“Yeah, it sure would. Have you talked about it with Mom and Warren yet?”

  He shook his head. “Not until I know more. But you know how Mom is. She’s big on all of us having our own independent lives, even if she misses us when we’re not around.”

  “That’s what airplanes are for, Euge.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Let me know as soon as you decide, okay?”

  “Will do. Gotta go.”

  “Love you, bro.”

  “Love you, too. Later.”

  They hung up and Linc put his phone back in his pocket, smiling as he thought about the possibility of Eugene living close by.

  He and his brothers rarely saw eye to eye—on anything. They all had distinct personalities. But in the end, they were family. And family was everything. The idea of having Eugene here, of building something permanent here?

  Yeah, that appealed.

  The day was really looking up.

  He glared at the ceiling fan. “And you are going to start fucking working, or I’m taking you apart and burning you in the driveway, got it?”

  He grabbed the remote, clicked the on switch, and the blades started rotating.

  “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  One disaster averted.

  Now he felt really damned good about the rest of the day.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Hazel had amused herself all day with the pups. They’d gone for a long walk this morning, though Mitzi and Gordon’s walk had been shorter and then they’d finished off in the stroller.

  Currently, Lilith was on a roll trying to micromanage all the dogs. Gordon and Mitzi ignored her, preferring the company of each other—which mostly consisted of napping together. Penny was adorably in love with Linc and followed him everywhere, so she didn’t pay much attention to Lilith’s attempts to herd her back to where Freddie was busily trying to dislodge a rock from the grass.

  Freddie seemed to be the only one who toed the line where Lilith was concerned.

  “At least one of them listens to you, girl,” Hazel said as she washed down the walk around the pool.

  Lilith looked up at her, her skinny little tail thumping wildly as she followed Hazel around the yard while Freddie had found a bug to bark at.

  Her phone buzzed. She thought it was Linc since he’d been out all day running errands, and they’d made plans for her to go with him to look at a couple of houses he was interested in purchasing for his next project.

  It wasn’t Linc. It was a text from Sandy.

  Awesome news! I think someone wants to adopt Freddie.

  Her heart clenched. She punched the call button and Sandy answered.

  “Isn’t it exciting? They’re an amazing couple. They already have a dachshund, and they’re so excited about the idea of adopting another. I’ve already run background and done the home visit. I think Freddie would love them.”

  He loved her, too.

  Hazel flopped down to sit right there on the grass, Freddie crawling into her lap, followed by Lilith. She swallowed, though her throat was dry. “Great.”

  “When can you arrange to bring him for a meet and greet?”

  How about never? She shook her head. Keeping these dogs wasn’t her job, no matter how much she loved them. “Um . . . can I get back to you after I check my schedule? I was just about to run out.”

  “Oh, sure. Just let me know. I gotta run, too. Later.”

  Hazel clicked off and tried to breathe in, but her chest felt tight. She looked down and smoothed her hand over Freddie’s soft back, her eyes filling with tears.

  Dammit, she sucked at this.

  Shaking her head, she pushed all thoughts of Freddie to the back of her mind. He was still here, for now, and he was still hers. She needed to get ready to head out with Linc, who told her he’d be back around three o’clock, and it was already two thirty. Since she’d spent time in the pool with the pups today, she was kind of a wreck, not to mention the tears.

  She picked Freddie up, unable to resist pressing a kiss to his long snout before setting him back on the grass. He bounded off with Lilith hot on his heels.

  After she took a quick shower, she towel dried her hair and ran through it with a comb, then blow-dried it and put on a quick touch of makeup. It was too humid right now for anything else.

  She put on a sundress and her sandals and went downstairs.

  Linc was there, wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, his hair still damp.

  “I didn’t even know you were here.”

  “When I got home I saw you were busy getting ready so I showered in the other bathroom.”

  “Oh. Okay.” He could have stepped in the shower with her. Maybe he was preoccupied. She certainly was. She wouldn’t hold it against him.

  “Ready to go?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She brought the pups inside, refilled their water bowls, and gave them all a treat, and they headed toward their respective happy places for their afternoon nap in the cool air-conditioning.

  Then Hazel and Linc got into his truck and buckled up.

  He looked over at her. “You look pretty. I like that dress.”

  For the first time in a couple of hours, she smiled. “Thank you. I figured if we were meeting with a Realtor, I should look decent. Plus it’s humid and a dress is cooler.”

  “Well, you might be cool, but looking at you is making me all kinds of hot.”

  She laughed. “I guess you’ll have to suffer through it.”

  “I could take you back inside and take that dress off.”

  “Not a chance. I’ve been looking forward to seeing these houses.”

  He shrugged. “Not as much fun as wild sex.”

  “True, but still, you’re all but finished with the house. It’s time to put it up for sale, and find a new place, right?”

  “I guess so.”

  She hid her smirk at the disappointment on his face by looking out the window.

  They arrived at the house. To say it was underwhelming was an understatement. Linc’s Realtor, Jennifer, let them inside and told them to look around, that she’d wait out back.

  Hazel stayed quiet during the walk-through of the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home, making mental notes as she wandered through the kitchen and living area, and down the hall to investigate the bedrooms and bathrooms. When she stepped outside, she was wowed.

  A decent pool and a lake view.

  Jennifer was seated in one of the chairs out there, going through her phone.

  “We’re going to do another tour inside,” Linc said.

  Jennifer nodded. “Sure, of course. I’ll be right here.”

  They walked inside and he closed the door. Linc leaned against the kitchen counter. “Thoughts?”

  “The kitchen is a gut job. You could open up this wall and it wouldn’t feel so closed in, and it would give a more open feel into the living area.” She stepped into the living room. “It’s nice and spacious, but these floors have seen better days. What do you think?”

  His lips curved. “Everything you just said, plus more. But you’re good at this. Ever thought about becoming my assistant?”

  “You’re funny.” They moved down the hall to the primary bedroom. “I like that it’s nice-sized and has a walk-in closet. But carpet?” She wrinkled her nose. “No. The bathroom needs serious help. So does the other full bath and the half bath. And the exterior needs painting and some good landscaping. Backyard is awesome, though. Can you imagine the sunsets out there?”

  They headed back toward the kitchen. “Agree. It’s a huge selling point, and once this place is updated it’ll be amazing—and worth a lot more money. I just need to have an inspection done for electrical, HVAC, and so on to make sure I’m not in over my head. Otherwise, the rest is doable.”

  They stood in the kitchen. “Plenty of space in here for an oversize island.”

  “Agree. Okay, then, let me tell Jennifer we’re leaving so she can meet us at the second place.”

  Jennifer didn’t ask any questions about how they liked the house, just said she’d lock up and meet them at the next one.

  They stopped for a drink at a gas station, then drove somewhat out of the area for the next house. They’d gotten to the point where she didn’t see neighborhoods. Instead, there was space, a lot of land, with just a sprinkling of homes here and there.

  “This is interesting,” she said.

  “I hope you think so.”

  He pulled down a long gravel drive toward the largest, most sprawling house that Hazel had ever seen. They got out of the truck, and Hazel stood there and gaped. It was an L-shaped one-story in a color she could only describe as musty gray. And it had two entrances for reasons she couldn’t imagine. She didn’t even know where to start, other than this place needed a makeover. But, wow, was it ever huge.

  “How big is this house?” she asked Linc as they watched Jennifer’s car pull down the long drive.

  “Uh, not exactly sure.”

  She gave him a curious look but turned to smile at Jennifer as she got out of her car.

  “I’m so excited to show you this house. It’s been on the market awhile, so I think you could get a great deal. And all this land is incredible.” She pulled two sheets out of her briefcase and handed one to each of them. “Shall we go inside?”

  “Yeah,” Linc said.

  Hazel followed, taking in the information sheet.

  Six thousand square feet? Five bedrooms and four baths? All the places she’d ever lived in her entire adult life could fit inside this house.

  The first thing she noticed when they walked inside was no carpet. No flooring of any kind, actually. No furniture, either.

  “As you can see, the owners had started on a renovation, but that fell through when one of the owners became ill. They thought it best to sell the place and move somewhere more . . . convenient.”

  Hazel felt immediately for the owners. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Jennifer nodded. “I’ll let you look around.”

  Jennifer was good at disappearing.

  Linc looked over at her. “First impressions?”

  “Humongous.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, it sure is. Come on, let’s go explore. Try to visualize what could be.”

  “Okay.” This should be fun. After all, it wasn’t her house. But as they walked through the amazing oversize living area with its cathedral ceilings, she could already imagine a tall Christmas tree in the front window, and beautiful wood floors throughout. Or maybe wood-looking tile if the new owners had a bunch of dogs.

  The kitchen was enormous, but very nineties, with oak cabinetry, laminate counters, and dingy white square floor tiles. Yuck. “I can already see a wall of cabinets over here, and here,” she said. “Plus there’s room for an oversize pantry. The area on this side is big enough for a chef’s stove and refrigerator.” She studied the space, getting her first glimpse of the actual size of the property behind them. “Oh. You could put bifold doors over here to let in light and showcase that yard and pond.”

  “That’s a great idea.”

  She wandered to the back door and opened it, her jaw dropping at what appeared to be miles of open land, something she never saw in the city.

  “Wow,” she said as Linc came up beside her. “Does this belong to the house?”

  “And then some. There’s twenty acres.”

  She tried hard not to let her jaw drop. “Twenty . . . seriously?”

  “Totally serious.”

  “Wow,” she said again. “The possibilities are endless.”

  “What would you do? You know, if this were your place?”

  “Oh, well. My wants are a lot different from the average homeowner.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. But if this was your place, what would you do out here?”

  She couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild, recalling that incredible drawing Natalie had made for her. “A place for the dogs, of course, since there’d be plenty of room for them to run.” She started walking. “You could fence in maybe a few acres for them in that grassy area to the left, to include the woodlands. The dogs would love that, especially if you put in some trails for walks.”

  “I like that.”

  “And then right outside the house I’d want a pool. Maybe even a pool in the dogs’ area as well, just not as nice so we wouldn’t have to worry about them getting dirt in the pool. And so many of the dogs love water.”

  An image of Freddie covered in mud popped into her head. A pang hit her stomach, but she pushed it aside, concentrating instead on this unrealistic dream.

  “And a big covered patio with an outdoor kitchen, with extra space for entertaining. Lots of cushy seating so everyone would have a spot.”

  “So far it sounds great.”

  She took his hand and brought him back inside, already visualizing the kitchen that would never be hers. They turned down the long hallway and saw several bedrooms, all of them spacious with nice-sized closet areas. The main bedroom was huge. Like, ridiculously huge. So was the bathroom.

  “A spa bath would be nice, with a soaker tub and a huge shower. And two vanities, that way you don’t have to share.”

  He frowned. “Don’t like sharing, huh?”

  She laughed. “You leave beard hairs in the sink.”

  “I do not. And you’re a toothpaste hog.”

  She wasn’t at all insulted. “See? No sharing.”

  “Fine. Two vanities.”

  They walked outside and through another set of doors, and into what seemed like a second house, only much smaller. But it still had a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bath.

  “Guesthouse,” he said.

  “Oh. That’s nice.” She lifted her gaze to his. “Would you keep it a guesthouse?”

  “I don’t know. Would you, if this were your place?”

  She thought about it, then nodded. “I think I would. It’s nice to have a place for family or friends to stay other than one bedroom and a bath. Gives them some privacy and independence.”

  “Agree. We’ll keep it as it is—and definitely update it, like the rest of the house needs.”

  She laughed. “Oh, ‘we’ will, huh?”

  He turned to face her. “What would you say if I wanted to buy this place to live in?”

  She blinked. “What? You want to buy this? It’s huge, Linc. What are you going to do with all this space? And did you see the price? Not to mention what the renovations would cost.”

  “Okay, so here’s the thing. I want to live with you, Hazel. I also want you to have your dream. A place to call your own so you’ll never be without a house again. Plus, plenty of room for the dogs, and space for an office to write your cookbook or manage the foster paperwork or whatever you want to do with your life. What would you think about that?”

  She frowned. “Are you drunk?”

  He laughed. “No. I’m perfectly sober and know exactly what I want to do.”

  She wasn’t sure she understood what he was asking. Or suggesting. She’d never been more confused in her life. “You want to buy this place to live in and renovate. And you want me to rent it from you?”

  “No, Hazel.” He took her hands. “I want to live here. With you. Not as a roommate, but sharing a bed with you. A life with you.”

  “Oh.” She thought about it, ecstatic for a moment, confused for another, and then it all started to sink in. “You deliberately brought me here because you thought it’s what I wanted.”

  “Well, kind of. I like this place, too. There’s lots of storage for my renovation stuff, and it’s close enough to the city that I can either work there or hop on a plane when I need to.”

  “And you’ll still be able to afford to do that after you get a mortgage the size of Ohio for this place?”

  He scratched the side of his nose. “Uh, no. I intend to pay cash for this place.”

  “You . . . what?”

  “I have money, Hazel. A lot of it.”

  The shock hit her so hard she felt dizzy. “How much is a lot of it?”

  “Lots of millions.”

  She heard a buzzing in her ears and wished there was a place to sit down, because dizziness overcame her.

  Millions? “Wha . . . Why didn’t you ever tell me that?”

  “It’s . . . complicated.”

  “Having money isn’t complicated, Linc.”

  “It is when women use you because of it.”

  “Oh. I see.” She took a deep inhale and let it out, suddenly unable to comprehend what was happening here. Linc was a millionaire. Or more than a millionaire. Something he’d left out of every conversation he’d ever had with her. And why was that? Did he think because she was broke she’d latch on to him like a barnacle and never let go? She had figured out that he was probably well-off, financially. After all, he owned a company that he managed well. One that gave him enough time to indulge in doing this side business, which probably also offered a decent profit.

  But, millionaire? Never in her wildest imaginings did she expect that.

  And then he throws out buying this place. For her. Because, obviously, she’d never be able to make a go of it on her own. What he must think of her. Well, she knew what he thought of her.

  Inept. Useless. Unable to stand on her own two feet.

  “Hazel, let me explain.”

  She held up her hand. “No, I think I’ve got it. Can we go now?”

  “Babe, if you just let me explain, I think I can—”

  “Oh, I think you’ve done enough for today. I’d like to leave.”

  He paused, and she refused to acknowledge the look of hurt on his face.