Page 14 of Redeem My Heart

I have to remind myself every other minute that this is all fake and that regardless of how it feels, Dane is not falling in love with me.

True to her word, Daphne picks me up bright and early, but comes equipped with caffeine, so all is forgiven.

Once I’m buckled into her front seat and we’re on our way driving out of town, I ask. “So, what am I taking pictures of today?”

“Firemen.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“Well, and dogs. Firemen and dogs. For a calendar. Fundraiser for Great Dane’s.”

Her words feel like random things from a crossword puzzle, but then everything aligns.

“Does that mean we’re going out there? To Dane’s?”

“Yes.” She glances over at me and gives me a cheeky grin. “That a problem.”

“You are a meddling meddler, Daphne Whitmore.”

“Bates. It’s Daphne Bates now.” She wiggles her wedding ring finger.

“Still a meddler, no matter what your name is.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

chapter

eight

Dane

My sister has taken over my life. I’m grateful, it’s not that I’m not. Her organizing the calendar as a fundraiser is pretty damn brilliant. But I know she’s also matchmaking. Which is why she’s brought Shelby here to play photographer.

“I know what you’re doing,” I tell Daphne as she walks past me into the fenced in area.

“Who me?” she asks with feigned innocence.

“Sunshine,” I say to Shelby. I lean down to kiss her right beneath her ear. She smells so sweet here, I want to nuzzle in, lick the spot to see if she’s sensitive. If she’ll lean closer and moan for more. “Thanks for helping today.”

She looks up at me, her pupils wide, letting me know in no uncertain terms that she is attracted to me. Thank fuck for that. This might have started as pretend, but my desire for her is one hundred percent real.

We’re having an unseasonably hot day, the temperatures heading north of eighty degrees when normally January hovers in the fifties for central Texas. Shelby is looking particularly sexy in her denim cut-off shorts and an Austin Armadillo’s t-shirt. Is she just wearing it or does she actually like football? I make a mental note to ask her later.

She gives me a smile and then follows Daphne further into the outer yard. I had to install a second fence to encircle my property so the dogs can’t escape.

Once I open the second gate and let the girls into that yard, the pups come running. Daphne drops down to the ground.

“Oh my goodness, look at you. Sweet babies,” she coos while the dogs circle around her smelling and licking. She laughs and the sound floods my body like a shot of whiskey. Warm and calming, her happiness soothes me.

Pretty sure that means I am well and truly fucked. But there’s not a damn thing I’m going to do about it.

Daphne organizes all the guys and pairs them up with the dogs that match the month’s theme—whatever that means—and then hands them all a set of matching hats. Hats for them and the dog they’ll be posing with. I guess the point of a fireman calendar is for them to look like firemen, so they’ll be wearing half of their uniform and the hats will represent the month.

She and Shelby confer over the clipboard, glancing up at the line-up of buff, shirtless firemen standing in my yard.

For fuck’s sake.

Finally they get started, and Shelby calls instructions out to the guys as she poses them. Daphne jumps in to help, maneuvering the men’s arms or the direction their faces are turned.