“Uh-huh, okay, Max...”
The rest of his friend’s words droned in his ears as he couldn’t tear his eyes off Natalie. She’d exchanged her flour-flecked clothes for a simple, long sundress that grazed her curves. She was still earthy but fresh, and her hair swung free.
As if she could tell he was entranced, she turned, looked straight at him. His breath caught in his chest. Like a fist right to the sternum. There was no denying the impact.
He turned off his car. “Chels, I gotta go.”
Time to check in to his new digs.
And check out his new landlady.
Concentrate, Natalie sharply reminded herself, looking into the dark eyes of Miss Molly, the golden retriever puppy who had a very specific purpose within their family unit. Natalie wanted to make sure her autistic son had every advantage in the world. And so she’d hired a trainer to help transform Miss Molly into the model service dog. Miss Molly had a lot of potential to help her son.
But not if her mind kept wandering during training sessions like this. Max’s handsome face drifted in and out of her mind. He’d unnerved her, caused a rupture in her day-to-day routine—a routine she had carefully constructed since losing her husband. The daily structure was everything she had—it gave her a sense of stability and power.
Enter Max. A big, bad, devilishly handsome tech billionaire. So much for humdrum. For a moment, Natalie couldn’t believe she’d offered for him to stay at the bed-and-breakfast. Under her roof. She took a deep breath, pushed him from her thoughts and tried to mirror the movement Margie, Miss Molly’s wiry dog trainer, was making.
The sound of an SUV engine mingled with Lexie’s giggling at their golden retriever’s head tilting at Natalie’s command. Lifting her eyes to the road in front of her, she saw him.
Max St. Cloud.
Even from their limited interaction, she’d recognized his features. The door of the black SUV opened and he slid out. His booted feet thudded on the ground, causing dust to encircle him ever so slightly.
Colby nudged her with his foot, causing her to stop gaping for a moment. Her son didn’t look at her and didn’t touch her outright, but instead kicked the ground with his sneaker, and fidgeted with the plaid shirt he wore.
As if sensing his unease, Miss Molly bounded over to him, planting a wet kiss on his cheek. He smiled slightly, but lines of caution still colored his stance.
Margie knelt beside the dog and Colby. Her sharp blue eyes looked up to meet Natalie’s. “New guest? The cyberdetective in from Seattle, right?”
“Yep. That’s him,” she answered, taking in his slow, confident gait, the ease and appeal of his plain white T-shirt. Natalie’s stomach tumbled. With a deep breath, she smoothed her hair, tried to build the wall back up around her emotions.
He was a boarder.
A guest.
Nothing more.
And the butterflies in her stomach damn well needed to listen.
But what could happen with her kids here?
Nothing. Because they were her whole world.
Her daughter, Alexa, bolted from her side, a flurry of kicked-up leaves trailing behind her. She stopped as Max clicked open the picket-fence gate, her little dress still filled with rippled motion. Lexie pulled on the sleeves of her light jean jacket and smiled at him.
“Mister, wanna pet my dog?” Lexie’s spritely voice cooed. She pointed back to where Natalie, Margie and Colby stood together.
Natalie rushed to her daughter, then smoothed back her outgoing child’s hair and tucked her close. “Lexie, Mr. St. Cloud has had a long day. He needs to go to his room.”
“His room?” Lexie glanced up with wide eyes and long lashes. “For a time-out?”
“No, sweetie, he isn’t being sent to time-out. He hasn’t misbehaved.” Although the gleam in his eyes indicated he was open to the option. “He is a guest and we need to be polite.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She turned to Max. “You hungry? We got pastry, Mr. Cloud.”
Natalie started to correct her daughter and he held up a hand.
“It’s all right, Natalie.” He knelt in front of the toddler. “I like pastry. I hope you’ll save some for me for breakfast.”
Margie crossed the lawn to join them and tugged one of Lexie’s curls lightly. “Show him to his room, Natalie. I’ll keep working with Miss Molly and watch these two.”
“Thank you, Margie. That’s very generous of you.” A blush heated her cheeks. Margie continually went above and beyond what was required of her during these training sessions. When she wasn’t training dogs, Margie was part of a search-and-rescue team. A woman in her sixties, she had spent her whole life helping other people.
Margie waved a hand, a tough hand with a scar she’d gotten from a dog bite long ago. “Go on. I’ve got this under control.”
Natalie nodded, motioning for Max to follow her up the porch and into the B and B.
“I’ll show you to your room, Mr. S—um, Max.” Her tongue had tripped as she remembered he insisted that she call him Max. The lack of his last name made her feel unsettled, put them on a more familiar setting, as if they were old friends or something. As if the boundaries between them were already dissolving...
It was a dangerous thought, one she could not risk.
“Your dog is quite friendly—your daughter, too.” The smile in his voice felt genuine as she opened the door to the B and B, the immediate scent of cinnamon filling the air.
She appreciated the homey scent, which grounded her. It was something to focus on aside from the strong male presence beside her.
“I apologize if she talked your ear off.” Lord knew, Lexie could talk for hours without much effort.
He paused in the threshold, eyes scanning the area, seeming to scrutinize and process what was before him. She followed his gaze, noting the quirks of this place that she had started to love. Like the wooden knob on the staircase that popped off occasionally. “This is a bed-and-breakfast. I expected the family-style approach.”
He clicked the door behind him, making the space seem smaller just by being there.
“I’m curious why you took me up on my offer. Surely you’re used to more upscale accommodations,” she said, moving through the hallway, her feet soft on the plush vermillion patterned carpet.
“Did you want me to say no?” He cast a sidelong glance at her.
She felt that curious stare even as she kept her eyes forward on where they were going. They passed the door to the bright
