Austin winked again at her to lighten her mood as he still saw the waves of tension rise from her body and walked out of the living room to the front door. The dog jumped on her lap, licked her face once, and ran after him as he quietly shut her door.
***
Sophie stared at the door, wondering what just happened. She went from terrified of that man to uncomfortable to almost secure. His attire spoke much more highly of him this time. He had combed his brown hair to the side in a graceful manner, not one piece out of place. A clean black T-shirt had clung to his body in a raw sensual manner and blue jeans that hugged his thighs just right for a man. His boots were clean, free of dirt, shining with a power she couldn't describe.
When she had opened her eyes to see him laughing with the dog, something had touched a place in her heart that she thought to have been destroyed. His angry glare a minute later should have frightened her, yet she had only seen that tender smile when her eyes first landed on him.
Strange.
Even more strange had been his lack of reaction to her loose lips, insulting him the way she had. She hadn't been able to stop the words from leaving her mouth. She never spoke to people—men specifically—in such a way. The hurt they would dish out for such insolence was not worth contemplating because she knew what happened when you spoke that way.
Yet, he laughed instead. Smiling. Winking. Not one hurtful hand came her way.
She couldn't blame him for being angry at the appearance of that adorable dog. Filthy, yes. But oh so adorable. She had no clue when it came to dogs—what sort of dog he was. It had been obvious no one was taking care of it as they should.
He clearly didn't mind how dirty the dog was because he planned to take him home. Another thoughtful, caring gesture.
Just who was that man?
When she would see him again? Never would be good.
Then his sweet smiled penetrated her thoughts and she hoped soon. What happened to avoiding men?
She took a solemn breath and urged herself to look at her angel to remind her why men were bad. How well they could fake sweetness, kindness, and the next minute, rip you to shreds.
***
"What the hell is that thing?" Zane demanded as the mangy dog ran around Austin's feet.
"What do you mean? It's a dog. My dog," Austin said with pride.
He had given him a bath last night. A huge water mess had splattered everywhere on the bathroom floor mingling with the dirt that had flown off the many times the dog felt the urge to shake his hair. Austin decided the dog did need a haircut, but he would wait until after he found his owners. He had no intention of giving him back with the state of despair he found the sweet, lovable dog in. Dirty, smelly, knotted hair in many places, and even a few spots of dried blood where he had itched to the point of madness. But he planned to give them an earful on their treatment of animals and report them to the authorities. He would also get Ava in his corner, knowing he would get the dog into his hands with ease. One look and he had fallen in love. He wasn’t giving him up without a fight now.
"When did you get a dog? You left last night dog free and now you have a dog," Zane said dryly.
"Is it that big of a deal? He's cute. A little messy last night, but we've become fast friends."
"I don't get it."
"I saw him sitting on my neighbor's porch last night and he was dying to get in. I banged on her door, ready to yell at her for treating him like that. Turns out, it's not her dog. He was dirty as can be and I cleaned him up, deciding he was my dog now. I'll try to find his owner, but he's mine now," Austin said with certainty.
"The same neighbor that you had issues with yesterday afternoon?" Zane asked with a grin.
"Yes," Austin groaned hesitantly.
"Yes? That's all you're going to say. You're not planning on elaborating how that conversation went?"
"No. It went. That's it," Austin muttered, walking towards the hog barn. "We have work to do. Come on, Axel."
"Who in the hell is Axel?" Zane asked, confused, glancing around until his eyes landed on the goofy looking dog.
"The dog!" Austin exclaimed, turning around to glare at Zane.
"You named him Axel? Axel's a name for a big booming German Shepherd or a Rottweiler, not...whatever the hell that thing is!"
"He's a West Highland Terrier. I know it's hard to tell with his hair as long as it is, but he's definitely an Axel. That's the first name that came to my mind and I'm sticking with it."
"What did your neighbor have to say about his name? What's her name by the way?" Zane asked, grinning.
"What is it with you and Ava and this obsession with my new neighbor? I didn't tell her what I named him and I'm not talking about her anymore. I have no idea what her name is and no desire to know either. Let's get to work already," Austin said, swinging the barn door open, stomping his way inside.
***
Zane smiled at his back, itching to tell Ava the new development with Austin's neighbor. She was right. Maybe this woman would be good for him. He wasn’t usually surly when it came to talking about women. He enjoyed all kinds of women.
Very interesting indeed.
He saw Ava coming from the red barn and his smile grew wider.
"Just the beautiful woman I had been hoping to see," Zane said, pulling her into his arms for a demanding kiss. He came up for air, a twinkle in his eyes as he pulled her tighter against him.
"What was that for?" Ava asked as her eyes betrayed that she wanted more.
"I missed you," Zane said simply.
"You saw me like ten minutes ago," she said dryly. "Spill it, mister."
"Austin got a dog. Named him Axel and he doesn't look like an Axel. Trust me. He talked to his neighbor again last night and I don't think it went well. He had a grumpy attitude when I tried to pry the conversation out of him. I got nowhere. He's keeping the dog, too," Zane said, watching as Ava's eyes lit up with amusement.
"I have to meet this woman. She's getting under his skin I see. You were just dying to tell me, weren’t you?" Ava grinned deviously.
"Of course I was. Nobody better to whip some sense into him than you. He needs to stop dating the women he is and settle down. I know he doesn’t want to, but he's going to spiral out sooner or later. I just know it. Any woman who can bother him like that is worth taking a chance on. We should meet her," Zane said. If he didn't like the woman, he would back off.
"Leave it to me. I want to see this doggy now," Ava said happily.
"He's in the barn. He's no doggy. He doesn't even look like a dog. He looks like a sloppy mop."
Ava lightly tapped Zane on the butt. "Be nice."
Zane grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to his body as they walked to the barn. "Watch where you put your hands, sweetheart, I'm liable to toss you over my shoulder and have my wicked way with you back in the bedroom."
She smiled as she pulled her hand from his, running it down his back in a slow caress, landing on his bottom again, pinching in delight. "I like the sound of that."
Zane grabbed her into his arms, cradling her to his body as he pushed her against the barn wall. "I love you. I can never say that enough." He brought his mouth down, crushing any words that may have escaped from her sweet lips. He treasured the heat that flowed around them, the magic that swirled in their mouths.
He pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against hers. "We need to get to work. Quit distracting me."
"You distracted me first," Ava pointed out as she grabbed another kiss. "Let's go find Austin. I can't wait to meet Axel."
Zane groaned at the ridiculous name, following Ava into the barn.
***
Sophie stared in pleasure at the website she created. Her shop was all set up. Thankfully, she already had a small customer following or it would have been harder to start a new life. She had managed, somehow surprisingly, to create her artwork without Kevin becoming too mad about it. He eventually would have made her stop.
It had been h
er only source of income when she was with him. So pathetic. She had been reliant on him and his money. But no more. From now on, she would make her way in this world with her own hard work. She would never allow herself to become reliant on anyone else. Never again.
It'd be her way, or die trying.
She was behind on a few orders, sending apology emails with discounts for their next purchase, almost making it free for them. She couldn’t afford to lose her faithful followers.
She enjoyed toying with projects, creating interesting and unique designs made out of anything really. She made a coat rack once out of a pitchfork. She had curved the prongs into hooks, adding a touch of whimsy to it. She painted the handle with a delicate pattern, drawing out the beauty of the wood. For the bottom, she found a metal funnel with the hole just large enough to fit her handle through and hold the weight of it. With the right tools and frame of mind, anything was possible. She had both.
The past week had flown by with hard work she had never doled out in her life. She had cleaned the house from top to bottom, every speck of dirt swept with a painful brush of her hand. She forgot how many times she filled her bucket up with new water, it turned brown so easily, so fast. Now cleanliness filled the air. Smelled fresh, new, and a little like freedom.
She had gone grocery shopping, buying a few more essentials for the house, supplies for her work, and gas for the lawn mower that sat in the shed waiting to be used. Except when she filled it up, changed the oil, and pulled the string to start it, nothing happened. No roaring sound pierced her ears.
She tinkered with it for a while, realizing she had no clue whatsoever what she was doing. A brief flicker of her mystery man swarmed her brain, almost wishing he would suddenly appear in front of her. She hadn't seen him once all week, almost as if he never existed. She didn't even know where he lived, but assumed somewhere in the neighborhood.
Why hadn't she taken his offer to mow her yard? Her lawn mower was broken, she had no clue how to fix it, no money to buy a new one, and the grass was growing way beyond the appropriate height. He was right. Her house was the only run-down, neglected house on the block.
She had no worries, though. She would just fire up another search engine on the computer and find how-to instructions on fixing a lawn mower. She created obscure and odd things all the time, she could figure out how to fix a lawn mower. She wasn't dumb. No matter how many times someone told her that as she grew up.
***
"What the hell you doing?" he bellowed in a disgusting tone, the stench of alcohol perforating her senses.
"Setting the table," Sophie replied timidly.
"You're doing it all wrong. You're the dumbest kid I know. Get the hell outta here and get your damn mother. I want it done right," he yelled, spit flying as the words flew out.
Sophie nodded, turning abruptly, the tears in the corners of her eyes as she ran upstairs to where her mother was folding the laundry.
"Mama, I can't set the table right. He wants you to do it," Sophie whispered behind her mother, who had just finished folding a towel.
She turned towards Sophie. "Did he shout at you?"
Sophie nodded. "I'm too dumb, Mama."
Her mother crouched down to Sophie's level, grabbing her shoulders in a comforting embrace. "You're not dumb, Sophie. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. He didn't mean to yell at you. He's a good man. He takes care of us."
"He's been drinking, Mama. You know how he gets when he drinks. How is that taking care of us?" Sophie asked, hating that her mother put up with him, defending him constantly. She wished he would run out on them like her real father had. He wasn't a good man in her eyes.
"He provides a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. He gets a little angry when he drinks, but he doesn't drink that much. We have no choice right now, Sophie. He's a good man deep down. We just have to see that part of him. You're not dumb. I'll help you set the table."
Sophie nodded as she followed her mother to the dining room. She knew it was inevitable, the ensuing rage that would end the night.
***
"Oh, you fanuzeling piece of crap!" Sophie exclaimed, as she whacked her wrench over the lawn mower with brute strength, not making one tiny dent.
She had been working for hours, or at least in her mind it had been hours, trying to fix the lawn mower with no luck whatsoever. She had no clue what she was doing and neither did the internet. She was about to give it another huge whack with the wrench when a slobbering kiss melted her senses.
She turned her head to the side, receiving another slobbering dog kiss and giggled at the intrusion. "Well, hello there. Thank you for the kiss and the much-needed distraction from demolishing this horrid device," Sophie said as she ruffled the dog's hair.
"He's an expert kisser, that's for sure. Learned none of it from me, but he has good skills," said the voice of the man she had wished for earlier.
Sophie turned towards him with a look of surprise. Yet, she couldn't explain why. He had been with the dog the last time she saw him. Suddenly, without thought, she said, "And you know how to kiss well, is that what you're saying?"
His lip curled with delight. "I would like to think so. Would you care to find out?"
Sophie grimaced in horror at his words—and her loose lips. Why couldn't she control what came out of her mouth with him?
"Or Axel and I can leave you to finish demolishing your lawn mower. Sorry about interrupting you," he quickly said with an apologetic smile. "Come on, Axel. Let's go, boy."
He patted his leg for Axel to follow, turning to leave, when Sophie said, "How did you know his name was Axel? Did you find his owners?"
He glanced back at her. "No, I didn't. I called around to the local Humane Society and a few other animal shelters, but no one put out a missing report for him. I'm not really surprised with the state he was in. We bonded that first night and I couldn't bear to part with him, so I named him."
"Axel? That's different," Sophie said hesitantly, petting Axel, who hadn't moved from her side.
"It was the first name to pop into my head. I like it," he said with a shrug.
"I like it, too."
"Thanks. You'd be the first to like it. I'm sorry about what I said to you. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I tend to joke around and just have fun sometimes. I didn't mean to offend you."
Sophie stood up, wiping her hands on her pants. "It did surprise me. I don't mean to be rude either. I'm sorry."
He took a step towards her, making her instinctively step back. Either he noticed her retreat, or hadn't planned to come that close to her, but he stopped moving.
"Well, now that we got that awkwardness over. I'm Austin. I live next door," he said with a friendly smile, gesturing his head towards his house. "Offer still stands to mow your lawn, just as a neighborly gesture. I can see you're struggling with yours. But if not, that's okay, too."
Sophie shuffled her feet slightly, hating that she wanted to accept his offer. He seemed so nice, so genuine. They always acted like that at first. She had a horrible intuition when it came to men. The longer she looked him in the eyes, the harder it was to resist.
"Well, the fanuzeling machine just won't work, no matter how hard I try to fix it," Sophie said, irritated, kicking the lawn mower, hoping to jumpstart it that way.
Austin laughed. "Fanuzeling? I'm not sure what that means."
"You know—fanuzeling," Sophie said with a shrug, embarrassed.
"No, I don't know. It sounds cute coming from your lips, though."
Sophie blushed. "Another version of swearing. I hate foul language. It sounds better to me to say fanuzeling."
Austin grinned. "It's a pretty word when it leaves your lips. I like it."
Sophie's blush crept further around her face, traveling down her neck. "Well, like I said before, it just won't work."
"Would you like me to mow your lawn? I don't mind. I can even look at the lawn mower and see if I can fix it," Austin offered.
; "I'm not dumb! I can handle it," Sophie exclaimed.
He stumbled back a step by her outburst. "I never thought so. It was just a friendly offer, nothing else. Or we can do it together. I don't know much about lawn mowers. Actually, nothing about them, but sometimes a second pair of eyes helps."
"I appreciate the offer, but I can handle it. Excuse me," Sophie said, giving one last pat on the head to Axel and walked quickly back to her house. She would not fall under his spell. He had experience and player written all over him, especially when he smiled. As she shut the door to the house, she also tried shutting the door on his glorious smile.
To her extreme annoyance, unable to do so.
***
Austin watched as she walked away without a backward glance, wondering how it went wrong so fast. She was a puzzle. He had been unable to help himself with a little light flirting. The longer he had stood there, the more her beauty had wrapped around his senses. Even covered in sweat and grime, she looked beautiful. The sun had shined brightly on her, haloing her loveliness, making it difficult for him to remember why he needed to stay away from her.
Oh, yeah. She was his neighbor. He could not dabble with her.
He hated the fact he missed seeing her, and the fact her face penetrated his thoughts more than he wanted. She still hadn't been nice to him once since they met. But she had liked Axel's name. That did make him happy. Zane didn't like the name and Ava didn't mind the name, but offered better choices, which Austin refused. He liked Axel and wasn't going to change it.
He just seemed good at mucking things up with her. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manage to get back on better ground with her. A very touchy woman, the littlest thing set her off. There was something about her behavior that struck him as odd, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Not his problem, though. He had to stay far away from her.
Unfortunately, he had to keep repeating that to his thick brain. He wanted to unravel the mystery surrounding her and he hated that.
To stop himself, he pulled his phone out, scrolling through the contacts until he found the one he wanted, hitting call.
Trust In Love (A McCord Family Novel Book 2) Page 3
