Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
I t was actually too busy. They’d put up too many fliers. Let too many people know about the dog wash fundraiser. She’d thought four people per shift would be enough, but the event was only an hour in and there was already a long wait. There were dogs and their owners everywhere . People had come from all over Amber Ridge and from as far away as Bozeman to support the cause.
She rushed to get more shampoo from behind the makeshift reception desk.
Of course, it didn’t help that she’d barely slept the last few nights. What had she gotten? Three hours of sleep per night? Maybe four? Her mind had been a busy mess. Every time she closed her eyes, she had another dream about that fire in Cheyenne. Sometimes Becket was there. Sometimes just Charlie. And when she wasn’t dreaming about fires, she was dreaming about Becket. About the day she’d broken up with him. The pain in his eyes.
She gritted her teeth, grabbed a bottle of shampoo and ran it back to Kristina.
“Thanks.” Kristina took the bottle and squeezed it all over Penelope, the Shih Tzu. “You know she’s watching my every move, right?”
Sky shot a look over her shoulder to see Ivory Hanks sitting by the coffee cart, Styrofoam cup in hand, and yeah, watching very intently. Most dog owners had gotten a drink or some food and gone for a walk…not Ivory.
Sky smiled at her before looking back at Kristina. “Penelope’s like her child.”
“Yeah, well, she’s making me nervous. I’m waiting for her to march over here and tell me what I’m doing wrong.”
It probably wouldn’t take long either. Not that she was going to tell Kristina that. “You’re doing a great job. Can I get you anything? A coffee? Some water?”
“A bottle of water would be amazing.”
“Done.”
She returned to the folding table Dolly sat behind.
“Sky, just look at all these people!” Dolly said. “Another successful fundraiser.”
“Yeah, too much of a success. There are like six dogs waiting.”
Dolly scoffed. “Let them wait. They’ll get their turns soon enough.”
“They’re not getting angry?”
“Of course they are. People are impatient and rude. I’ve just been killing them with kindness.”
Sky chuckled. God, she was glad to have the woman on her team. She crouched and opened the cooler before taking out a handful of waters, one for each dog washer.
Dolly straightened in her seat. “Well, hello there, Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome.”
Sky stood and turned to see who she was talking to—only to gasp at the sight of Becket on the other side of the table.
“Becket.” She hadn’t seen him in days, but God, had he been on her mind.
A sexy smile curved his lips. “Hey.” He wore a tight white T-shirt and looked as good as always. Dangerously good.
“What…what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to wash some dogs. I know, I’m early.”
She shook her head. “No, I texted you saying you didn’t need to come.”
“And I texted back that I wanted to help.”
“Then I texted back that we didn’t need you.”
His smile widened. “You see, I knew we’d just end up in a texting war, so that’s when I stopped replying and decided to come anyway.”
“You hate dogs.”
“But you don’t.”
She swallowed. “You aren’t needed.”
He lifted a brow and turned his head, very obviously looking at the half dozen people waiting with their dogs.
“Fine,” Sky huffed. “We need help, but we don’t have any more hoses or buckets.”
“Oh, Sky, don’t be silly, we can work it out,” Dolly scolded. “Grab a dog, find some water, and start washing.”
Damn it, Dolly. Sure, what she said was correct. But her butting in was another thing that wasn’t needed.
“Thanks, Dolly.” Becket looked back at her. “Is that okay, Sky?”
No . But she couldn’t say that. They did need his help, and her insisting otherwise would just be immature and…not smart.
When she didn’t respond, he stepped closer, that pine scent once again toying with her. “It’s just a dog wash.”
“I know.” She squirmed under his scrutiny. “Fine. There are buckets of water at each washer’s station, and Dolly will give you some shampoo.”
“Here you go, darlin’.”
He took the bottle from Dolly and dipped his head. “Thanks.”
Sky nibbled her bottom lip and watched him walk away. All million feet of him.
She shook her head. Snap out of it, Sky. You’ve got a fundraiser to run.
Over the next hour, they moved through dogs a little more quickly, and a new round of volunteers arrived, including Clara and Indie. She should’ve been focusing on what a huge success the fundraiser was and all the money they were raising. But too much of her attention was going to how good Becket’s shirt looked when it was soaked and stuck to his muscled chest.
Why did she find him even more attractive with a dog in his arms?
She gritted her teeth and walked over to Clara and Indie’s station. “Hey. Are you two doing okay?”
“Oh my gosh, I am in doggy heaven!” Clara gushed, as she cuddled Mr. Bruno’s Puli dogs. The dogs required special care to rinse and shampoo out their cords, so Clara and Indie had been given very specific instructions.
“I must admit,” Indie said. “I’m starting to think you have the best job in the world. You just get to hang out with these guys all day.”
Sky grinned. “I’m definitely lucky.”
Clara wet her lips and looked behind her before returning her gaze to Sky. “Are you and Becket okay? I couldn’t help but notice that you haven’t really spoken to each other.”
He hadn’t told them? “We’re working through some things, but we’re okay.”
If “okay” included barely talking to each other.
Clara’s brows flickered. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m a great listener. And I’ll always take your side.”
Sky chuckled. “Thanks.” She shot a look over her shoulder. Yep, he was still looking far too good in his wet shirt. But now he wasn’t alone. Holden was with him. He briefly clenched Becket’s shoulder before heading in their direction.
Sky looked back at Clara, whose eyes had grown wide.
“I didn’t know he’d be here,” Clara said quietly.
“Um, yeah, Jesse volunteered him. Is that okay?”
Clara’s mouth opened and closed. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
Holden stopped beside them. “Hey.”
Indie grinned, while Clara seemed to struggle for words.
“Hey,” she finally said, the word far too quiet.
“Clara.” There was a softness to Holden’s voice when he said her name.
Had they dated? And if not, why not? They definitely seemed interested in each other.
Sky cleared her throat. “Hey, Holden. Thank you so much for coming.”
“Happy to help.” He smiled at Sky before shifting his gaze back to Clara. “Maybe you could show me the ropes.”
Clara nodded. She was definitely nervous, and Indie now seemed to be biting back a laugh.
“Sure, I can help you,” she finally said.
One side of Holden’s mouth lifted. “I’d like that.”
Sky grinned too. Then, without her permission, her attention once again returned to Becket. Immediately, his eyes locked with hers.
Her smile dropped, and something hot slipped over her skin.
She was so screwed.
* * *
Becket leaned back as Bella shook her furry head, getting him even wetter than he already was.
How he’d ended up with the little Chinese Crested, he had no idea. Bella had made it damn clear she didn’t like him by the number of times she’d growled at him from the moment he got his hands on her.
As if she’d heard his thoughts, she looked up and growled again as he began shampooing her fur.
“Yeah, well, guess what? I’m not your biggest fan either,” Becket muttered. And not just because Bella was a dog. Also because her owner had given him a million instructions on the way Bella liked to be washed.
She was a dog , for Christ’s sake. He’d damn well wash her the same way he’d washed the last ten.
Someone chuckled behind him, and he turned to see his brother standing there with a wide grin on his face.
“What?” Yeah, Becket growled it, but he didn’t care.
“She doesn’t seem to be your biggest fan. I don’t know why. You’re a pleasure to be around.”
Becket barely held off the eye roll. “Sky gave her to me on purpose. She knows Bella doesn’t like me.”
Humor danced in Jesse’s eyes. “So she did it to torture you.”
“Hell yes, she did.”
“Maybe she’s testing you. Seeing how far you’ll go for her.”
He glanced behind Jesse toward Sky, who was now standing with Aspen as she washed a terrier. Sky was watching him too, but the second their gazes met, she looked away. Because she didn’t want him to know she was watching?
He could have laughed.
“All the way, my brother,” Becket finally said. “I would go all the way for her.”
One side of Jesse’s mouth lifted. “Well, she’ll find that out then, won’t she?”
Becket lowered his voice. “Have you looked into that girl who died?”
The humor dropped from Jesse’s face, and he moved closer. “I found the news reports. Her name was Eloise Porter. She had two living parents but no siblings. There was, however, a boyfriend.”
Becket’s muscles locked. “Did you look into him?”
“Yes.”
Something dark flashed over Jesse’s face, and Becket knew he wasn’t going to like what was coming.
“He’s a firefighter,” Jesse finally said. “And he was part of the crew that went to the café fire.”
Becket’s entire frame stiffened. So he’d attended the fire that had killed his girlfriend. “That would have a massive fucking effect on him.”
“It would,” Jesse agreed. “Maybe even make him angry enough to seek revenge.”
Becket’s jaw clicked and he looked back at Sky again. “Do you know where he is now?”
“I plan to get in contact with the fire department and ask to speak to him.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll let you know when I have more.” Jesse squeezed his shoulder and headed over to Aspen.
Becket’s muscles remained tense while he finished shampooing Bella. And maybe Bella realized, because she didn’t growl or splash water on him again.
Sky came up, bucket of water in hand. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” When he took it from her, their hands grazed, and it shot awareness all the way through his body.
“You’re welcome.” Sky gave Bella a pat before stepping back. “You know, most people only did a two-hour shift.”
How long had Becket been here? Four hours? More? It was the only place he wanted to be, but that had nothing to do with the dogs. “Guess I’m more committed to the cause.”
Sky rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a grin on her face.
“It’s going well,” Becket said as he looked around the park.
Her eyes lit up. “It’s been so much busier than I thought. I don’t know why, but I always worry I won’t raise much money with these fundraisers, and then they do a lot better than I think.”
“Because you put a lot of yourself into them. And you do it for Charlie, right?”
Her chest rose, surprise flickering in her eyes. “Yeah. I do it for Charlie.”
“I saw your mom earlier. She came by and said hi. Even told me I was doing a great job.”
She shook her head. “Yeah, she’s been helping. Seems she doesn’t hate you.”
“Very few do.”
Sky scoffed.
He rinsed the shampoo from Bella’s fur. “What does she think about our…breakup?” Fuck, that was hard to say.
She frowned. “You’ll be happy to know she was quite surprised. She even tried to convince me that I should get back together with you.”
“I knew I liked your mom.”
Sky laughed, and the sound was light and airy. “It surprised me.”
They held each other’s gazes for another second, and her smile slipped.
“Sky—”
“We’re starting to pack up now, so Bella should be your last dog. Thank you again for volunteering your time today.”
He dipped his chin. “Of course.”
She walked away, and he was left feeling like the air no longer moved so freely in his lungs when she wasn’t close by.
Damn, he was losing his mind.
He looked down at Bella. “What do you think, Bells? Am I losing my mind without her?”
Bella barked.
He was going to take that as a yes.
When Bella was done, Becket returned her to Rosemary.
She patted his shoulder. “Thank you, young man. You did a good job. Not the best job, but good enough.”
Well, that kind of sounded like a compliment. “You’re welcome.”
After that, he said a quick goodbye to his brother and Aspen before he started grabbing the buckets scattered around the bath stations.
“What are you doing?”
He lifted another bucket and turned. “Building the Great Wall of China.”
Sky’s frown deepened. “You don’t need to help pack up.”
“I already am.”
“Becket—”
“I was actually wondering if you could give me a lift home.”
There was a short pause. “You need a ride home?”
“Clara brought me, so it would save her a trip.” It was a damn lie, his truck was around the corner, but he’d deal with that later. Right now, he needed an excuse to get her alone.
A conflicted expression crossed her face, and she turned her head as if searching for someone else who could give him a ride.
He almost laughed. “Come on, Peaches. It’s just a lift. We’re right next door to each other.”
She sighed. “Okay. I’ll give you a ride home.”
Not the most gracious agreement, but he’d take it. “Thanks.”
Her eyes held his for one more beat before she moved back to the folding table.
They spent the next twenty minutes packing everything up, and in that time, Sky didn’t talk to him again. In fact, she seemed do everything she could to avoid him.
When they finally got into her car, her hands were shaking. Was she nervous?
He set a hand on her arm. “Hey.”
Her gaze shot to him.
“Like I said before…it’s just a ride.”
She nodded quickly and took a deep breath. “I know.”
She pulled onto the street, and he waited a couple of minutes before breaking the silence. “Can I ask you something?”
Her fingers visibly tightened around the wheel. “As long as it’s not about us getting back together, sure.”
Oh, they would be getting back together, and deep down, she probably knew that too. “Eloise, the woman who died in Cheyenne—did you know her family?”
Sky’s chest rose on a sharp inhale. “No. She was new at the dog café. None of us really knew her well.”
“Did she have a boyfriend?”
“Uh, yeah, I think so, but I only know that because she mentioned him once or twice. I never met him.” She glanced at him again. “Why are you asking?”
He should probably wait until they got home to mention this, but hell, this might be the only time she gave him. “There have been too many accidents for them to actually be accidents …and I think you know that.”
This time, it wasn’t just the fingers around the wheel that tightened. It was every muscle in both arms and the muscles in her neck. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about. The fire. The car crash. The car engine. One person can’t be that unlucky.”
“Becket, there have been moments where I’ve wondered exactly that. But I just can’t allow myself to believe someone could have followed me.”
“Why not? You didn’t move across the country. You moved from one state straight up to the next one. And you would be easy to find. A simple Google search. You’re named as the owner right on the business website. You even have your picture there. Plus, social media pages for the doggy daycare…”
“No. I mean, I can’t allow myself to believe it because that’s crazy.”
“There are a lot of crazy people out there, Sky.”
She pulled into her drive, grabbed her keys and opened her door. “No.”
He followed her out. “Why?”
“Because that means someone’s so obsessed with hurting me, killing me , that they’ve uprooted their entire life just to get me.” She marched toward her front door. “It means Charlie’s death wasn’t an accident, that someone killed him.”
“I know it hurts—”
At the front door, she spun to face him. “It doesn’t hurt! It’s more than that. It’s so painful that I can’t believe it.”
He inched closer. “Sky, you need to face reality before—”
“Before what? Before they finally kill me?”
“Yes.”
Fear flashed in her eyes. He didn’t want to scare her, but he needed her to grasp the danger she was in.
“I can’t do this right now.” She turned back to her door. “I’m going inside.”
“You shouldn’t be alone,” he said through gritted teeth.
She tried to put her key in the door, but she missed. Then she missed again. Her shoulders trembled, her breaths growing shallow.
He put a hand on her waist and reached the other around her body, wrapping his fingers around her hand. “Jesse and I are looking into it, okay?”
Her chest continued to heave, and her chin lowered to her chest. “You don’t need—”
“I do.”
One deep, shaky inhale before she whispered, “Thank you.”
He slotted the key into the lock and turned it before kissing the top of her head and stepping back. “Keep your house locked up.”
She opened the door and turned. There was the hint of tears in her eyes, and it looked like she wanted to say something, but she just nodded and went inside.
The door closed…and fuck, if that separation didn’t feel wrong. And every step toward his house felt even more wrong. All he wanted to do was be close to her. Protect her. But he couldn’t do that until she stopped pushing him away.