Chapter 17

He had to give her credit. The woman held her ground.

She was pretty. Incredibly so. This beautiful woman was related to Nard, possibly married to him? A bit young for him, wasn’t she? Without the mud and bits of dirt and branches in her auburn ponytail, with that fair skin and those shockingly blue eyes, she was a looker. A total and complete looker.

He shot a look into the woods behind her, saw the trees, the dappling colors of green shifting in mid-air as the wind skimmed through the leaves lightly.

But those woods also hid wildness. Things that acted without thinking. Like the Nards.

She kept her eyes on him. Smart. One wild animal to another. The lines were well marked. The spoke. “I’m not here to cause trouble.”

“Doesn’t change a thing. If your husband’s out there, go back to him. You’re not getting this dog, no matter what you do. You push me, I’ll push back. I’m warning you.”

She blinked. Kept her gaze on him, as she clambered up out of the muck.

And that just made it worse. Hella worse. She was beautifully built. Lean, honed muscles he could see, even through that white suit.

She watched him, wary. “You’re going to let me go? You’re not going to follow me, or chase me, if I get deeper into the woods?” Her brows knit, and she spoke slowly. “I warn you, I know taekwondo.”

“Taekwon…” He sputtered. Did she know who she was talking to? Not that it mattered here, between them, but he was a SEAL vet. Ex-Delta North. And this brown-haired, Barbie-bimbette was suggesting she could take him?

He stifled the laugh. It was all too ridiculous. “Honey, if I want to constrain you…there’s nothing your sweet little self could do about it.”