Chapter 11

CADE

Ohhhh man, I am nervous…

To say that Cade was ‘stressed' was putting it mildly. He had his first real true date with Holly tonight. The puppy cried all night until he let him sleep on the bed beside him, which resulted in him sniffing Cade's breath or licking him right when he was on the edge of sleep.

"Being awoken by a mutt French kissing me is not my cup of tea… no matter how adorable he is," he muttered absently, rubbing the back of his neck and offering up a prayer for a few minutes of peace. The banks were running the final credit checks before he closed on Tuesday, the holiday, the date, the puppy driving him bonkers, the lack of sleep – you name it, it seemed to be thrust into his world with no warning.

Holly was going to drive since she was still working on his car – not that he minded. She was taking the dent out of the fender, replacing the radiator, the belt, and the pulley. Every time he brought up the price, she waved him off.

"You are good for it. There's nowhere to hide here in Sweet Bloom, remember? Trust me, if you don't pay, it won't be just me who refuses you service in the future," she told him simply with zero malice.

To anyone else, it could have been construed as a threat, but here it just made sense. One question, one comment, one inquiry as to what happened, and people would start putting two-and-two together. Yeah, whatever it cost was fine because it gave him countless excuses to text, call, or swing by when he had a chance.

He heard a whine interrupting his thoughts, immediately calling the puppy to him and clipping a leash on. Yup. Walking in this morning had been interesting, and he couldn't wait for a yard. His carpet was nearly polka-dotted and the smell?

Nauseating.

"I was tired too, ya' mongrel," Cade said under his breath, looking at the big black eyes looking up at him lovingly. Yeah, this morning was rough. He was tired, smelled, and just wanted to sleep. Instead, he ended up picking up everything, walking the puppy, returning to the apartment, and scrubbing the spots on the floor before arranging to have the carpets shampooed on Wednesday after his stuff was out of the apartment. "Don't gimme that look. Do your ‘business' in the grass. When we move in, your doggy-daddy will put in a puppy door so you can continue the habit."

And the puppy whined, continuing with the large black eyes.

Cade sighed, knelt beside the animal, and petted his silky ears. He'd always wanted a dog or cat. He loved animals growing up, but with his schedule, it hadn't seemed like the time to get one until he fished this little guy out of the storm drain.

The other puppies had whined and struggled to get down, but not this one. This puppy had looked at him with those black eyes, the long silky ears that were wavy with fur, and shivered as if he was terrified. He wanted to protect the little urchin, immediately tucking him under his chin, loving on the furball – and Cade was lost. A new house, a new girlfriend, and a new puppy — all within a span of weeks. Yeah, change could stress anyone out… even if it was good changes.

"C'mon," he urged softly, petting him again and glancing up as he heard a loud engine in the distance and assumed it was Holly's older Mustang. That muffler was loud, and he liked it… but if that was her, then his little buddy would need to hurry along with his ‘business.'

"Please hurry, buddy… please?" Cade begged openly as the puppy licked his hand and adjusted his pose, watching him warily. "I already made a couple of bad impressions with my girl, so let's not create the perfect trifecta by showing her what a softie I am by sitting here, practically holding your paw, while you poo. Guys are tough – and don't forget that."

"Cade? Is that you? What are you… OHHH MY GOODNESS!" Holly gushed from a distance as he looked over his shoulder, and the puppy let out a high-pitched bark as if he was saying ‘hello' in return.

"Now we are busted, mongrel," he hissed playfully, chuckling as the puppy licked his hand again. "Hey, Holly. Sorry about this view, but my friend is still working on getting housebroken – and currently failing. I think the thick grass scares him."

"He's literally precious," she crooned, kneeling beside him in front of the puppy. "Oh my goodness, is he part spaniel or collie?"

"All mutt," he grinned, looking sideways and meeting her eyes. "Trust me, this guy is all mutt. Soft long ears like a spaniel, short stubby legs like a corgi, but a curled tail like a Norwegian Elkhound mix – weird but cute, but aren't all puppies?"

"Yes," she laughed easily, causing him to look at her again.

There was so much to Holly that he hadn't anticipated discovering and every time they talked, he was more and more fascinated by her. She was probably the hardest working woman he'd ever met – and meticulous, too! He had thought his truck was done, but she wasn't satisfied with the dent repair and was planning on taking the panel off the truck again.

Sometimes, when he looked at her, she was so feminine and girly, making a spot in his soul melt in wonder. Other times, he would catch her elbow deep in an engine, streaked with dirt and who-knows-what-else, her lips pressed together, brow furrowed and deep in concentration, almost like a surgeon in the middle of a procedure. He couldn't fault her for getting dirty during a job, because he sure did. It was part of their lives, but at the same time, seeing her like this was almost like a gift.

She was kneeling beside him in a long blue dress that had tiny white flowers dotted all over it and long sleeves. While the weather was getting cooler, it was still very temperate outside. Her hair was curled and tucked behind an ear, hanging down past her shoulders loose – and there was a bit of sparkly pink lip gloss on her mouth that drew his eye immediately.

"You look lovely," he admitted distractedly… and then winced as he smelled something foul. Holly made a face and began laughing, standing up and backing away, fanning herself.

"What are you feeding him?"

"Puppy food. I don't know. It was an orange bag and the only one in stock at the general store."

"Dang… maybe switch brands or order something else online? It smells a car dumping fuel through a catalytic converter."

"Noxious," Cade agreed – and then looked at Holly while she snapped her fingers.

"Knox!" they shouted in unison a little too loudly, causing a few birds to flutter from the trees. Sharing a smile, he looked at the puppy who was pawing at the grass before looking at him and wagging his tail.

"Knox… meet Holly," and surprisingly, the dog gave another tiny bark. Oh yes, Holly looked about as enchanted with Knox as he felt. Yeah, that tiny scrap of fur with the backbone of a noodle just made him melt. Knox would never be a guard dog. That much was for sure. He'd rather lick an intruder to death than chase them down. The dog was a lover, not a fighter, and that single thought made him look at Holly again.

Cade stood – and held out his free hand to her.

"My lady…?"

Something in her expression melted before his eyes, and he felt something within him decipher it within seconds. Had no one ever treated her like this before? A feeling rose in his soul, possessive and warm, as he gazed at her starry eyes. He could see the hope, yearning, and unspoken wishes in her mind, flickering in those hazel depths.

"I'm so glad we are doing this," he said tenderly as her fingers slid into his hand. "And I'm so happy to see you."

"Are you pulling my leg?" Holly laughed nervously, looking away as her cheeks pinkened slightly. She never struck him as the shy type, but then again, they were both treading in unfamiliar territory.

"Not at all," he smiled. "I'm just marveling at how things have changed between us and grateful for it."

She slowly looked back at him, her eyes glistening and he could see the fear and hope warring within her. He gave her hand a little tug to pull her closer to him and smiled down at her as their shoulders touched. Knox was walking around them, sniffing the grass, and weaving the leash around his legs, making his presence known.

"Relax," Cade whispered, smirking. "It's just me."

"I'm trying, but this feels so… ugh, I don't even have the words."

"We're friends, remember?"

"That's the problem."

"Is it a problem?"

"Well, no… I'm just suddenly nervous, and I know it's silly."

"Not silly," he replied softly, searching her eyes. "Intense, maybe…" and heard her breath catch with awareness. "Shall we show the town how good these friends look together as a couple?"

"Y-Yes," she choked out and let a tiny anxious laugh slip between them as he buried his nose against her hair and took a deep breath.

"My girlfriend smells amazing," he said intimately to her, whispering in her ear just to keep her preening and melting. He was going to do everything he could to reinforce the magic between them now that he saw the spark of wonder there.

"Cade…"

"Let me go put Knox up and let's get going."

"Are you hungry?"

"Starved," he admitted and then smiled at her. "But the sooner we eat dinner, relax, and light this town on fire with the talk about the newest romance blooming here… then the sooner I can kiss you."

"You could kiss me now…"

Holly was breathless, focused, and staring at him with an expression he'd never seen before on anyone's face. This woman before him wanted her man to kiss her. She looked at him like he'd hung the moon, and was willing to do anything to make this happen.

Cade released her hand – and slid it around her waist, pulling her to him. He triumphantly savored her slight gasp as she put her hand against his chest. He didn't want to cross a line or make her even more nervous, but instinct was telling him to claim his woman.

His woman, he thought distractedly as his head dipped to do as Holly had suggested. Who was he to disappoint?