That April in Santa Monica by Melody DeBlois

Author:Melody DeBlois [DeBlois, Melody]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contempory Romance; Beach Read; Beach setting; Beach Community; Family; Hero as Rescuer; Multicultural; Healer; Powerful Heroine; Opposites Attract; S
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2019-08-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Brandon found Madison sitting on the carpet in front of the fireplace, running her hand over the length of Andrew’s dog. She had been crying. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to slug something. What had her brother done to make her so upset?

“Did you and Andrew have a tiff?”

She put a shushing finger to her lips. “You’ll wake the whirlwind on four paws. I spent the last half hour calming him down after my brother left. I needed you here—you with your togetherness. You don’t even have to work at it. Serenity just falls in your lap.”

She was prattling, which she hadn’t done lately.

He didn’t know what to do. Should he tell her to breathe? Family squabbles baffled him. He’d been an only child. Whatever had happened, that nuisance of a camera gang still unabashedly loitering around had most likely filmed everything.

He whispered, “Where’s your brother?”

“I don’t know, but I’d wager he’s packing his bags. He’d better be. He’s got to report tomorrow at Camp Pendleton.”

“I see,” he said, stepping on a rubber squeak toy. “Marine bootcamp’s tough, but by the looks of Andrew, I’ll bet he’ll do fine.” He sat down next to her on the floor. “Did Harley get left behind?”

“Andrew asked me to take him in. I said no. Then I changed my mind. I never could say no to my brother, but I almost did.” She looked like she had been about to add more but turned her head away from him.

“Well, Harley’s fortunate to have you.”

“You think so? A dog’s a big responsibility. I have to feed him twice a day and run him and make certain he gets to the vet and the groomer.”

“And you want to make sure you’ll be the best dog owner on the planet?”

“I do. Naturally, I do.”

“It must get exhausting being you.”

“It’s just that I haven’t had anybody to care for at home in a long time.”

Brandon rubbed the sweet spots around Harley’s ears. “I have a feeling he’s just what you need, and he will thrive with you. Just you wait and see.”

For the rest of the evening, he tried to help Madison out with her new live-in. He sprinkled some feta cheese into the kibble. “It’s good for his coat.”

Thankfully she didn’t argue, but then she had other things on her mind. After he finished the dishes, he eased into the steamy bathroom to find Harley in a tub full of piña colada bubble bath. Madison was scrubbing his coat with a brush while rap blasted from a speaker. God, if she didn’t look sexy in her tight pants and traffic-stopping halter top.

She saw him and blew wisps of red hair from her damp forehead. “Close the door. We don’t want him to bolt.”

“Okay,” he said, but it was hard to hear. “Does your brother play Dr. Dre?”

“Yep, he cranks it up, he told me. That’s what Harley’s accustomed to.”

It wasn’t as if Harley needed anything to make him feel at home. Being a

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