Loving The Country Boy (Barrett's Mill Book 4) Read Free

silence seemed to get to her. “So, you grew up around here?”
    “Born and raised.”
    “You said you liked Alaska,” she pointed out. “Have you been anywhere else?”
    “Louisiana, Iowa, Arizona. Being a mechanic, I can pretty much work anywhere.”
    “What made you decide to come back here?”
    Heath still hadn’t come to terms with the answer to that, and he fought the urge to joke his way out of responding. He’d been doing that for months, to avoid reliving the pain that had chased him back to the safe, quiet town where he’d spent his childhood. But something told him if he dodged a question from the pretty woman beside him, she’d know it. And she’d never trust him. Why he cared what she thought about him, he couldn’t say, but loyalty to her family was as good a reason as any.
    As he parked in the turnaround near the mill house, he finally settled on a version of the truth. “It was time to come home. I’m almost thirty, and my adventuring days are over.”
    She studied him for a long, uncomfortable moment, and it took everything he had not to look away. Clearly, she suspected that he hadn’t given her the whole story, but he hoped his explanation would be enough to satisfy her curiosity, at least for now.
    “That’s interesting,” she said with quiet determination glittering in her eyes. “Because mine are just getting started.”
    Suddenly, there was a bang in the truck bed behind them, and a big, furry face popped in through the open back window. Tess shrieked and plastered herself up against the passenger door, shielding her head with her designer purse.
    Chuckling, Heath greeted their slobbery guest with a pat on the head. “Hey, Boyd. How’re you today?”
    The bloodhound woofed, licking Heath’s hand while his tail wagged enthusiastically. When Heath noticed him eyeballing Tess, he warned, “Behave yourself, dude. The lady’s had a tough morning.”
    In response, the dog sat politely and reeled in his tongue, even though his head was still hanging over the seat. Apparently, that was as good as it was going to get. “Tess, I’d like you to meet Boyd. The story is he found your cousin Paul at a lumber camp in Oregon and followed him home. Personally, I think it was the other way around.”
    His comment had the intended effect, and she uncoiled herself from the corner to give the hound a cautious once-over. Thrilled with the attention, Boyd let out a quiet woof and cocked his head in what even a committed dog-hater would have called a friendly gesture.
    “Pleased to meet you, Boyd,” she finally said, patting his forehead. “You’ll have to excuse my manners, but you scared me half to death.”
    The hound woofed again, and Heath reached over to ruffle his floppy ears. “See? He’s sorry. He’s the welcoming committee around here, and he was just doing his job.”
    “Very well, too,” she added, scratching around his collar with a smile. “Paul found himself a real gem of a sidekick, didn’t he?”
    Her gooey tone was totally at odds with her hard exterior, and Heath couldn’t help admiring how quickly she’d shifted from terrified city girl to down-to-earth animal lover. Apparently, she reserved that cool, distant manner of hers for humans. It probably should have bugged him, but in reality it was a relief.
    During the short time they’d spent together, he’d learned that Tess had a sharp mind and a tongue to match. He was fairly well traveled, and experience had taught him to steer clear of women like her. They were always one step ahead of him, and eventually he got tired of trying to catch up.
    His conversation with Tess hadn’t changed his opinion in the least. In fact, he was determined to give women like Tess a wide berth, now more than ever.

Chapter Two
    A fter Tess recovered from meeting the very exuberant Boyd, she got out of the truck and took a few moments to absorb her surroundings. A sparkling creek flowed through the nearby woods and under the wide