Page 142 of The Best Thing He Never Wanted

So he held his phone out toward Emmett. “Want to see a little Greek dog?”

Emmett took the phone with a laugh. “Sure.”

He studied the picture for a few seconds, then enlarged it with his fingers. “Hard to tell from a photo, but I’d guess there’s some Kokoni in him. Probably mixed with something else. They’re little Greek companion dogs. They’re supposed to be smart, loyal, and pretty social.”

Blane snorted. “This one missed the memo.”

“Maybe.” Emmett looked at the photo again. “You said he doesn’t like people?”

“Doesn’t trust them much. Especially men, apparently.”

“And he liked you?”

“Jumped right into my lap.”

Cash made a choking sound behind him.

Blane ignored him.

Emmett smiled as he handed the phone back. “Then he picked you. Dogs don’t care what kind of bullshit story a man tells himself about who he is. They just decide whether they trust him.”

Blane stared at him. “You get that out of a veterinary textbook?”

“Nope.” Emmett grinned. “That was best friend advice. Veterinary advice costs extra.”

Cash laughed. “I think it was his way of telling you you’re full of shit.”

Blane flipped him off, but he was smiling as he looked down at the picture again.

A minute later, while Cash and Mav went back to arguing about whatever the hell they’d been arguing about before, Blane opened his messages.

Blane: Hey, darlin’. Showed Emmett that picture of Sifis. He says the little guy might be part Kokoni. Says they’re supposed to be smart, loyal, and social. So apparently, yours is defective.

He hesitated, then added:

Says if the dog doesn’t trust anybody but climbed into my lap, he picked me.

He stared at that sentence for a second before adding one more.

How’s he doing?

~ ~ ~

When Bea got back from her Greek lesson with Yiannis, she slowed the car as she approached the house and saw that the gate was standing open. She pulled through it slowly, half expecting to find a car in the driveway, but there was nothing. She switched off the engine and sat there for a moment, looking around cautiously. She’d deliberately closed the gate before she went out earlier. She’d thought she saw that man again this morning, standing in the lane. She might have imagined it—he’d been there one moment and gone by the time she looked again—but it had unsettled her enough that she’d made extra sure the front and back doors were locked before she left. Then, even though she’d felt rather silly doing it, she’d climbed out of her little Ignis once she was out on the lane and deliberately closed the gate behind her.

It was only held by a latch. It wasn’t as though it would keep anyone out, but at the time it had made her feel better. She let out an uneasy little laugh. Now it made her feel worse. If she’d simply left the bloody thing open, she wouldn’t have to wonder why it wasn’t closed. She made herself get out of the car. Perhaps the latch was loose. It could be something as simple as that, although the excuse didn’t fool her for long. Blane had hung that gate. He might have done it in the middle of the night, but she didn’t believe for one moment that he would have walked away without making sure the latch held properly. The firm click when she closed it confirmed that.

She leaned out into the lane, but there was no sign of anyone. Then she looked up at the house, hating the sudden feeling that someone might have been here while she was gone. This was her home, her little sanctuary. She didn’t want anyone turning it into a place where she had to wonder what had happened while her back was turned. She checked around as she made her way to the front door and unlocked it. She’d barely stepped inside when her phone buzzed sharply inside her bag, startling her badly enough that she actually jumped.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

She set her bag down on the counter, then hesitated and, on impulse, went back outside. There he was—the same man, already some distance away, walking down the lane. A shiver traveled over her skin. He didn’t appear to mean her any harm. Surely, if he did, he’d be coming toward her rather than walking away. Although that wasn’t especially reassuring, now she thought about it. If he had been here while she was out, perhaps leaving was precisely what he would be doing. She stopped herself. No. She was letting her imagination run away with her.

Still, as she watched him disappear around the bend, another thought occurred to her. Could he be connected to the issue with the shepherd’s hut? Perhaps he was the man making the claim. If he’d chosen to deal with it through her lawyer rather than approach her directly, that might explain why he kept appearing without ever speaking to her. It was probably nothing. Or, at least, nothing threatening.

She went back inside and locked the door behind her before retrieving her phone. The sight of Blane’s name made her smile.

She could still remember the beautiful, unguarded smile on his face when Sifis had chosen him. There really was no other word for it. The little dog had spotted Blane and immediately decided that he was the one, flinging himself into his lap and wriggling around there in a way that, if Bea were honest, had made her rather envious.