Chapter Four
B y the time Sunday came around, Isla was happy to ditch her studies for a girls’ day out with Emily and Lyndsey. It was warm and sunny but not hot or humid like earlier in the week, and they took advantage of the pleasant weather with a walk along the beach.
“So, what’s the verdict, Em?” Lyndsey asked as they strolled leisurely toward the shore.
“Yeah.” She turned to her friend and pushed back a strand of hair the breeze had blown into her eyes. “Did any of those properties speak to you?”
They’d spent the past three hours touring a residence near Lyndsey, one apartment, and three small ranches not too far out of town.
Smiling, the pretty brunette nodded, also pushing strands of windswept hair away from her face. “Definitely. Although I really like the house down the street from you, Lyndsey, I think I’m too landlocked and wouldn’t have the ability to build a building in the back like you did to foster animals.”
Lyndsey sighed. “Yeah, I noticed that. I’m bummed. It would’ve been cool to have you living practically next door again.”
“I know.” Emily shrugged. “But the ranch five minutes west of town really isn’t that far.”
Lyndsey brightened. “Oooh, I liked that one, too.”
Isla nodded. “Yeah, that one already had an outbuilding.”
“Which is perfect,” Emily said. “It just needs a few repairs and it’ll be good to go. Plus, I loved the charm of the main house. All it needs is some fresh paint on the walls.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve made a decision.” She smiled at her friend whose brown eyes were alight with excitement.
“Yes. I guess I have.” Emily grinned, pulling out her phone. “Excuse me while I call my realtor.”
Lyndsey and Isla stepped aside to give their friend some privacy, and quietly discussed paint colors and trends until Emily finished her call.
“Okay, it’s done,” their friend said, smiling from ear to ear. “She’s going to submit my offer and if it’s accepted, then I have to meet her at her office to sign papers and write a check.”
“So exciting!”
“I know!”
“My fingers are crossed,” Isla said as the three of them hugged. “When will you know?”
They broke apart and Emily shrugged.
“Could be five minutes, a few hours, or next week.” The wanna-be-homeowner blew out a breath. “I need to keep busy. Let’s go to the shelter. I have to sign paperwork for Kade, too.”
Nodding, she fell into step with her friends. “And maybe I’ll find my rescue today.”
“Have you been there since Thursday?” Lyndsey asked as they walked across the beach toward her house where Emily was parked.
They’d carpooled today, and Emily insisted on driving and spending the gas money since they were helping her out. No amount of protesting had swayed her, either.
Ten minutes later, they approached the car, and Isla couldn’t stop her gaze from straying to her sexy neighbor’s quiet house. She hadn’t seen him since yesterday morning at the bakery. That time, he’d been wearing an ESI shirt like the others, but he wore it best, and she couldn’t seem to stop tripping over her tongue in his presence.
Heat flooded her chest and funneled up her neck just thinking about how the shirt had stretched across his broad shoulders, and the black material had emphasized his gorgeous skin and dark eyes.
“Oh, wow,” Emily said, blinking at her from across the hood of the car. “Just who lives in that cottage?”
Lyndsey glanced from her smiling friend to Isla then to the house and back again, no smile in sight. “Someone I warned my cousin about.”
“I told you, I don’t need the warning,” she said. “I can take care of myself. Besides, Sinjin and I are just neighbors.”
“Sinjin?” Emily’s eyes widened before she waved at Lyndsey. “There’s no need to worry about him. He’s a nice guy. Heck, two weeks ago, he saved my life.”
She exchanged a surprised look with her cousin and then glanced back at their friend, eager to hear more, but Emily was already in the car. Isla scrambled into the back seat as her cousin dropped into the front passenger seat and frowned at the driver.
“Emily,” Lyndsey said. “You can’t just drop a bomb like Sinjin saved your life and leave us hanging like that.”
The woman grinned, meeting Isla’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I believe I just did.”
Isla chuckled and her cousin rolled her eyes.
“I also believe I did tell you about that incident,” Emily said. “I was helping Kade move that abused stallion.”
Lyndsey’s indrawn breath echoed through the car. “That was Sinjin who lunged in front of you when the horse reared up?”
“Yes.” Emily nodded, and Isla’s insides clenched tight.
“What happened?” she asked, leaning toward the front, her heart pounding hard in her chest.
Emily shook her head. “It was the darndest thing. He stepped in front of me, facing the horse, stuck his hand out in a stopping motion and made this shush type noise.”
“Did he get hurt?” she asked, trying to recall if she’d seen any evidence of bruising on the man.
“The horse stopped striking out with its front legs and came down on all fours again…without ever touching Sinjin.” Emily chuckled as she started the car and headed for the shelter. “I think even he knew the guy was too badass to mess with.”
“You’re not helping to sell him in a good light,” her cousin muttered, turning in her seat to stare straight ahead.
Isla inhaled. “Are you kidding me?”
“Yeah.” Emily turned to Lyndsey and blinked. “Did you miss the part where he placed himself between me and a thousand pounds of aggressive horse flesh?”
Lyndsey shook her head. “No. I’ll admit that was very brave—stupid but brave—and I’m grateful, but the fact the horse was afraid of him is telling.”
This time Emily sighed. “The horse wasn’t exactly afraid. That was just me trying to be funny. He was more startled than anything.”
“Oh,” Lyndsey said then nodded. “Yeah, I could see that. It makes more sense.”
Isla sighed inwardly. Good. Now maybe her cousin wouldn’t be so negative about her talking to him.
“Sinjin is a miracle worker, though,” Emily said as she turned off the road onto the long drive that led to Shadow Rock Shelter. “Not only with horses.”
“What do you mean?” Lyndsey asked. “What else has he done?”
Emily snickered. “He’s managed to wake Isla up.”
“Wake me up?” She chuckled. “Sure, my studies are tough, but trust me, I haven’t fallen asleep other than when necessary.”
Her friend parked the car in front of the shelter and cut the engine. “Wake might be the wrong word. I’m batting a thousand today.” She laughed. “I mean he’s garnered a reaction from you.”
“Oh.” She nodded, her face doing that stupid heating thing again. “Yeah. It’s weird. I’m not too bad until I look into his eyes, then things kind of get foggy…”
“And your body tingles and you lose control of your tongue,” Lyndsey finished for her.
She blinked at her cousin. “Yes! Exactly. Is that what happened to you with Gabe?”
Her cousin nodded. “Yes. And it pissed me off because I didn’t like him.”
Emily snorted
Isla laughed. “Good thing you married him, then.”
“I know, right?” Her cousin laughed too. “I thought he was too hard-nosed, but after a while, I realized I may have been too quick to judge. He followed rules to help people like I did to help animals. I was wrong about him.”
“Then perhaps you’re wrong about Sinjin too,” she suggested.
After a second, her cousin shrugged. “Perhaps. Just promise me you’ll be cautious.”
She nodded. “But it doesn’t matter. You’re talking as if he and I are a thing, and we’re not. Just neighbors.”
“Neighbors with benefits?” Emily snickered.
Heat flooded Isla’s belly. “I wish.”
Lyndsey sucked in a breath, but Emily’s bark of laughter soon drowned it out.
“Shoot.” She shook her head. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“Yep.” Emily nodded, getting out of the car.
Great. She was only adding to her cousin’s concern.
Thankfully, the subject was dropped as Emily disappeared into an office and she helped her cousin bottle feed several piglets, two kittens, and a duckling.
After an hour of helping out, Isla walked into the canine area with her cousin and Emily in tow. Even though it had only been a few days since her last visit, she was hopeful that her “rescue” was currently on the premises.
Thursday, she’d loved every dog she’d seen…young, old, three-legged, one-eyed… she’d been smitten with them all, even a litter of Beagle puppies, but most of the dogs had already been adopted, including three of those pups. However, she wasn’t looking for a pup, she wanted to rescue one that had been given up because its owner had moved, or heaven forbid, had passed away.
But those Beagles had been freaking adorable.
Isla had made up her mind on the way over today that if there was one left, she would take it home. As she walked down the aisle, she noted a lot of empty cages and even though that didn’t help her plight, she was happy because it meant a lot of dogs had found their forever homes, including the Beagles. Their cage was empty too.
In fact, all the cages were empty.
Frowning, she turned to Emily and Lyndsey. “Is this normal?”
“Yeah,” Emily said. “The volunteers are probably exercising them outside.
Lyndsey nodded. “There’s a fenced in area for that out there. Let’s go see.”
The disappointment that had settled in Isla’s chest soon lifted and delight took its place when she followed both women through a door that led to an inner courtyard where several dogs of varying breeds ran and played.
She was busy marveling at how well the animals got along without fighting that she almost stepped on a cute little Pomeranian who alerted her to its presence with a quick succession of high-pitched barks.
Laughing, she sidestepped the poofy dog. It was adorable but knowing her, she would require something a little bigger so it couldn’t get under her clumsy feet.
Of course, those clumsy feet took her right in the path of another dog. This one was bigger. A lot bigger. A good sixty pounds bigger, with tan and black fur, black face, big brown eyes, and a tongue hanging out of its open mouth as it bounded straight for her on large paws it hadn’t grown into yet.
Too busy smiling at the exuberance of the young German Shepard, she didn’t realize until it was too late that the cutie wasn’t going to stop.
With a mere second to brace for impact, she was startled when a man appeared out of nowhere and crushed her close, pulling her out of harm’s way. But she wasn’t too stunned to note a familiar awareness shooting through her body.
Sinjin.
Where had he come from?
A heartbeat later, she felt the dog brushing against her as it circled around barking, doing a fantastic job of wrapping its leash around their legs.
As if in slow motion, she felt them falling and again, braced for impact, but Sinjin’s arms covered her back and his hands cupped her head, taking the brunt of the fall. Cushioned by the artificial turf and her rescuer’s quick thinking, she barely felt more than a thud.
Oh, air definitely funneled into her lungs, but not because her body hit the ground. No, it wasn’t what was underneath her that caused her to gasp, it was because of what was on top of her. Lean, hard, hot man.
A tremor rippled through her body.
“You okay?” Sinjin asked, leaning up on his elbows, the feel of his muscles flexing in some very special places taking her breath.
Isla ordered her eyes to remain on his and not look at his lips but failed.
She looked.
Then licked hers before meeting his gaze again. “Yes. Very.” She inhaled. “You?”
He nodded but didn’t get a chance to reply because the dog chose that moment to introduce himself by licking her face and Sinjin’s at the same time.
“I’ll take him,” she said, a little breathless and a lot certain.
Emily chuckled. “The dog or Sinjin?”
She smiled, still looking into the hot guy’s eyes. “Both.”