Page 47 of Smoky Mountain K-9

“Just her husband’s name. Kyle. I’m not sure where she lives. Around here, somewhere, since she saw the story on the news.”

Carter’s brows dipped, and he nodded. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Sounds good.” She ran a hand through her hair. Well, that was a bummer. She’d been riding high. Now her enthusiasm was tempered with a dose of reality. Carter was right. She needed to know more about Constance Miller and should have done her homework before accepting that check. She’d been blinded by the zeros.

Pushing those thoughts away for now, she looked at Maverick, then back to Carter. “So, did you stop by to show me Maverick had been released, or did you have another motive?”

“Lunch.” He chuckled as she grinned. “Mostly, though, it was to show you Mav was home. I also got someone to clean my house. They’re coming tomorrow.” His smile dimmed.

Mara gave him a curious look. “Why do you sound upset about that?”

“Because I’ve liked spending all this time with you. It’s nice waking up to you. Coming home to you.” He reached out and traced her cheekbone with his knuckles. “I know we sort of talked about making more time for each other, but I think we need to sit down and really talk about how to make that a reality. I don’t want to go back to the way things were.”

She sucked in a breath and trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, worrying it for a moment before setting it free. The words singing in her heart pushed their way up her throat, but she swallowed them back. He wanted to take them to a higher level, but she didn’t think he meant that high. So, she’d wait. Until she knew he could say it back. She wasn’t sure she could take it if she told him she loved him and he didn’t feel the same way. Even if he told her he was on that road, it would still hurt to know he didn’t love her yet. Instead, she nodded. “I don’t, either.”

His expression morphed into a bright smile. “Good. How about we go grab some lunch and talk about it?”

Mara scrunched up her face. “Sorry. I can’t.”

His smile fell.

“I wish I could,” she hastened to add. “But I’ve only got about fifteen minutes until my next session. I squeezed Ms. Miller into my lunch break.”

“Well, that sucks.”

Mara giggled. “I know. I’m sorry. How about we cook dinner together tonight? We can talk then.”

His smile returned, and he leaned down. “That sounds perfect.” He kissed her, lingering for a long moment. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

He’d stolen her breath with the tender kiss, so she just nodded.

With a wave, he gave Maverick a quick command to heel, and they left.

Mara closed her door and leaned against it. Anticipation, along with a healthy dose of nerves, filled her. How could she be in love, but nervous to move in with the man?

Twenty-Five

Carter moved through his house wearing a gas mask and carrying a trash bag. He wanted to take a load of clothes out and wash them. He’d already grabbed a few things, but it would take time to wash everything. The likelihood they were contaminated was low, since most stuff was in his dresser or closet and the gas had been in the living room, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Maverick’s reaction had been severe, and Carter didn’t want to give the dog issues because the residue remained on his clothing.

Heading for his closet, he filled the bag with an assortment of casual clothes and uniforms. Tying it shut, he went outside to his cruiser. Fresh air hit his face as he took off the mask. The bite of cold felt good after being in the stuffy mask.

Maverick barked as he approached the car, objecting to being left in the vehicle while he went inside. This was home, and the dog knew it.

Carter opened the tailgate and peered through to the backseat. Maverick barked again. “Sorry, buddy.” He took the lid off the plastic tote in the back and put the bag inside. Closing it up, he shut the hatch, then got in the car.

Mav stuck his head through the door in the steel wall separating his kennel from the front seat. He bumped Carter’s shoulder with his nose and let out a sharp yip.

“I know, I know. But we can’t go home yet. We’re going to Mara’s instead, okay?” His plan was to drop the clothes off and start a load of laundry, then reassemble Maverick’s indoor kennel. He’d picked it up before he picked the dog up from the vet, knowing he still couldn’t inhabit his house.

After the conversation he had with Mara a little while ago, he couldn’t help but wonder if it would ever go back into his house. The last couple of days with her had been amazing. He knew it was early, and the situation was new, but living under the same roof felt right.

But he also couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t terrified. Their relationship was a whirlwind. The feelings that had developed between them were so strong and came up so fast it had been hard not to be caught up in the swell. He just hoped they didn’t crash and get destroyed when they came down from the top. If they wanted this to work, they needed to figure out how to steer this ship.

Carter turned his cruiser into Mara’s neighborhood and backed into her driveway. He would need to move before she got home so she could get into her garage. If they decided to move in together, they needed to really think about whose house they were living in. Mara’s was nicer, but she only had a one-car garage. And no fence. The fence he could fix, but not the garage situation. At least not easily. There was enough room on her property for them to build a bigger garage, but would it be worth the hassle when his house already had enough space for all their vehicles?

Climbing out, he let Maverick out of the car, commanding him to heel, then grabbed the bag of clothes from the back and went inside. Maverick ran off to sniff his new surroundings while Carter wandered to the laundry tucked into Mara’s bathroom. Starting the washer, he returned to the living room and stared at the pieces of kennel leaning against the wall. With a sigh, he found a screwdriver in a junk drawer in the kitchen and got to work.

The kennel wasn’t hard to assemble, just awkward and time-consuming. Once he had it together, he fetched Maverick’s bedding from the dryer and switched his clothes over before starting another load. Finished with his chores for now, he glanced at Maverick, who’d followed him. “What do you think we should do now?”