“I’m not sure we can close that soon,” she stuttered. He’d obviously flustered her.
“I’m not financing. It will be paid for out of pocket. We can close that quickly,” he informed her. Money talked.
“Oh, well, I didn’t . . . uh . . . didn’t realize. Of course. I’ll call the seller’s Realtor right away.”
The woman went inside as he leaned back in the lawn chair. The owners had moved out of the country and the home came furnished. It was one of the biggest perks about the house. Sure, he’d have to get rid of some of the stuff, and certainly he was bringing his own bed over, but other than that, he didn’t have to do a hell of a lot to move in.
He didn’t want his family furniture because his nephew couldn’t climb all over it without the threat of getting injured. He wanted a home, not a mausoleum. Mav wasn’t even sure if he knew who he was anymore. So much was changing.
Mav was even finding himself thinking about a future, about having a wife and kids of his own. That thought sent a shudder through him. No. There was no way that was going to happen. This was just a temporary lapse in his sanity.
He’d vowed not to marry—not ever—after that reading of his father’s will. No one would dictate his life, especially not his deceased father. Yes, he’d loved the man, but that didn’t mean he was the man’s puppet. Of course, at the moment, he was being daddy’s good little boy.
And Mav couldn’t forget the fact that he loved women . . . multiple women. He didn’t want to settle down with just one. He was simply trying to help out Lins, that was all. Once she was back to herself and well on the road to happiness, he’d have no problem stepping back and letting her live her life the way she’d been doing before the attack.
With that all settled in his mind, he felt much better. He even managed to smile as Princess wiggled to get down off his lap and tentatively stepped off the cement patio and out into the grass to see what Benji was up to.
The two of them jumped at the tree as a second squirrel came out to investigate what the barking was all about. Both squirrels continued yelling at the dogs. It was highly entertaining.
“I spoke to the other Realtor. Let’s draw up the papers for a formal offer and we should have an answer by this evening if not by tomorrow for sure,” the Realtor said, shattering his peacefulness.
Still, Mav signed what he needed to, a small piece of himself hating to leave the place he was already considering his home. Lindsey was really messing with his head. He could already see that.
But when there was a mission to accomplish, an Air Force pilot didn’t give up just because he got scared. Hell, for that matter, Mav wouldn’t admit he was scared even if he did happen to feel that unfamiliar emotion.
Getting the dogs and himself in his truck, he decided it was a good time for a beer and some brotherly talking. Calling Cooper, he headed in that direction. There wasn’t any part of him that was hoping to run into Lindsey.
This wasn’t one of their nights together, so he wasn’t seeking her out. He felt much better telling himself that. Now, he just needed to believe it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Lindsey was startled out of the story she was reading when she heard a dog barking at her front door. What in the world? Shaking her head, she tried to find her place on the page when the bark sounded again.
That couldn’t be right. She must be imagining things. Maybe it was because she hadn’t stopped thinking about Princess since the day before when she’d left her at the shelter. It was unbelievable how much she missed the little mutt.
Never before had Lindsey owned a dog, so why would she miss one she’d only spent a few hours with? It didn’t make sense, and Lindsey was tired of things not making sense. She wanted her life back, and imaginary dog noises weren’t helping to make her feel any saner.
Still, she found herself setting the book down, getting up, and going to the front door. That’s when she heard scratching. Her heart racing, she cracked the door open, leaving the chain in place.
When a set of chocolate eyes gazed at her through the opening, her heart hammered as she held in a sob. It was Princess. She’d know those sad eyes anywhere. But how had she gotten there?
Shutting the door, she heard a whimper. But she moved fast undoing the chain and opened the door again. The little dog rushed inside and scratched at her leg, demanding to know where Lindsey had been.
“How did you get here, Princess?” she asked as she dropped to the floor and the little furball climbed into her lap and stretched out, gently licking Lindsey’s chin.
A few minutes passed and Benji ran in through the open door and barked up at her as if to say hi. Not far behind them was Maverick.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to bug you tonight. We’re having a barbecue at my brother’s and Princess must have smelled you or something because she was playing in the yard and then all of a sudden she just took off,” he said as he leaned against the wall.
“Do you practice that pose?” she asked before she was able to stop herself.
His brows furrowed as he looked at her. “What?”
“You love to lean on things in just that way with your arms crossed and your lips tilted up just the slightest bit, and your eyes . . . your eyes all glinty and stuff,” she rushed out.
That glint she’d been talking about took on a whole new sparkle as his lips turned up into a mega-wattage smile that had her breathing shallowly in an instant.
“You sure notice a lot about me for a woman who isn’t interested,” he practically purred.