are you a good doggie?” I asked conversationally, but my voice wavered ever so slightly. The dog was rather large compared to the purse dogs I was used to in my work in upscale hotels. What if it bit one of us out of fear? “Please be a nice doggie.”

  “You ever have a dog?” Grayson stopped his approach to give me a searching look.

  “No. Nine kids. My parents refused to add to the chaos,” I said mournfully. I’d wanted a dog so badly when younger, but the answer had always been no. “And then in LA, I worked too many hours with my partying lifestyle on top. Too irresponsible to add a pet.”

  “I see.” Grayson looked like he might be suppressing a laugh over my nervousness, although it was hard to tell with him. “Let me do the talking.” He slowly crept closer to her, hand out, voice far calmer and more coaxing than mine. “Come here, girl.”

  “How do you know it’s a girl?” I asked.

  “Eyeballs,” Grayson deadpanned before turning his attention back to the dog, who took two cautious steps forward before stopping again. “It’s okay, girl. You take your time.” Turning back to me, he asked, “You got any snacks in your pocket?”

  “Chocolate protein bar and a few jerky sticks that Casey made me take the other morning.”

  “Dogs can’t have chocolate. Give me the jerky.” Grayson held out his hand, and I removed one of the jerky sticks from its wrapper before handing it over. He broke off a small piece and held it out for the dog. “Here you go. Little treat.”

  Faster than I could blink, she darted forward, snatched the bit of jerky from Grayson, and backed away again.

  “Oh, she’s hungry,” I said as she licked her chops. She had a long snout, pointed ears that flopped over, long legs, and short, filthy fur with what looked like several scratches on her front legs. No collar. She was a mess, but even cleaned up, I imagined she’d have a rough-around-the-edges look to her. “What kind of breed is she? She doesn’t look like the dogs we have in LA.”

  “Imagine not.” Grayson chuckled as he held out another chunk of jerky. “She’s some sort of cattle dog mutt, I reckon.”

  She grabbed the jerky only to retreat, but this time, I tried to follow.

  “Hey, come back here.”

  “Don’t chase,” Grayson called out, but I ignored him because the dog had stopped next to another, possibly even dirtier, dog lying farther down in the ditch.

  “There’s another dog!” I shouted. This other dog was about half the size of the big dog but was probably a similar breed, as it had the same sort of snout and fur. “She has a little dog with her.”

  “That’s a puppy.” Grayson came up beside me to crouch next to both dogs. The little one stood and hopped toward him while holding one of its front legs up. Even with the obvious injury, it was far friendlier than the older, skittish dog. Grayson fed the puppy a piece of jerky and rubbed its head. “Puppy’s about six months, I’d say.”

  “It’s hurt.”

  “Yep.” Grayson nodded somberly. His forehead creased like he was thinking extra hard. He turned slightly to give the bigger dog another chunk of jerky. “Okay, Mama, here’s what we’re gonna do. Little more jerky for you, then I’m gonna pick up your baby, and you’re gonna follow us back to the truck.”

  With that, he scooped up the puppy, and amazingly, the nervous mother dog didn’t object, instead trotting alongside him, anxious but not mad. If anything, she seemed almost relieved as Grayson loaded first the baby and then the bigger dog herself onto the back seat floorboard. After he set the dogs down, he grabbed a rag from a box on the seat to wipe dirt and what looked to be blood from his hands.

  “They need a vet.” I was possibly more anxious than the mother dog.

  “Already on it.” Grayson had his phone out even before he slid back behind the wheel. “Jude? Yeah, buddy, I know you’re mainly large animals, but I got a situation with some dogs. You happen to be around today?”

  He chatted a bit more with whoever this Jude was. I wasn’t sure I liked Grayson’s unexpectedly warm and friendly tone with Jude, but the dogs needed help more than I needed to be jealous.

  “Our vet’s gonna meet us at his practice,” he said as he ended the call and turned toward me. “Jude mainly works in the field as a horse and large animal vet, but he’s got a partner who handles the pets of Lovelorn and other towns around here. She’s gone for the weekend, but Jude said he can take a look at the dogs for us.”

  I kept my eyes on the dogs the whole drive to the vet, which was located in a small building not far from what passed as a downtown in Lovelorn, close to the diner run by Colt’s aunt and near the newspaper office.

  Jude met us in the parking lot. He looked more cowboy than veterinarian with a burly body type and impressive arm muscles under a red plaid flannel shirt. He had a beard and wore a western-style belt buckle that, while not rodeo large, added to his cowboy air.

  “This is Maverick’s friend Adler. He’s on as a short-term hand.” Grayson made a fast introduction. I didn’t care for the emphasis on short-term, but I didn’t have time to get put out as Jude quickly shook my hand before opening the passenger side back door of the truck.

  Jude scooped up the mother dog while Grayson carried the puppy, and we all trooped into one of the exam rooms.

  My resolve not to get jealous didn’t last long as Grayson and Jude made easy small talk, the sort old friends with a long history were prone to. They talked in shorthand about the ranch and a few horses Jude was keeping an eye on while Jude looked over the dogs. Grayson actually laughed at more than one point.

  Huh. Maybe it really was just me who got under Grayson’s skin. I didn’t know what to think about that. On the one hand, it meant he wasn’t immune to my efforts to get him to notice me, but on the other hand, apparently, he was determined to keep me at a distance by donning his stern armor.

  “Well, neither dog is microchipped,” Jude reported as he looked up from examining the puppy. “The puppy’s leg isn’t broken, just a bad thorn in the paw. I’m going to address that and the mom’s injuries. I’d like to clean them up some to make sure I’m not missing more injuries. Gray, can you help hold them if we take them to the back?”

  “Yep.” Grayson agreed with the ease of someone who’d helped Jude before.

  “What can I do?” I asked. Jude had apparently picked up on my lack of dog experience and general unease with medical stuff, but I still smarted from not being invited to help.

  “You might want to check the local lost pet boards while I work on the dogs.” Jude shook his head, a weariness in his eyes. “I’m not holding out hope there.”

  Sure enough, I didn’t find a single mention of a lost mom and daughter dog duo on the newspaper’s website, the local doorbell-camera app site, a lost and found section on the feed store’s site, or some more national lost pet lists associated with bigger pet stores. I also sent a message to Maverick to tell him about the situation.

  At least my work kept me occupied until Grayson and Jude returned with damp shirts but clean dogs. The puppy’s foot had been bandaged and placed in some sort of little boot to protect it. Both dogs were now on red leashes with the vet clinic’s name printed on them.

  “I didn’t find anyone looking for lost dogs.” I bent down to greet the dogs, gradually getting more comfortable with their size and the puppy’s bounciness.

  “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting much.” Jude sighed. “By the looks of it, these two have been on the run for some time. You’re going to want to call the shelter in Durango. However, they were full to bursting when Luna checked yesterday. They’re overworked and understaffed, but hopefully, they can manage the injuries and antibiotics as the dogs recover and wait for adoption.”

  “The shelter will probably separate them,” I guessed as the mother dog licked the smaller dog’s face.

  “Yeah. Puppy’s more likely to get adopted fast, sadly.” Jude had the resigned tone of someone who’d seen this scenario before. “They’ll put the mom on the spay list, but older dogs tend to languish.”

  I didn’t like the thought of languishing and all that implied any more than I liked the idea of this clearly bonded pair being separated. The mama dog had worked so hard to protect her baby and bring us to it. Luckily, though, I had a possible answer.

  “Maverick says we can bring them back to the ranch.” I held up my phone.

  “That’s a great solution.” Jude was far more enthusiastic now. “I can check on them on Monday. We’ll get them both in for a spay after they heal, no problem.”

  He was only too happy to help us load the dogs back up and send us on our way.

  “So, Maverick is planning to play dog nurse?” Grayson asked as he put the truck in Drive and headed out of the parking lot.

  “Um. Not exactly,” I hedged. “Hannah’s allergic, apparently, so he can’t have them in the house. But he said we could⁠—”

  “Hold up. There is no we.” He was back to that stern tone and firm glare he seemed to reserve only for me.

  “Okay, me.” I could argue my way into a we later. “I can take care of them.”

  “You’re not bringing dogs into the bunkhouse.” He pulled off to the side of the road to glower at me some more. “Talk about a circus.”

  I disagreed. Casey would likely fuss over the dogs, and the others could simply fall in line. However, I had an even better idea.

  “You have a whole mobile home to yourself.”

  “Yep.” Grayson blew out a long breath like he was trying hard not to tell me off. “Pet free in case you haven’t noticed.”

  “The dogs like you a lot.” I hadn’t missed all the pats he’d handed out at the vet’s office or the way he kept glancing at them in the rearview now. He wouldn’t admit it, but he didn’t want them to go to the shelter either.

  “All dogs do.”

  “You’ve had dogs before,” I guessed, hoping I could garner more sympathy.

  “Grew up around ’em, yeah.” Grayson shrugged. He’d shared earlier about his parents, which sounded like a horrific situation, but his voice was fond now. “Last one, Ol’ Blue, passed on six years back, same year as my dad. Cattle dog, like these two. Best dog Dad ever owned. Died of a broken heart, I reckon.”

  I made a wounded noise. “That’s so sad.”

  “Nah, that’s life.” Grayson’s tone was pragmatic. “Blue was fourteen, old and cranky by then. Not unlike my dad.”

  “You miss him.”

  “The dog?” Grayson rolled his neck from side to side as if tiring of this conversation. “Guess maybe.”

  “Him too, but I meant your dad.” Something about his grief made Grayson that much more human to me, not simply a walking fantasy, but a real man with a complicated and painful history. I wanted to hug him, but he’d undoubtedly flinch away.

  “Every damn day.” Grayson put weight on each word. “You live and work side by side with someone for forty years, you’re gonna miss ’em like you’d miss your right leg. I get on though.”

  “He’d be proud of you.” I couldn’t offer a hug, but I could try to comfort nonetheless. “Everyone says you’re a good boss.”

  He snorted. “Now you’re trying to butter me up so I don’t turn this truck toward Durango.”

  “No, it’s true,” I said earnestly. It was true that Kat and the others said he was fair, but it was also true that I wasn’t above using flattery to get him to keep the dogs. “You’re known for being fair.”

  “Fair don’t mean I want a pair of dogs all over my place.” He gave me a firm look, but he still hadn’t turned the truck around, which gave me hope.

  “Maybe they can just sleep at your place for a few days? Long enough to see if they have an owner?” I was banking on Grayson falling in love with the dogs. I wasn’t sure he got attached to much of anything, but his obvious grief when talking about his father made me cautiously optimistic. “I’ll post on the lost pet boards, and I’ll do all the work for the dogs. I’ll feed them for you. Walk them. Train them.”

  “You’re going to train them?” Grayson’s forehead wrinkled as his tone turned skeptical.

  “I’ll watch some videos on how to do it.” I waved a hand.

  “You’ll watch some videos.” Grayson sounded like my idea was right up there with learning to fly without a plane, but I refused to be deterred.

  “I can learn.” Sure, I was new to dogs, but I liked these two. Unlike Grayson, I tended to fall hard and fast, and I couldn’t stand the thought of what might happen to them if we didn’t take them. “If the dogs go to the shelter, the shelter people will likely separate Lorelei and Rory.”

  “You named them?” Grayson groaned, tipping his head back and briefly shutting his eyes. “After what?”

  “Only the best show to ever exist.” I rolled my eyes at how the walking Jeopardy champ could lack pop culture knowledge.

  “I’ll take your word for that.” He exhaled and put the truck in Drive. “Guess names won’t hurt. But don’t you go getting attached.”

  “You’re not turning around.” Giddy, I did a victory dance in my seat.

  “They can stay long enough for me to make some calls to folks I know.” He sounded resigned. “Someone surely wants a dog.”

  Maybe you. But I kept my mouth shut. A win was a win. I’d simply count on the dogs and me wearing him down with our charm.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Grayson

  “Who’s ready for chow?” Adler arrived at my trailer with his usual unbridled enthusiasm. In the week that the dogs had been on the ranch, his sunny smile for the dogs had yet to fade. And true to his word, he’d arrived before the morning meeting every day to let them out and feed them, and he’d returned at the end of the day to do the same. He’d even figured out the peanut butter trick to getting them to take their meds.