The Protector (Game of Chance, #1)(22)

“I almost forgot Baxter!”

“Baxter?” Chappy asked. “Who’s that?”

She turned to him. “The dog who found me.”

“The pit bull?” Chappy asked in surprise.

“Yeah.”

“He’s here?” He looked around again, trying to find the dog. It wasn’t as if the cabin was all that large; he should’ve spotted the big mutt right away.

“He wouldn’t come inside. Believe me, I tried. He’s on the porch. I hope you don’t mind, but I took out a couple of the blankets you had around here. Not the newer-looking fluffy ones. There’s a space between the cabin and the logs you stacked on the porch where he’s made himself a little home with the blankets. It’s still really cold, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t get him to budge from his nest. I’ve been feeding him, though.”

“I don’t have any dog food,” Chappy said unnecessarily. She obviously knew that.

“I’ve been using the stuff you have handy. Chickpeas, green beans, canned tuna and chicken . . . things like that. But now that I know I can use the stove, I can cook some rice and include that too. I bet he’d really like something warm in his belly.”

She stopped as suddenly as she’d started and looked over at him. Her cheeks flushed bright red as he watched. “I mean . . . if it’s okay with you? It’s your food. You might not want me using it to feed a stray. I’m so sorry, I didn’t really think about that.”

Chappy couldn’t stop himself from approaching. She was now standing outside the pantry he’d built to hold all his canned and dry goods. All his friends had laughed at the amount of food he kept at his cabin, but he wanted to be prepared at all times.

He stepped close and lifted his hand, stopping himself when he was inches away from her face. “May I?” he asked softly, gaze flicking to his hand.

She looked confused for a second, then seemed to understand that he was asking permission to touch her. She nodded once.

Chappy slowly ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek before resting his hand on the side of her neck. His thumb caressed the underside of her jaw. He shook his head slightly as he said, “I’m in awe of you, Carlise.”

Her brows furrowed once again in confusion.

“You could’ve died. Were probably frozen to the bone. And yet when I saw you that first time, I could see the determination in your eyes, in the way you continued to put one foot in front of the other. You weren’t going to stop until you were safe. Of course, you couldn’t know there was literally nothing in the direction you were going. Nothing but my cabin. The road you were on eventually dead-ends, with only trees and wilderness for miles and miles.

“But by some miracle, I found you. Led you here . . . and then promptly passed out on you.” He smiled slightly. “You did what you needed to do in order to keep both of us safe and warm. Not only that, but you didn’t forget about the poor dog.”

“He saved my life,” she whispered.

“He did,” Chappy agreed, his gaze tracking over every part of her face. He liked this. Liked being close to her. Touching her. She was looking at him with big blue eyes, and he felt good about what he saw in her gaze—relief. Trust.

And an attraction that Chappy was feeling down to his toes.

“Why Baxter?” he asked.

“I thought of all sorts of other names . . . I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, after all. But nothing felt right. Then Baxter just kind of popped into my head, and it seemed to fit.”

“I like it. So he’s been eating?”

Carlise nodded. “Last night was the first time he ate while I was out there with him.”

“You’ve been sitting out there with him? It’s freezing,” Chappy said with a frown.

“I know, but I’ve been talking to him. Wanting him to get used to my voice. I hate that he’s out there in the cold and we’re in here. It’s not right.”

It wasn’t right. But until the dog trusted her, trusted both of them, he wouldn’t come inside. “How about we make some rice and add it to his food?”

“Won’t it take a while to make? I mean, it’s already past the time I usually feed him. I don’t want him to think I forgot about him.”

Chappy’s lips quirked. “He won’t think you forgot him.”

“You don’t know that.”

“That dog’s not going anywhere. He’s probably warmer than he’s been in quite a while, and you’re his food source. He’s not going to risk losing either of those things. Besides, I’ve got some minute rice, the stuff that doesn’t take long to cook. Do you think he’ll eat if I go out there with you?”

Carlise thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know. Not about Baxter, but about you going outside. You’re still a little flushed. And you were delirious not too long ago. It’s probably not a good idea for you to be out in the cold.”

Her concern felt good. “We won’t stay out there long. Besides, I need to get more logs for the fire anyway.”

“I can do it.”

“I know you can. And I appreciate it. But now that I’m awake and aware of what’s going on, you won’t.”

She frowned. “Why not?”