Page 34 of A Snowy Escape

I’ve got a hell of a crush on him.

* * *

It takes a bit of time, but Echo does eventually warm to Shadow. They take turns chasing each other around the parking lot, and Lawson says Echo’s body language is a good sign.

She seems more confident to me, too, which is a huge relief.

When the three of us, plus the dogs, make it inside, Lawson keeps Shadow on his leash.

“Echo, place,” he says, snapping and pointing at the blanket he laid out for her.

Much to my surprise, she takes off, dragging Luka with her. Once she makes it to the blanket, she lies down.

I follow her over, mostly because I have no idea what else to do with myself.

When I stole her from Tommy, I don’t think I realized just how complicated life can be with such a big dog. He never took her out in public, so I guess it was easier, since she had a yard and never had to interact with random people. At least not outside of the occasional delivery or the very rare night when he had friends or coworkers over.

“Give her some love and go ahead and unclip her,” Lawson says.

I kneel down at the same time Luka squats on Echo’s other side.

I can’t deny it. Lawson’s brother is handsome. Their features are similar enough that it’s easy to tell they’re related. At the same time, Luka has more classic features.

I think.

It’s really hard to tell with how furry Lawson’s face is.

Their eyes are the same rich brown, while their hair and beards are a lighter blondish-brown.

They’re both tall with broad shoulders, but Lawson has a much thicker build than his brother.

The differences don’t end there.

Where Lawson has long curly hair that he occasionally pulls up into a tie, Luka’s hair is short but shaggy. It falls around his face in that messy way some men can pull off where it seems purposeful.

Luka has a short, well-kept beard lining his chiseled jaw. Hell, maybe the brothers share the same jawline.

I have no idea.

It’s impossible to tell with Lawson’s thick beard.

I shake my head and focus on Echo.

Lawson asked me to do something, and I got distracted checking his brother out.

That’s embarrassing.

My fingers dig into Echo’s thick fur as I give her scratches, nuzzling my face to hers. “I’m going to unhook your leash, but that doesn’t mean you can hop up and run laps around the apartment.” She pants heavily, and I chuckle. “Okay, maybe I overestimated your energy level.”

“She’s a beautiful dog,” Luka says, drawing my attention as I unclip her leash from her harness.

His dark eyes sparkle, and it reminds me a lot of the looks Lawson has given me over the last two days.

“Thank you,” I say, smiling. “She’s also a pain in the ass.” I peek over my shoulder to look at Lawson. “Should I leave her harness on in case we need to separate them?”

“You can leave it on for now,” he says, nodding.

I give Echo a final pat and move to stand.