Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Slash studied her, then began to walk slowly toward her. Not looking at me once for direction. He seemed fascinated. I still wasn’t sure of his intentions yet, so I watched closely, not needing my dog to decide to take a bite of her. I might not like her, but calling Doc here for stitches would be annoying.
Instead of snarling or baring his teeth, he went up to her, his tail wagging, and lowered his head, allowing her to pet him.
What the fuck, Slash?
I’d been gone for two weeks. Traitor had better remember who fed him. Well, most of the time. Ellen helped with that.
“Aren’t you a handsome boy?” she cooed at him, only making his tail go at it harder.
Jesus.
“Mr. Carver, I have the tacos,” Ellen said as she came around the same corner Slash had when she spotted Bay and went from a moment of surprise to delight. “Oh! You brought company! I’ll need to go set another place. I only se—”
“That won’t be necessary, Ellen. If you’ll just…” I paused, thinking again about which room to send Bay to, then decided the one upstairs beside the attic would be best. “Get the fourth-floor bedroom ready and take Miss Fox with you. Once she’s got what she needs, you can take her meal up there.”
I might have to keep her in my house, but I wasn’t fucking letting her eat at my table.
Ellen frowned. “Fourth floor?” she asked, looking confused.
That room hadn’t been used since…well, since my wife had been alive. She’d used it as her crafts room. After she passed, I didn’t want to think about all I’d done wrong in our marriage or the disaster it had been. Doing so just brought guilt. So, I had hired a designer to come in and turn it into a guest bedroom that no one ever used. There were plenty of other bedrooms in this house.
“Yes,” I replied tightly, not liking the fact that she was questioning me.
Sure, it wasn’t a big room. Not like the other guest bedrooms with full bathrooms and luxury amenities. Bay was a prisoner of sorts. She should be treated like one. Until she told the truth, we would be stuck like this. That, or until we had what we needed on her boyfriend.
“Okay,” Ellen said, nodding, then giving Bay an apologetic smile. “If you will come with me, dear.”
Bay gave Slash one more rub that he was thoroughly enjoying before standing back up. “All right,” she agreed, then stifled a yawn.
I wondered how long she’d been awake. I had picked her up from a long-haul flight. It was likely she had been up for over twenty-four hours by now. Again, not my problem.
Slash began to follow Bay as she went with Ellen. What the fuck?!
“Slash,” I called in a stern tone I knew he would understand. “Come here,” I told him when he turned to look back at me.
He glanced back up at Bay, then at me before sulking back where he belonged.
He was a Doberman, for Christ’s sake. Who just walked up to a damn Doberman they’d never met and proceeded to pet him? Furthermore, where was my threatening dog? No snarling, no need to protect the house and those in it from a stranger?
“Pussy,” I muttered to him before heading toward the kitchen.
I wanted to eat, shower, and get her scent out of my goddamn nose. My Escalade was never going to be the same. I’d be damned if I let her ride in my truck. She wasn’t haunting me in there too. Why did she have to smell so good? She should stink like normal people who had just worked a long-haul flight from Australia.
Twenty
Bay
Ellen looked to be in her early sixties. She was very distinguished with her gray hair cut into a sleek, short bob, black-and-blue-rimmed glasses, and a knee-length skirt and crisp cream-colored blouse.
I followed behind her, thankful to get away from Hale and his scowling. Although I did like his dog. I wished he’d allowed him to go with me.
When we reached the third flight of stairs, Ellen turned right and opened a door that was much smaller and not as wide and ornate as the others we had passed. “This room is never used, but I do come up and clean it properly every other week. Luckily, I was in here two days ago, so it is nice and fresh,” she informed me. “The window just over there opens up and will let in some fresh air as well. I’m afraid that’s the only window on this floor, but it does have a lovely view of the property.”
She went over to the lone window and popped it open. It didn’t slide up, only out about a foot. When she turned back to me, I could see the concern in her brow, but she wasn’t asking questions. From her reaction downstairs, I assumed this was not the room she would have put me in.