“I’ve always wanted a dog,” Cisco added wistfully.
“No animals growing up?” Hilly asked, patting Nel’s rump while Cisco continued to commandeer her head.
“Nope. My mom has really bad asthma, so we couldn’t have any animal dander in the house.”
“But you no longer live with your mother, right?” Hilly asked, making an assumption. “Couldn’t you have a pet now, as an adult?”
Cisco shook his head a little sadly. “I live alone, and I work a lot of hours. I didn’t think it would be fair to have a dog who was inside by themselves for a lot of the day.”
“Makes sense,” Hilly’s Papa-J spoke up, reminding Hilly he was there. “You’ll just have to spend a lot of time with Nel while you’re here, Cisco.”
“If she’ll have me,” the man demurred.
Hilly laughed, for real this time as she looked at the silly, infatuated face her dog was giving Cisco. “Are you kidding me? She’s already smitten. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hitches a ride back to town with you on your bike.”
“Now that’s something I’d like to see,” Cisco chuckled. “One of those bike-riding dogs with goggles and a scarf?”
Nel’s nose suddenly went up in the air, no longer basking in the human attention. She sniffed several times, then took off like a shot into the woods.
“And there she goes,” Hilly chuckled.
Cisco frowned. “You let her run wild? You’re not going to call her back?”
Hilly understood he wasn’t used to a dog’s ways, and quickly allayed his fears. “Nel is more familiar with this property than I am, and knows her borders. She feels it’s part of her job to patrol the place, and I must say, she does a great job keeping critters like coyotes away. Which is good for everybody.”
“They don’t…attack her?” Again, Cisco looked worried.
“Nope. In general, she tops the average coyote by about five pounds, and she has a heck of a bark and growl that has them giving her a wide berth.”
Cisco still didn’t look convinced, and Hilly commiserated. She’d had the same doubts when Nel had first started confronting the local pack. But her mutt had come to an understanding with them, and they now respected her turf. As each new season of camp got underway, however, the local canines had to be reminded this was Nel’s territory. Hilly figured that’s what her dog was doing now.
Papa-J had been watching the interaction between Hilly and Cisco closely, and she saw the speculation on his face. She shook her head at him slightly to shut him down.
“Okay, honey,” he gave in. “I know you have things to do, and I have to pick your mother up at the hair salon, so I’ll leave you and Nel to your work.” He came over and dropped a kiss on top of her head.
“Thanks for bringing her, Papa-J.”
“Any time, Munchkin. And if you need me for any physical-plant problems that arise, call me.” He gave a wave, then turned and walked back toward the parking area where he’d left his car.
Her sudden good mood over having Nel back, slopped over onto Cisco, and she gave him her first real, unabridged smile. “My Pops is such a great guy,” she spontaneously offered.
Cisco’s eyes went to her mouth, and his eyebrows raised.
Right. She shouldn’t have been holding back and treating him to less of a welcome than she’d give, say, her delivery people. Her smile wobbled, but held.
After all, it wasn’t Cisco’s fault she associated him with a very difficult time in her life. At least he’d never made fun of her or treated her like shit. He simply hadn’t known she’d existed. Maybe, if she dropped all her bitterness over the past, they could work toward enjoying some kind of friendship thing.
“Do…?” Cisco suddenly looked as conflicted as she felt. Was he having some thoughts that she looked good right now with a real smile on her face?
He shook his head as if to clear it, and started again. “I take it your family is local?”
Aaand…
Nope.
Friendship wasn’t going to happen. Not until Hilly felt fearless enough to share with him who she was. Or at least who she’d been.
“They travel a lot,” was all she offered.
The mental welcome sign she’d just been erecting, turned rapidly to closed.
CHAPTER SIX
Cisco didn’t know what to think as he rode back to town, having cemented plans to be at the camp on Tuesday, before he’d skedaddled. Hilly was the most intriguing yet contrary person he’d ever met. One minute, he’d think she was warming up to him, and the next, she’d freeze him out. And it bothered the hell out of him.
Why?
Wasn’t that the million-dollar question. Cisco had never lacked for a beautiful woman on his arm, and Hilly… Sure, she was gorgeous, with all that wild, untamed red hair swirling around her face. He’d even go so far as to say she was something special in the beauty department. But it wasn’t often Cisco couldn’t control his impulses around a pretty woman, so he’d been damned near blindsided where Hilly was concerned. How many times had he forcibly had to curb the urge to reach forward and tuck some of the soft, errant strands of copper behind her ears.
It was a good thing he knew how to talk himself down, or his fingers would have been threaded through her brilliant tresses as the breeze continued to stir them up around her face. She probably would have fired his ass on the spot for inappropriate behavior. But the overwhelming, instant pull he’d had toward her had almost demanded he touch her, and that was a seriously fucked up circumstance. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d made any rash moves toward a female. Maybe in high school?
Fuck. There was only one possible reason for his head going haywire. His tweaked libido; because he’d been under a self-imposed moratorium at the bars as of late.
Still…that hair.
He could only describe the color as that of worn pennies, and her eyes… He’d never seen an iris hue so vibrant that it instantly reminded him of the field of wild cornflowers behind his parents’ house.
Yes, he’d been drawn in by her physical presence in a way that defied any experiences he’d ever had. He normally liked blondes. That was obviously not Hilly. He liked drowning in pools of green. Hilly’s orbs were blue. He like women who were tallish. Hilly was damned short compared to Cisco’s six-plus feet. She was maybe five-three or four, but with her backbone snapped straight—as she’d constantly displayed—she was certainly a force to be reckoned with even at her diminutive stature.
