Maisey Yates - Animal Attraction

“Morgan,” Misty and Honey said at the same time.

Sawyer laughed. “At least that way, she’d always have an ear to bend.” He slapped Shohn on the shoulder. “I have early appointments tomorrow, so your mom and I are heading home. You going to stop in before you leave?”

His dad saw more patients now than ever, but still worked from home. Shohn shook his head. “I’ll help Amber round up Rookie and then head on to my own bed. I’m leading a school field trip through the gap tomorrow. Second-graders.”

Honey smoothed his hair, bent and kissed his ear and said, “If you need to talk, you know where to find us.”

After shooting a dirty look at Morgan, which only made his uncle grin, Shohn tipped his head back to see Honey. “It’s fine, Mom. No worries, no women troubles, nothing like that.”

“Famous last words,” Morgan said. Then he stood with Misty held in his arms. “Tell Amber we’re inside. You’ll have five minutes to talk before I come out to get her.”

“Yes, sir.” Knowing how Morgan adored his family, Shohn appreciated the effort. When Amber’s truck pulled into the long driveway, he walked out to meet her. Rock music blasted from the radio, and when she cut the engine, near silence fell around them. Only the chirping of crickets and rustling of leaves disturbed the darkness.

Long dark hair windblown from the open windows, Amber hopped from the truck, saying, “Hey, cuz, what’s up?”

He heard the worry and hurried to say, “Not a thing. Rookie’s in the house, playing with the other dogs.”

The animals all got along well, but together, they could be a handful. Though Morgan and Misty always offered, Amber liked to leave Rookie with Nadine for overnight stays.

“Nadine let you have him okay? Sort of sounded like she was hesitant to turn him over to you.”

“It’s a liability thing.” He hefted her heavy suitcase from the truck bed then spotted some boxes, too. He set the suitcase down. “I can carry this stuff in for you in a minute.”

Amber paused, her expression alight with curiosity and anticipation. “What is it? What’s going on?”

Yeah, she did that to everyone, already knowing stuff before she was told. “I wanted to talk to you about Nadine.”

Throwing up her arms, Amber whooped. “I knew it! She’s perfect for you. Marry her and let her have your babies.”

Whoa. “What the hell, Amber. Are you nuts?”

She laughed then slugged him in the arm. “Just teasing. What about Nadine?”

Heart still pounding, Shohn scowled at her. “No way. You were serious.”

Holding her finger and thumb close together, Amber said, “Just a little, maybe.” She hugged his arm and leaned into him. “She really is perfect for you. But the babies can wait if you’re determined to drag your feet.”

Jaw loose, Shohn tried to shake her off, but she clung like a damned monkey. “I’m not marrying anyone.”

“Start with a kiss and see how that goes.”

Already done, and it had been oh-so-hot. But no way would he encourage Amber by telling her so. “You’re nuts.”

Amber grabbed him by his ears. “Have I ever steered you wrong?”

No, but today seemed to be a day full of firsts. Like the first time he’d really gotten turned on by Nadine, the first time he’d kissed her.

The first time a woman made him brood, just as Uncle Morgan claimed.

Shohn smothered a groan and asked, “Why Nadine? What makes you think she’s so great?”

“Oh, my God, it was incredible.” Always a little dramatic, Amber hunkered in close as if telling a state secret. “I was dropping off Rookie. He loves that place, you know, which makes it easier not to fret about him when I’m gone. I mean, he loves Mom and Dad, too, but the doggy hotel is like a vacay for him. Anyway, Nadine was filling out the paperwork, and two other chickies were in there.”

“Chickies?”

She flapped a hand. “Two of your flighty exes—women I had not approved, by the way. And they were prattling on about getting you up in the woods and out of your uni. Really explicit stuff, Shohn. Made me blush.”

Yeah, right. Nothing made Amber blush. “Baloney. You’re making that up.”

“Just the blushing part. Those two airheads were talking loud enough for even poor Fred to hear. He’s Nadine’s new groundskeeper in case you don’t know.”

“I heard all about Fred.”

“So anyway, they were talking about you like you were heaven’s gift to women and all, and I looked at Nadine, and she rolled her eyes.” Amber watched him expectantly, as if that should somehow be important.

“Sorry, hon, but if that’s the punch line, I don’t get it.”

Huffing, Amber clarified, “She was disgusted, Shohn.”

“Great. I disgust her.” Not when kissing her, but yeah, at other times, she had acted pretty put out over stuff. “How does that make her perfect?”

“Don’t be obtuse.” Amber shoved him, or at least she tried to.

Since she’d been doing that sort of thing forever, roughhousing as if she were one of the boys, Shohn stayed prepared around her. He didn’t budge a single inch. He lifted a brow and waited.

Grabbing his shirt, Amber pulled him down to her level and enunciated clearly. “She doesn’t buy into your awesome rep, cuz.”

Well, that sucked, because he made a lot of headway with that rep, a rep he’d carefully cultivated with the ladies.

“She’s above that nonsense,” Amber said. “Nadine doesn’t see you as a charming stud at all.”

“Lucky me.”

Amber laughed at his lack of enthusiasm. “No, it’s better than that. I asked her a few things about you—”

He groaned. “God help me.”

“—and you know what? She thinks you’re smart and considerate. She respects your job and she knows some of the more heroic crap you’ve done, which means she’s been paying attention, just not to the hype.”

Shohn scoffed, but he was intrigued enough to prompt Amber. “I haven’t done any heroic crap.”

“Puh-leeze.” Amber walked around him and opened the truck gate. “You went out on the frozen lake to save that dog last winter.”

“I had all the right equipment so it wasn’t—”

“And,” Amber said with emphasis, “you helped track that one dope dealer who was trying to hide in the hills.”

“We were all tracking him. I was just lucky to find him fir—”

“And,” she interrupted again, “you scaled down Culper’s Cliff to save that boy when his doofus dad let him fall over.”

“Yeah,” Shohn agreed. “That was a little harrowing.” But anyone would have done the same.

“You’ve done tons of awesome stuff and Nadine knew about all of it.” Amber hauled out a heavy box. “She even remembered that time back when you two were early teens and you stopped that loudmouth Bob from calling her names.”

Shohn nodded slowly. “I was fourteen, but she was only twelve.”

“Bob,” Amber said, “was fifteen, and still you beat him up.”

“Bob was a damned coward who enjoyed making fun of people.” Shohn recalled that day as if it had just happened. They were all at the lake, swimming and flirting and doing what kids did. Nadine hadn’t worn a suit, which he remembered thinking odd. During summer in Buckhorn, especially on the lake, everyone wore a suit.

But not Nadine. She’d been in shorts and a shirt.

Then Bob had pushed her in and she’d gotten soaked. Her T-shirt had glued itself to her chest in a way that had them all gawking. Even back then, Nadine had been chesty. He remembered being floored by his first shot of honest-to-God breasts.

It had left him curious as only a horny fourteen-year-old boy could be.

Then, out of the blue, Bob had called her a cow. Big tears had joined the lake water on Nadine’s face, and Shohn had suffered his very first bout of possessiveness.