“Look, I was driving by after paying for the car. Is it that big of a deal? Jesus, get a grip.” Reverting to form, Worth growled, “It’ll be delivered to me tomorrow, so tell me you’ll come by and give me a price and I’ll get out of here.”
“I’ll come by and give you a price.”
“When?”
“I’ll call you when I figure it out.”
“Great, thanks.” Throwing up his hands, Worth turned to go, his heavy stride making it clear that he was now pissed, too, not that Hunter cared. On any given day, he would have set Worth straight about showing up where he shouldn’t be, where Hunter did not want him or anyone else, but today? He’d picked the worst possible time to prick Hunter’s temper.
Reaching his SUV, the vehicle Worth drove for everyday use, he dropped into the driver’s seat and slammed the door. Leaving far too much dust in his wake, he backed quickly out of the drive and then accelerated back toward town.
Glad that was over, Hunter turned and Turbo shot past him. It wasn’t Worth’s retreating vehicle that the dog headed for, though. No, Turbo was charging as fast as a chubby basset-beagle hound could go—straight for Jodi’s place. It took Hunter only a glance to realize why.
A man stood just outside the woods, heading toward Jodi’s front porch.
He recognized the build, and the blond hair... Remmy Gardner.
Shit had just gotten real.
Cursing, Hunter stepped back inside to grab his keys and Turbo’s leash, then locked the door and took off in a sprint. As he ran, he dug his cell phone from his pocket and called Jodi.
She answered on the first ring. “I see him.”
“Well, Turbo got loose. He’s headed your way.”
The phone disconnected, and a second later, Jodi stepped out of the house. She held a Glock in one hand, and even from several yards away, Hunter saw her practically vibrating with menace. Striding out to the yard, she said to Remmy, “Not another step,” and then to Turbo, “Come here, buddy.”
Turbo didn’t listen. With his ears flopping and his butt bouncing, he headed straight for Remmy.
Damn it. Hunter called out, “Stop,” and wonder of wonders, Turbo actually obeyed. Sure, he was great at most commands, but that one hadn’t always been successful.
Jodi reached the dog before he did, and she hooked a hand in his collar while glaring at Remmy. “What are you doing here?”
Deadpan, his gaze on Hunter, Remmy said, “Scaring dogs and neighbors, apparently.”
Not in the mood for more bullshit, his temper rapidly fraying, Hunter went past Jodi until he stood mere inches from Remmy. “What,” he snarled low, “are you fucking doing cutting through the woods?”
Remmy sized him up. “I came to visit Jodi, not that it’s any of your business.”
Wrong thing to say to a man on the ragged edge. Hunter took another step until only a breath separated them. “You figured skulking through the woods like a chickenshit was better than driving?”
“You,” Remmy replied evenly, not backing down, “have fucking No Trespassing signs on the only road in here.”
Jodi said, “I ignored those.” Then to Hunter, “Leash?”
He felt a tug and realized he had Turbo’s leash caught tight in his clenched fist. It took a lot of effort, but he got his fingers to loosen.
“There ya go,” she said, as if praising Hunter for his control. “Turbo could use a few reassuring words. Poor boy wore himself out.”
Damn it, he didn’t want to act like a berserker. He stared hard at Remmy until finally the bastard lifted his hands and retreated. “Farther,” Hunter demanded.
With a rough laugh, Remmy took five more steps back. “Now may I live?”
“I’m still undecided.” With the other man far enough away, Hunter gave quick attention to the dog.
Turbo continued to sit obediently, but he was badly huffing, his tongue hanging out and his sides bellowing. “Good boy.” He patted Turbo’s shoulder gently. “Take it easy, now.”
Jodi gave Hunter a long look. “Why don’t you take him inside and get him some water?”
“No, but you should feel free.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’d let the poor dog suffer?”
“Would you?” If she thought for even a single second that he’d leave her alone with that bastard, she obviously didn’t know him at all.
Remmy laughed. “We could all go in—”
Interrupting him, Hunter said, “He’s begging to be flattened.”
“And you’re begging to do it. But,” she stressed, “you will both behave or I’ll start shooting people and then think how upset Turbo will be.”
Ignoring all that, Remmy said low, “I have to talk with you.”
“You saw me in town,” Jodi said dismissively. “Could’ve talked to me then.”
What. The. Fuck. So she and Remmy had visited while she was working? He frowned, which clearly surprised her, but instead of reacting with anger, she gave a small shake of her head.
Her idea of reassurance? It didn’t work. He was still too pissed.
Remmy said, “With half the town watching and listening in? No, not a good idea.” He glanced at Hunter, looked like he didn’t really care if he listened, and said, “I need to talk to you in private.”
Hunter took a step—and Jodi moved in front of him. With her back to Remmy! Did she trust the guy? If so, that’d be too bad, because Hunter didn’t trust him at all.
Putting a hand on his bare chest and smiling up at him, Jodi whispered, “You seriously need to take a chill pill.”
He seriously needed her.
Damn, just having her small, warm palm on his skin left him primed. Last night made him want more. More time with her, more touching her and tasting her.
More trust.
And instead, she’d taken off.
Remmy waited, one brow lifted, arms crossed.
Smug prick. She was right, though. Ripping off Remmy’s head wouldn’t give him any answers. “What are you doing here?” he asked more evenly, which earned him another sweet smile from Jodi and a quick pat on the shoulder.
“It occurs to me that you’re not working for her.” Remmy dropped his arms. “You weren’t with her in town, and the place was a mess. An employee would have been along for the cleanup.”
“We had our own messes here,” Jodi said. “Divide and conquer, you know?”