Page 94 of Unseen Danger
“Great idea.” Bris nodded.
Jazz nudged Nevaeh’s elbow. “Hey.” She lowered her voice to a whisper as she leaned close. “You aren’t going to swoon, are you?”
Nevaeh shook her head.
But then Branson followed Cora into the room. He stopped by Phoenix, and she said something to him.
Nevaeh couldn’t hear that or anything else. Her pulse pounded too loudly in her ears.
He looked her way, and a smile curved his mouth, brightening his blue eyes.
Goodness. She just might swoon after all.
If Branson’s heart thumped any harder against his ribs, the whole Phoenix K-9 team might hear it.
“Branson?” Cora’s soft voice drew his attention reluctantly away from Nevaeh, probably just in time before his enjoyment in looking at her was too obvious. “You can sit there, if you like.” She gestured to the empty cushion on the love seat next to Bristol Jones.
The furniture was oversized, so that would work. Better than one of the armchairs that looked like they were sized for women, not a full-grown man.
“Thanks.” He walked over to sit where she indicated, bumping into the too-close coffee table. Talk about being the proverbial bull in a China shop.
Two, then three dogs crowded around him, somehow fitting between the furniture better than he had.
He petted the head of the black Lab, the most exuberant of the bunch. “Toby, right?” He glanced up, and Bristol nodded. “Jana I just met out front.” He stroked the golden retriever’s ears. “And…,” he gave the striking German shepherd a scratch under the chin, “starts with an r?”
“Raksa.” Sofia gave him a smile.
His gaze immediately drifted across the way to the person he’d most like to see a smile from.
Nevaeh’s widened eyes darted away. She wasn’t back to being nervous around him, was she? Even after what had happened yesterday?
He nodded at Jazz and returned the beaming, maybe somewhat amused smile she gave him. What would it be like to sit where she was, right next to Nevaeh?
The woman somehow grew more stunning every time he saw her. The red sweater she wore this morning complimented her skin and lips.
A small dog he’d never seen before sat on her lap. He nodded toward the cute mix. “Who’s your friend?”
Nevaeh’s eyebrows lifted as if she was surprised he spoke to her. Why that would be surprising, he didn’t know. They’d just held hands yesterday.
“Cannenta.”
He smiled at the dog who watched him with soft, amber-colored eyes. “Nice to meet you, Cannenta.”
“Do you know everyone else here?” Cora’s voice carried the smile she wore.
He glanced around the room. “I think so. Except for the Newfoundland there.” He grinned at the chocolate-colored, rug-like dog sprawled on the end of the sofa by Jazz.
“That’s Gaston. He’s very at home here.” Sofia’s deadpan brought a grin to Branson’s face.
“I can see that.” He also spotted the hint of a smile that angled Nevaeh’s lips. His pulse skipped a beat in response. What could he do to generate a real smile from her?
“We were about to begin our debrief of yesterday’s events.” Phoenix’s serious tone brought him back down to earth. And to the reason she’d invited him here.
Cora went to a large whiteboard on wheels at the far side of the room and pulled it around the sofa, parking it in front of what looked like a snack table. “Oh, may I offer you some coffee, Branson?”
He shook his head. “No, thanks.” Never wanted to be dependent on caffeine to wake up in the morning.
The board featured a sketch on the far left side drawn in black marker. Looked like a visual representation of the attack that had resulted in Nevaeh being kidnapped.