Chapter 4

ERIC

I opened my front door and stared at the man standing on my veranda. I'd never met him, but there was a high chance it was Riley. With his black jeans and T-shirt, he could have been one of the hundreds of tourists passing through town. But his curly brown hair and impossibly blue eyes made my breath catch.

"Are you Eric Lanigan?" he asked.

Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I leveled my best bad cop stare in his direction. "It depends on who's asking."

He didn't flinch. Interesting.

"I'm Riley Murphy. One of the owners of the cottage you're living in."

"I thought you might be."

Riley's eyes widened. "You knew I was coming?"

"A friend overheard you speaking to Jenny." Reaching behind me, I took a folder off the hallway table. "This is a copy of my rental agreement."

His gaze skimmed over the document, pausing when he saw my signature. "You've been here three months?"

"Almost four."

A deep doggy woof gave me a ten-second warning that Sherlock was running toward us. I turned and used a hand signal. "Stop."

Sherlock's bottom hit the floor. With his ears pricked up, he looked at me, waiting to see what happened next.

"You have a dog?" For the first time since I'd seen him, Riley's blue eyes softened. "He's beautiful. What's his name?"

I studied the lopsided smile on Riley's face. If he thought he could sweet-talk me out of my rental agreement, he was wrong. "Sherlock."

His smile turned into a full-throttle grin. "Can I pet him?"

"Sure. Just go slow. He was a police dog and doesn't like strangers."

Riley held out his hand.

Sherlock, being the contrary beast that he was, proved me wrong by not only licking his hand but moving closer, leaning into Riley's touch.

"He likes me." Riley's voice was filled with wonder, making my stomach flip.

I cleared my throat, trying to regain my composure. "That doesn't mean you can tell me to leave."

"That's not why I'm here. I didn't know anyone had rented the cottage, but that's not your problem. I need somewhere to stay, and the rooms at the back of the cottage are empty."

I couldn't believe this was happening. "You want to move into the cottage?"

"Not the whole building," Riley said quickly. "Just the area at the back. I'll have my own bathroom and there's a separate kitchen. I'll be completely self-sufficient."

"That wasn't part of my agreement."

Riley stopped petting Sherlock. "You're leasing my grandparents' cottage. The rooms at the back aren't part of the original house."

I knew they weren't, but that didn't mean I wanted a neighbor. Especially one I was attracted to. "That's not the point. I came here for some peace and quiet."

"You won't know I'm here."

I doubted anyone could live within a few feet of Riley and not know he was there. "How long are you staying?"

He glanced down at Sherlock, his fingers gently stroking the dog's fur. "Three months at the most."

I studied the black circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted, like he'd been through hell and back. When I signed the rental agreement, the realtor told me one of the owners was living overseas. What she didn't tell me was that Riley was coming back.

"Where have you come from?"

"Venice."

"Italy?"

Riley nodded. "I'm sorry this isn't what you expected. I'm happy to call the hotels in town until we sort something out, but I don't think they'll have any rooms available. If I can't stay here, I might have to sleep in my truck."

I looked down at Sherlock. The traitor had wiggled his way closer to Riley's legs. "You can't sleep in your truck."

"Does that mean you don't mind me living next door?"

I had a feeling I might regret what I was about to say, but sleeping in a truck wasn't an option. "It's your cottage. As long as you respect my privacy, we'll get along fine."

Riley's relieved smile made my stomach clench. That hadn't happened in so long I wondered what was wrong with me.

"Thank you. You don't know how much I appreciate being able to stay here."

Riley might not be so thankful after I looked into his background. After everything that had happened, I didn't need any more surprises.