Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Angrier.
Both of them froze.
“Right, we’re going to back away slowly,” Eli told her. “And I want you to move behind me.”
“It’s not me he has a problem with,” she replied. “It’s you touching me. Let me go and everything will be fine.”
“You don’t know this dog. He’s a stray.”
“He chose me and right now, he thinks you’re threatening me. So back off.” She made sure to keep her voice light and calm so as not to upset Horse any further.
“I’m not moving away. He might attack you.”
“What’s going on?”
She glanced over to see the other man approaching.
Shit. This was getting worse.
“The dog is growling,” he said. “Eli, move away from her.”
Okay. She really didn’t think he was going to be the voice of reason.
“I’m not leaving her defenseless against him,” Eli said. “What if he attacks?”
“He hasn’t attacked yet. My guess is he views you as a threat to her. Move aside.”
She could feel the tension in Eli and knew that he really didn’t want to move.
“If you’re wrong, Kellan . . . ” Eli warned.
“I rarely am,” Kellan replied in a bored-sounding tone. As if none of this really mattered to him.
Eli finally took a step back, letting go of her.
And Horse immediately stopped growling. Wow. She actually hadn’t been completely certain but it seemed that he had been protecting her.
A soft warmth filled her. She couldn’t remember the last time that anyone had attempted to protect her. And this dog didn’t even really know her.
Although Eli was just trying to protect you as well.
“Good job, Horse,” she murmured, moving closer to pat his head.
“Arabella!” Eli said sharply. “Don’t go closer to him.”
This was weird. How did she go from having no one to a smelly dog who growled when she was touched and a man who was concerned the smelly dog would attack her?
“He won’t hurt me,” she said to Eli. “He’s protecting me.”
“A dog like that could be unpredictable and violent.”
“You’re being a drama queen again,” she told him with exasperation.
“Actually, you’re both right,” Kellan said calmly. “It was clear the dog was protecting her. Plus, you just rode in a car with him, I’m guessing he wasn’t threatening either of you? That it only occurred when you touched her?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Eli replied, sounding reluctant to agree.
“And you don’t know the dog.” He looked at her. “So Eli is right to tell you to be cautious. You should listen to him.”
She frowned. “Maybe I only just met Horse, but it feels like I’ve always known him. That sounds silly, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” Kellan replied.
Ouch.
No sugarcoating anything, huh?
Although part of her kind of appreciated that. She didn’t need someone to tell her that everything was okay when it was really shit.
She could handle the reality of life. And the fact that most of it was crap.
“So, I’m guessing there’s no room for us and we have to move on,” she said.
“I told you I would fix it, didn’t I?” Kellan said smoothly. “Have you got something we can use as a lead for the dog? And what do you want brought in?”
5
Seemed like Arabella had been struck mute.
She really hadn’t expected Kellan to sort things. If she knew his brother, she’d know that he was a fixer. Eli shook his head. As if they would just let her drive off in the middle of the night, not knowing where she was going to end up.
What sort of men did she have in her life if they let her do reckless, dangerous things?
Then again, he already knew that she didn’t have any good men in her life considering that she was traveling around on her own and picking up huge animals with anger issues.
No decent man was going to allow the woman in his life to do things like that.
How did she not have anyone? She was beautiful. Graceful. Occasionally, she put on this haughty mask. But he could tell that was a defensive move, one designed to keep people at arm’s length.
She was the type of woman that turned heads as she walked down the pavement.
But she was also terrible at taking care of herself, it seemed.
Sleeping in her car?
Nope. Not happening.
And he didn’t care how indifferent Kellan was acting. He knew his brother was intrigued by her as well.
He couldn’t remember Kellan ever showing much interest in any woman.
“There’s a room for us?” she asked again as they entered the hotel. “Both of us?”
“Yes. I said there was, didn’t I?” To anyone else Kellan might sound rude and dismissive, but she didn’t seem to notice.
Or didn’t care.
The relief that filled her face and made her shoulders sag was enough to have fury filling Eli. He could see how stressed she’d been even though she’d obviously been trying to hide it.
Not that he could blame her for being stressed.