Page 4 of Redeem My Heart

Yeah, I probably should not have brought up fucking. I force my gaze away from her.

“What exactly are we supposed to be doing tonight?” I ask.

“Jess called it Pride and Prejudice and Poker,” Grady says.

“I don’t think that’s a thing.”

“If my wife says it’s a thing, it’s a thing.”

“Okay.”

We live in the south where nicknames are not unusual. Still, I want to know why she’s called ‘Sugar.’ Is it because she was such a sweet little girl. Or is it something else? Of course, all I can think of is the sugar that's nestled between her thighs. Fuck, I need to get laid.

“How's the new endeavor with the dogs going?” Grady asks. “Is Liam really shipping them all to you?

I blow out a breath. “Not great. The dogs are being delivered in two days and I still have no idea how I’m going to pay for all of this. Liam is sending all their records and the food supplies that he has, but it won’t last long enough to cover all the expenses.”

“Jess and I could pay⁠—”

I hold a hand up to stop him, already shaking my head. “Absolutely not. I will not ask my sister-in-law to pay for this. Besides, I need a long-term solution to fund this. Liam says there are new dogs nearly every week.”

“What dogs?” Natalie, Linc’s wife asks. She’s perched on her husband’s knee.

That’s when I realize that all eyes are on me.

I clear my throat. “My unit commander started a sanctuary on his land after we all came home the last time.” When the shit hit the proverbial fan and we all came home scarred and a little more mangled than we’d been before.

“A dog sanctuary?” Daphne asks.

“Yes. But Liam has run into a problem with the rights of his land (XX or medical problem) and has to find a new place for the dogs. I offered my land since I’m not exactly doing anything with it.”

“How many dogs are we talking about?” Cain asks.

I scratch the back of my neck. “Thirty-five to start out. The other guys from the unit are dividing up the rest, but I’m the only one with enough space for the bulk of the dogs.”

“Problem is, he doesn’t have the funding for all of this,” Grady interjects.

“I’ll pay,” Jess says cheerfully.

I roll my eyes. “No. I’ll figure something out.”

“You need to file papers to create a non-profit organization first. It will make it easier to solicit donations and then when you do have funds rolling in, you won’t be taxed on them.” This comes from Sugar.

I’m not even gonna lie; her voice has my dick stirring in my jeans. What is it about this woman?

“You should do what Sasha did for her uncle Cain,” my niece Taylor says around a mouthful of macaroni and cheese.

“Oh yeah, we made loads of money,” Sasha agrees.

“Girls, I really don’t think—” Cain starts, but his wife puts a hand on his arm.

“That’s actually not a bad idea.”

“I have no clue what y’all are talking about,” I admit.

“Ever hear of the Shirtless Lumbersnack?” Jade asks.

“For fuck’s sake,” Cain mutters.