Chapter 7
Violet
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Oh. My. God.
Steel ‘the Heartthrob’ Beckett. I didn’t even know his real name. I hadn’t bothered finding out before I’d left.
My calendar man, my perfect cover model. The man who was going to save my career. Poof.
Gone. Up in smoke.
What had I done? What on earth had I been thinking?
And how in the world was it remotely possible that with over seventy-five thousand people living in Missoula, I would find the one man capable of making this entire project a success?
And not only find him, but also accuse him of being a criminal, a monster, and a puppy abuser?
All in the space of five minutes?
That was after I’d smashed him in the head with a limb much heavier and denser than I would ordinarily be able to lift?
I’d say karma had it in for me.
But damn it, the man had pissed me off.
Distractions I didn’t need. A model neighbor I didn’t need either. There was so much prep work to do including locating a few perfect locations for the test shots. And talking to the rodeo people. And finding where the smokejumpers hung out.
Maybe finding a part-time babysitter. Oh, my head hurt just thinking about everything that needed to get done.
Instead of laying out a decent plan, as I should do and as Eric would demand seeing within a couple of days, I was playing with the boy next door.
Or the gunman next door.
A sharp chuckle left my mouth. He did look entirely too dangerous with a gun in his hand. Maybe I could dress him up as a bank robber. It was obvious last night’s lack of sleep was getting to me.
“Focus. Just focus and breathe.”
I slammed the door behind me, slapping my hands on the door while I caught my breath. The man was… infuriating. Sexy. Strong. Pushy as hell. Rough around the edges.
So handsome he would make love to the camera lens.
If I could ever get him to consider posing. He certainly didn’t seem the type. He was also a rogue, a man who didn’t like to follow the rules. I’d gotten all of that out of just chatting with him for a few minutes.
Chatting? Arguing.
I couldn’t imagine managing to convince him to sign a contract. Oh, this was infuriating. So much so I wanted to scream.
And I still had to figure out a way to dig myself from a very deep hole that was currently being loaded with quicksand.
Giggles from behind me dragged my attention back to front and center. Wait. Actual giggles? From my son? While he’d been lost in the woods, had aliens spiraled to Earth in a gleaming spaceship, snatched him for research, and left a doppelganger in his place?
Earth to Violet.
“Honey. You can’t go running off like that.
You scared your mother half to death and my heart can’t take it.
” My voice sounded a little maniacal. I was almost laughing, which was ridiculous given the circumstances but was my usual reaction when I was pushed to the brink.
I’d gone from worrying something had happened to seeing the gun in the strange man’s hands to the insanity of how I’d felt when I’d touched him.
Well, he’d touched me, the bastard. Completely unwanted and unwarranted.
I’d tried to break into his shed for a good reason.
“Mom. You’re not that old.”
“Ah, well, thank you very much.”
Damon huffed. “What was I supposed to do, allow the puppy to continue crying? I had to save him. Think about if bears and wolves showed up. This little baby would just be a snack for their sharp teeth.”
“Wolves? Bears?”
“Duh, Mom. I read up on Missoula.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel any better that you raced off into the woods?” No one told me anything about bears and wolves. The worst creature I’d been forced to deal with in LA had been on two legs, even if he was a Neanderthal.
My son’s giggles almost brought a fit of my own, but I resisted since I was supposed to be the parent of this little family.
“Mom. Isn’t he adorable? I’m going to name him Zorro. What do you think? He is black, although he does have an adorable white spot on his chest.” My child knew how to pull the heartstrings. What was I supposed to say at this point?
I couldn’t even think straight.
The puppy was adorable, so much so I knew we were going to have an issue. He looked purebred, like a labrador retriever except for the tiny white spot.
I had a nagging feeling someone was missing the little guy.
Shit. How was I going to mention that to my son?
Dear God. I’d been so entrenched in worrying about myself I’d forgotten that my son had insisted on saving a puppy.
A puppy. What was I supposed to do with a dog?
We couldn’t keep him. The logistics alone would be a nightmare, let alone the last puppy I’d had experience with had been when I was Damon’s age.
And what about when we headed back to Los Angeles? Which at this rate could be the day after tomorrow.
Oh, this was bad. So bad.
Bracing for my son’s anger when I told him we’d be dropping the puppy off at the pound, I swung around to face him before I lost my nerve.
That’s when my entire world stopped cold.
My son, the kid who had barely seemed interested in playing outside in the fresh air or making friends, the child who barely pulled his face away from his video games was lying on the floor with the puppy crawling all over him.
And he was giggling his little heart out while the pup licked and nipped his face.
I must have done something horribly wrong in my former life. Breaking his heart would make me without a doubt the worst mother in the world. Gee. I already had the banner depicting me as such, why not a tiara as well?
“Honey, you know the pup might belong to someone.”
“Look at him, Mom. He’s skinny. He’s dirty. He doesn’t have a collar. We can’t give him back.” Damon’s tone was a mirror to mine in how I’d spoken with the gun-toting stranger with a body of a Greek god.
Shit. He’d been shirtless, his gorgeous chest more pronounced than in the picture, his abs chiseled to perfection. He had no right to look so fuck-hot while being such an asshole.
Even wearing unbuttoned jeans, he might as well have been wearing nothing given how the denim molded around his taut butt. I closed my eyes briefly, one too many wicked images comingling to way too many desires.
“Mom. Are you having a seizure?”
“Huh?” My eyes snapped open.
“You look like you’re having a seizure. You should probably lie down.”
My son was giving medical advice now? What I needed was a shot of tequila, but that wouldn’t bode well with going into town. “Your mother is not having a seizure.”
“You could have fooled me. Your face is all red. You don’t think Zorro belongs to that man. Do you?” A laugh came deep from within his chest as he sat up, the puppy still crawling all over him.
Ohhhh! This was a nightmare and a half. How was I supposed to crush his little spirit? Maybe I could try to figure out how to keep the little fluff ball. He was cute as a button. Right. As if my landlord, the jerk that he was, would allow me to keep a puppy.
“We need to get him some food. Maybe some hot dogs. I’m going to get a bowl of water. Can we pick out a collar and leash when we go out?”
My kid knew exactly how to work me. He was already heading for the kitchen with the pup trotting behind him like they’d been buddies for years.
“Uh-huh,” I managed while cringing deep inside. How many times had I done that since setting foot in Missoula? Enough that I was beginning to think being here was bad for my karma.
An ache had already formed behind my eyes. While I rubbed my temple and tried to crawl out of the fog, another prickly vision of my neighbor popped into the forefront of my mind.
He’d also been barefoot, his hair tousled as if… he’d just gotten out of bed. Unshaven and untamed, the short, dark stubble created a dangerous, brooding appearance.
Far too sexy.
Oh, no. He’d been bleeding, his lip split from where the branch had smashed against his face. There had been bruises all over him. What if his injuries were more severe than they looked? Oh, hell, it would serve him right. I couldn’t believe he’d tied up the dog. Maybe he hadn’t.
While I could hide behind protecting my son, which I would do again in a heartbeat, I’d injured a stranger living next door. And a man I was supposed to befriend. My life was hell.
What I did know for certain was that he’d likely never talk to me again.
And why had the jolt of electricity run down my arm when he’d touched me? I couldn’t be attracted to him. Not a chance.
I took several deep breaths to calm my nerves, finally able to do so after a full two minutes. Maybe the puppy had been sent to us. Maybe with any luck, I could keep Damon occupied while I…
Did everything in my power to regroup, recoup, and reduce the damage already done to the campaign.
“Mom. Mom. Mom!” Damon’s frantic cry had my heart in mouth just as it had been less than thirty minutes earlier.
I was getting way too old for this. Panting, I rushed into the room, fearful of finding him with blood gushing or the puppy having destroyed the kitchen with his long tail.
When I found my little boy hyperventilating, his jeans pockets turned inside out, I had no idea what was going on.
“What is it, bud? You scared me to death.”
He lifted his head and for the first time in so long I was heartbroken; tears were falling down his face. “I lost it. I can’t find it anywhere. I was going to show it to Zorro but it’s not here!”
Floored, I walked closer. “Honey, what are you talking about?”
“My car. My favorite car. The one you got me for Christmas.”
Holy shit. I knew he adored the little Matchbox that I’d picked up from the Dollar General Store, but I certainly didn’t know how much.
He was so upset I knelt to his level, resisting my motherly urge to grab him like a baby and holding him in my arms. “Are you sure you didn’t pull it out and leave in your new room?
Maybe on the dresser or the nightstand?”