in his eyes that the moment was anything but casual for him.
Her heart melted at his willingness to be there for Sam. Once again, she tried to focus on the reality of the situation. She and Dylan wanted different things in life and for Magnolia. But when the three of them were together, it felt like they had more in common than what separated them.
Carrie was still learning what it felt like to have things in life that belonged to her, outside of her identity as Niall Reed’s daughter. Her sisters had been a blessing in helping her to achieve that goal, but their lives still seemed to have more than hers.
Avery had only been in town for a couple of months, but already she’d found love with Gray and was making her mark as a small-town marketing whiz. Meredith had always marched to the beat of her own drum, and Carrie couldn’t imagine anything taking precedence over her devotion to the animals she rescued and rehomed.
It had been a decade since Carrie’d had something to call her own. Dylan had been the one thing that felt like hers. Their relationship had made her feel special and seen in a way that still resonated. Obviously, since she couldn’t seem to keep her boundaries in place with him.
They spent almost an hour working on plans for Sam’s planned structure and the timeline for building it. After Sam couldn’t control his yawning any longer, Dylan suggested the boy go to bed and rest after the day he’d had.
To Carrie’s surprise, Sam had given her a quick hug on his way upstairs. He smelled like sweat and soap, and she couldn’t help but grieve for the mother he’d lost.
“He really likes you,” Dylan said when they were alone again in the kitchen. “I haven’t seen him open up to many people the way he does with you.”
“Being nonthreatening is my superpower,” she said, trying not to sound bitter. “I make everyone more comfortable that way.” She laughed softly as Daisy padded over and nudged her knee. “I’ve even won over your dog.”
When Dylan didn’t respond, she glanced up at him. “You can’t be serious,” he told her.
Carrie shrugged and looked away, suddenly self-conscious under the weight of his stare. Daisy trotted out of the kitchen when Sam called her name, her nails clicking on the hardwood stairs.
“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m glad Sam likes me. He’s a great kid with so much potential. If he could only—”
“We’re not talking about Sam.” Dylan took her hand, tugging her closer to him. “For your information, you are a huge threat to me.”
She tried to laugh but it came out sounding like a croak. How was she supposed to think rationally when being near Dylan did this to her? She had a sudden empathy for the tiny moth, drawn to a flame without any hope for survival. That was who she was around this man but couldn’t find the strength to walk away. She craved the nearness of him, the way he added a spark to her life that hadn’t been there before.
“Because I want something different for Magnolia than your grand plan?” She took a cue from Sam and rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t exactly call that a threat.”
“This has nothing to do with the town,” he said, his voice pitch low, humming across her skin like a warm breeze. “You threaten my self-control at every turn. I don’t even know who I am when I’m with you. All I know is I want to be the man you need me to. We both know there’s a strong chance of me failing in that regard.” His gaze intensified on hers until she felt as if she were catching on fire from the inside out. “I don’t like to fail, Carrie, and that makes you my greatest threat.”
She started to answer, having no idea how to respond to that kind of a declaration, when her phone suddenly chirped with a frantic series of text notifications.
Dylan raised a thick brow. “Could it be Randall?”
“I...need to check that,” she said on a rush of breath, trying to ignore the flash of amusement in his gaze.
The texts came from Meredith, to both Carrie and Avery. A puppy mill had been discovered about thirty minutes outside town and her sister needed a recon team.
“I’ve got to go.” She shook her head as she looked at Dylan. “It’s an emergency with Meredith. With the rescue.”
To his credit, he nodded instead