Page 20 of All For You

“Even without a nice gravy or cranberry sauce?”

I chuckled at her reply, and the sound came out low and dusty, like I hadn’t laughed in a long time. “Apparently, curtains are a dish best eaten dry,” I said.

Her lips curved into a smile. “That is classic.”

We’d reached the front door, the color of the sky.

“Here we are,” she said, a little breathless.

We.I liked the sound of that word from her lips, for some reason. As I stared at her parted mouth, heat throbbed between us, and my chest ached with a nameless wanting.

“See you inside,” she said. “I need to hose down Oodles first.”

Without knowing why, I wanted to stay close to her. Which part of her intrigued me most? Her messy self in confidently oversized clothing or those glittering dark eyes peering out of her tumble of hair? Maybe it was even her eviscerating comments and ready disdain for me? I wanted to connect with her, and right now, that meant holding her wet, dirty, rebellious dog.

“I’ll keep him still while you rinse him off,” I offered.

“You’re going to get wet,” she said with a slightly surprised smile.

I shrugged, like I was that laid-back, easygoing guy who did shit like this, which I definitely was not. “I was going to have another shower anyway. I got pretty sweaty putting Max through his paces. And as you know, I’ve already had some good practice holding a four-legged creature.”

She laughed good-naturedly and accepted my help.

Oodles wiggled and shook while she hosed him, and I held him as still as possible. Max bounced around us, wanting to play and get wet too, which made Oodles even friskier.

“Max. Sit. Sit.” He wasn’t taking any notice. There was something about Oodles that brought out disobedience and, I had to admit, infinite joy in Max.

In response, Oodles shook and bounced and squealed, making Lizzy even wetter and dirtier. She laughed and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

“Oh, Oodles,” she said. “You are such a character. I love you.” She gave him a huge hug, leaving her T-shirt completely damp.

She had a natural and unselfconscious way about her I’d never been able to exude. And she was completely in her element, instead of being horrified and annoyed like many women—mostpeople—of my acquaintance. This was a different side to the outraged Lizzy who’d surfaced last night.

I couldn’t look away from her.

Lizzy was turning off the hose when Knightley emerged from the barn with a basketful of eggs. Lizzy explained what had happened, and he laughed. He set down the eggs on a nearby bench.

“You two feel free to go in and change and have a coffee,” he said. “I can run the dogs around outside until Oodles dries off. Promise not to let them roll in more muddy puddles.”

Knightley picked up a stick, calling their names. They ran to him. Both dogs were shaking with excitement at the prospect of chasing after the stick.

“Wait,” Knightley said calmly.

Oodles actually waited, and Lizzy looked surprised. Knightley definitely had a certain authority. Funnily enough, I’d noticed Knightley using that commanding voice on Emma, but it didn’t work with her. At least there was another man who didn’t know what he was doing with women.

We thanked him and walked toward the house.

“You have a twig in your hair,” I said as we stepped inside.

Lizzy reached up and grasped at it ineffectually.

“May I?” I asked, reaching up.

She bit her lip and nodded.

I leaned toward her and plucked it from her curls, but my breathing went shallow. The fresh mint and eucalyptus smell from her hair filled the inside of my head. I opened my mouth to say more, maybe something about her wild and wonderful locks or even the endearing way she had about her, but then I worried that was too personal.

Instead, I opened the front door for her. “After you.”