Page 22 of Anything for You (Veterans of Silver Ridge #7)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Dove

M y visit with Nan after work had gone well. For once, I didn’t feel the pinching ache around my heart when sitting with her in one of the parlors. I felt happy, especially as I saw different friends stopping by to say hi and fawn over her and me.

She had friends. She had a whole life, and she seemed brighter.

I knew very well isolation was one of several major contributing factors to rapid mental decline and correlated with increased incidence of dementia, injury, and all kinds of other issues in the elderly.

It was part of the reason we’d decided the move to Silverton Springs made sense.

I simply hadn’t realized how small and closed-in her life had become.

She occasionally visited friends, did the beauty parlor, as she called it, weekly, but she couldn’t simply wander out of her apartment and find a group to chat with.

She didn’t have companionship at meals or reinforcements if she needed something when I was away at work.

Breathing in the surprisingly warm evening air, I took a few moments to appreciate how vividly I could see she was thriving. And maybe it meant I was doing a bit better now, too, because I didn’t even feel the urge to cry.

Okay, fine, a little tear had snuck out of one eye—just the one!—as I got in my car to head home. But it was a tear of gratitude. Of relief.

Of knowing the person I loved most in the world was settled and in a place where she could be happy, and of course where I could come see her whenever she and I wanted.

Work had been fine, though the familiar itch to do something else, something more, had shimmied its way under my bra strap and stuck like a stray hair.

I couldn’t stop thinking about how restless I was at work, especially since I’d thought once I sold the house and got Nan settled, I’d feel so relieved and happy, and work would improve, too.

So… where was the old satisfaction in my work now that I wasn’t hanging on by my fingernails?

A low woof caught my attention, and I looked up to see Bear bounding toward the path I walked that led to the back yards of both my little cabin and Dorian’s house.

“Hi, Bear!” I bent to pet his head as he swirled around me, but realized he was wet too late. “Gah! You’re soaked!”

He yipped another cheery little bark, eyeing me and then walking toward his house. He stopped, looked back, then started walking again.

“You want me to follow you? Where’s your dad?” I asked, as though this clever boy could actually understand me .

He panted, excitement in his every movement, until his ears perked up as a low whistle reached us.

“That must be him. Should we go see him and figure out how you got all wet?”

I couldn’t help the grin on my face because he was so joyous in the way he galloped back the way he’d come and slipped around the far side of his house. Dorian must’ve been working over there, and I’d never actually seen that side of his place.

Because of this ignorance, I wandered around the corner, heedless of what would befall me in the next few seconds.

When I came to the side of the house, what did mine eyes behold?

A tall, muscular man standing half-naked under a shower head.

Water sluiced down his dark hair and over the tanned, firm architecture of his back and onto stone pavers at the ground.

Bear trotted up to the person, and my stomach sank just in time for him to turn and watch his dog zip back toward me.

He froze, the sight of me clearly unanticipated.

And I stopped in place, the vision of Dorian Forrester naked from the waist up and showering in the waning golden light not something I’d ever possibly be mentally prepared for.

So much skin. So many, many muscles. Biceps, pectorals, abs, obliques, and a frankly aggressive vee of an Adonis belt shoving my gaze downward to notice a pair of low-slung soaking wet pants.

Who showers with pants?

How tragic and also miraculous he did, or I’d be even less capable of words right now.

He reached for the spigot and turned it to the right until the water trickled, then stopped. After grabbing a towel draped over a metal beam to one side, he scrubbed it over his face, hair, and then around his neck and shoulders.

I finally managed to pull my eyes from the absolute insanity in front of me and focused my attention on Bear.

“Dude, that was a total ambush,” I told him under my breath.

The dog just panted happily, his smile wide and toothy.

“Hey,” Dorian said, now too close to ignore that yes, he was very much still shirtless and despite his efforts, which were weak at best, he was still glistening with water droplets on his shoulders and chest.

I didn’t dare look lower, but no doubt his pants, etcetera were still dripping wet.

“Do you shower outside often?” I asked, because there was no chance I could pretend this wasn’t happening.

Inscrutable as always, he shrugged. “Not often. Bear got muddy so I gave him a shower out here and by the time we were done, I was covered. Figured I’d do a first pass out here before I go destroy my bathroom with dirt.”

Very reasonable. Completely understandable.

Exceedingly attractive.

No! Bad brain! We do not objectify our beautiful mountain man baker friend! No!

“Right. Makes sense. Absolutely.”

I turned away, glancing at the cabin, trying to remember why I was even out here. Why had I left my house and entered the perilous wild where I’d stumbled upon this mountain of a man in nearly all of his rather unignorable glory?

“How was your day?” he asked, drawing my attention back to him before I valiantly bounced my eyes away again.

He was just so beautiful, and I hadn’t seen a real-life flesh and blood man without his shirt on in, well, ever. At least not one who wasn’t a patient, and when I was in work mode, I didn’t feel things like whatever was happening right now. No, I’d never seen a man like this.

Especially not one who made me mini pies and liked tea and had the sweetest dog and the most soulful, endless eyes…

Stop it already!

“It was good, actually. Work was fine, and seeing Nan was kind of amazing.” I peeked at him, face only. A swoop of attraction made me stumble. Still a problem.

He reached out, grabbing my upper arm and steadying me. And now he’s even closer!

That large, warm hand on my skin felt a little bit like it lit a fire underneath the point of contact.

It sizzled out from the touch simultaneously searing me and scorching every brain cell I owned.

After a second, I found my feet as he released me and awkwardly chuckled as a way to say, “ I’m totally fine and not literally falling all over myself because you are not only the kindest man I’ve ever known, but now I can confirm you are the actual hottest and that is not awesome because I was already struggling not to have a gigantic, unmanageable crush on you. ”

“What made it amazing?” he asked.

The abs? The pecs? That dusting of dark hair I wanted to press my hand against…

“Oh, uh… the visit? With Nan?” Get a grip, woman! You’re better than this! “She was just so happy. She’s doing so well there. And I’m not hating it here. So it was good to take a moment and let that settle in.”

When I dared to look at him, the soft smile on his face threatened to slay me.

I mean, come on! Didn’t he realize he was five-alarm fire hot already and then he hit me with a little smile and a hint of teeth? Did he want to be attacked out here?

If I was a bear, he was a tent with an uncovered fruit tray slathered in honey as I trundled out of my hibernation cave. Come on, man!

“Glad to hear it, Dove. That’s great.”

We shared a smile. Or at least I hoped it looked like a smile because currently, my insides were disintegrating and reforming into shooting stars and rainbows at the same time.

“Mind if I bring you dinner? I was going to do a shepherd’s pie and some salad. Nothing fancy. Maybe around seven?” He slung the towel over one shoulder.

I swallowed hard. “Uh. Dinner? Me? Seven?”

He chuckled, but his expression faded into concern. “You okay?”

Finally, my humanity broke through the fog of desire and attraction. More heat joined the already blazing blush on my cheeks and I scrubbed my hands over my eyes.

“Yes. Sorry. I think maybe I need a snack or something.” Hypoglycemia brought on by ogling such a magnificent specimen—that was a thing, right? I gave him a sheepish look.

“I have food inside if you need. Or?—”

“No, thank you. You’re already feeding me dinner, right?”

A pleased look crossed his face. “If you want.”

If I want. Hilarious. “Yes, please.”

He nodded. “Good. Then I’ll see you around seven for the delivery. For now, I better head inside and get cleaned up.”

Dear sir, you need not get cleaned up on my behalf!

Bear trotted ahead of him.

“Thanks, Dorian. ”

I did not let my hungry gaze trail after him as he plodded his way toward his house because I was heading to mine. And I would not look back.

Not that I needed to. The image of him was now burned into my brain, and I was not mad about it.

Closing the door behind me, I sank to the ground, still blushing and kind of wanting to scream to let out this wild energy romping through my mind and body.

Exhaling, I let my head fall back with the sigh and rolled my eyes at what a mess I was even as I laughed because there was just no other option.

No. No, I’m not hating it here at all.