Reckless Hearts by Melody Grace Read Free Book Online Page B

least, he was, until
Will Montgomery showed up.
    “Tell
that to Missy Anderson,” Lottie calls, sing-song.
    I
arch an eyebrow at Sawyer, sauntering over to hand him a beer.
“Missy, huh? She’s a little on the older side, but maybe
cougars are just your type.”
    “Don’t.”
Sawyer looks embarrassed. “She’s got it in her head I’m
going to be her new toyboy. She keeps showing up at the animal rescue
asking about adopting. Except, she only wants a hypoallergenic shih
tzu. She actually asked if we had any ‘in stock.’ ”
    I
laugh. “Aww, you could do worse. I heard she cleaned out Mr.
Anderson in the divorce. You could be leading a life of leisure, and
all you’d have to do is parade around in some tight swim trunks
from time to time.”
    Sawyer
elbows me good-naturedly. “Keep it up, and you won’t get
fed.”
    “No!”
I press my hand to my forehead. “Anything but that!”
    He
shakes his head, and goes back to the grill. I pull up a lawn chair
and stretch, yawning. “Late night?” he asks.
    I
shake my head. “Early morning. I got a pretty hard workout.”
    “Really?”
Sawyer drawls, giving me a look.
    I
toss a hotdog bun at him. “Not like that! I went for a run.”
Will’s face flashes into my mind again. I change the subject.
“How are things at the rescue?”
    “Great.
We’re building out another shed to house the dogs, and it’s
breeding season, so—” He stops himself. “Sorry, vet
stuff. Moving on.”
    “Hey,
it’s OK. I know you love those smelly, fluffy beasts.”
    “Delilah
Morgan, animal lover,” he teases.
    “I
love them just fine, like the way I love kids.” I grin, taking
a sip of beer. “When they’re clean, groomed, and sleeping
soundly.”
    “We
heard that.” Lottie approaches from behind, with Kit bundled up
in a towel.
    I
grin. “This guy’s my exception. C’mere.” I
pull Kit into my lap and ruffle his wet hair. He laughs and squirms
against me. “You’re not like the other boys, are you?”
    Kit
shakes his head, smiling, jam smeared on his cheek. I drop a kiss on
his forehead and squeeze him tight. “One of these days, you’re
going to be breaking hearts and taking names.”
    Lottie
groans. “Don’t even say that. He’s already the most
popular guy in day-care. The other moms keep talking about his new
girlfriends. I’m like, please, he’s two years old, he’s
not even potty-trained. Let’s save dating until he can count to
five.”
    We
laugh. I feel my stomach rumble, and shoot a longing look at the
grill. “How much longer until we feast? I’m running on
pure sugar here.”
    Sawyer
rolls his eyes. “Will it kill you to eat a balanced meal?
There’s some veggies and dip in the house.”
    “And?”
    “And
Doritos,” he adds, sighing. I bounce up.
    “Be
right back!”
    I
head inside and raid Sawyer’s fridge. Nothing but fruit,
vegetables, and a lone container of salsa. This guy is way too
healthy—just one of the million reasons why we’ve never
hooked up. That, and the fact he had a thing for my friend Eva when
he first moved to town. Once I shifted him into the “friend”
box in my mind, there was no going back. I love the guy, but I’d
go crazy trying to date him for more than five minutes—and
hungry.
    I
crunch a carrot as I balance the chips and whatever junk food I can
scrounge and head back outside. Lottie and Sawyer are talking about
something, but when I get closer, they fall silent.
    “What’s
up?” I ask, ripping into the food.
    They
exchange a look. “Nothing!” Lottie says brightly. “Mmm,
pass me some of that celery?”
    I
do, as Sawyer’s phone sounds. He checks it, then grins, before
quickly tucking it away. I look between them again. “Seriously,
what’s going on? You guys are acting weird.”
    “What?
Weird? No!” Lottie sizes me up. “Did you bring your suit?
The water’s great.”
    “I
think the pool’s a little small for me,” I say slowly,
still trying to figure this out.
    “Then
let’s just