Page 25 of Finding the One (River Rain #7)

“You aren’t dressing my dog,” Dair asserted.

Now Blake had put down the bouquet and she was rubbing his girl with both hands. “She and I disagree.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered.

She straightened and demanded, “Show me your house.”

This he did, with Sorcha trotting along with them.

He ordered Blake to leave her carry-on where it was, they wandered around, and he ended the tour up in his attic bedroom with the slanted roof, so he could deposit her bags there. All of them.

His bedroom had a king bed shoved against the short wall. A skylight over it. Hardwood floor. Gray walls. White baseboards. Gray and white thin-striped sheets. Red and white thick-striped euros. And red desk lamps on both nightstands.

“I’m impressed,” Blake told him. “With all of it.”

“I had a designer,” he told her.

“She’s good,” she observed.

“Aye. He is,” he agreed. “Bathroom through there.” He indicated.

She wandered that way.

“Closet next to it,” he shared. “I cleared some drawer and hanging space for ye.”

She stopped peering into the bathroom and looked to him.

Sorcha sat down and leaned against her.

Absently, she scratched his dog’s head.

Oh, aye.

This was going to work.

“We’re domesticating very fast, Dair,” she purred.

“Ye a woman who lives out of suitcase?”

“Absolutely not.”

As he thought.

“So I’m just looking after you.”

She moved his way.

Sorcha moved with her.

She put both her hands on his chest, so he put his to her hips, she leaned into him and said, “You seem to do well with that.”

His voice was rough when he asked, “Do ye want me to feed you or fuck you, darling? Because if you’re hungry, and ye pick fucking, you’re going to have quite a wait.”

Her eyes flashed, but she said, “I’m actually really hungry.”

“Then let’s get some food in ye.”

With that, he, his woman and his dog headed down the stairs.

They were on the couch in his living room.

The bouquet of roses was in a vase on the table between the chairs opposite them.

Sorcha was on the floor beside the couch.

The TV was on low, and Dair was watching a tennis match while Blake—cuddled to his side, her back to the couch, their legs tangled—napped.

He’d made her thick slices of radically buttered toast and Keiller’s marmalade, which she’d wolfed down like she hadn’t eaten in a year.

The boots came off next.

The cardie after that, exposing her turtleneck was sleeveless, and they’d started talking while drinking coffee on the couch, when he noticed she was fading. So he suggested they stretch out and watch some TV while she had a rest.

She was out like a light within ten minutes.

His phone vibed so he reached to it on the button-top, upholstered, navy ottoman that served double duty as a coffee table.

It was a text from his sister.

She’d sent an image or a video, and the word, Warning .

He opened it and felt his mouth get tight when he saw it was a picture of him and Blake snogging at the airport.

She looked phenomenal, and it was an absolute turn on to have visible proof of how into him she was, and he wasn’t hiding he felt the same thing for her.

But…fuck.

That didn’t take long.

He had one arm around her on the couch, so he had to thumb the phone to hit the image

Another text came in from his sister as he was scowling at a gossip rag’s Instagram post, spreading the word that Breaking: Scotland’s Top Rugby Hottie and New York’s Finest Bachelorette Are Making a Statement.

“ Fucking hell,” he muttered as he went back to his texts.

I better see her while she’s in town, Davi said.

Using his thumb, he replied, You will .

He thought he was having a care, but Blake stirred, then stretched, and finally lifted her head off his shoulder.

He tossed his phone on the ottoman and looked down at her.

“All good?” he asked quietly.

“How long was I out?” she asked blearily.

“A couple of hours.”

“Yuck,” she mumbled.

“Ye mentioned ye dinnae sleep well on planes,” he noted, and she had, between massive bites of toast.

“I got some. But I don’t want to sleep all day.”

“Travel takes it out of ye. This is why I didnae plan anything for today.” He stroked her back. “So just relax.”

She settled back into him but reached out to pet Sorcha’s head.

He didn’t know whether or not to tell her about the Instagram post.

“Sorcha needs a walk, and I need fresh air,” she stated.

Sorcha was always happy for a walk.

And Dair was happy Blake wanted to take her on one.

“Got shoes without six-inch heels on them?” he asked.

She turned her head his way. “My booties don’t have six-inch heels.”

He smiled at her. “Five, then.”

“I’ll have you know, I can probably play basketball in those heels. And they aren’t five inches, either.”

“Since I’d rather ye not be hobbling around on crutches, I’ll take your word for it.”

She aimed just her eyeballs at the ceiling.

He bent his head to touch his mouth to hers.

When he pulled away, he said, “Let’s take my girl out.”

They got off of the couch. She put on her boots and cardie, he put on his trainers, and they headed to the front door where he kept Sorcha’s lead on a hook.

But even if his pup sensed what they were about and was winding around them in excitement, before they went out into the world, Dair decided to show her the Instagram post.

“Need ye to see something first, baby,” he said.

She turned to him.

He pulled the post up on his phone and showed her.

“Oh my God, it’s already starting,” she stated irately, glaring at the phone.

“Dinnae worry about it.”

Her amazing eyes went from his mobile to him, and he could see plainly she was absolutely worried.

“Aren’t you worried about it?” she asked.

“Wasted emotion.” He wrapped a hand around the side of her neck. “Remember, this isn’t new to me.”

“It still stinks.”

“Aye.” He gave a nod. “It does. But it’s out of our control. Though, I ken ye dinnae want to disturb her on her honeymoon, but it’s ending, and ye might want to give Alex a heads-up so she doesn’t find out via social media you and me are a thing.”

Blake nodded. “Good idea.”

“And now I have photographic proof of how into me you are.”

“Oh my God, you’re insufferable,” she lied.

This meant Dair was smiling as he reached for the lead.

Sorcha, as was her usual, went mental.

He clipped it on, and they headed out.

They strolled, linked, while Sorcha reacquainted herself with the scents of the neighborhood.

Suddenly, Blake asked, “Did Signe like dogs?”

“Aye,” he answered. “We had a prenup. Dad insisted and thank fuck he did. Still would have paid the woman more to be rid of her. I had a beardie when I met her. We adopted a border collie together. Since she didnae have anything to fight about because she signed on to what she’d get if we didnae work, she went after custody of the dogs. ”

Blake stopped dead, and with wooden movements, turned to look up at him.

“She… what ?” Before he could respond, she demanded, “Both of them?”

“Aye. But she didnae win, babe,” he assured. “It just drug shite out and cost more money than it should.” He grinned playfully at her. “Though, in my next prenup, I’ll be sure to mention pets and the fact I’ll be keeping them.”

Blake didn’t respond to that. She noticed Sorcha was keen to get moving so she started them walking again.

She did this as she sniped, “What a bitch. I mean, I could see she’d not want to lose the dog you adopted together, or the one she’d grown to love while being with you, but by then I expect they were bonded?”

“They were,” he confirmed.

“Ugh,” she grunted. “The best way to ascertain you’ll be able to see your animals is to not be a total bitch during a breakup.”

“Very true.”

“Are they…have they passed?” she asked carefully.

“Aye. Nessie, my beardie, died a few years after the divorce. Effie held on a long time. She only died a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry, Dair.”

He loved that she knew to say that even if years had passed since they’d been gone. He still missed them.

He gave her a squeeze. “Since it’s obvious ye like them, why dinnae ye have a pet?”

“I can barely take care of me. How am I going to look after an animal?”

Bloody hell.

Here they were again.

“The correct answer to that, lass, is you’re so busy taking care of other people, ye dinnae have time to add a pet to that.”

“Well…yes,” she mumbled. “I suppose I have gotten to that point. Though, now I’m in Prescott a lot, and I’m of a mind that dragging your pet everywhere you go causes anxiety to that pet.

I can see you wanting your animal with you wherever you are.

But they might not feel all that comfortable in a plane or a market or Bergdorf’s.

” She looked up at him. “What do you do with Sorcha when you’re not here? ”

“Davi takes her. If she’s not around, I’ve got a couple of mates who like having her with them.”

“Oh.” She turned to face where they were going. “That’s nice.”

They took a corner and Sorcha stopped to sniff a loo option.

“Do you see her?”

“Davi? Aye. And ye will too. I’m thinking drinks and dinner Tuesday night. We’ll give Mum a day to settle in and head out there Thursday. Davi will probably be there too.”

“I mean Signe.”

Ah.

“No, Blake. Last I heard she moved back to Denmark. Saw her a few times after the divorce. But now it’s been years.”

She nodded and looked to Sorcha, but since she was doing her business, she looked across the street.

When Sorcha was done, he set them moving again and asked, “What about that twat ye almost married?”

“Chad?”

“Ye almost marry another twat?” he teased.

She pretended to be annoyed at him, but her lips tipped up before she shook her head.

Even shaking her head, she said, “Yes. He tries to contact me once or twice a year. He’s married, by the way.”

“And he still tries to contact ye?”

“Yes.”

“To say he’s sorry and let’s be friends, or…?” he let that trail.

“The ‘or” part,” she told him.

“Total twat,” he muttered.

“Yes,” she repeated.

They fell silent the rest of the walk. It was a bonny end-of-summer day. But the weather was forecast to turn for the rest of the week.

“Hope ye brought warm clothes, lass,” he mentioned.

“I did, honey,” she replied.

Fuck, he liked that.

He led them back to the house, and after they got in and he took the lead off his dog, Blake turned to him.

“I feel like I smell like airplane. Do you mind if I take a quick shower and unpack?”

“No. But are you hungry? While ye do that, I could put together some snacks.”

“That’d be great.”

He dropped a kiss on her and bid, “Go.”

“Take your time with the snacks,” she said as she went. “It’s going to take me an hour just to climb up two flights of stairs.”

“Cheek.”

He heard her soft laugh.

Damn, but he’d already fallen in love with the sound of that.

He’d give it a quarter of an hour then he’d hit the kitchen. He had a taste for bacon and brie sandwiches. And as far as he could tell, Blake had a taste for all food, she wasn’t picky, she enjoyed it, didn’t hide it, and she didn’t haver on about it.

Something else to like about his woman.

Not top of the list, but on it.

It was a long list.

And it was getting longer.