I woke up to slobbery licks slapping across my face.
“Ewww, yuck! Houston!!! Did ya have to do that?? Huh?” I scowled, throwing the covers off of me and stretching.
I walked into the kitchen and fixed my usual English muffin and grape jelly for breakfast. I took it outside onto the deck to eat.
“Yeah, man, that’s good. Thanks!” a male voice yelled.
I glanced up from my cup of coffee and looked over at my new neighbor or neighbors…I wasn’t sure which yet.
I saw a green jeep pull out of the driveway and drive down the road, leaving another guy standing there with lots of boxes at his doorstep. It was daylight, so I could tell that the guy was tall and had blonde hair, but that was about it…
An idea struck me…
I ran into my room and changed into a pair of blue jean cutoffs and a white scoop neck t-shirt and a pair of Keds.
“C’mon Houston, ya ready? Let’s go!” I called, putting a leash around his neck and jogging down my driveway.
We were walking in front of my neighbor’s house and since I was a bit shy, it’s not like I was going to just walk right up to him and say hello. I looked over there and watched him steadily unpack the immense pile of boxes. He stood up to wipe the sweat from his brow when he spotted us.
“Hi!” he yelled, tossing up his arm.
“Hey!” I called back, softly.
Houston started to wander over there.
“No! Houston, no, no…” I tugged on the leash, silently praying I could just disappear.
“No, no…it’s all right. I love puppies. In fact, I can’t seem to find mine anywhere since I’ve moved!” the guy called, walking closer.
“Yeah, well, he’s not mine…” I said, totally giving up on keeping Houston away from my new neighbor.
“Ohmy…” the guy started, staring at Houston.
“Wha??” I began, raising at eyebrow.
“Houston?! Is that you??” he exclaimed, bending down and picking up the puppy that was attached to the leash I was holding.
“Is he your dog?? Your initials are N.C.?” I asked, releasing the leash from my firm grasp.
“Yeah, yeah, he is! I mean, yeah, those are my initials! Where did you find him?” he asked, squeezing him puppy around the neck.
I laughed at the sight, “Well, actually, I sorta ran into him…” I explained, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“You ran into him?? As in, your car?” the guy exclaimed, widening his ocean blue eyes.
“Yeah, but I uh…took him to the vet and he should be fine. His leg is a big sore, so ya might wanna be a bit careful,” I explained.
“Thank you for taking him to the doctor. I probably wouldn’t have seen him again if you hadn’t ran into him!” the guy laughed a bit.
“Well, you’re welcome. I enjoyed having him around,” I smiled.
“Oh, yeah…hi, I’m Nick Carter,” he smiled holding out his hand.
I slipped my hand into his, “Hi, I’m Kelly McKenzie. Nice to meet you.”
Nick Carter…that name sounded very familiar and so did his face.
“I guess I’m your new neighbor,” he said, sheepishly.
“New? Yeah…you’re also my only neighbor!” I laughed a bit.
We stood there for a moment looking each other over. There seem to be an attraction between us, but we were both very hesitate about it. I looked at the tall figure in front of me clad in a pair of navy blue break away pants and a white tank top.
“Well, I guess I should get back to unpacking my things,” he injected.
“Oh yep, yeah, sure. Nice running into you and your dog!” I attempted a crack at a joke.
“Yup, see ya!” he smiled and turned away.
I walked slowly back to my house. Nice running into you and your dog?! What in the world was I thinking!! I turned back around to get in one last look before I left. He was looking….
I threw up my hand and waved to him and he returned my gesture, but then of all things….I trip over a rock!
“Ouch!” I yelled.
“Hey, are you okay?” he yelled, jogging over to me.
My face I knew was the deepest shade of red possible. “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks,” I smiled as he helped me up.
He couldn’t repress his laughter.
“I’m sorry…it’s just one second I looked up and you were waving and the next you’re on the ground!” he defended himself, still chuckling.
I gave him a look and brushed off my clothes.
“Sorry, really. You sure you’re all right?” he asked, suddenly becoming very concerned.
“Yep, I’m fine. Thanks! My ankle hurts pretty bad,” I said limping toward my house.
“Maybe you sprained it. Here, let me see…” he bent down and rubbed his hand over my ankle that was now turning various shades of blue and purple.
“That doesn’t look good. Come inside and I’ll put some ice on it,” he ordered, standing back up.
“No, no…it’s fine. I can just go back to my house. I mean, you’ve got plenty to do as it is,” I refused.
“Nope…come on!” Nick resumed, placing his arm around my shoulder for support as I began limping toward his house.
“That looks pretty painful. Would you mind if I just carried you?” he suggested, stopping between my house and his.
I gave him a once over and silently agreed.
“Alright, just put your arms around my neck,” he said as he gently lifted me off of the ground and carried me into his house.
