Although she knew it was rude, Evie checked the messages in case
it was information about a rescue or some other urgent matter that needed her
immediate attention. But when she had checked her text messages, she saw it was
from one of her friends who worked on staff telling her to get her ass outside
so they could watch DH run. After meeting him, Evie’s friend Amelia had nicknamed
Dare “Dr. Hottie” privately, but after a few hours of him being at the rescue
center, the nickname had spread to every female in the building. Evie couldn’t
help but agree.
Dare was smoking hot.
He had shaved since the first time she had
seen him. When she had met him at the boarding house he had reminded her of a
dark, brooding grizzly of a man, with half his face covered in a beard and his
eyes flashing with impatience and fatigue. But earlier today she had been
blindsided when she’d seen him helping out around the center. At first, she
hadn’t recognized Dare. Seeing a tall, devastatingly handsome, muscular man working
with her cousin Hunter had made her curious, but that had turned to shock as
she realized who the man really was.
Getting some sleep had certainly done wonders
for him.
Over the past couple of days she had begun to
worry about Dare. It wasn’t unusual for someone staying at the boarding house
to keep to themselves, but Hammer had also expressed worry about his friend
when he and Kali had stopped by the cookout yesterday, making Evie even more
concerned.
There had been no sign of life from Dare for
days since he had arrived. Hunter had assured her that Dare was fine, telling
her that their guest had been eating at some point, as was evident by the
missing food. Hearing that had allowed her to relax...a little. Because he was
one of her cousin’s best friends, Evie felt personally responsible for Dare
while he was staying with them. It might not seem that way to others, but Evie
always felt a small amount of responsibility for everyone around her. It didn’t
matter if they were guests at the boarding house, staff and volunteers at the
rescue center, or the animals she rescued.
It was in her nature to care for others—especially
those who were hurting—and she had to struggle against the urge to check on him.
When she’d met Dare, he had struck her as a man fighting some sort of inner
demon, and she was glad that he could rest and relax in the sanctuary she had
created for that very purpose.
Evie felt a slight nudge against her leg and
reached down to absently stroke the head of one of her four personal dogs that
were usually with her wherever she went. She loved her dogs more than anything.
Lancelot and Gawain were German Shepherds, while Percival and Galahad were
Belgian Malinois. Both were strong, noble breeds, and were perfect for the
search and rescue team they were all a part of. As always, all four dogs seemed
to pick up on her mood, and Percival let out a plaintive whine at her
inattention.
“Evie, are you okay? Is something wrong?”
Evie’s attention snapped back to the man
standing in front of her, and she pasted a polite smile on her face. “I’m fine,
Andrew. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight? You
can tell me all about it.”
She barely held back a sigh. This wasn’t the
first time he had asked, even though she always turned down his offers. She had
been friends with Andrew Carson since they were children. As an accountant, he
was great, but as anything more...it just wasn’t there. Still, he persisted in
pursuing her. He was a nice man, but she wanted more than nice. She wanted
someone who understood her. She wanted passion, and Andrew couldn’t give that
to her.
“Thank
you for the offer, but I’m working tonight.”
Andrew frowned at her. “Honestly, Evie. You
work far too much. All day you give yourself to this place. You deserve to take
some time off for yourself.”
It wasn’t the first time Andrew had said as
much to her, and he