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Atlas had moved to protect Lyn.
    Currently, Cruz was fairly overwhelmed with the need to take care of her himself.
    “Relatively superficial this time.” Medicci didn’t even glance up from her work. “I’m not finding any other damage. I’m going to put on a dissolving suture. Keep it clean and restrict him to light exercise until it heals. If it gets red or irritated, call me.”
    In short order, Atlas was back on his feet.
    “Go get cleaned up, Lyn. He’s fine now and you’re swaying on your feet.” Forte’s tone was gentle, not angry.
    Cruz caught Forte’s attention and his friend gave him a brief nod.
    “Let’s go.” Cruz reached out for Lyn and herded her toward the door, careful not to touch her.
    Did she realize she was shaking?
    “The man. He was the same from yesterday.” Lyn’s voice trembled. She took a breath and the rest came out in a rush. Atlas padded over and leaned against her leg. “He had a ski mask on but I recognized his grin. The way he looked at me. It was the same guy, I swear.”
    Cruz clenched his teeth against the wave of anger as it washed through him. He sucked in cooler air as he struggled to rein in his temper. He hadn’t recognized the man, possibly because the man’s expressions through the ski mask the night before and the grimace of pain he wore today when Cruz had gotten a good look at him were vastly different. But he could understand why Lyn had recognized the grin. And he wanted to wipe the guy from the face of the earth for putting that kind of fear into her with just one expression.
    “I’ll update the police.” Forte’s cool helped anchor him. “You go on and wash up or Sophie will have all our heads for not showing up to dinner.”
    His heartbeat pounded in his ears, but he focused on Lyn. “They’ll handle it for now. Let me take care of you.”
    Not going to think about his words too much. It was what he meant, so he said it.
    The cabin he’d put her in late last night wasn’t far. Its proximity to the main building and kennels was the reason he’d given it to her in the first place.
    When she fumbled at her pockets for the key, he reached up behind the lamp fixture high above the door and pulled out the spare. Once he had the door open, he kept an eye on Atlas. The dog didn’t signal that he detected any humans.
    In fact, Atlas had simply walked along with Lyn calm as you please, as if he hadn’t broken training and gone after a man not so long ago.
    They entered the cabin and he flipped on the light, then nudged her toward the kitchen.
    Once he had her there, he turned on the brighter kitchen lighting and turned to her. “Let me get a look at your wrist.”
    She held both hands out to him, palms up.
    “Don’t strain your shoulder.” He tucked her left arm back in its sling. As gently as he could, he touched the angry red abrasion around her right wrist.
    “He didn’t mean to do it.”
    “He had other things on his mind.” Cruz agreed. She must’ve tried to hold Atlas when the dog had lunged after the intruder. Atlas had literally ripped the leash off her wrist. “Any sharp pain when I do this?”
    He bent her hand at the wrist, carefully testing the range of motion.
    She shook her head. “I don’t think anything is broken. Only lost a couple of layers of skin is all.”
    “Well, let’s make sure it heals up quickly.” He put a hand on either side of her waist and hoisted her up—hiding a grin as she squeaked—and sat her on the kitchen counter. First of all, he liked her sound effects. Wondered what others she might have. Second, she didn’t flinch at his touch. A good sign she was recovering from the previous night’s scare even better than she might notice herself.
    Atlas gave a short bark.
    “ Af .” Cruz watched as the dog’s ears came forward, considering. Then he lay down on his belly, head up, watching.
    Dog definitely had a thing for Miss Lyn Jones. And wow had Atlas woken up. The difference between yesterday and