Chapter 1
A dog blocked the entrance to her apartment.
Not just a dog, but a massive mutt that stretched across the entirety of the doorway, lying on his belly, his nose on his paws. Slowly, he lifted his head to study her, his eyes a deep brown against the multitude of colors in the fur around his snout—black, brown, white…a commingling of hues that gave him an uneven look.
Dogs were cute. They were fluffy. This one looked dangerous.
Marlie faltered a few feet away, snow clinging to the tops of her boots, and then looked at the closed apartment doors on either side of her. The converted turn-of-the-century house held three apartments, and hers was at the far end. Guarded by a dog so ugly, he was adorable.
He yawned and flashed sharp and deadly teeth.
She swallowed and took a step back. This was so weird. How had he gotten into the house? She’d had to unlock the front door to even make it inside to the hallway. “Um, hello?”
The dog blinked.
She once again looked at the closed doors on either side of her and reached out to knock gently on the one to the right, not wanting to startle the beast. No sound came from within, so she moved to the other side of the hallway and knocked, keeping her gaze squarely on the animal. He seemed mellow enough, but he had to weigh around a hundred pounds and had seriously sharp teeth. No answer came from the second apartment, either.
Breathing in, she slowly exhaled. “Um. All right. Okay.” She moved forward a couple of steps to see if he reacted. He didn’t. “So, um, you’re in front of my door.” She kept her voice gentle and non-threatening.
His left ear twitched.
“I’ve never had a dog, but we’ve had cats and fish through the years.” She took several steps closer. “I need to get inside, and you’re in the way. So, if it’s okay, how about I gently reach over you and unlock my door?” Fishing her key out of her bag, she held her breath and unlocked it, pushing it open. “Good boy,” she murmured. “Or girl. My guess is boy.” She caught her breath. “I’m going to step over you—”
The dog stretched to his impressive height, turned, and sauntered right into her apartment.
“Oh.” She bit her lip. What if he had to go to the bathroom? “Do you need to go outside?”
He scouted the boxes set neatly against the far wall of the living room, his tail wagging.
“I don’t have furniture yet.” She moved in behind him, keeping the door open. Should she call the dogcatcher? The animal looked healthy and well-kept. Certainly, he had a family. “I just can’t figure out why you’re here. How you got here.”
He ignored her and continued sniffing through her boxes.
The outside door opened, and Marlie turned, her breath catching as a man loped inside the building. The winter sun poured in behind him, shrouding his face, but he filled out the space nicely with hard-packed muscle.
He paused. “Fabio?” His voice was a low rumble that slid right over her skin.
The dog barked once and bounded out, heading toward the man at full speed. The guy crouched and took the full impact of the hit, wrapping his sinewed arms around the animal and chuckling. “I missed you, too.” He vigorously scrubbed both hands through the dog’s fur and then stood, moving toward her.
She instinctively stepped back and then stopped herself.
“Hi.” This close, his features took shape, and…man, what features he had. His hair was a shaggy light brown, his eyes a golden brown, and several cuts and scrapes looked at home on his angular features. It looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days. He wore an olive-colored shirt and camouflage pants with matching boots, all of which stretched nicely across a body honed for muscle and strength. A battered hat with an Air Force emblem on it covered the mass of hair.
“Hi.” She swallowed and looked down at the happily panting dog butting against his leg. “Fabio?”
“Yeah.” The guy held out a hand. “Sorry about that. My brother was going out of town for the week and dropped him off an hour earlier than he was supposed to so we could hang. Usually, Fabio just waits at my door. But he likes people, and he loves mysteries.” He angled his head to see past her to her rows of boxes.
She faltered and then accepted his callused hand. “Oh.” Warmth instantly slid up her arm.
“Bosco Albertini. Happy Monday, and it’s nice to meet you.” That intense gaze shot right into her eyes, and all sorts of feelings headed south.
Bosco? Very cool name. “Marlie Kreuk. Your new neighbor.” Should she invite him in? Why? It wasn’t like she had a place for him to sit. “I didn’t know we could have pets in the building.”
He released her and flashed a charming grin with an intriguing edge. “We can’t. Fab isn’t my dog, but he stays with me sometimes when my brother is out on a job. We keep it a secret around here.”
“No problem.” She smiled at the happily panting mutt. “He’s adorable.”
Bosco chuckled. “Well, he’s something. Mrs. Balerto, who used to live in your apartment, snuck him doggy treats. She moved with her niece to Florida, and Fabio hasn’t gotten the message yet. He was probably looking for yummies.”
Marlie pressed a hand to the doorframe. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.” Then her gaze ran over the cuts and bruises on his face. “Rough mission?”
“Normal mission with an extra side of training thrown in.” He wiped a scab near his chin, emotionally withdrawing without moving a muscle. “I’d invite you in for food or something as a welcome to the building, but I haven’t been home in two months, and there’s nothing in the fridge.” His hand dropped to pet the dog’s head. “My place is probably full of dust and discarded mail, anyway.”
She smiled. “That’s okay. Fabio was a lovely welcome to the building, and it was very nice to meet you.” She wanted to start unpacking and stop looking at the too-hot guy who’d just become her neighbor.
Bosco nodded. “Yeah. Welcome to Timber City, Marlie.” He turned and headed toward his apartment with the dog dancing around his feet.
She swallowed and shut her door. Wow. She had just moved to town and definitely wasn’t looking for romance. But even so. That was one fine male body. Sighing, she turned to unpack. It was time to get organized, and she’d do it without thinking about her sexy neighbor. Yeah, right.
As darkness started to fall, Bosco carried bins of Christmas decorations to his door, narrowly escaping tripping over the dog. “Would you please get out of the way?” He chuckled. “I should’ve left you at Nonna’s house.” He opened his door, stepped inside, and set the containers safely against the wall. The entire apartment smelled musty and deserted. He kicked his boots out of the way, and even though he’d wiped off the snow at the entrance to the house, more still scattered on the wood.
A small cry had his head shooting up.
Fabio barked and ran into the hall, dashing so hard toward Marlie’s door that he hit it head-on.
Bosco followed, automatically scanning for any threats. He knocked, edging sideways in case he needed to break down the door. “Marlie?”
The door opened, and she stood there, blowing hair out of her face. A dollop of dust smudged her smooth cheek, and her wild hair gave her a just-kissed look. “Hi. Sorry. I slipped on the counter.”