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“Is it gone?” a shaky voice asked.
“It?”
“The monster attack d-dog with big teeth. I just wanted to see the front of the house and was walking by…” Her voice was unsure, quiet. Scared.
With five sisters, he knew the sound well. From bugs to snakes to killer clowns, he’d dealt with it all. “You must not be from around here.”
“How did you guess?”
First, he would have remembered that bottom. Second, most people in Berry Patch walked in the early evening after they were done with work and had time to chat with neighbors on the street. And third, she was up a tree. “Everyone in town knows Frank’s bark is worse than his bite.”
“Is Frank short for Frankenstein?”
Gabe grinned. “Frank Lloyd Wright.”
Her mouth tightened. She looked down and nearly lost her sunglasses. “Is he still here?”
“The architect is dead, but the dog is right here.”
“Real funny.” Her voice trembled.
She was really scared. That bothered Gabe. Worried him, too. “Did Frank hurt you?”
“He attacked me.”
That made zero sense. Gabe’s nieces did everything to Frank and the dog never cared. He sopped up love like a dry sponge. He didn’t even mind the baby bibs and bonnets they put on him. “Frank attacked you?”
“Well…not exactly,” she said. “He barked and ran toward me. I didn’t wait to see what he would do next. I saw this tree and ran.”
“Frank’s got a bad hip so he lumbers more than runs. Though if he gets excited he can sprint for a short distance,” Gabe said. “He must have wanted some attention.”
“Or breakfast.”
Gabe wouldn’t mind a taste himself. Another place, another time… “Come on down out of that tree. Frank might look intimidating, but he’s as harmless as a pup.”
“Cujo, or your average menacing canine that runs in a pack?”
Scared or not, she was showing some spunk. Gabe grinned. “Newborn puppy. Nearly blind.”
She scooted down, bringing her bare ankle and generic white canvas slip-on shoes to his eye level.
“It’s okay,” he encouraged. “Frank only wanted to play with you.”
“I…I don’t play with dogs.”
“I won’t hold it against you.”
Gabe hadn’t gotten a good look at her face, but she intrigued him. Berry Patch didn’t get many visitors, especially young females who could scale trees the way she had. He wondered why she was in town, where she was staying and for how long. Mr. and Mrs. Ritchey, the next-door neighbors, had a daughter who attended a swanky college on the East Coast. Was this one of Brianna Ritchey’s friends? He hoped not. Though Gabe didn’t like his women that young, if this were Brianna’s friend, he would take both girls out to make amends.
“How about I take you out to dinner tonight to make up for Frank chasing you?” Gabe asked.
“Thanks, but that’s not necessary.”
“Another night?”
No answer. Shot down. Ouch. He’d dated most of the available women in town and still hadn’t found what he was looking for. Guess he’d have to keep looking.
She tried to find her footing. Not an easy thing to do in those shoes.
“I’m sorry Frank scared you,” Gabe said. “He really is a good dog.”
“I don’t like dogs,” she mumbled.
A huge strike against her, but he really liked the way her jeans fit. And based on that ponytail, her hair had to be long. He liked long hair. “Why not?”
She scooted farther down the tree. “I got bit when I was little.”
His sisters had trained him well. He knew the necessary response. “That must have been scary. Was it a big dog or one of those ankle-biting, yipping rat dogs?”
“A rat dog.”
The sound of her voice made him think she was smiling. Good. He didn’t want her to be afraid. “Those little dogs will get you every time. They’re so small they have to assert their dominance.”
“Kind of like men driving cars and trucks with more horsepower than they’ll ever need.”
“Exactly.” He grinned. “Though some men do need that extra horsepower. Egos are pretty heavy to haul around.”
“Not many men would admit that.”
“I’m not ‘many men.’”
She glanced down at him, but her sunglasses hid her eyes. “What do you drive?”
He rocked back on his heels. “A pickup with heavy-duty hauling capacity.”
He caught a glimmer of a smile.
She climbed down a few more inches. He could see the back of her T-shirt, the band and straps of her bra showing through the stretchy white fabric.
“Would you like help?” he asked.
“I can do it myself.”
He knew better than to interfere with a woman on a mission. His mother had taught him that one. “I’m sure you can.”
Just then, she lost her footing and slid. He placed his hands on her hips to keep her from falling. She was soft and curvy in all the right places. Her scent, sunshine and grapefruit, surrounded him. Now this was the way to start a morning. Maybe today wouldn’t be so terrible after all. He would have to reward Frank with a bone later. Gabe smiled as he lowered her from the tree.
She stood in front of him and brushed her palms against her thighs. “Thank you.”
Gabe believed females were gifts from above. They deserved to be cherished and adored. He loved women, but he could really love the one standing in front of him. “At your service, milady.”
Most of the women he knew liked a little chivalry, but her full lips didn’t break into a smile as he expected. She did raise her chin, giving him a better view of her face. If only she’d remove those sunglasses so he could see her eyes. She wore no makeup, not even lipstick, but she didn’t need any. She was lovely. A natural beauty. With a straight, thin nose, generous lips and high cheekbones any model would die for. Her only flaw was a smudge of dirt on her right cheek and that just made her cuter. Though cute and the way the T-shirt stretched over her breasts didn’t belong in the same sentence. His temperature shot up.
Something about her rang a bell. Several actually. “Have we met before?”
“No,” she said. “I only arrived yesterday afternoon.”
Not even nine o’clock on her first morning in town and he’d already met her. Not bad timing. In fact, perfect timing. He definitely owed Frank a treat.
Gabe tried to place where he knew her. “You look familiar.”
She pressed her lips together. “I must have one of those faces.”
“You’re too beautiful to be just a face in the crowd.”
She shrugged.
Her indifference didn’t sway him. “I know you from somewhere. It’s going to come to me.”
A squirrel scampered through the overgrown yard. Frank barked, stood on all fours and trotted toward them.
The woman gasped and grabbed hold of Gabe. Her sunglasses flew off. Her hat fell back and long, wavy brown hair cascaded down. She buried her face against him.
He pulled her close. He liked the way she felt in his arms, probably more than he should, but he didn’t like the way she trembled; it was worse than one of those Chihuahuas Frank could use as a squeak toy.
“Sit.”
Frank obeyed. The action made the time and money of puppy kindergarten and dog-obedience training worth it.
“On the porch. Now.”
The dog loped his way to the front of the house.
Gabe continued to hold the woman, waiting for the rapid beating of her heart to slow. Finally it did. “You okay?”
She didn’t say a word, but clung to him. It was nice. Though he wished it were under different circumstances. Say, mouth-watering attraction rather than overwhelming fear.
“It’s okay if you aren’t,” he said. “I kind of like standing here with you in my arms. Doesn’t happen to a guy like me every day. Now every other day…”
She laughed. He liked the sound.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
A slight hesitation. “Faith.”
“Pretty name,” he said. “I’m Gabe. And we have a problem, Faith.”
She tightened her grip. “Frank?”
“He can be a problem, but no, we have another one. You can’t see from where you’re standing, but Mrs. Henry is peeking out of her miniblinds from across the street and she’s got her phone in her hand. She’s real tight with Mrs. Bishko and Mrs. Lloyd. The three of them like to keep the fine citizens of Berry Patch informed of all the happenings in town. I don’t need that and I doubt you do, either.”
“Oh, no. That would be bad.” She backed out of his arms. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
The first thing he noticed was her hair. The color wasn’t simply brown, but oiled teak with copper highlights glimmering in the morning sun. Long strands hung over her face, and she flipped those behind her shoulders with a simple motion of her head.
Gabe drew in a quick, sharp breath.
They had never met, but he knew her. Knew all about her. Why hadn’t he recognized her immediately? She was, in a word, unforgettable.
The full, kissable lips that curved into an easy smile at the drop of a pin and melted even the coldest heart. The soulful, expressive green eyes that saw everything and made a man question his worth. The wavy mane of chestnut hair meant for covering a pillow or a man’s chest. Oh, yeah, he knew exactly who she was. Just like every other person who went to the movies or breathed.
“You’re the actress,” he said. “Faith Starr.”
She looked away. “That’s my stage name.”
Exactly. Faith was a movie star. One of the most beautiful people in the world. Famous, rich, important. Someone who did not belong here, and he’d asked her out to dinner. Still it would make a good story. Not many men in Berry Patch got the chance to be shot down by a famous actress. “Are they filming a movie around here?”
Faith’s mouth drew tight. She put her baseball cap and sunglasses back on. “No.”
Funny, but now that he knew who she was, Faith looked more like a famous person with those things on than off.
“What brings you to Berry Patch?” Gabe asked.
“A friend lives here.”
He knew everyone in town. “Who is that?”
“Henry Davenport.”
“He’s a friend of mine, too,” Gabe said.
She furrowed her brows. “You’re a friend of Henry’s?”
“I know his wife.” Gabe knew what she was thinking. How could a contractor be the friend of a billionaire? “She’s my sister Theresa’s best friend.”
The edges of Faith’s mouth curved upward in a slight smile. Her tension seemed to ease. “Henry Davenport married. I still can’t believe it. Husband. Father. Farmer. The Henry I knew wasn’t interested in anything but having a good time.”
“Nothing wrong with having a good time.” That’s what Gabe had. One good time after another, but it wasn’t what he wanted. Not really. A part of him envied Henry. Not for all his money, but for what he’d found on the Wheeler Berry Farm. Years ago Gabe had thought he’d found the same thing—the woman of his dreams who wanted to raise a family in Berry Patch and live happily ever after. He’d been wrong. “But Henry and Elisabeth are perfect together.”
“That’s what Henry told me.” Faith’s smile widened. The effect—dazzling. “I’m so happy for him. I can’t wait to meet his wife.”
Faith’s happiness seemed genuine. Maybe there was more to her than her movie-goddess image. More than her reputation as a runaway bride and heartbreaker. As she stared at the wraparound porch where Frank lay, she narrowed her lips. Then again, maybe not.
“Are you staying a few days?” Gabe asked.
“Actually I plan to stay much longer.”
