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CHAPTER ONE
“DON’T TAKE THIS wrong, but seriously, a cat of your size needs to keep all four paws firround”
Charlie Dixon continued up the ladder, aware that Daytona atching her with serious contereen eyes The black-and-white cat was about twenty-six pounds of attitude His cliet down a tree leftfurry butt to the top of Mrs Coverson’s sycamore and yowled to be rescued About an hour later, the old lady would panic and call the fire departs NASCAR, glared and hissed and threatened, but in the end, he subround
“Cos of the ladder “You know you’re getting hungry and I’m your ride down to your food bowl”
On cue, the cat flattened his ears and gave an irowl
“Cheap talk, big guy,” Charlie said, then reached for the cat Daytona took a swipe at the back of her hand, but thetoward her, then allowed hiainst her
“Don’t worry,” soot your ladder”
Charlie sighed heavily “Civilians,” she muttered “How do they always find me?”
Daytona didn’t offer a response
Charlie looked down and saw so by the base of her ladder “I’m fine,” she yelled “Step back”
“Someone needs to hold the ladder,” the dark-haired man insisted
“Not really”
Charlie tucked Daytona securely under one arm and started her descent She went quickly, aware that Daytona’s attention span was often shorter than the trip to safety When he started squir This time she cut it a little too close
Daytona pushed all four paws against her, then twisted in an atte on Not only didn’t she want to fall herself, there was no way she was going to face old lady Coverson with a less-than-perfect Daytona beside her
“Stop it!” she told the cat
“Need uy asked
Charlie briefly wondered howhim with her steel-toed boots and if it would be worth it Some of her best friends were civilians, but honest to God, there were people who totally lacked common sense
“Stay back,” she yelled “Step away from the ladder and don’t interfere”
“I’”
Before Charlie could respond, several things happened at once Daytona gave one final push for freedorip on the squir cat The ladder lurched, the idiot below started up and everyone had a ravity
Daytona fared the best He used his claws to dig in to the side of the tree, then scurry down Charlie caround It carass at the base of the tree, she sla to “help”
As she lay on top of the idiot and sucked in air, Charlie watched Daytona stroll over and give a last annoyed hiss The cat stalked away, his tail high Charlie rolled off the guy, aware that at five-ten and well-hed a whole lot more than was considered fashionable No doubt he’d had the wind knocked out of him With luck, only his pride was hurt and then she could lecture hiood to be stupid At worst, she was about to have to call for an ambulance
“You okay?” she asked, shifting into a kneeling position and glancing at the man for the first time “Did you hit your head and—”
Crap and double crap This wasn’t so in the perfectly shaped jaw, the firm full ed by long lashes This was possibly the best-looking man on the planet
Clay Stryker, azine ads, calendars and on the big screen He had a killer body and his face was even better He was the kind of e its rotation
She’d met hi to Clay’s brother, for starters Plus, Clay lived at the ranch where she boarded her horse They’d nodded at each other over stalls and hay bales But she’d never seen him up close before Not in the flesh, at least Had never been so near to a flawless human
Reluctantly, she had to ad
One corner of that perfect mouth turned up “Hey,” he said “I saved you”
Charlie snorted “Not likely Did you hit your head? Because if you did, I’ it knocked some sense into you”
The slight curve became a smile “You’re welcome” He sat up
Charlie put a hand on his shoulder “Hold on there, hotshot Are you injured? You were at the botto’s broken”
“My ego’s a little bruised that you don’t appreciate what I did for you”
“You knocked et a cookie” She stood, then held out her hand to help him up “Can you stand?”
The sht absently Despite the fact that it had literally been a decade since she’d found any odlike perfection that was appealing
He ignored her hand and stood in one easy ood”
“Charlie, are you all right?”
“Fine, Mrs Coverson,” Charlie said, trying not to clench her teeth Her dentist had warned her that she needed to stop grinding her jahen she was annoyed Which was much of the time
Mrs Coverson stood on the front porch, Daytona in her arms Behind her, Michelle Banfield, orked with Charlie, stood with a half-eaten brownie and a look of guilt in her eyes