Bachelor Swap by Lacey Black (best fiction novels .TXT) 📕

all. Instead, I give her a piece of the truth. The part where I was home, trying to figure out whether or not to tell her the truth or just cut my losses, like my brother suggested.

The truth is, I can’t.

I can’t walk away from her.

Not yet.

Not until I’ve laid all the cards out on the table.

Then, we’ll see how they fall.

I’m just praying they don’t fall, if you know what I mean.

Kyla shrugs and averts her eyes. “It’s okay.”

I reach over, the dog in my lap thinking it’s time to play. She’s sadly disappointed when my hand gently grips Kyla’s chin, and not hers. “Hey, it’s not okay. I’m truly sorry.”

She meets my gaze, her eyes relaxing and somewhat smiling. “I understand being busy. Are you still able to go tomorrow night?” she asks, referring to the charity gala.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I reply honestly, reaching for her hand and bringing it to my lips.

We sit there for another fifteen minutes, playing with the dog. Kyla fills me in on her dinner with Amalee, and I realize I’m excited to meet her friend. She’s attending the event tomorrow night, as is Kyla’s father and a few of his employees. Now that one, I’m slightly nervous about. I haven’t met the family of someone I’ve been dating since I was twenty-two and that dad hated me on sight.

Probably because he knew I was planning on sleeping with his daughter later that night.

“So, do you have plans for tonight?” I ask, tossing the ball for Hattie to retrieve.

“No.”

“How about dinner at my place? We can order something from that bistro down the block.”

“Sounds good. No, Hattie, bring me the ball. Bring it back.”

I’m grinning, watching as Kyla tries to persuade the ball from the dog. After a few more tosses, we start to gather up the toys strewn across the penned yard. “I need to put her back in her kennel,” Kyla says, scooping up the dog.

“Do you have to?” I ask, realizing how much I like the small terrier dog.

She laughs. “Yeah, I do. We can’t leave the dogs out in the yard unattended, especially overnight.”

A weird sadness seep into my bones. The thought of Hattie being put back in a cage until she’s adopted doesn’t sit right with me. Actually, I can picture her running around my ranch in Montana. She’s got enough spunk, I’m sure she’d have no problems with the cattle. She’d probably be the boss.

I follow behind as she leashes Hattie and takes her back inside. I spy several dogs and cats, all eager to have a little attention sent their way. I reach fingers through the kennels of the dogs around Hattie, but I find myself gravitating toward the small dog I’ve just spent the last half hour with. She gives me a look, conveying her dejection at being put back in the kennel, which rips at my heart.

I want her.

“What’s your process for adopting one of the animals?” I ask offhandedly, though I’m as serious as a heart attack.

“Well, they’d have to fill out an application and pay a small fee to adopt. Some dog breed adoptions require a home visit, just to see the space a dog would be living in. There would be a meeting in one of the family rooms to make sure the dog and the family jibe. As long as everything on the application checks out and Edith approves, then the family would take the dog or cat home, usually within twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”

Kyla makes sure Hattie is secured and her water bowl full, before turning toward the double doors that lead to the front of the shelter. I follow behind, taking one last look at Hattie before I go. The dog lies down on her bed and sighs so loudly I can hear it all the way over here.

“Interesting,” I reply, stepping out of the large back area and into the front room.

Kyla heads over to the volunteer at the front desk and fills out a checklist for taking care of the dogs before turning back to me and asking, “You ready?”

I almost ask for an application. Why? I’m not sure. I’m leaving Sunday on a flight back home, and it’s not like I can leave a dog with my brother.

Sighing, I reach for her hand. “Ready.” As we step out into the gorgeous Boston late afternoon sunshine, I push all thoughts of Hattie and how much I’d like to take her home with me out of my mind. “Want to follow me to my place?”

Kyla hesitates. “Umm, actually, I wouldn’t mind stopping by my place to take a quick shower. I love being with the cats and dogs all afternoon but feel like I’m covered in an inch of hair and slobber.”

Before I can even think about my words, I’m saying, “You could take a shower at my place.”

She seems surprised by my suggestion. Probably because she doesn’t have clothes or any of her own things at my brother’s apartment. A big part of me wishes it was actually my house she was coming back to, where there might be a drawer or two with her personal effects stored inside.

Jesus, I’ve only known her a few weeks. How can I possibly be thinking of sharing a living space with her? I casually dated Janea two years ago for almost a year and the thought of moving in together never even crossed my mind. Never. But here I am, ready to clear out space in my dresser for Kyla.

Talk about putting the cart before the horse. The big secret still looms over my head. The last thing I should be thinking about is taking this to the next level with her. Instead, I should focus on coming clean this weekend after the gala. My plan is to bring her back to my brother’s place and tell her all about the deal I struck with Matthew.

Money be damned.

I’d rather lose my ranch than lose her.