She caught Boss before he could escape with Sadie. “You’re not old enough to run free, little man.” She paused and stared down at her porch. “There’s an army bag on my porch. Why is there an army duffel bag on my porch?”

Sadie didn’t answer because she was already gone. Boss didn’t answer because he was a man, after all, and didn’t talk much.

Lilah sat on the top step in the early chilly morning, Boss in her lap and the bag at her feet. Adam had been National Guard, not army. She only knew one man who’d been army, and the thought of him bringing her something left a silly smile on her face.

Inside the duffel bag was yet another bag, this one a pretty frothy pink color, from the Pharmacy in Boise. It was filled with soaps and lotions and… the pretty blue lingerie she’d been drooling over in the window display. “He didn’t,” she said to Boss.

“Mew.”

She laughed, even as her throat tightened. Heart melted clean away, she pulled out her phone and called Brady. “Morning, Santa.”

He was silent.

“At least I hope you’re my Secret Santa,” she said. “I can’t imagine Cruz or Nick picking out that thong-”

A growl sounded through the phone and she smiled. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I love it, and the soaps and lotions, too. You shouldn’t have.”

“I like the way you always smell.”

“That’s the coconut and vanilla and stuff.”

“It’s you. You make me hungry, Lilah.”

“You know,” she murmured. “You don’t have many words, but you seem to make the most of the ones you have.”

“You going to wear that thong today?”

“You are such a guy.”

“Guilty.”

Their silence was comfortable, and she found herself smiling like an idiot, all alone on her porch.

“Wear it today, Lilah,” he said softly, silkily.

And she knew she would do just that. “See you around, Brady.”

“See you,” he said, and she could hear the bad-boy smile in his voice.

She closed her phone. “I’m not falling for him,” she told Boss, and pulled out a soap. She pressed her nose to it, inhaling the delicious scent. But she was.

Falling and falling hard.

That night she drove to Dell’s house for their monthly poker night. Dell lived in town in a house he’d recently fixed up for himself. To Lilah’s surprise, she found Brady already seated at the big round table. He was slouched in a chair, long legs stretched out in front of him, a ball cap low on his head hiding most of his gorgeous face except for his mouth.

Which had the sexiest scowl on it she’d ever seen.

Amused-and more-she plopped down beside him. “Heard about your day, Ace.”

He slid her a dark look that made her nipples hard before he went back to his cards.

“I’m in,” she said to Adam, who was dealing.

“Five-card draw.” Adam shuffled the deck like a pro. “And he had more than a hell of a day,” he said, tossing a look at Brady as he dealt, taking Lilah’s ten bucks and handing her a stack of chips. “He went with Dell on rounds. They were unable to save Mr. Williams’s dog after it got hit by a car, then got to the Cabreras’ in time to watch their elderly cat die, and as a bonus, on the way home, they headed out to a ranch and had to euthanize a horse with a broken leg.”

“It was just shit luck,” Dell said, studying his cards, tapping the table to indicate he was holding. “No one’s fault.”

Brady tossed in some chips. “Raise you five.”

“Fuck,” Adam said conversationally, but put in his five.

Since she had nothing, Lilah folded.

Dell tossed in his five and shook his head. “Best part is his new nickname.”

Lilah glanced at Brady, who was looking pained. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Brady said, and adjusted his hat even lower over his face.

“Dr. Death,” Adam said, and flashed a rare grin.

“What?” Lilah burst out laughing. “Are you kidding me?”

The muscle in Brady’s jaw bunched and Adam shook his head, still grinning. “Now no one wants him to go along on out-calls anymore, no matter how badly they need Dell.”

Everyone but Brady cracked up. He just swore, with a colorful assortment of four-letter words. Lilah wanted to jump him right then and there, but she controlled herself.

Or maybe not quite.

Brady turned his head and met her gaze. He studied her a moment, and though he remained scowling, his eyes heated. He saw right through her, she realized, not knowing whether to be embarrassed or aroused.

So she settled for both.

They played two more rounds before Dell looked at the grease streaked down Lilah’s jeans. “Plumbing problems again?”

Her cabin had more problems than she could count, but she loved the old place ridiculously. For one thing, it was all she had of her grandma, and it was filled with precious memories that not even bad plumbing could erase.

For another, it was her only option, given that the money she made went back into the business or toward her tuition. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Lilah, you need to-”

“Change from brass to PVC. Yeah, I know.” She hadn’t budgeted for it this month. Or next month, for that matter. In fact, she wasn’t budgeted for anything anytime soon. “I’m babying the plumbing along for now.” Well aware of Brady studying her, she smiled. “Duct tape is a girl’s best friend.”

Adam shook his head.

Brady was still looking at her. Slowly his gaze dropped, taking in her clothes, probably wondering if she was wearing the lingerie. She gave him a secret smile. He didn’t return it, but his gaze singed her skin.

Her cell phone buzzed with a forwarded call from the office line, the one she used for the humane society, and she picked it up to hear Mrs. Sandemeyer’s voice.

“Someone did it again,” the elderly woman said in her eighty-year-old quavery voice. She lived on the outskirts of town right off the highway. “Dumped a dog they don’t want. I’ll hold her for you, dear.”

“Is the dog injured?”

“Not at all. And sweet as a lamb.”

Lilah closed her phone and reluctantly folded her cards. “I’m out.”

“But it’s just getting good,” Dell complained.

“Translation,” Adam said. “He thinks he’s about to kick our asses.”

“I don’t think it,” Dell said. “I know it.”

“Sorry.” Lilah rose. “Much as I look forward to that ass-kicking, I have to go. Someone dumped a dog off the freeway again.”

“Assholes,” Dell said. “Be careful, Lil.”

Brady stood up. “I’ll go with you.”

“No worries, I’ll call Cruz if I run into trouble,” Lilah said. “Finish playing.”

“It’s late.”

“She has Cruz,” Adam said softly. “It’s his job.”

Lilah patted Brady’s arm, nearly hummed in pleasure at the hard, knotted sinew of his biceps, and smiled. “Adam’s right. Stay for the ass-kicking.”

His eyes met hers, dark and unreadable, and more than her nipples reacted. Her heart actually skipped a beat.

Stupid heart. Because he was leaving soon, she reminded herself, ignoring the little ping in her belly at that thought. She was going to have to give him up, but then again, she was used to giving things up.

She gave her animals up all the time.

She’d given her grandma up.

She’d given certain dreams up, and knew she’d give up more before it was all said and done.

And she’d give up Brady when the time came. She would. Even if the little ache in her heart reminded her that there would be a price.

She was halfway to Mrs. Sandemeyer’s house when she got her second call of the night. This one from Cruz. “Babe,” he said, voice solemn. “Problem.”

“Well, it’ll have to get in line,” she said.

“There’s a tourist looking for a three-legged cat that she lost a month ago.”

Lilah’s heart, already aching, full-out stopped at this news. “What?” she whispered.

“She’s only just now seen the lost-and-found bulletins online. Lilah… ”

“Sadie,” she whispered.

“Yeah.”