Parker winced as he lowered Oreo back to the ground, but the pained expression vanished so fast Zoe wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it. “Are you hurt?”
“Cracked a few ribs a couple of weeks ago,” he said lightly. “Still a little sore, that’s all.”
“How did you do that?”
“Wrangling some big-game poachers.”
She stared at him. “Is that code for none of your business?”
“I don’t talk in code.” Mr. Mysterious rose to his feet, Oreo in his arms like he weighed nothing instead of one hundred pounds of tubby Bernese mountain dog.
“Careful,” she said. “You’ll hurt those ribs.”
“I’m fine.”
The statement was so alpha male to the core that she laughed. “Of course, you’re fine. You’re a man. Good to know you’re all equally pigheaded.”
Not insulted in the least, he grinned. “You have us all figured out, then?”
“Not that much to figure out,” she said.
Those sharp green eyes held hers. “Maybe I’ll surprise you.”
The words brought a quiver to her long-neglected lady parts, but she was pretty confident he couldn’t surprise her. But then he let Oreo lick his face again.
“A real watchdog you’ve got here,” he said fondly, and set Oreo down with one last body rub.
Well, damn, she thought reluctantly. She had to give him at least a few brownie points for loving up on her big old silly dog. “Yeah,” she said. “He’s a real killer.” She slid the killer a long look.
Oreo pretended not to see it, which only served to prove her point about men . . .
“So,” Parker said straightening. “Can I come in yet or do you want to slam the door on my nose again?”
She felt her cheeks flush but met his gaze.
He held it prisoner with his warm, patient one and waited her out.
Great, he was also a man who knew the value of silence. She’d never met anyone like him, that was for sure. “You can come in,” she said, deciding to pretend that the past few moments had never happened, hoping that he’d already forgotten them.
Denial wasn’t just a river in Egypt . . .
Two
Parker James followed the pretty—and crazy—brunette into the house, his lips still tingling from the touch of hers. He wondered about the missing dentist and why she’d kiss the guy if she’d never even met him—not that it mattered to him.
He’d reaped the benefits. And now he was left to wonder if his insta-attraction to her was thanks to the surprising welcome, or the universe’s way of messing with him since she was his old buddy Wyatt’s sister. Hell, maybe it was just one of life’s little mysteries.
“Help yourself in here,” Zoe said when they’d entered the kitchen. She turned to face him and for the briefest of beats her eyes flicked to his mouth and he knew she was thinking about the kiss, too.
“Thanks,” he said. “But I probably won’t be around much.”
“Wyatt said you’re on vacay. What brings a guy to Sunshine, Idaho, for a vacation?”
Much more than he was willing to share, starting with the fact that forced leave would’ve been far more accurate than vacay. “Peace and quiet,” he said.
She looked at him from fathomless light brown eyes that appeared to be as good at hiding her thoughts as his own were. Good for her. She was interesting, his temporary landlord, he’d give her that.
And she tasted good, too.
“Wyatt also says that you work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” she said, watching him carefully. “And that you travel around a lot.”