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.Was he wrong?“I heard the dog pound is overcrowded and having an adoption drive all month long,” Carolina said.“Can I go with her, Daddy? Please.” Zoey stood and took Carolina’s hand.They presented a formidable front.He studied the two of them for a moment, unable to speak.Zoey had formed relationships with women in her young life besides her grandmothers: preschool teachers, mothers of friends, the very nice lady next door.But she’d been relatively shy with them at first, requiring a long period of adjustment before she’d trusted them enough to initiate physical contact.She’d met Carolina briefly at the ranch and was already holding her hand.On second thought, Carolina had had much the same effect on him.They hadn’t been fifteen minutes into their double date when he wanted to trade places with the guy across the table from him.“I shouldn’t have mentioned getting a dog,” she said apologetically.Neil reached out and smoothed Zoey’s flyaway hair.“Sure.You can go.”Zoey dropped to her knees again to hug Belle.“Did you hear that? You’re getting a new brother or sister.”“That was sweet of you.” Carolina smiled at Neil.He promptly remembered what he planned to tell her tonight and wondered if she’d have the same opinion of him afterward.Probably not.“Let me grab my jacket, and I’ll be ready to go.” She retreated, appearing a moment later with the same green trench coat she’d worn the night he’d been called out to investigate the illegal mining operation.The same night they’d kissed.He could still feel the coolness of the fabric beneath his fingers…and the soft heat of her lips on his mouth.He tugged at his shirt collar.Bringing Zoey tonight wasn’t an afterthought.He’d known he would need a buffer, that being alone with Carolina would test his willpower to its limits.“Come on, sweetie,” he said to Zoey when Carolina stepped outside onto the porch.“The dog has to stay here.”They literally had to pry Zoey and Belle apart.Neither wanted to be separated.Once the dog was safely behind the closed front door, Carolina grabbed hold of both Neil’s and Zoey’s arms.“Hurry.” She dragged them along with her.“We only have about thirty seconds before she escapes through the doggie door.”They made it in the nick of time.Belle barked goodbye at the gate.“Where are we going?” Carolina asked when they were in the car and pulling away from her cabin.Zoey pressed her face to the rear passenger-side window and waved at Belle.The dog stood with her front feet on the gate, a forlorn expression on her cute-ugly face.Seems Zoey was as quick to make friends with the dog as she was with Carolina.“Pickle’s Pizza,” Neil answered her question, naming a kid-oriented pizza parlor with arcade games and rides.He thought Carolina might cringe at the suggestion.She didn’t.“I love that place!”Figured.Even on a Thursday night, the restaurant was packed with families and children.That was what Neil wanted.More buffers to help him remain focused and not let his thoughts drift to other things.Like how sexy Carolina looked in black jeans.Or the way the dangly gold earrings she wore kept drawing his eyes to her face and the lovely curve of her lower lip.He’d tasted that lip and traced the outline of it with his tongue—Zoey let out an excited squeal.She’d spotted two of her friends from school at one of the games.Rather than ask Neil to go with her, it was Carolina she coerced into playing skee ball when he handed over a fistful of game tokens.“Do you mind?” Carolina asked.“Have at it.” He sat by himself to order their pizza.All around him, children ran, screamed, laughed, played, bickered, cried and made messes.Most of the adults sat at their tables, attempting to converse or enjoy their meal.A few of the heartier ones like Carolina joined the fray, monitoring the younger children or playing games.He watched her and Zoey, the two of them enjoying themselves, and wondered again why his daughter had taken so quickly to Carolina.Even Carmen, whom Zoey adored, had required a “warming up” period that lasted several days.Was it his fault? Had he sheltered Zoey so much he’d inadvertently instilled in her a wariness of new people? That wariness could protect her from harm, but too much, and she could become socially isolated.Maybe her instincts were right on target, and she sensed that Carolina was someone she could trust, someone who wouldn’t hurt her.He could learn a thing or two from his daughter, he supposed.His trust in Carolina was still tentative, though growing with each passing day.And now she wanted his help with her story on the illegal mining.No doubt he owed her a favor for keeping his past under wraps and for being so kind to Zoey.Refusing her request would be hard.It was also necessary.Neil had worked diligently and sacrificed much to get his and Zoey’s lives where they were today.Quiet, safe, normal, secure.Not just physically but also mentally and emotionally.Carolina threatened to disrupt their perfectly ordered lives.She could give him reason to care for her, had done it already if he were completely honest with himself.And the idea of loving again, of gambling with another person’s life and possibly losing her, terrified him.NEIL’S HEAD SHOT UP when Carolina appeared in his line of vision.Before he could issue an invitation, she sat down beside him at the picnic-style table.“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out of uniform.”“I’m off duty.”“New York Yankees fan, huh?” Her glance strayed to his T-shirt and lingered.“Where’s Zoey?” he promptly asked, needing his buffer.“With a friend at the miniature basketball game.”“Did she wear you out?”“Are you kidding?“Is that a yes?”Carolina let her shoulders sag and blew out a breath.“A little.”“You lasted a lot longer than I would have.”“Practice.I come here often with my nieces.” She gave him a thorough and considerably longer once-over.“I like it.”“The pizza place?”She shook her head.“You look good in civilian drag.”So did she.Damn good.“Not so tough,” she added with a grin.“Don’t be fooled by the clothes.”“You forget, I’ve seen you with Zoey.You have a marshmallow for a heart.”“Only for her.”“No one else?” Carolina asked coyly.Was she a mind reader, too? He wanted to say something witty back to her but his speech center had temporarily shut down.She laughed and blithely moved on to a new subject, effectively reducing his confidence around women to that of a high school freshman.“I’m beat.How do you keep up with Zoey all day?”“I can’t.That’s why I hired Carmen.”“Smart man.”Casual bantering came easily to Carolina.It would be equally easy to respond to her.Neil needed to shore up his defenses—and fast—if he was to stay on track during the evening ahead.“Did your family agree to give the radio station exclusive rights to the illegal mining story?” he asked.She hesitated, then, in typical Carolina fashion, forged ahead.“Yes, they did.”“And did your boss award you the story?”“Yes, he did.”Neil didn’t realize until that moment how much he’d been hoping for a different answer.“You aren’t going to help me,” she said flatly.There went his plan for letting her down slowly.“No.”Before he could elaborate, the pizza arrived.Neither of them dug in.Neil scanned the crowd for Zoey.Finally finding her, he summoned her over to the table by holding up a paper plate with a slice of pizza on it.While he and Carolina waited for his daughter, she dished up two more slices, giving one to him.For Zoey’s sake, Neil wolfed down his pizza.She was already asking too many questions about his restlessness and diminished appetite
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