Page 5 of Redeem My Heart

“Language,” Grady barks.

Cain responds with a flip of his middle finger.

“No. Should I have heard of that?”

“Social media sensation,” Jade says. “It’s just Cain chopping wood and working on his furniture pieces (XX - is this what he does?). But he got endorsements and then came the click pays,” Jade says. “It’s been a steady source of income.”

I shake my head. “I’m not following.”

“I think she’s suggesting you have someone film you, or you do it yourself, walking around your property with all the dogs, sans shirt,” Daphne says.

“Shirtless Dog Whisperer,” Sasha suggests.

“I can help,” Daphne says. “I run the social media for many of the shops and restaurants downtown.”

“All you have to do is look hot while taking care of the dogs,” Natalie says. “This is perfect.”

I want to ask more about how to look hot, but I’m thinking this isn’t the right crowd. Unless I want them to give me shit about it for the rest of eternity. My eyes flick to Sugar again and I can’t help but wonder if she thinks I’m attractive.

The minute the thought fully forms, I shut that shit down. I am not that guy. She’s full of innocence and rainbows and I’m practically Oscar the Grouch.

chapter

three

From the Saddle Peek…

It would seem that we have another celebrity in our midst. Dane Whitmore of Great Dane’s Dog Sanctuary has become an overnight social media super star. Known for walking his land in all his shirtless glory, with a massive pack of dogs running behind him, Dane takes in new canines on the regular, giving them a safe place to flourish. While we all know rescuing dogs is a noble endeavor, can we just agree that most of his fans aren’t there for the pups?

chapter

four

Shelby

Three months later…

I take a sip of my hot chocolate, letting the decadent richness coat my tongue. Fridays are my day off from work. And it’s the one day a week I let myself indulge my sweet tooth. So, I have a delicious mug of cocoa and a treat from the coffee shop’s bakery.

For a minute I’m tempted to snap a picture and text it to my mom to see if she’s heard about the new pastry diet. But, let’s face it, she probably wouldn’t get that I’m just messing with her, and then it would be a whole thing. That’s okay. I can appreciate how outrageously funny I am in the privacy of my own mind.

I take a bite of my Nutella filled soft pretzel and close my eyes, enjoying the mixture of sweet and salty.

“Well, I think it’s gross,” a woman’s voice comes from behind me.

“Gross is not the word I would use. More like scrumptious,” another says.

“I’ve heard that Great Dane refers to the size of his… you know,” a third woman adds.

My cheeks heat at just the thought of what they’re discussing.

Dane Whitmore has been a hot topic of conversation around town ever since he started his nonprofit and its accompanying social media presence. I haven’t seen him in person since the night of the Pride, Prejudice, and Poker party.

I’ve seen him around town, sure. I’ve done some low-key stalking on social media, yes. But we haven’t actually spoken.

Which is to be expected, right?

After all, the night of the party, we exchanged only a handful of words. It wasn’t even a conversation. Little more than a sentence or two. It was a non-event.