Behind her sunglasses, her eyes searched my face. I struggled not to squirm or look away. Anxiety bloomed. I should have kept my mouth shut.

Her lips curved into an amused smile, and she laughed.

“You’re a serious one. I can see that already. Don’t worry, Gabby. If a guy doesn’t trip over himself to get to me, I’m not interested. I don’t want to waste my time chasing what doesn’t want to be caught.” She opened the door to the sunbaked parking lot, and I followed.

We’d just crossed the black expanse, stepping onto the sidewalk in front of the stores, when Rachel nudged me.

“Check out this hottie.”

The man she’d spotted exited the same door we headed for. As I expected, he first looked at Rachel then at me. I looked down and kept my eyes on the sidewalk as we strolled past him.

Rachel obviously didn’t know about the “wait for the door to close” rule because she started laughing before I’d even made it over the threshold.

“He kept his eyes on you the entire time. I can’t wait to see what happens the first time we go out.”

I wanted to groan.

The clerk at the register glanced at us just then because of Rachel’s laughter. His double take at me caused her to start laughing even harder. I pulled her toward the back of the store before he decided he wanted to talk to us. Her carefree attitude about my effect on men did bring a smile to my face. Maybe things would work out.

After helping me pick out a swimsuit, a rather daring bikini that she insisted would not cause her the least bit of animosity no matter what attention it brought me, she talked me into a few more stores.

In three hours, I’d purchased two “clubbing” tops and a black mini skirt. I probably wouldn’t wear any of it. Sexy was a dangerous look for me. Heck, mildly attractive was even dangerous. But I liked spending the time with her. My careful spending slowed the process down a bit, but she didn’t seem to mind.

Back at the house, the pleasantly warm breeze and inviting deck beckoned us, and we decided to catch the dying rays before calling it a night. Really, I just wanted to try on my bikini.

I shook my head at the sound of the back door opening and closing five minutes after being home. How she managed to change so fast amazed me. My new clothes hung in my closet, except for the bikini. Since I was pale from spending most of my summer working, Rachel had insisted I purchase a bright pink number with vibrant yellow straps. She said it would give me a little more color. Normally, I’d be reluctant to wear anything that called attention to me, but Rachel had been adamant that people our age didn’t wear one pieces with built in skirts, the style I’d deemed safer. The top with its strings and triangle coverage concerned me, but I’d given in because of the boy-shorts style bottom. When she’d held up a different option with even less material, I’d quickly judged the pink and yellow suit the better option.

I pulled the tags off the bikini and slipped it on. Then, I twisted and turned in front of the mirror in my bedroom, worrying. The string top covered me decently. The boy-shorts bottoms hugged my backside. However, a lot of skin reflected back at me. I did like the suit...I just needed to get used to it.

Grabbing the sunglasses I’d bought, I left my room. When I reached the kitchen, I heard Rachel’s crooning voice outside. I stopped. Was someone here? Did I want to go out there in this?

I looked down at myself. Hiding myself because of the pull hadn’t made me self-conscious...more like extremely cautious. Men reacted less if I kept to myself, which included staying modestly covered. What would happen in a bikini? Better to find out now, at home, if I could wear it in front of someone else than to go to a beach with it. I straightened my shoulders and walked out onto the deck.

“Gabby, look,” Rachel squealed as I pushed open the screen door. “A dog!”

On the deck, Rachel reclined on her side, stretched out on a beach towel. Between her towel and the one she’d set out for me, lay a monster of a dog, relaxing in the sun. I stopped and stared. What was that thing? Although the size of a mastiff, it looked nothing like one. At least seven feet from nose to tail, the dog’s shaggy brown coat gave it a wild look. Rachel didn’t seem to mind, though. She continued to pet its head affectionately.

It turned its head, which moved it out of Rachel’s reach. Its soft brown eyes met mine.

Rachel shifted to a sitting position to reach its head again.

“It just walked up the porch steps and lay right down. I nearly peed myself. Have you ever seen a dog this big before? What kind do you think it is?” She continued to pet it lovingly.

I remained glued in place, my stomach sinking. Any lingering homesickness died as my suspicion grew. What are the odds that an extremely large, random dog just appeared at my door scant hours after Sam dropped me off? Improbable odds. When I’d said I would get a dog, I’d meant it as a joke. I couldn’t afford a dog.

“And you’re not going to believe what its tag says,” Rachel said, not seeming to care that I hadn’t answered her questions. “‘If found, please provide a good home.’ Isn’t that funny?” She ruffled his neck fur, which made his hidden tags jingle. The dog continued to watch me and ignore Rachel’s ministrations.

“Yeah. Funny,” I mumbled. The size of the dog would ensure men didn’t bother me. But a dog half its size would do the same. Why get one so big? Its size compared to Sam in his fur. Did Sam think some of his kind might bother me? If so, I didn’t see how a plain old dog would help. My eyes widened as my own idiocy dawned on me. Not a plain dog.

I needed to call Sam, find out what he’d been thinking, and then give him an earful for sending someone to the house to keep an eye on me. I was about to turn and go back into the house when Rachel said something that made my stomach drop to my toes.

“His tag also says his name is Clay. What do you think? Should we keep him?”

Chapter 7

I turned to look at Rachel, eyes wide with shock.

“What?” I glanced down at him.

He continued to watch me, his eyes not wavering from mine. He’d left me alone the whole summer. I had thought he’d truly let me go, despite Sam’s ominous warning, and had forgotten about him.

“Aw, you aren’t allergic are you?” Rachel said with a small pout. “The lease says a single pet is allowed as long as it’s licensed.”

I doubted the lease had taken into consideration that Rachel would fall in love with a freakishly large monster bearing similarities to a dog.

“No, I’m not allergic,” I said distractedly. He had all summer to make his move. Why now? And why when I wore a bikini for the first time ever? A bikini did not say “stay away.” I considered grabbing the towel and wrapping myself in it, but discarded the idea after I thought about how it would look to Rachel. Instead, I continued to stare at the frustrating dog until he huffed out a breath, turned away from me, and laid his head on his paws.

Clay had finally shown up and, apparently, he still didn’t want to talk.

“Good. He’s so cute!” Rachel reached over to scratch his ears, and he closed his eyes.

“I’m going back in,” I said as I turned toward the door. Clay sprang to his feet before I reached it and crowded behind me. I looked down at him then back at Rachel, who watched us with an enormous grin.

“Looks like another guy who can’t take his eyes off you. Living with you is going to be a riot.” She laughed and picked up the towels. “Let’s all go in. The neighbor’s tree is going to shade the deck soon anyway.”

Having little choice, I opened the door for Clay. His fur brushed my bare thighs as he moved past me into the house. His head came to about my sternum. He really was huge...a huge problem.

Sam had warned me Clay had taken my speech as an invitation to live together. At least, Clay had shown up in his fur. However, any relief I might have felt went unnoticed as I contemplated how he’d found me in a completely different state. If Sam told him, I’d have to kill Sam. Since I didn’t have the stomach for outright murder, I’d break his coffee maker.