Page 16 of A Snowy Escape

If she had nipped at the woman, she would have been doing so to tell her to stay behind her.

She’s still riled, and she hasn’t decided if I’m a threat.

Her natural inclination is to trust her instincts, but for the most part, dogs want to please their owners. She’s coded to follow the command the woman issued. She’s just not sure that it’s a good idea.

The woman’s wet brown hair falls around her shoulders as she stands from petting the dog.

Right.

She introduced herself.

What was it?

Abby.

It’s a pretty name.

Huh.

I can’t help but wonder how she knows Bryant. He must have asked Luka if it was okay for her to stay because I certainly had no idea about this.

“It’s no problem,” I say, shrugging. “Unfortunately, I never got the message. I was planning to ride the storm out here because I got back to town late, now I’m snowed in with you.”

I grimace, waiting for the freak-out that I assume is coming.

“I, uh, my phone is dead. I was up in the mountains getting my family’s cabin ready for the storm.” I clear my throat. She’s still not talking, and apparently I can’t shut up until the silence is filled. “I’ll stay out of your way. Once you’re done changing, I’d like to do the same. I keep backup clothes here, and my extra charger is in the bedroom. I need a shower, but after that, I can head downstairs to the restaurant to hang out there. I’ll sleep on the couch.” I toss a thumb over my shoulder, pointing at the sofa. “You won’t even know I’m here unless I’m asleep.”

“No, it’s totally fine,” she says, laughing awkwardly. “This is your place, and you’re kinda ridiculously tall. I’ll sleep on the couch. You can take the bed.”

That won’t work for me, but we can tackle it once she’s dressed.

I was raised right. No woman will ever sleep on the couch while I take the bed. My big ass can sleep on the floor in the office, if it comes down to it.

“I’ll change, and the bedroom is all yours.” She backs toward the hallway, keeping a death grip on her towel.

Once she’s gone, Echo watches me warily.

She’s no longer in attack mode, but I don’t think she would like it if I tried to head toward the hallway.

I don’t make eye contact as I slide around her and go into the kitchen. There’s a bag of dog treats in the pantry, and I dig inside, grabbing out a few.

Shadow would be pissed if he could see me trying to win over another dog.

He’s a judgmental fucker.

Still, I love his spoiled ass.

I slide around the end of the counter, and Echo has moved to sit in front of the hallway door.

“You’re a brave girl,” I tell her, approaching slowly. I stop a few feet away to give her a bubble of safety. “You were just trying to protect your mom. Huh? Only this isn’t your home, and you didn’t know the rules of how things work here. I bet you were confused.” I squat and break off half of one of the bacon sticks Shadow loves so much. They’re pure trash with no nutritional value, but I eat junk, so I figure it would be cruel not to give him a few goodies here or there. Tossing down half the treat, I back toward the couch. “I’m going to go sit down. If you’d like to come say hello, I’d love to have a do-over introduction. I’ll even give you scratches to make up for my mistake. If you’re still too riled to want to be touched, I understand that too.”

I drop the other half of the treat about halfway between Echo and the couch. Taking a seat, I toss another piece by my feet and reach over, grabbing the remote.

I flip through the channels and avoid checking what she’s doing, but I hold my other hand out on the cushion with another treat.

She’s quiet as she comes in and eats the one on the floor.

“You can have this one too, if you want it,” I say, giving my hand a little shake.