Restoring Romance (Welcome to Romance 1)

“Cats scratch your furniture and spit up hairballs.”

“Dogs lick their private parts and then lick your mouth.”

Hmmm... she had a point. What else could he say to convince her? “I didn’t want to tell you, but this is the last chance for Kujo. He has to find a home today, or they’ll put him down tomorrow.”

He regretted his hasty words the instant tears puddled in her round eyes. Her lip trembled as she stuttered, “I... I still can’t...”

“Adam Walker! Why are you lying to Ash about Kujo?” Erin’s finger waved in his face, and he stepped back in the wake of her fury. Kujo added another deafening bark and the cat howled. Her finger moved down to poke against his chest. “You know good and well Brent would never put an animal down. That’s the whole point of the Finding Forever Animal Rescue.”

“I was only teasing.” He lifted his palms in supplication.

“Ash, I apologize for my brother-in-law’s behavior. There’s no excuse for him.” Erin scowled, her hands on her hips, and Ash matched her angry expression.

“It was just a joke, Erin. Give me a break. I’ll make it up to you.”

Erin crossed her arms as an evil smile slid onto her face.

Oh no! What have I done?

Erin whispered something in Ash’s ear, something that made her press her lips together, as if she were trying not to laugh.

“I suppose, we might be persuaded to forgive you...” Erin opened her eyes wide and blinked rapidly, adopting an innocent tone. “Yes, I think we could forgive you if you adopted Kujo. After all, he’s been looking for a home for a long time.”

“Wait a minute, Erin...”

“Why wouldn’t you adopt Kujo?” Ash stepped closer, glaring up at him, the cat still in her arms. “Weren’t you telling me what a good idea it would be to adopt him. Why not do it yourself?”

Adam let out a violent sneeze.

“Bless you.” Erin and Ash said in unison.

“I don’t need a dog.” He rubbed his itchy eyes on his sleeve. “And besides, who could afford to feed this guy. He weighs more than me.”

Erin made a tsking noise. “You should have thought of that before you got Kujo’s hopes up.”

His sister-in-law was a python, and Adam was her helpless prey. The coils squeezed around his neck. He couldn’t speak.

Erin strode away, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll go get the adoption papers.”

Chapter Three

“THAT ADAM... HE WAS awful, wasn’t he, Lucky? So rude. And he said all those terrible things about cats. And he tried to make me ad

opt that huge slobbery dog instead of you.”

So why can’t I stop thinking about him? We only spoke a few words to each other at the festival yesterday, but I can’t get his face out of my head.

Lucky meowed an answer, moving to wind herself between Ash’s legs. Ash bent down to rub her head, sighing as she surveyed the room she’d chosen to sleep in. As in the rest of the house, the style of the antique furniture was too ornate for Ash’s taste. She couldn’t wait to get rid of everything and replace it with something more sleek and modern—more youthful and vital.

She ran her fingers along the carved wood on the back of a floral armchair, picturing Adam with his huge frame crammed into the petite chair. Ash was accustomed to being the shortest person around, but Adam had made her feel even smaller. He wasn’t that tall—probably six feet or six feet one, but somehow, his broad muscular shoulders had made him appear larger. His square jaw, adorned with a stubble of beard, was the essence of masculinity, and those swarthy features, deep brown eyes like bottomless pits, gave him a dangerous aura.

He didn’t look like any guy she’d met before—certainly different from her male friends in New York, who were often more concerned with fashion than she was. No, Adam wore a black t-shirt and a pair of faded Levi’s, his bulging thigh muscles threatening to split them open.

He seemed like he’d stepped right out of some hero movie, and she almost wished she’d had some villain chasing her, so Adam could come to her rescue. And then she would swoon, and he would catch her in his strong arms, pulling her close and whispering in her ear, “Don’t be afraid, Ash. I’m here for you. I’ll always protect you.”

Ha! Fat chance. More likely he’d drop me on the ground, and tell me to use a lint roller to get the cat hair off my shirt.

She didn’t have a chance with him anyway, because she didn’t keep her big mouth shut. Everything he said seemed to prick a raw nerve, and she lashed back without thinking. Her tongue had gotten her in trouble more than once, yet she had never quite learned to control it, especially if someone aggravated her