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Mark looked out the window. He didn’t need to fool his fellow PJs. Just Amy and everyone else in Heart’s Landing.
* * *
AMY STOOD OUTSIDE the remodeled kennel holding an empty dog food dish and waiting for her cousin. A very hungry Belgian Malinois sat at her feet.
She stole a quick peek through the glass-paned door into the reception area. Three men gathered around the box of doughnuts and coffee she’d set out on the folding table. The food had bought her a five-minute delay, ten tops. But leaving three soldiers waiting was like placing puppies in the living room and expecting them to keep their mouths off the furniture. As soon as the doughnuts disappeared, the guys would become restless. They wouldn’t chew the chair legs, but they’d get into something.
If Eloise didn’t get here soon—
“You are the only person in the whole world I would drop everything for to deliver a ten-pound bag of gluten-free dog food.”
Amy stepped back from the door and turned to her cousin. She was Amy’s mirror image, same blond hair and blue eyes, except Eloise stood four inches shorter, even in her cowboy boots. Amy always felt like a giraffe next to her cousin.
“I got up at three in the morning last Saturday,” Amy said. “Packed five puppies and Jango in my car, and drove over an hour to pick you up when you decided to sneak out on your date after he fell asleep.”
Eloise dropped the bag at Amy’s feet. “We’ll call it even.”
Jango sniffed the food before looking up at them.
“Yes, that’s for you, old man. Easier to digest,” Amy said. “And better for you than puppy chow. You don’t need the extra calories.”
“But you do.” Eloise held out a bag. “Blueberry muffin. I’m guessing you forgot to eat this morning.”
“I was planning to grab a doughnut while I discussed the opening with the guys.”
Eloise stepped around her and stood on her tiptoes to peer through the glass. “Wow. Talk about testosterone overload. I don’t know how you do it. If I was in the same room with them, I wouldn’t be able to form a coherent sentence. I’d be too busy trying to figure out which one would look best without his shirt.”
Mark. Her brain heard the words without his shirt, and she thought of Mark. Those muscles begging to be touched, maybe more...
Amy swept her long bangs behind her ear, trying to erase the thought. Months had passed since she’d seen a half-naked Mark on her computer screen, and still, she couldn’t forget the well-defined lines of his chest and his sculpted abs. Probably because he was the only half-naked man she’d seen in more than a year—the ones on the covers of her romance novels didn’t count—but even if she wanted a hot fling, it wouldn’t be with a man serving his country. Active-duty soldiers spelled heartbreak, and she’d learned that lesson already.
“My bet?” Eloise continued, gesturing to the men on the other side of the window. “Gabe. But T.J.’s a close second.”
“Stop,” Amy said. “They’re my brothers-in-law.”
And Mark was like a pseudo-brother-in-law, too. Except she didn’t think of him that way anymore. He was her friend, first, foremost and always. He was the one who had been there for her, talking to her each week, not only about Darren, but also about life. She spoke freely with him, holding almost nothing back. Almost. There were some things she couldn’t share, especially not through a computer screen.
“Or maybe Luke,” Eloise said. “The way that man talks about his dog, you can tell he loves her to pieces. It’s so easy to trust a man who is crazy about his four-legged friend. And trust, well, that can be key in the bedroom. I bet—”
“Please, I’m begging you,” Amy said. “I’ve known them forever.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that you are about to enter a room full of hotties. Maybe I should stick around and wait until you put them to work, so I can see those hard bodies in action.”
“It’s cold today. Even for March. I think they’ll keep their clothes on while they work. And don’t you have patients to see?”
Her cousin shrugged. “Two cats coming in for teeth cleanings. Both owners are young, single women. I’m sure they’d understand if I told them I had to watch the Benton brothers.”
“Your feline patients might not be so understanding.”
“True.” Eloise moved away from the door. “I don’t think they left you a doughnut. I didn’t even see the box.”
“I need to get in there. If I don’t keep them busy, they’ll get into trouble.” Amy tossed the bag of dog food over her shoulder. “Thanks for driving out here. I couldn’t handle a sick Jango on top of everything else.”
“Anytime. If you need help keeping those boys busy, call me. I know a few ways to keep bachelor soldiers entertained.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Amy said drily.
Eloise pointed at the bag. “And eat your muffin. You won the tall-gene lottery. You don’t get to be superskinny, too.”
Amy waved to her cousin and went into her meeting, Jango following at her heels. “Hi, guys.”
“Let me get that.” Gabe, the oldest of the bunch, plucked the bag from her shoulder.
Her cousin had been right about one thing. The testosterone level in here was through the roof. Thank goodness the fourth brother, Jeremy, was still deployed. One more and she might have to take precautionary measures.
The Benton brothers each possessed an overwhelming male presence. When they got together, they were lethal. Three brown-haired, blue-eyed gods among men. And apart from T.J., the youngest and the runt at six feet, the brothers towered over mere five-foot-seven mortals like her.
Amy watched as Gabe placed the dog food bag on the ground, his biceps flexed. These men had to-die-for muscles. Eloise was right about that, too. Every woman in Heart’s Landing would love to see these guys without their shirts.
Except Amy.
To her, the Benton brothers were walking, talking reminders of the man she’d loved and lost. Darren had inherited the same blue eyes and brown hair. And like his brothers, Darren had walked into a room, and everyone had known he was there. They’d gravitated toward him. For most of their marriage, Amy had been by his side, content to bask in his glow.
But he was gone. The loss had been crushing at first. Darren had defined her world since she was fifteen. Year after year, she’d waited for him to come home and counted down the days until he deployed again. While he’d been on the other side of the world, she’d trained and boarded other people’s pets, dreaming of the day when she would have her own kennel and raise her own dogs. But those plans had always taken a backseat to Darren’s commitment to the SEALs.
Now, after eighteen months of mourning, she was ready to redefine her life.
“Do you want me to fill his bowl?” her brother-in-law asked, drawing her attention back to the office.
Amy shook her head. “I’ll do it. He doesn’t like it when others feed him.”
Gabe stepped back. No one in this room would question Jango’s preferences. Three of the four remaining Benton brothers were military war dog handlers, and T.J. worked as a vet at Lackland Air Force Base, caring for the animals and helping the trainers implement their programs.
“Great place, Ames,” Luke said.
“Thanks,” she said. All of Darren’s family had started calling her Ames when Darren had first brought her around. They hadn’t even been dating yet, but she’d already been part of the family. “How was your trip?”
“From Afghanistan?” Luke said. “Long, but uneventful. I’m looking forward to my two-week vacation before I report back.”
“Well, this won’t be a trip to the beach. I hope you got a good night’s sleep and are ready to work today. I have a list of projects a mile long to get this place ready for the puppies. I would love to move them out of my spare bedroom before we officially open. Bullet, the father of this litter, has been living here for a while now, but I still have five puppies and their mama in the house.”
T.J. clapped his hands together. “Bring it on.”
“We want this place to be perfect. Mom said most of the town will be here for the opening reception and dedication,” Luke added.
Amy nodded. Over the past few weeks, the simple ribbon-cutting ceremony for family and close friends had spiraled out of control. Amy had turned to her mother-in-law for help with the guest list, and the next thing she knew, one hundred and fifty people were coming to see her cut the ribbon. Caterers had been hired and a tent reserved. She was expected to give a speech.
“We’re here, Ames,” Gabe said. “For whatever you need.”
“Good. You guys are my crew for the next few days. The tent arrives Thursday afternoon. I told the rental company that my volunteers could handle putting it together. I’m investing everything in the dogs and the reception.”
Amy ran though her list of projects—build the obstacle course in the field, finish the fencing and install doggy doors so the pups could move between an indoor shelter and outdoor play area.
“Damn, Ames,” T.J. said. “You’ve thought of everything. Your training course sounds better than Lackland’s.”
“These dogs will be the best,” she said. Her pride would stand in the way of anything less. She understood what these dogs were capable of doing, and she knew the training they needed. When the DOD came to see them, her animals would be ready to ship out.
Gabe stepped forward and slung one arm over her shoulders, drawing her close to his side. “Darren would be so proud. He deserves this. To be remembered as a hero.”
Darren had given his life for his country. That was the definition of the word, wasn’t it? Whether she built a dog breeding facility in his honor would never change that fact. “He does,” she said. “But—”
“But he always was your hero, wasn’t he, Ames?” Gabe added. “Always perfect in your eyes.”
No. Amy pressed her lips together, not saying a word. Darren had been her husband and her best friend. She would always love him. But there was a time, before his death, when he’d stopped being her hero.
Gabe shook his head. “How did my brother get so lucky? We were born and raised in the same town, went to the same high school, and not one of us found a girl like you.”
“You found plenty of girls like me. I was under the impression you preferred to catch and release.” She glanced at her audience, hoping for a laugh, or at least a smile.
Nothing.
Amy felt something heavy pressing against her leg and looked down to see Jango. Good boy, he’d sensed her tension and decided she needed him.
Amy crouched down. “Need to go out, buddy?”
The dog looked at her as if to say, I can hold it, but you need to get out of here. Pronto.
“I’ll let you guys get started. I’ll be up at the house with the dogs if you need anything.” She stood and led Jango out the door.
“You got it, Amy. But don’t worry about us. We’ll have this place ready for you,” Gabe said. “We’ll swing by later after we pick up Mark and give you a progress report.”
“Thanks.” She followed Jango outside.
Four more days. She had to make it through the opening and dedication. After that, the Benton brothers would return to serving their country. She could pretend her dream was nothing more than a way to keep Darren’s memory alive for a few days. For their sake. Maybe it would help them. Transforming her vision for this place into a reality had allowed her to restart her life after losing Darren. It had given her a reason to get out of bed each day.
But purpose infused the Benton brothers’ lives. They served their country. For them, coming home was like opening an old wound. She had a hunch their grief felt fresh and overwhelming when they were back in Heart’s Landing. They didn’t see this town as a place to move forward. They came here to remember.
She stopped halfway between the farmhouse and the kennel, waiting while Jango marked a tree. Would Mark feel the same? Unease settled in her stomach, forming a tight ball.
For months now, their Sunday talks had centered on the present—how the kennel was progressing, her trip to Denmark to pick up the dogs she planned to breed and, when he felt like sharing, the lives he’d saved. Would coming home open old wounds? Would he join the others in the seemingly endless toast to her late husband’s memory?
Probably. After all, Darren had been like a brother to Mark.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, bracing against the cool March wind. Winter had lingered this year, refusing to give way to spring. Jango trotted back to her side, and they headed for the house to check on the puppies. It would be nice, she thought, hugging her arms tight, if someone saw how much she needed this place to be hers.
* * *
THREE HOURS LATER, Amy raced down the stairs in a T-shirt and underwear with Jango at her side.
“Let go,” she called. Charlie and Foxtrot, the two most promising and troublesome puppies, ran in different directions, each holding a leg of her jeans between their teeth.
“Come on, guys, I need my pants,” she said.
Foxtrot won the tug-of-war game, ripping the jeans from Charlie’s mouth. Amy smiled. Out of this litter, Foxtrot showed the most promise. He had the drive to win. Just like a solider entering Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training had to want a place on the SEAL teams so badly he’d push past anything to get there, the dogs selected to work with the SEALs had to be the best. And being the best meant they never gave up. Every game of tug-of-war mattered. They had to win. Every ball thrown had to be retrieved. The dog wouldn’t have it any other way. And that was Foxtrot, always the winner.
Charlie, the loser, tumbled but quickly recovered to chase his brother around the corner and into the kitchen.
Following them, she heard a loud rip. Maybe Charlie had it in him to serve with the SEALs, too. He’d just won half of her pants.
“Okay, you can keep the jeans,” she said. “I’ll find another pair. But I need you guys to go back to the guest room.”
Ignoring her, the dogs disappeared from view, heading for the front room. While two stories, the farmhouse’s footprint was small. A living room off the main entrance with a hall that led to the kitchen, the spare bedroom and the stairs. The upper floor featured an open, loft-style master bedroom. When the puppies escaped their room, they had free rein of the house. And she was starting to suspect they knew it. All the more reason to whelp this litter and move them into the kennel.
She heard a knocking from the front room followed by a series of barks and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to know what they’d done to make that sound.
Amy rounded the corner and found the puppies on the couch shredding her jeans.
“Drop it,” she said in a loud, authoritative tone.
This time they released her pants and looked up at her. But a second knocking diverted their attention. The front door.
“Amy?”
Oh, no. For the past eighteen months, she’d heard that voice through her computer every Sunday.
“Just a minute.” But the puppies barked, drowning out her words. They jumped off the couch, taking her destroyed jeans with them.
She heard the knob turn, and Gabe say, “It should be unlocked. She knows we’re coming.”
Amy glanced down and groaned. Leopard-print undies with the words Feeling Lucky in big red letters. She’d bought them on sale months ago. At the time she’d thought no one would ever see them.
Her three brothers-in-law stepped into her living room. Mark followed, his rucksack over his shoulder, still wearing his uniform. She watched as four sets of eyes widened.
“Shit, Amy. The door was open. I’m sorry,” Gabe said, redirecting his gaze. The rest of the brothers did the same, looking at the walls, the ceiling, anywhere but at her.
Not Mark. His were the only eyes in the room still fixed on her. And judging from the intensity of his stare, he wasn’t embarrassed. He looked...interested. But it had been so long since a man had glanced at her with even a hint of desire that she was probably imagining it. She watched his lips move and realized he was reading the words on her underwear.
“The puppies stole my pants,” she said.
Amy saw the exact moment it clicked for Mark. He heard her voice, and he no longer saw her as a woman in her undies, but as Darren’s widow. That hint of desire, the one she may or may not have imagined, vanished. He looked away, shaking his head.
And great, now she was standing in a room full of drop-dead gorgeous men, in her underwear, and not one of them was looking at her.
3 (#u5abe06ba-fa42-5e5c-9572-64ea6c925028)
FEELING LUCKY?
Mark read the red letters, knowing he should look away. The other guys radiated discomfort, shifting restlessly. But Mark couldn’t do it.
