His Rodeo Sweetheart by Britton Pamela

Author:Britton, Pamela [Britton, Pamela]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2015-03-09T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

A match made in heaven, Ethan thought, watching as Naomi signed her name with a flourish.

“And that’s all there is to it,” Claire said with a huge smile, one that made it seem she might be on the edge of tears.

“Congratulations,” Ethan offered with a grin of his own.

It was a smile Naomi returned, the first smile he’d seen on her face since he’d returned to the States. “The kids are going to be so excited.”

“I’m sure they are,” Claire agreed. “You can bring them out here when you pick up Janus.”

“Are you kidding? I’m going to surprise them.”

She probably didn’t mean to, but Claire finally glanced in his direction, her smile slipping a notch, and Ethan wondered if he’d pushed her too far the other day. He should have never gotten on her case about her son. He didn’t regret kissing her, though. That had been the highlight of his week.

“Did you want to stay for dinner?” Claire asked with what Ethan knew was a polite smile.

“No, no.” Naomi shook her head so that her red hair fell behind her shoulders. “I’ll be back tomorrow with a proper kennel for Janus.” Her eyes slid away from Claire and settled on him. “Walk me out?”

“Sure.” He smiled at Claire, observing the way she couldn’t quite look him in the eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait. Is she leaving?” Adam came rushing out of the family room, where he’d been playing a video game. He didn’t have his ball cap on and Ethan noticed his hair had really started to come back in. He looked like a regular kid.

“I am,” Naomi answered.

The little boy didn’t wait for permission before racing up to his new friend and giving her a hug. Naomi looked up at them awkwardly before patting the boy on his head.

“Thank you for taking Janus,” Adam mumbled into her shirt. “He’s going to be so much happier back with his family.”

Naomi looked close to tears all of a sudden. She leaned down and hugged Adam back. “I think he will be, too.”

When she straightened he could tell she was touched by Adam’s words. Her smile was warm when she glanced in Claire’s direction. “Thanks for taking such great care of my husband’s dog.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Ethan held the door as Naomi slipped past. They both stepped out into the dank, evening air. It seemed like hours since they’d gone out to the kennel to see Janus, but it’d been less than two. The sun had begun to sink behind the mountains, and because it was overcast, it was darker than he expected. Clouds still hung overhead, but it wasn’t so dark that he couldn’t see his friend’s face.

“I’ll arrange for someone to check his wounds for you.”

“That would be great.”

“Although he’s healing nicely.”

She nodded. “He’s had excellent care.”

“Yes, he has.”

Naomi peeked up at him. “She’s a nice lady.”

Ethan nodded. “Yes, she is.”

“With a lot on her plate.”

“Yup. Just like someone else I know.”

She paused near the edge of the yard, if one wanted to call the tiny patch outside Claire’s house a yard.

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