saw this tree and ran.”
“Frank’s got a bad hip so he lumbers more than runs. Though if he gets excited he can sprint for a short distance,” Gabe said. “He must have wanted some attention.”
“Or breakfast.”
Gabe wouldn’t mind a taste himself. Another place, another time… “Come on down out of that tree. Frank might look intimidating, but he’s as harmless as a pup.”
“Cujo, or your average menacing canine that runs in a pack?”
Scared or not, she was showing some spunk. Gabe grinned. “Newborn puppy. Nearly blind.”
She scooted down, bringing her bare ankle and generic white canvas slip-on shoes to his eye level.
“It’s okay,” he encouraged. “Frank only wanted to play with you.”
“I…I don’t play with dogs.”
“I won’t hold it against you.”
Gabe hadn’t gotten a good look at her face, but she intrigued him. Berry Patch didn’t get many visitors, especially young females who could scale trees the way she had. He wondered why she was in town, where she was staying and for how long. Mr. and Mrs. Ritchey, the next-door neighbors, had a daughter who attended a swanky college on the East Coast. Was this one of Brianna Ritchey’s friends? He hoped not. Though Gabe didn’t like his women that young, if this were Brianna’s friend, he would take both girls out to make amends.
“How about I take you out to dinner tonight to make up for Frank chasing you?” Gabe asked.
“Thanks, but that’s not necessary.”
“Another night?”
No answer. Shot down. Ouch. He’d dated most of the available women in town and still hadn’t found what he was looking for. Guess he’d have to keep looking.
She tried to find her footing. Not an easy thing to do in those shoes.
“I’m sorry Frank scared you,” Gabe said. “He really is a good dog.”
“I don’t like dogs,” she mumbled.
A huge strike against her, but he really liked the way her jeans fit. And based on that ponytail, her hair had to be long. He liked long hair. “Why not?”
She scooted farther down the tree. “I got bit when I was little.”
His sisters had trained him well. He knew the necessary response. “That must have been scary. Was it a big dog or one of those ankle-biting, yipping rat dogs?”
“A rat dog.”
The sound of her voice made him think she was smiling. Good. He didn’t want her to be afraid. “Those little dogs will get you every time. They’re so small they have to assert their dominance.”
“Kind of like men driving cars and trucks with more horsepower than they’ll ever need.”
“Exactly.” He grinned. “Though some men do need that extra horsepower. Egos are pretty heavy to haul around.”
“Not many men would admit that.”
“I’m not ‘many men.’”
She glanced down at him, but her sunglasses hid her eyes. “What do you drive?”
He rocked back on his heels. “A pickup with heavy-duty hauling capacity.”
He caught a glimmer of a smile.
She climbed down a few more inches. He could see the back of her T-shirt, the band and straps of her bra showing through the stretchy white fabric.
“Would you like help?” he asked.
“I can do it myself.”
He knew better than to interfere with a woman on a mission. His mother had taught him that one. “I’m sure you can.”
Just then, she lost her footing and slid. He placed his hands on her hips to keep her from falling. She was soft and curvy in all the right places. Her scent, sunshine and grapefruit, surrounded him. Now this was the way to start a morning. Maybe today wouldn’t be so terrible after all. He would have to reward Frank with a bone later. Gabe smiled as he lowered her from the tree.
She stood in front of him and brushed her palms against her thighs. “Thank you.”
Gabe believed females were gifts from above. They deserved to be cherished and adored. He loved women, but he could really love the one standing in front of him. “At your service, milady.”
Most of the women he knew liked a little chivalry, but her full lips didn’t break into a smile as he expected. She did raise her chin, giving him a better view of her face. If only she’d remove those sunglasses so he could see her eyes. She wore no makeup, not even lipstick, but she didn’t need any. She was lovely. A natural beauty. With a straight, thin nose, generous lips and high cheekbones any model would die for. Her only flaw was a smudge of dirt on her right cheek and that just made her cuter. Though cute and the way the T-shirt stretched over her breasts didn’t belong in the same sentence. His temperature shot up.
Something about her rang a bell. Several actually. “Have we met before?”
“No,” she said. “I only arrived yesterday afternoon.”
Not even nine o’clock on her first morning in town and he’d already met her. Not bad timing. In fact, perfect timing. He definitely owed Frank a treat.
Gabe tried to place where he knew her. “You look familiar.”
She pressed her lips together. “I must have one of those faces.”
“You’re too beautiful to be just a face in the crowd.”
She shrugged.
Her indifference didn’t sway him. “I know you from somewhere. It’s going to come to me.”
A squirrel scampered through the overgrown yard. Frank barked, stood on all fours and trotted toward them.
The woman gasped and grabbed hold of Gabe. Her sunglasses flew off. Her hat fell back and long, wavy brown hair cascaded down. She buried her face against him.
He pulled her close. He liked the way she felt in his arms, probably more than he should, but he didn’t like the way she trembled; it was worse than one of those Chihuahuas Frank could use as a squeak toy.
“Sit.”
Frank obeyed. The action made the time and money of puppy kindergarten and dog-obedience training worth it.
“On the porch. Now.”
The dog loped his way to the front of the house.
Gabe continued to hold the woman, waiting for the rapid beating of her heart to slow. Finally it did. “You okay?”
She didn’t say a word, but clung to him. It was nice. Though he wished it were under different circumstances. Say, mouth-watering attraction rather than overwhelming fear.
“It’s okay if you aren’t,” he said. “I kind of like standing here with you in my arms. Doesn’t happen to a guy like me every day. Now every other day…”
She laughed. He liked the sound.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
A slight hesitation. “Faith.”
“Pretty name,” he said. “I’m Gabe. And we have a problem, Faith.”
She tightened her grip. “Frank?”
“He can be a problem, but no, we have another one. You can’t see from where you’re standing, but Mrs. Henry is peeking out of her miniblinds from across the street and she’s got her phone in her hand. She’s real tight with Mrs. Bishko and Mrs. Lloyd. The three of them like to keep the fine citizens