Falling For The Rebound Bride. Karen Templeton

mind that simply sitting here thinking about Colin’s mouth and jaw and eyes, ohmigod, and that little hollow at the base of his neck was making her feel as though molten ore was flowing through her veins.

      “Jeez, girl,” she muttered. “Get over it.”

      As if it was that easy. Because despite keeping busy, and running her butt off every day, and her determination to not think about her shattered heart and the bozo who’d shattered it, her heart had other ideas. In fact, the longer she was away, the more hurt and angry she got that she’d been played for a fool. That she’d let herself be played for a fool, taking the path of least resistance because...why? Because everyone else had been happy?

      Clearly, she needed to majorly overhaul her definition of that word. Not to mention her expectations, she thought as her mouth twisted. Meaning she knew full well all this fizzing and bubbling was nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction to Michael’s betrayal, a primitive—and completely ludicrous—urge to get even.

      The pup whimpered again, nuzzling her collarbone...

      Telling her wayward loins to shut the hell up, Emily heaved herself to her feet, the puppy cradled against her chest, and marched toward the cabin.

      She thought maybe this was called taking back the reins.

      * * *

      Colin nearly jumped out of his skin when he caught Emily standing outside the front window with something furry clutched in one hand, waving like crazy at him with the other. And apparently yelling. Ripping out his earbuds, he set aside his laptop and reluctantly pushed himself off the leather couch, not even bothering to adjust his expression before opening the door. It’d taken two days before the right words had finally started to settle in his brain to accompany this particular photo. And now they were gone. So, yeah. Pissed.

      Emily’s flinch—and blush—should’ve given him more satisfaction than it did. Instead he felt like a jackass. For about two seconds, anyway, before all the reasons he’d gone out of his way to avoid her this past week came sailing back into his befogged brain. Because of that blush, for one thing. That her running togs left little to the imagination, for another. Toss in exercise glow and whatever the hell that scent was that she wore, the one that marched right in and rendered him an insentient blob of randy hormones, and—

      His eyes dipped to the puppy, looking about as blissful as Colin imagined he would be cuddled against those breasts.

      “Some coyote was trying to get him, or at least that’s what it looked like, and I think he might be hurt but I don’t have any way of getting him to the vet. If your brother’s even at the clinic.”

      Colin dragged his gaze away from the pup—and her breasts—and to her eyes, a move which jarred loose his libido’s stranglehold long enough for Oh, hell, to play through his brain.

      “Let me see,” he said, his knuckles grazing those breasts—damn—before he took the dog from her and carried him into the house. Emily followed, shutting the door behind her and sitting across from Colin when he sat back on the couch.

      “Heaven knows how he got here—”

      “Dumped, probably. It happens,” he said to her stunned expression, then tenderly examined the bloodied paw. The pup whimpered again.

      “Don’t think it’s broken, but I’m not the vet.” He paused, gaze fixed on the dog and not on those worried blue eyes. Clearly his afternoon was shot. Not to mention his resolve. “I had dinner with Zach and them the other night, he said he’s in the office every afternoon, all day on Saturdays, so...” Still holding the pup, he got to his feet. “So let’s go get this little guy fixed up.”

      “Oh! Um...” Emily stood as well, rubbing her hands across her dusty bottom. Colin looked away. “If you’d lend me the car, I could take him, you don’t have to come. I mean—” There went the pink cheeks again. “It’s pretty obvious I interrupted you. I’m sure you want to get back to work.”

      She had. And he did. However...

      “You know where the clinic is?”

      “In...town?”

      Pushing out a sound that was half laugh, half resigned sigh, Colin walked over to the door, snagging the keys off the hook that’d been there probably from long before he was born. “Somebody needs to hold the dog. And it’ll be quicker since I actually know where the clinic is. So come on. Unless...” Against his better judgment he gave her outfit a cursory glance. Okay, maybe not so cursory. “You want to change?”

      She pff’d. “I think as long as I’m not naked, I’m good.” And, yep, she blushed again. “What I mean is...”