6. Hadley
CHAPTER SIX
Hadley
Cash stays dutifully by my side until we turn the corner and the dog park comes into view, and he bounds forward, jerking the leash.
I laugh, quickening my steps. “Calm down, boy. We’re almost there.”
The first time I saw his cute face pressed up against his kennel, I fell in love. I love all the animals at the shelter, but Cash is special.
He’s a Burmese mountain dog/lab mix with way too much energy for his own good. He’s only ten months old, but he’s already huge.
A high-pitched squeal rings through the air, and my head pops up, looking for where the noise came from. A little girl with dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail runs toward us.
“Can I pet him? He’s so cute,” she says, screeching to a stop right in front of us.
Cash starts pulling at the leash to get to her. His head comes up to her chest.
A deep voice shouts from the direction of the playground next to the dog park. “Evelyn, where did you go?”
Austin jogs toward us and crouches beside the little girl.
“Honey, you can’t run off like that. It could be dangerous. You scared me,” he says, gently touching her arm.
“Sorry, Daddy. I just wanted to pet the dog. He’s soooooo cute,” she says, adding extra emphasis with her hands flailing about.
I should have known by the eyes. They’re the same green as Austin’s.
He stands up with his hand still on her shoulder. “Evelyn, this is Hadley. She’s your Uncle Grayson’s sister.”
Her eyes light up. “You know my Uncle Grayson?”
“I do know him,” I say, smiling down at her. “Maybe I can tell you some secrets about him sometime.”
She nods her head frantically. “What’s your dog’s name?”
“He isn’t mine. He’s at the animal shelter right now. His name is Cash.”
“Hi, Cash,” she says, waving at him. His tail whips even faster against my leg. He lets out a whine, wanting to get closer to her.
“Is it okay if I pet him?”
“As long as your dad says it’s okay,” I say, glancing up at Austin.
He nods at his daughter, who doesn’t hesitate a second before reaching her hand out for him to smell. He starts lapping at her hand, which makes her giggle.
Gosh, she’s cute.
She steps forward, and Cash starts kissing her face.
“Sorry,” I say, laughing, as I glance back over at Austin.
He’s beaming down at them. “It’s alright. She’s used to it. We have a chocolate lab at home.”
“Nova is the best,” Evelyn says. “She doesn’t play as much as she used to, though. Do you like to play?” she asks Cash, ruffling his ears.
He lets out a playful bark in response.
“I was going to let him go run around the dog park and get his energy out.”
She turns and looks at her dad with big puppy-dog eyes. “Can I go play with him in there?”
He looks over at the empty park. “Okay, just for a little bit.”
She squeals again, wrapping her arms around his waist.
We get them into the park before I let Cash off his leash, and they both take off sprinting. Austin is already leaning against the wooden fence.
I walk over and stand a few feet away from him, looking at the expanse of the dog park and the mountains in the distance.
“She’s adorable,” I say, watching Cash chase after her as she jumps over the obstacles in the far corner.
“Thanks,” he says, eyes softening as he stares at her. She clearly means the world to him. “She’s pretty awesome. I’m lucky I get to be her dad.”
“She’s pretty lucky, too. She got a good one for a dad,” I say, turning to grin at him. He gives me a small smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes.
I know what he’s thinking about, but I don’t quite know why he cares. It’s not like he likes me or anything. I’ve always just been Grayson’s little sister.
“So, you’re Conrad’s Airplane Girl,” he finally says.
“Did he tell you guys everything?”
He shakes his head. “No, Brooks is just weirdly good at figuring things out even when you say nothing at all.”
That I can believe by the way he fit the whole puzzle together in the garage, just with a few looks.
“I promise I won’t make anything weird with the project on the house or anything. I don’t think Conrad will, either. It just sort of happened, but I won’t back out on your guys now or anything,” I ramble on.
He holds up his hand.
“That’s not what I was thinking. You’re very much an adult now,” he says, his eyes tracking over me as he drags in a deep breath. “You can sleep with whoever you want. It’s none of my concern. We’ll get all of the work done at your mom’s house.”
“Thank you.”
“I was just…” He runs his hand over his face, looking at his daughter again. “It doesn’t matter now. If you want to pursue things with Conrad, don’t let me stop you. He’s a good guy.”
My heart twists painfully with something awfully close to rejection. Ouch . Austin and I were only ever a reality in my head, though.
I swallow heavily. “I don’t know what I want.”
I stare into his eyes, and it feels like he’s trying to tell me what he wants through his eyes alone. As to what that is exactly, I have no idea.
Cash and Evelyn come bounding over to us, both breathing heavily.
“Did you guys have fun?” I ask as Cash plops down at my side. “I need to bring you around more often, Evelyn. I think you tuckered him out for once.”
She beams up at me, nodding.
“Do you want a ride back to the shelter? My truck’s over there,” Austin says, gesturing toward the playground.
Glancing down at Cash, who’s still sprawled out on the ground, I hook the leash to his collar. “That would be great, thanks.”
We make our way toward the large maroon truck. Evelyn takes off running again, but Cash stays at my side.
“I don’t need your help, Daddy. I got this,” she hollers, swinging the door open and climbing in.
Austin chuckles, shaking his head as he opens the tailgate. He helps Cash jump up into the bed.
“She’s too independent for her own good sometimes,” he says, chuckling.
“Nothing wrong with an independent woman.” My fist lands on my hip that’s cocked to the side.
“No, there isn’t. A woman who’s going to stand up to me is the only kind I want in my life.”
Smirking, I move to walk around him and head for the passenger side. Suddenly, he grips my arms, and I’m thrust into his hard chest.
His strong arms protectively band around me as a dirt bike whizzes by.
“There are a million trails around this town. Why can’t they drive on one of them?” he grumbles. He pulls back slightly, looking down at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I rasp out, realizing I have two handfuls of his T-shirt in my fists. “Sorry,” I say, and run my hands over his shirt to smooth out the wrinkles.
A shiver moves through his body. He lifts one of his hands up to tuck a stray hair behind my ear.
Evelyn opens her door a few inches. “I’m ready. I told you I could do it.”
“I guess we should go,” he says, but he doesn’t move.
His hands slide down my arms until they reach my hands. He gives them a gentle squeeze before releasing them and moves toward the driver’s side.
I drag in a shaky breath.
Oh no. This isn’t good.