The Sweetheart Bargain (A Sweetheart Sisters Novel) Read Free Page B

grabbed at her clothes, scratched at her face and arms. Finally, she emerged on the other side, a little worse for wear.
    She straightened—and almost collided with a six-foot-tall wall of a man.
    “What the hell are you doing?” he said.
    Her mouth opened, closed. Not a single word came out. Her gaze roamed over him, and she had to remind herself to breathe. Damn. Hot, handsome, sexy. She swallowed hard and tried not to stare.
    Too much.
    Blue jeans hugged his thighs, and a black T-shirt sporting a Harley-Davidson logo outlined a defined, hard chest, muscled biceps. The man had short-cropped, deep brown hair, a chiseled jaw shadowed with rough stubble. Dark sunglasses hid his eyes, despite the setting sun behind him. On one side of his face, a jagged scar peeked out from under the sunglasses, which only added to the air of mystery. He looked—
    Dangerous.
    Not in the hack-you-into-tiny-pieces-and-bury-you-in-a-landfill kind of way, but in a mysterious, sensual way that said tangling with him would be unforgettable. That he was the kind of guy who could kiss her and leave her . . . reeling. Breathless. The kind her friends called a Mindless Man because one night with him would make a girl lose her mind—in a very, very good way.
    Olivia brushed off the worst of the shrub debris from her hair and face. Chided herself for worrying about her appearance. Her priority was the golden, not some stranger with sex appeal and an attitude. “I’m looking for the dog.”
    “What dog?”
    “The golden retriever that ran into your yard.” Olivia peered around the man. She didn’t see the dog anywhere. Then she spied the end of a pale yellow tail sticking out underneath the man’s porch.
    “Is it running away from home? Or from you?”
    “Yes—no. I . . . I don’t know.” Damn, why did this man fluster her? “It ran over here because it’s scared. I think the dog is hurt and needs to see a vet.”
    He leaned down, and she caught the scent of soap and sweat. A man’s scent, tempting, dark. His sunglasses reflected back her own face, and nothing more. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she could feel his assessing gaze. “Let me guess,” he said, his voice low, teasing. “You hit the dog with your car and now you’ve had a sudden attack of guilt.”
    “Of course not!”
    “Uh-huh.” A slight grin played on his lips. “So you’re just another Debby Do-Gooder, out to save the world?”
    “I’m trying to save a dog, not the whole world. That’s all.” She thought of the house. Her complicated, disastrous new start. “I’ve got enough on my plate.”
    “You and me both, lady. You and me both.” He let out a long breath and turned away.
    In the distance, someone started a lawn mower. The low drone of the engine overpowered the chirping of the birds and sent the pungent smell of gasoline into the air. Crickets chirped in the deep grass, hidden under the carpet of green. A soft breeze tickled a path down the yard.
    “Well, if you find what you’re looking for,” he said, “let me know.”
    “I already did.” She bent down and splayed her palm to show the treats to the furry body under the porch. “Here, baby. Want some cookies?” The tail swished, but the dog didn’t come forward.
    “Sorry, lady, but I’m full. Though if you have chocolate chip, I’ll reconsider.”
    “I’m happy to share, if you like liver-flavored biscuits.”
    “They make those?” He grimaced. “That sounds inhumane.”
    “That’s because they’re for the dog, silly.” Olivia gestured toward the porch. “See him? Right there?”
    The man turned. Scanned the space. “I don’t see anything.”
    “What are you, blind?” She marched a few steps forward, and pointed again. “Right there. Now if you’ll just help me—”
    The tail disappeared. An instant later, the dog darted out of the yard and into a thick copse of firs and palmetto palms across the street. Olivia sighed. “Great. Now he’s gone. Thanks a