Mark looked up at her. He’d expected her to contradict him, n
ot agree that he’d been an outsider from day one.
“You and I were always the guests,” Amy continued. “They made us feel like part of the family, but it’s not the same.”
“You became family.”
“I did.” She smiled sadly. “But I think we both know I stayed in Darren’s shadow.”
“Not anymore.”
“No.” She playfully elbowed his side. “But don’t tell them.”
“I won’t.” Stirring up drama before he deployed again was the last thing he wanted to do.
They fell silent. The Benton brothers’ voices drifted out, the sound mingling with the crickets. But the familiar bickering—T.J. giving Gabe shit and Luke jumping into the fray—didn’t make him tense up. Sitting out here under the stars, beside a friend who understood how old baggage could rise up at the wrong moments, he felt comfortable. In the distance, dogs barked, their chatter mixing with the voices from inside.
“I should go back in,” he said, knowing his brief reprieve was over. “Say good-night and thank Mrs. Benton.”
“No need. I told them you would walk me back. They don’t like it when I cross the fields after dark by myself.”
Amy stood and headed down the steps, whistling for Jango. The dog appeared out of the darkness. Mark moved to her side, careful to keep space between them.
In the back of his mind, he’d worried that the brief shift between them, the moment when he’d flat-out wanted her, would lead to stilted, awkward exchanges. He looked over at Amy, noting the soft smile on her lips, the way one hand brushed the top of Jango’s head. The friendship they’d built over the years was solid. Thank God for that. It was like a gift he didn’t wholly feel he’d earned, but one he wasn’t willing to give back.
“What?” Her gaze met his.
“Just feeling lucky.”
“Oh, really?” She raised an eyebrow, and the image of Amy in her underwear filled his mind. He pushed it away.
“Don’t go there, Amelia Mae,” he warned. He’d held back last night in the truck and today in the exam room, but if pressed, tonight he might give in.
“Go where?” she asked with feigned innocence.
“Amy—”
“Tonight, I think I know just what you need.”
His lower half reacted to her words. Need was a strong word, but he sure as hell knew he wanted...
No, sweetheart, you don’t have a clue.
“Puppies,” Amy continued. “They have a way of making the bad memories fade away. Trust me.”
Mark forced a laugh, his body still wound up from her words—I know just what you need. He allowed her to drag him through the kennel’s reception area, down the hall and into the whelping room. He stayed close, watching as her eyes lit up when she spotted the pups jumping and spinning in their metal kennels, overjoyed to see her. Any lingering hint of sadness and self-pity faded. But Mark knew it wasn’t because he’d walked into a room full of dogs.
It was Amy.
8
“READY TO PLAY CATCH?”
Amy watched Foxtrot, her most promising pup, spin in a circle barking with excitement as Mark tossed a tennis ball across the room. The puppies raced to claim it, her top contender coming in second to his brother Charlie. Looking back at Mark, she noted his easy smile and relaxed stance. He’d been wound up tight since he’d walked into her house. She liked seeing him like this, playing with her dogs. But part of her was drawn to that tension.
Today, in the veterinary exam room, he’d looked at her as if it took everything he had to let her go without kissing her senseless. Part of her was glad he’d released her. She wasn’t ready for where his kisses would lead. First, she’d make a list. Write her own rules. Then she’d return to that moment—and maybe this time she wouldn’t hold back.
She watched as he raised his arm, corded muscle visible as his rolled-up sleeve slid to his elbow. In one swift movement, he released the ball, sending the dogs flying across the room a second time.