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“You have no spine,” he grumbled, walking toward the front yard.

“Okay, pot,” I teased, following him.

Up front, Maya lay in the grass, Graham jumping over her chest and licking her cheek. Fletcher glanced my way and muttered, “Okay, maybe I understand.”

I smirked at him. Of course he did.

“Maya,” he said.

She jumped up, taking the puppy in her lap, holding him in a way that said,you can take him over my dead body. I kind of agreed with her.

“You can keep Graham,” he said, cracking a smile warmer than the hues of orange coloring the sky.

Maya screamed happily, running up to him.

He hugged her, closing his eyes, and then said, “I have a few ground rules. The puppy does not come in the main house until he’s potty trained. He will have plenty of chew toys so he doesn’t ruin our furniture or shoes.”

She nodded eagerly at every demand.

“He will sleep in the cottage with Liv, and you are in charge of making sure he has food and water every morning and every night before bed. You’ll bathe him once a week and save money for his veterinary visits and obedience training. Okay?”

“Yes, yes, I promise!” she said.

“Now let me see the little guy,” he replied.

She carefully passed the puppy to her dad, and I swear my ovaries exploded.

This strong, beautiful man with a jawline like stone and arms of chiseled muscle smiling at a puppy with his eyes crinkled and his beautiful teeth on full display?

He was already in love.

And me? I needed to remember that I couldn’t be.

* * *

Graham curledup in his kennel next to my bed, breathing softly and whimpering every so often as he slept. With a sigh, I rolled to my back, staring at the whitewashed plank ceiling, the rustic fan spinning in slow circles. I tracked one blade as it spun, trying to settle the aching in my heart.

Fletcher was the perfect guy... in theory. He loved his daughter. He had an amazing job. He was tough with just the right amount of sentimentality. And he was attracted to me too...

But we couldn’t pursue a relationship. I knew that, and he’d said as much on our failed double date. Still. I wondered what it would feel like if he had enough faith in us to risk it. What kind of life we could live...together.

I tossed and turned, eventually finding a restless sleep... until I heard a scream outside.

My heart jolted, and I bolted upright shooting out of my bed to find the sun just barely rising.

That was Maya’s scream.

And it curdled my blood, turned it to ice in my veins.

I pushed out the door to see her standing in the yard, a coyote just feet away from her.

Instinct took over, and I ran to her, taking her in my arms and shouting at the coyote to run away. They usually never got close to houses in the country like this. Coyotes were afraid of humans.

They had to be.

I yelled again, standing my ground with Maya scrambling and shaking in my arms so it wouldn’t go on the hunt and chase after us.

The door to the house banged open, and the animal turned, sprinting under the fence and away from the house.