A man with a painful past, a woman who fears commitment, and a dog with only one more chance at life–together, can they find love?

Evolved Publishing presents “Walk Away with Me,” the first in the “Loving Nature Novella” series by Darby Davenport. These fun stories combine some occasionally steamy romance with a wholesome taste of the outdoors. FOR ADULTS ONLY. (Novella: Complete at 25,000 Words)

What is Charlie Rockwell supposed to do when the sad Rottweiler’s eyes connect with hers through the TV screen and work their way straight into her heart? She adopts him without a second thought or the slightest knowledge how to take care of the large, needy dog with the traumatic past.

Ethan Porter is not happy when a savage Rottweiler picks a fight with his mild-mannered Golden Retriever at the dog park. But his anger quickly dissipates when tears begin to form behind the eyes of the dog’s beautiful owner–eyes that are far too familiar for his liking. Disregarding his instincts, Ethan can’t deny her plea when she asks him to teach her the basics of dog ownership.

Can he ignore the fact that she bears a strong resemblance to his ex and finally learn to trust again? Will she find committing to both man and dog more exciting than the freedom of a single, unrestrained life?

And here, for your reading pleasure, is our free excerpt:

The scrawny Rottweiler’s eyes connected with Charlie’s through the TV screen, begging her to save him.

What if nobody else calls in? What if I’m his last chance at finding a home? Well, crap. I can’t just let him die. She grabbed her cell phone, called the local news station hosting the adoptable pets segment, and signed on the dotted line. Not once did she think she might be making a mistake. Not once did she consider the fact she’d been unable to commit to a man—or even a roommate—longer than two measly months.

And now she planned to commit to a one-year-old canine coming straight from a neglected past?

Well, adventure had certainly found her, whether she’d asked for it or not.

The rescue volunteers didn’t ask many questions before inviting her to visit the kennel and come pick him up. If they had, maybe she’d have changed her mind.

She might have seen this as a move with the potential of becoming the biggest mistake of her entire life. Worse than the time she’d left mid-semester her junior year to travel to India in search of the answer to life. Worse than the time she’d got so caught up in the cinematic excitement of V for Vendetta she’d shaved her head in homage. Even worse than the time she’d practically eloped with a guy she’d only dated three weeks, because it seemed like a good and wildly romantic idea at the time.

At least she’d talked herself out of that one.

But what good did escaping one bad decision do her, if she’d just replaced it with another by committing herself to a strange dog for, at minimum, the next ten years?

Charlie took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. No going back now. She may have been impulsive, but she had a heart, damn it, and she wouldn’t abandon a dog no one else wanted in the first place. Definitely too late to change her mind at this point. “Now or never,” she said to the hula dancer figurine on her dashboard before grabbing her purse and slamming the car door behind her.

“Oh, you must be Charlotte Rockwell.” A volunteer with a sloppy button-up shirt and a way-too-large smile greeted her the second she entered the shelter.

She nodded, pretending her feet were one million pound weights gluing her to the linoleum floor below—the only way she’d be able to avoid making a break for it.

“I’m Angela. Come on and follow me to the back.” Her oversized smile grew even larger as she turned and trotted toward the back of the building.

Charlie’s eyes darted to the floor to check if Angela’s shoes sported actual springs.

“I’m sure Ruby told you everything you need to know when she stopped by for the home check, right?”

She nodded, even though she didn’t have the slightest idea who Ruby was. The woman certainly hadn’t been by her house for a visit.

“Perfect! Rugby’s such a sweet boy once you get to know him. I’m so glad he’s finally found a good home. You must be thrilled.”

‘Once you get to know him?’ What does that mean? She was this close to changing her mind and dashing straight out of there, but when they pushed through the large metal door to the kennel, Rugby glanced up at her with those same sad eyes that had melted her heart in the first place.

She was screwed.

“Hi, Rugby,” Angela cooed in a goochy-goo voice. “Look who it is. Your new mommy’s come to take you home. Who’s a good boy? Yes, you are.”

Charlie sank to a squatting position and stuck her index finger through the metal fencing.

Rugby stretched and raised himself into a sitting position. He sniffed her hand delicately and gave her a huge sloppy lick.

“Oh, see. You two are perfect! Best buds already,” Angela squealed. She rattled off a litany of instructions, shoved the folder of paperwork into one hand, and the leash to Charlie’s new 115-pound baby in the other, and together dog and woman headed home.

Ethan stifled a laugh as he watched the petite blonde tear into the dog park at the end of her Rottweiler’s leash. Hardly three seconds passed as they sprinted from the parking lot to the first entry gate.

When the girl unhitched the second entry gate, her dog ran away at lightning speed, not even allowing her to remove his leash. Her eyes darted from side to side as if to make sure nobody had witnessed the mishap.

Luckily, Ethan looked away before she could catch him staring. He allowed his gaze to settle on her again as she ran after her squatting dog with a plastic baggie cupped over her hand.

Despite the circumstances, she was beautiful. Blonde hair escaped from her pony tail and clung to her cheeks in tendrils. Her delicate lips and nose were balanced by huge brown eyes and thick lashes. She almost reminded him of….

He snapped his attention away. Couldn’t be thinking like that. Not today. He needed a distraction, and fast.

“Tuck!”

His golden retriever jogged over and nuzzled Ethan’s thigh.

“Good boy.” As he scratched the dog’s head, he sensed her eyes on him, but he refused to look—refused to give her any reason to come over and attempt to start a conversation. When had he become such a bitter old man?

He was hardly thirty—way too young to write off the opposite sex altogether. He should still be in his party phase, flirting with any pretty girl who happened to look his way, taking as many of them to bed as possible. But, no, he wasn’t like that—even though he often wished he was. Would have saved him the heartache of….

He grabbed the ball Tuck had dropped at his feet and hurled it toward the horizon as hard as he could. The dog raced after it in a blur of golden fur and pounding feet.

Too late, he noticed the massive black blur moving in on the ball from the opposite side of the park.

“Rugby, no!” the blonde girl screamed, but her reprimand fell on deaf ears.

The two dogs reached the single ball at the exact same time. The Rottweiler bared his teeth, a low growl emanating from his throat, but Tuck wouldn’t back down. The poor dog didn’t even realize what was about to happen. Why would he? He’d never run into such an aggressive, undertrained beast before.

Tuck barked an invitation for the other dog to play, and Ethan took off running to save his poor, over-trusting pet from the inevitable fight.

The hairs on the back of the Rottweiler’s back bristled. His growl grew louder, more defined. And he lunged at the unsuspecting Retriever.

“Rugby, no!” the girl screamed again as she, too, raced toward the scene.

Tuck whimpered and ran back to Ethan, but the other dog slinked after him with a predatory gait.

“Hey, lady. How about controlling your dog?” he spat.

The blonde grabbed the end of the leash that was still attached to her dog and pulled him back. “I’m so sorry. I….” A sudden onslaught of tears overwhelmed her attempt to speak.

Great. Now Ethan felt like a bigger monster than her damned dog. “Hey, it’s okay. Tuck’s just fine. No harm done.” He patted the dog’s head and turned toward the other side of the park, but before he could gain much distance, she spoke again.

“Really, I’m sorry. I’ve only had Rugby for a few days, and I don’t really have any experience with dogs. I thought if I brought him here, I’d see how more experienced people act with their dogs. Maybe learn a thing two.” She sniffed back a tear and stared up at him with large, brown eyes—far too familiar for his liking.

Why did she get such a difficult breed if she knows nothing about taking care of a dog? Ethan wondered. Still, he felt like he should offer something helpful before parting ways. “Good luck with your training. Try watching The Dog Whisperer if you have time.”

His hold on her eyes broke when Rugby stood on his hind legs to lick the tears from his owner’s face.

She chuckled and gently pushed the Rottweiler back on all fours, then wiped the slobber from her cheeks with the backs of her hands. Turning serious again, she said, “Thanks, I will, but… I just don’t know what to do. I’m his last chance. The shelter had him for weeks. He even appeared on the adoptable pet segment of the news three separate times. Nobody wanted him except me. If I can’t make it work, I’m practically signing his death warrant.”

Ethan frowned. What could he say to that?

“Hey, your dog is really well-behaved. Maybe you can help us?”

Crap. He didn’t want to spend time with a girl who reminded him way too much of the woman who’d turned him off love altogether, but at the same time, he couldn’t refuse if it meant saving the dog’s life.

“I—I’ll pay. I’ll pay whatever it takes. Only, please help us.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and offered a weak smile.

“Okay, sure,” he gave in. “And don’t worry, you don’t have to pay me anything.” He didn’t return her smile. He couldn’t let her think he was doing this for any other reason than to save the dog.

“Oh, thank you. Thank you so much!” She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. “You have no idea how much you’re helping me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Warmth spread through Ethan’s body. He took a deep breath and let his arms go slack. She’s just a girl, he reminded himself. Just a girl.

“I’m Charlotte by the way. Friends call me Charlie.” She released him from the hug and tucked a strand of hair behind her other ear.

“Ethan.” He drew a business card from his wallet. “Call me, and we’ll set something up.”

As soon as she accepted the card, he retreated to the other side of the park and tried not to think about how her touch had stirred something deep within him. A girl. Just a girl.

Something foul pricked at the inside of Charlie’s nostrils as she headed downstairs the next morning. Realization hit her like a dead chicken to the face.

“Aww, Rugby! You couldn’t have waited five minutes?” She fanned her hand in front of her face to keep from gagging at the sight—and stench—of the dark spot quickly spreading across the living room carpet.

Rugby sat proudly near his puddle, his tongue lolling from the side of his gaping maw.

“They told me you were potty trained.” She shuffled to the kitchen to retrieve a mass of cleaning supplies. I have no idea what I’m doing, she thought for the millionth time as the white paper towels turned yellow.

The dog came over to examine her progress. She must not have been doing it satisfactorily, because he barked and dropped his Kong toy right into the middle of the mess.

“Ouch!” Charlie cried when the hard rubber made contact with her knuckles. “Bad dog!”

Rugby continued with his stupid, open-mouthed smile, not the least bit concerned for her throbbing hand or ruined Saturday morning.

She remembered Ethan’s business card tucked snugly into the pocket of the jeans she’d been wearing yesterday. He’d seemed really uncomfortable about her request for help, and she’d planned to let him off the hook—but she needed the help more than she needed to avoid an awkward situation.

What time is it? Charlie’s eyes darted around the room until they connected with the antique Tuscan clock over the mantel—a souvenir from her vacation earlier that summer. Ten o’clock. Probably too early to phone a stranger who clearly didn’t want her to call.

Oh, to hell with common courtesy. Desperation forced Charlie to throw any semblance of politeness aside. After finishing up with the carpet and washing her hands for two solid minutes, she grabbed her iPhone and punched in Ethan’s cell number.

“Hello?” His voice sounded muffled as wind whipped into the receiver.

“Ethan?”

“Yeah. Who’s this?” The wind quieted, and he inhaled a heavy breath of air.

“This is Charlie. We met at the dog park.”

“Oh, right. You had the Rottweiler with the attitude problem.”

She glanced down at Rugby who laid his head on her knee and looked up at her with those irritatingly adorable eyes. “He’s not a bad dog.”

Rugby pulled away, leaving a glistening string of saliva stuck to her pajama leg. Ewww.

Charlie laughed. “Okay. Maybe he’s a little bad, but he doesn’t mean to be. He just needs some TLC and someone who knows what he’s doing with the whole obedience thing.”

Ethan’s voice softened. “So you still need my help?”

“Oh, God, yes. Please, please help. I’m begging you. The lady at the shelter said he was potty trained, but this morning he peed on the carpet, and he drooled all over me, and he smashed his toy into my hand, and I can’t take him outside without being dragged down the block at light speed, and I feel like—”

“Charlie, slow down.” Her name spilling forth from his lips caught her attention in a way she liked. “Can you meet me at the Sheridan Nature Reserve this afternoon at three?”

“Yes, we’ll be there. Thank you so much.”

They hung up and she let out a sigh of relief. “Well, Rugby, we’ve got four and a half hours to kill. What do you want to do?”

In response, the dog lay down with his head on his paws and closed his eyes, leaving Charlie to find her own means of entertainment.

Ethan stared at his Blackberry until the screensaver cut out. Why did he have to be so damn chivalrous? Always the guy to rescue the damsel-in-distress and save the day. Of course, what he needed didn’t matter one bit.

Not only did Charlie’s striking resemblance to Ashlee make his innards contract with pain, but he actually needed to catch up on work today. Guess he’d be staying up late.

Tuck whined at his side.

“I’m sorry, buddy. Looks like our jog is over for the day.”

The dog fell into step beside him as he turned toward their home.

On second thought, Ethan clicked his phone back to life and scrolled through his recent call history until he found the name he wanted.

Brad answered on the third ring. “What’s up?”

Ethan didn’t want to talk about Charlie. That would mean drawing this whole ordeal out way more than necessary. He’d just meet her at the nature reserve today, teach her how to handle her dog, and it would all be over—just like that. He could find a different dog park, even.

“Out for a walk with Tuck before catching up with work. How’s Amelia? How are the girls?”

“They’re great, man, but they miss you. When are we going to see you again?”

Ethan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He and Brad had been best friends since junior high. They’d grown up together, done everything together—that is, until Brad got married, started a family, and left Ethan in the dust. Sure, he tried to make time, but the responsibilities of being a father were many, and Ethan didn’t want his godchildren missing out on time with their daddy for his benefit.

“Are you doing anything next weekend?” Brad prodded. “Why don’t you come over and help me do some grillin’?”

“That sounds great. I’ll bring the burgers and brats.”

“You’re on.” Brad fell silent for a moment. “Anything you wanted to talk about?”

Ethan didn’t hesitate. “No, just wanted to catch up with my bro. Tuck and I are home. I’ll see you next weekend.”

“Bye.”

He ended the call and jammed the phone in his pocket. He and Tuck were nowhere near home, but he knew if he talked with Brad any longer, he’d mention Charlie. The last thing Ethan needed was Brad giving him the grand inquisition next weekend, because by then, Charlie would be long gone from his life.

Although she wasn’t particularly looking forward to spending an afternoon with Ethan, two o’clock couldn’t come fast enough for Charlie—or for Rugby. In the meantime, he ate through the side of the food bag she’d left propped against the laundry room wall. Before she realized her mistake, the thirty-five pound bag of food was down to twenty-five, tops.

She groaned and used the baby gate to confine him to the kitchen, just in case it all came up again. Life with a dog may be a huge commitment, Charlie mused, but it certainly isn’t boring.

Rugby yipped and wagged his stub as if privy to her internal thoughts. She was about to tell him what a good dog he was, when he jumped up and placed his mammoth front paws on her shoulders. The force of impact pushed her back into the counter where she banged her elbow hard.

“No! Bad, bad dog,” she yelled. For some reason, she felt guilty about scolding him even though she was well within her rights as a pet owner.

He whimpered and lowered his head to the ground.

“All right. That’s it. You want to go to the park? Huh, boy?” A quick look at the microwave’s digital clock confirmed it was still way too early, but she didn’t care anymore. At least at the reserve Rugby could run off some steam.

Charlie sat on the hood of her car and allowed Rugby to run through the gravel parking lot, chasing any pigeon foolish enough to land within a ten-foot radius. She’d parked at the far back of the reserve, and, luckily, her dog hadn’t strayed toward the busier end where families with small children loaded and unloaded their vehicles.

At first she’d worried Rugby would accost the other patrons with big slobbery greetings, but he refused to venture more than a few feet from her at any given time. For all his faults, Rugby clearly adored her, which is what made her keep trying rather than rushing back to the rescue and admitting she’d taken on far more than she could handle.

A half hour later, an enormous SUV pulled into the lot. Tuck spotted her before Ethan did and bounded over to say hello.

“Rugby, be good,” Charlie warned as Ethan jogged over with a leash in one hand and a bag of treats in the other.

This time, the Rottweiler seemed much more relaxed about the presence of the other dog. He even wagged his stub in greeting.

“You really shouldn’t let him run loose like that.” Ethan frowned as he drew nearer.

“Tuck’s loose.”

“Tuck’s trained.”

Ugh. She hoped he wouldn’t maintain this attitude with her all afternoon. And he’d said Rugby had the problem. Yeah.

More flies with honey, Charlie thought and offered Ethan her brightest smile. “Well, Rugby will be soon, too. With your help, I mean. Thank you for meeting us today.” She bent down and hooked the leash onto her dog’s collar.

Ethan cleared his throat and ran his palm across the back of his neck. “It’s no problem.”

Was he blushing? Charlie craned her neck to get a better view. He was blushing! For the first time since meeting him, she allowed herself to take a better look. Thick eyebrows framed stunning blue eyes, and his lower lip was deliciously plump. The summer sun had given him a nice tan, while well-muscled legs indicated a running habit.

He glanced up at her and smiled uncomfortably. The whiteness of his teeth sparkled in contrast to his bronzed skin.

Why does he have to be so attractive? Charlie wondered. I need help controlling my dog, not some mindless fling. Well, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they exercised the dogs first, and then….

No, she couldn’t let herself get lost in the image of his strong arms wrapping around her waist, his hands yanking at the buttons that dotted the front of her shirt in a neat little row. Maybe one would pop off. Then he’d kiss the hollow of her neck and trail his tongue along her collar bone until—

“Ready to head to the trail?” His expression was quizzical as he leaned down to leash Tuck.

Charlie snuck a quick peek at his butt, which flexed taut and smooth beneath his khaki shorts. A fling would be okay, she decided at once. After all, she hadn’t been with anyone since her vacation to Tuscany earlier that summer.

She just needed to make sure he understood what she wanted from him up front—pleasure, fun, and absolutely no strings. Besides, their personalities clashed. She was fun and impulsive. And he…?

Wait, would he be this uptight in bed, too?

Rugby barked and tugged hard on his leash, reminding her why they’d come here in the first place.

Apparently, Ethan had already jumped head-long into a lecture about proper obedience training. She nodded and smiled, hoping she hadn’t missed anything important during her lustful interlude.

“Charlie,” he said in a way that implied he’d probably called her name more than once. “Snap back on the leash and tell him to heel.”

She yanked on the leather looped through her hand. “Heel, Rugby.”

“Good, good. A little harder next time. Really get his attention.”

They walked in silence for a couple minutes. Rugby was already doing better—and this with her mind residing elsewhere for their lesson so far. At this rate, they’d be done in no time, and could move onto phase two of this strange day. Somehow she had to get them from silence to moaning and groaning. Perhaps she should start with a question.

“So, Ethan.” She liked the way his name tasted in her mouth. “What do you do?”

His head jerked back and he shot her a cautious expression—no doubt startled by the non-dog-related inquiry. “I’m an actuary.”

An actuary?

“I assess risk,” he clarified.

“Sounds… fun.” She offered him an embarrassed smile, feeling stupid. “I’m a high school English teacher.”

“Uh-huh.” Ethan’s eyes stayed glued to the horizon.

She was about to ask how he liked being an actuary, when he reached over and yanked the leash from her hands. “Heel,” he said firmly, then turned to her with a voice almost just as firm. “You have to keep on him, or he’ll never get better.”

“Sorry,” Charlie mumbled. Her insides shouldn’t have tingled when he scolded her, but somehow she liked it. Yes, Ethan would be hers—at least for tonight. Determination taking hold, she redoubled her efforts on the whole conversation thing.

“What are your weekends normally like?” She moved a couple inches closer to him on the trail.

“I take a jog with Tuck, head to the office to catch up on work. Sometimes catch a game.”

“And do you ever do anything for fun, like—?”

“Rugby, heel.” Ethan reached over to yank on the leash again. “Maybe we should quit trying to have a conversation and focus on the dogs, okay?”

Charlie nodded, though she was fuming inside. Was he oblivious to her intentions, or did he just not care?

Of course, Ethan saw Charlie’s interest—it was impossible not to see. The way she inched toward him while they walked, the look in her eyes as she asked her questions, how she’d begged him to help train her dog yet didn’t pay the slightest attention to his guidance.

In another life, he might have returned her flirty overtures. But this wasn’t another life—this was his life, warts and all.

Charlie stopped and bent down to scratch Tuck behind the ears. “Who’s a good boy? Yes, you are!” Tuck’s tongue popped out from the corner of his mouth as he thumped his tail against the earth, clearly smitten with his new friend. Not that it was unusual for the Golden Retriever to like everyone he came across, but still, he’d miss Charlie if allowed to grow too attached.

Unfortunately, their lessons with Rugby weren’t making much progress. The dog had a mind of his own, it seemed. Far too exuberant to be restrained.

Heck, Ethan would be exuberant, too, if he got to sleep curled up with Charlie each night. Her long legs looked gorgeous in her jean shorts. Her arms, too, were lithe and pretty. The green polka-dotted blouse complemented the flecks of emerald in her mostly brown eyes, and her thick, slightly curly blonde hair begged to be touched.

Tuck rolled over onto his back and demanded a belly rub.

Charlie giggled and rubbed him playfully with both hands. She glanced up at Ethan and grinned, joy bursting behind her familiar eyes.

This was ridiculous! Charlie was nothing like Ashlee.

Sure, they had eerily similar eyes and their delicate noses and mouths resembled each other as well, but while Charlie always wore a grin, Ashlee never smiled, not really. She was always whining about something or another—Ethan didn’t spend enough time with her, he spent too much time with her, he hadn’t bought her flowers for weeks, he’d bought the wrong flowers, he’d brought home Mexican when he should’ve known she wanted Italian.

On those rare occasions when he actually managed to give her what she wanted, she’d put on a huge smile and called him “snuggle bear.” Her smiles never lasted long, though. It only took a few seconds for the fire to dampen and for Ashlee to start demanding the next thing she swore would make her happy, if only for a second.

Of course, Ashlee had her good qualities, too. Being with her was safe, because she always knew exactly what she wanted and made sure to ask for it. Ethan didn’t like to be left guessing. He’d rather fulfill a million of her little demands than fail to figure out what she needed of him. As a successful accountant, she also shared his workaholism and his passion for numbers. They liked all the same movies and music, and, on the rare occasions when they felt called to read a book, they could read it together and discuss as they went.

For three wonderful years, she had been his companion, his greatest love. And he had been happy for the most part.

They’d still be together, in fact, if Ashlee hadn’t decided that despite his endless trying he couldn’t give her what she needed anymore. That much became crystal clear when he’d walked in on her with some bearded imposter. He’d returned home a day early from his trip to visit his parents in Minnesota and was overjoyed at the prospect of surprising her. He’d even picked up a dozen roses on his way home.

When he caught her making love to the coarse-looking stranger, he hadn’t thrown a fit. Instead, he calmly asked them both to gather their things and leave.

“I trust you can find a new place to live,” he told the woman who’d shared his heart and home for over three years.

When they had finally left, he took his aggression out on the roses, shoving them down the garbage disposal one by one and watching their beauty meet destruction just like his failed relationship. He had to live with the lingering fragrance of the flowers for nearly a week, reminding him of what he’d lost every second of every day.

That would teach him to find an outlet for his emotions.

This all had happened nearly a year ago. Since then, he’d somehow managed to stop longing for Ashlee, to stop thinking about her every time he got lonely and needed comfort, or was happy and wanted to share it with someone. He had accepted his solitary life and was content to share in Brad’s by proxy.

If taking a chance at love meant risking devastating heartbreak, Ethan refused to take the gamble.

Even with Charlie. Every warning bell in his head sounded when she was near, but still, he wanted her. He already saw how this would end—with rejection and roses down the garbage disposal—but still he wanted to pull her in and never let her go.

What was wrong with him? They’d only just met, and her personality was nothing like his. Then again, he and Ashlee had had everything in common, and their union failed. What if…?

Charlie popped up from her kneeling position and glanced at him with those tragically beautiful eyes. “Ready to get going again?”

How long had they been standing in place while Ethan mentally relived his failed relationship?

“Yeah, sorry.” He tightened his hold on Tuck’s leash and continued down the path.

Curiosity spread across Charlie’s face. “Is everything okay?”

Ethan frowned. Should he let her in, give her the chance to get to know him, take a risk?

Rugby saved him the trouble of making a decision when he pulled Charlie into the woods in pursuit of a squirrel.

“You’ve gotta keep on him!” Ethan shouted as he chased after them. When he caught up, he seized the Rottweiler’s leash and thrust Tuck’s into her hand. “Never ever leave the trail.”

“Ethan, it’s okay. It’s not a big deal.”

Rugby strained against the leash and Ethan sent a series of tight jerks down the line. “Not a big deal, huh? So I guess that means you’re a seasoned hiker?”

“Well, no. But I don’t get why you—”

“I am, and, trust me. It’s stupid to wander off. There are mountain lions, bears, wolves—all kinds of creatures who can tear you and your dog apart in a matter of seconds.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Ethan could feel the shivers running off Charlie’s skin. He sighed as he realized he’s been too harsh with her yet again.

“No, I’m sorry.” He offered a smile to put her at ease. “Remember how I assess risk for a living? Sometimes, I forget to clock out and live my life like a normal person.”

She nodded, but kept her eyes glued to the ground. “Thanks for letting me know. Rugby and I will be careful when we come back next time.”

The thought of Charlie alone in the woods, victim to the every whim of her unruly canine made Ethan shudder. He couldn’t let her endanger herself on his watch. She still needed a great deal more help in learning how to handle Rugby.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

Charlie shrugged, refusing to look at him.

“I mean, you two still need to do a lot of work before you’re ready to come back. Why don’t we meet for another lesson tomorrow? We can continue our leash training and start in on the ‘leave it’ command. What do you say?”

Warmth returned to Charlie’s face as she glanced up and said, “Thank you. That would be great.”

They made plans to meet at Charlie’s house the next day at noon, and Ethan realized he could no longer ignore the fact he’d started to care about her.

The TV clicked off, taking Cesar Milan’s face with it. After returning from the nature reserve, Charlie found herself unable to focus on anything but Ethan and his hot and cold attitude. She cooled down with a languorous bath; her thighs hugged the edges of the jetted tub and she worked her own nipples until she achieved two sweet and satisfying climaxes. There, that would clear her mind. Good sex always had a way of putting her at ease.

But the thoughts of Ethan continued to plague her. In a last ditch effort to regain her sanity, she decided to take that first piece of advice he had ever given her—try watching The Dog Whisperer. Luckily, the Discovery Channel was running a marathon, thus treating her to a solid seven-hour block of “be the pack leader” and other such advice.

“I’m in charge,” she told Rugby who sat lazily at her feet. “Me.” She pointed to herself. “I’m alpha, okay?”

The dog jumped up on the sofa and planted a big wet kiss on her cheek.

She laughed, then said “off” in her most authoritative tone.

Rugby settled in and laid his head on his paws.

“Off!” she repeated, this time shoving him to the floor. At first she worried she’d hurt him, but when he opened his mouth in a smile, she knew he’d already forgiven her for her momentary coarseness.

“Sit.” She flicked her wrist to give the corresponding gesture.

Rugby obeyed.

“Not bad, not bad.” She patted her leg and said, “Come.”

Rugby obeyed again.

“What the heck? You mean, that’s all it took?”

Rugby barked as if he understood.

“Well then, looks like we have a nice head start for when we see Ethan tomorrow. Huh, boy?”

Charlie grabbed her current reading selection from the coffee table and trotted up the stairs, dog at her heels. Together, they jumped into bed and passed out.

The next thing she knew, Ethan was there in her bedroom. He ushered Rugby into the hallway and crawled beneath the comforter with her.

“Going to bed without me, Char?” He chuckled and ran a finger up the smoothness of her thigh.

“Without you? Never.” Charlie rolled over to face him and found her reflection in his still blue eyes.

He leaned in to kiss her—amazing yet comforting at the same time.

She opened her mouth wider to deepen their kiss.

In one swift maneuver, he grabbed her waist and pulled her on top of him. The throbbing warmth of his erection pressed into her pajama pants, and she tugged them down to grant him access.

“Mmm. Not yet,” Ethan moaned, removing his lips from hers for the briefest of seconds.

“Why not?” She tried to remove her bottoms once again.

“Because this isn’t real.”

Charlie awoke with a start. The dream had seemed so real, so sensuously real. Sure, she’d had plenty of sex dreams before, but this one was different. The way they talked, kissed, touched, looked at one another—this didn’t feel like just a fling; it felt like love.

Too bad love was completely out of the question. She’d seen what it had done to her mother. Love had taken hold of the once free-spirited, liberal, fun-loving woman and turned her into a dowdy housewife and stay-at-home mom. No, thank you.

Charlie loved her freedom too much to be tied down by any man. Her commitment to Rugby already meant next summer’s travelling plans would be seriously hampered. But a man, a boyfriend, what would that do to her life of freedom, fun, and absolutely no restraints? Especially, a man like Ethan who was so afraid of taking a risk, he couldn’t even venture off the stupid hiking trail.

She decided she was just horny—so deliriously horny her subconscious was starting to act out. Her dream was probably nothing more than some lame reinterpretation of a romantic comedy she’d seen years ago and long since forgotten. She mentally chastised herself and fell back into a fitful sleep.

The gear shift burned hot beneath Ethan’s grip. He let go and glared at the red indent it had left on his palm.

It’s just business. One dog lover helping another. Ethan tried to relax his tense muscles. Perhaps we’ll end up as friends. But even if she thinks she’s interested in me, she’s wrong. A guy like me could never keep up with a girl like her. We’d never work.

He made a loop around the cul-de-sac and pulled into Charlie’s driveway. Her modest ranch bore yellow vinyl siding and white shutters. The place had a cheery air, even though the garden in the front yard had withered due to neglect. Ethan laughed when he noticed the lawn gnome sporting beachwear that stood guard on her porch.

Tuck let out a high-pitched bark, eliminating any chance he had to gather his nerves before knocking.

“You ready to play?”

Tuck wagged his tail hard, beating it against the closed window.

“All right, all right. Let’s go, boy.”

Tuck barely waited for Ethan to hook him onto the leash before straining against it to make a dash for the front door.

Uh-oh. This whole dog teaching dog thing seems to work both ways, Ethan thought.

Tuck barked outside while Rugby barked inside.

A moment later, Charlie appeared in the doorway, her face red with exertion, but her eyes and smile bright. “Hi, Ethan. Hi, Tuck. Come on in.” She waddled backward while maintaining a firm hold on Rugby’s collar.

Ethan hurried in and clicked the door shut behind him.

The dogs immediately went into the whole butt-sniffing, greeting ritual thing and then ran off to play in the living room.

“Hi,” Charlie said again, hugging herself around the waist. Something had changed, but for the life of him, Ethan couldn’t figure out what. She still smiled, but her energy level seemed low.

“Didn’t sleep well?”

The rose of her cheek turned brick red, and she let out a large, choking cough.

“Whoa, whoa, you okay?” He couldn’t stand still while this beautiful woman hacked herself to death, so he moved in closer and patted her on the back. A light floral fragrance clung to her yellow T-shirt, tickling the inside of Ethan’s nose. He so badly wanted to inhale deeper, to suck her in, but resisted the urge.

She finally stopped coughing and took a step back from him. “Sorry about that.” Her face returned to its normal color, but she still seemed sapped.

He’d really hoped she would take the lead today, and now he wasn’t sure how to proceed. “Umm, why don’t we let Tuck outside and work with Rugby alone for a bit?”

She nodded and followed him over to the glass sliding door on the far end of her living room.

“We’ll start with something easy. Sit.” He flicked his wrist to add a gesture to the command. “Adding a visual cue helps, when—” He stopped cold when Rugby wandered over to them and set his rump flush on the ground.

“Err, okay, beginner’s luck. Why don’t we try down.” Ethan held his palm horizontal and motioned toward the ground.

The Rottweiler sighed and shifted from a sitting to a lying position.

Charlie snickered and covered her mouth with both hands.

He squatted down to rub the dog’s neck as a reward and turned to look up at Charlie. “Have you—have you been working with him?”

“Maybe a little.”

Ethan’s heart sank as he realized she probably didn’t need his help anymore, and just when he’d decided it would be okay to get to know her a little better. Well, that was the story of his life—one missed opportunity after the next.

Charlie bent down beside him. “I took your advice.”

He shot her a confused expression.

“There was a marathon of The Dog Whisperer on last night.”

“Seems like it really helped. He’s doing much better today.” Ethan gave Rugby a final pat on the head and stood. “Hey, you might not need another lesson, after all.”

Charlie looked uncharacteristically shy as she stumbled over her words. “Well, I wouldn’t say we don’t need the help anymore. We’re still having a really hard time with heel.”

“So do you wanna head outside for a walk now?”

She blushed. “Later. First I thought we could have some lunch. It is that time, after all, and I make a mean chicken salad.”

“Sounds great.” Ethan smiled, glad she wanted him around after what a colossal ass he’d been on both their previous meetings.

They moved to the kitchen where Charlie poured them both oversized glasses of strawberry lemonade, then moved to dice up some chicken breasts, onions, and celery.

“The secret ingredient is capers,” she confessed, pulling a jar full of odd-looking little green balls from the fridge.

“This is really good,” Ethan exclaimed as he sucked down a second glass of lemonade.

“My mom stayed at home with me and my sister. Sometimes, I think she was so bored out of her mind, she had no choice but to spend the whole day in the kitchen.”

“I wish my mom would’ve stayed at home when I was little. Instead, she had to commute an hour each day, weekends too.”

Charlie squeezed the quarter of a lemon into the mixture and stirred the salad with a wooden spoon. “Oh? What does she do?”

“Torts lawyer. I guess that’s a big part of why I became an actuary. I watched as all these stupid and entirely preventable cases came her way, and thought wouldn’t it be better to avoid the incident altogether rather than wasting thousands—sometimes millions—of dollars trying to clean up after the fact?”

“Makes sense.” She wiped a tear from her eye as she diced the last of the onion. “Kind of funny, if you think about it. You became exactly like your mom, and I’ve been living my whole life with the express purpose of being nothing like mine.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m exactly like her.” Ethan ran his hands over the granite counter top. “I’m still a guy, after all.”

“Uh-huh.” Her smirk seemed flirtatious rather than judgmental.

“And what’s so wrong with being a homemaker? That’s the politically correct term these days, right?”

Charlie shrugged as she scraped a glop of Miracle Whip from the jar and plopped it into the giant mixing bowl. “Nothing’s wrong with it for those who choose to live their lives that way. But me? Never.” She sighed and returned to mixing the salad, this time more vigorously than before. “My mom always seemed so bored, like the greatest thing she could do in life was play second fiddle to me, Mandy, and Dad. Who wants to do that? Life is for the living, and I intend to seize every second of mine.”

“So you became a teacher not out of any great calling, but because you wanted summers off?” He was being judgmental again—not the best way to make friends.

Charlie didn’t seem to mind his question. In fact, this topic brought fire to her eyes, and he liked that.

“Summer vacations are a huge perk, but no. I love teaching. Gives me an excuse to share my love of reading with others. And, when I can, I travel. Like this summer, I toured Italy for two weeks, and I also took a mini vacation down to San Francisco. When I ran out of money, I was able to travel through the pages of one great book after the next. It’s not such a bad life, you know.”

“I didn’t say it was bad. It sounds great, actually.”

“Yup.” She sliced through a loaf of asiago bread.

He didn’t want this conversation to end. Charlie was opening up to him so beautifully rather than trying to ask him questions about his life—the answers to which made him come across as boring.

“Sometimes, I think I might work too much. Like my whole life is about my job.”

She turned away from the counter and pointed her bread knife in his direction. “Because you’re afraid.”

“No, not afraid. A workaholic, maybe, but not afraid.”

“You seemed pretty afraid when Rugby and I left the trail yesterday.”

“That’s different. I was trying to—”

“You were afraid.” She set the knife down on the counter and pivoted to face him head on now.

He didn’t know what to say, but, luckily, Charlie hadn’t finished speaking yet.

“There’s no point in being afraid of life. When I want something, I make it happen. I don’t spend forever agonizing over the pros and cons, trying to convince myself I shouldn’t want what I want. I just… do it.”

Wait, what’s that expression in her eyes? Is she…?

Ethan didn’t have long to figure out the meaning behind her glance, because in an instant Charlie had cleared the gap between them and was leaning over the counter, pressing her lips to his.

His mind raced with a million thoughts, but none of them was “should we be doing this?” Kissing Charlie—or rather allowing her to kiss him—felt so… right.

Her lips parted, and she reached around to run a hand through his hair. When she gave a little tug, his erection swelled and pressed against the zipper of his jeans.

God, this was hot.

Without thinking, he cupped her face in his hands and pulled her closer until she was on top of the counter, and he was standing, her breasts pressed into his upper chest as she kissed him from above.

WOOF! WOOF! YIP!

Charlie pulled away and peered past him toward the other side of the house. “The dogs.”

Ethan turned, too, and saw Tuck and Rugby whimpering and scratching at the door.

She hopped off the counter and let the dogs back in, and just like that, the moment ended.

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