A Love Beyond Words

Suddenly she realized she’d done it again, gotten lost in her own wicked thoughts, and had paid no attention to the words he was uttering.

“What?” she asked, an embarrassed flush climbing into her cheeks. “Could you say that again?”

“Am I talking too fast?”

“No, I just got distracted for a moment.”

His eyes twinkled with knowing laughter. “Really? By what?”

She frowned at the teasing. “Never mind.” She looked away.

He tucked a finger under her chin and turned her to face him. “I said that I did some of it. Fortunately, if you pick the right plants, the tropical climate takes care of the rest. Except for mowing the grass, I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about upkeep.”

“I imagine you don’t have a lot of free time.”

“No, and sometimes I can be gone for a couple of weeks at a stretch with virtually no notice.”

“When there’s an earthquake,” she guessed.

“Or a flood. Any kind of natural disaster, really.”

“I don’t know how you do that. All that devastation and human suffering. It must be such sad work.”

“Sometimes it is,” he agreed. “But there are moments when we find a survivor against all the odds. That’s what we have to focus on, the unexpected miracles.”

He put his hand in the middle of her back and guided her up the walk. He unlocked the front door and opened it, then steadied her when a German shepherd bounded toward her. At a command from Ricky, the dog promptly sat, tail wagging as he stared up at her. Allie regarded the big dog warily.

Ricky caught her attention. “Allie, this is Shadow. He helped us to find you after the storm. Shadow, this is Allie. You remember her. Can you shake her hand?”

The dog raised his paw. Allie took it, then hunkered down to scratch the dog’s ears. “Thank you, Shadow. I owe you.”

“Offer him a doggie treat every now and then, and he’ll be your pal forever,” Ricky said. “I’ll show you where I keep them. Just remember not to overdo it. He doesn’t need one every time he looks pitiful and begs. It works on my nieces and nephews, so he tries pretty regularly.”

Allie chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Ready for a tour of the house?” Ricky asked. “It’ll take about two minutes. Then, if you’d like to lie down for a while and rest, I’ll try to come up with something for dinner.”

“I’ve rested more than enough,” Allie said. “I can help with dinner.”

“Not tonight,” he contradicted. “I promised the doctor you’d stay off that ankle as much as possible for the next couple of days.”

Her gaze clashed with his. “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“Oh, I think I could find some way to keep you in bed if I absolutely had to,” he said.

His eyes smoldered in a way that made Allie swallow hard and look away. Surely he didn’t mean…She met his gaze again. Oh, but he did. She could recognize the desire even without hearing the likely sensual undertone of his voice.

“About that tour,” she said, all too aware that her voice probably sounded breathless.

He grinned. “Right this way.”

From the moment they stepped into his living room, she knew that Ricky—and no one else—was responsible for the decor. The overstuffed sofa looked comfortable and very masculine. The leather recliner that faced the television sat next to a small table that was littered with newspapers.