Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 73(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 73(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
“Yes, I’m dressed.”
So not fucking fair.
He didn’t say a word, and instead entered the room to find that Buster, his gorgeous and loyal Labrador, had decided to go and sniff her.
Josie smiled at his dog. “You’re so cute.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his head.
Of course, Buster just loved the attention and rested his face on her knees.
“He is so gorgeous,” she said.
Elijah smiled. “I got him from a pup. Well, I got him and his sister, who is upstairs on my bed. She’s a little grumpy when we have company.”
“You have two dogs?”
“Yeah, found the two of them wandering around outside a couple of years ago. I was looking to get me some dogs, and it seemed like fate. So, I took them in and they’ve been mine ever since.”
“I never had a dog,” Josie said. “I’ve always wanted one.”
He saw the smile on her face drop and he also noticed how tired and worn down she looked. Elijah recognized that all too well.
They heard the sound of padding feet and he found Trixie, his brown Labrador. Buster was a beautiful golden color. She looked toward Josie and gave a sniff.
He laughed. “Go on, girl, you know you want to be petted. She’s a jealous kind.”
Josie kept one hand on Buster, and with the other she stroked Trixie. “So cute. Both of you are.”
And his dogs adored her.
Chapter Two
Josie opened her eyes and the events of the night before came rushing back to her: the walk, the freak snowstorm, the man who’d come to her rescue. Rolling over, she turned toward the window as she thought about Elijah. He was rugged, sexy, and everything she had ever dreamed about in a man.
But that was crazy. There was no way a man like that was single.
He had the most beautiful dogs. Trixie and Buster.
Pushing the blankets off her body, she moved toward the window. With the storm in full possession last night, Elijah had suggested they get some rest. He had a spare bedroom, which he’d helped her to last night. The clothes she wore seemed to smell like him. Did that mean there was no woman in his life?
There was no way she could have feelings like this for a married man. Just the thought made her uncomfortable. So, she nibbled her lip and padded across the soft carpet toward the window. Pulling the curtains back, she glanced outside and gasped. It looked so stunning. Beautiful. The whole of outside was covered in white. Even the trees didn’t show much green, covered in snow. It had been a long time since she had experienced such a freak snowstorm. Was there any way for her to leave?
Josie made her way toward the door and rubbed at her chest, hating the sharp sting that struck her hard at the thought of leaving.
She didn’t want to leave. How crazy was that? She didn’t even know the man, but what she did know was the fact she didn’t want to leave. It was so bizarre.
There was a sudden knock at her door and she rushed toward it and opened it up. There was Elijah, his hair looking messed up from sleeping. He wore a pair of jeans, a white shirt, and another thick flannel shirt that reminded her of lumberjacks, maybe, she wasn’t sure.
“Morning, I’m heading down to breakfast. I brought you a change of clothes.” He handed them to her.
“Er, thank you so much. Can you tell me where the bathroom is?” she asked.
He stepped back and pointed to the door beside her bedroom. “Oh, right, yes, of course.”
She smiled, hating that her cheeks heated. Elijah’s gaze traveled down her body and while he was at her feet, she tried to run her fingers through her hair to straighten it, but nothing was containing that mess. Could she have been any more humiliated?
“Do you have any food allergies that I should know of?” he asked.
“No, no, I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”
“I’ll see you downstairs soon.”
She watched him go, wishing there was something else she could say, but she was desperate for the toilet. Rushing into the room beside hers, she closed the door. The toilet made her gasp with relief. She used the toilet, flushed, washed her hands, and then dared to stare at her reflection in the mirror.
Josie looked at her hair, and it was a mess. There wasn’t much time for a wash last night, and with how cold it had gotten, she didn’t dare ask.
Her ankle wasn’t too bad, so long as she didn’t put too much pressure on it.
Could she risk a shower? Glancing toward the tub, she saw that he didn’t actually have a shower, only a bathtub. That settled that, then.
She saw a hairbrush and picked it up, inspecting it to make sure there was no dog hairs, and ran the brush through her hair several times, hoping to bring some order back to the locks. It was a wasted effort. There was no point in even trying to contain the nightmare that was her hair. Giving up, she splashed some water on her face, feeling a lot better.