California's Calling (Hunt Family Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

she sprang onto her back legs, planting her front paws gently on my shoulders.
    "Tess!" Cub shouted, causing her to instantly put all four legs on the ground again.
    I couldn’t help but laugh. She'd been gentle about it, but she was huge, and her timing was funny.
    "She's such a good girl," I said in a cooing tone as I reached out to put a hand on her head. She tried her best to stay still, but her bottom end wiggled like crazy, making me giggle again.
    "She is a good girl," Mia added, coming to stand beside me so she could pet her as well.
    She used the opportunity to barely step on the edge of my toe. I knew her well enough that she was communicating something, and figured it was the fact that Cub hugged me. I sent a quick eye-roll in her direction, and she smiled.
    "She can't sit still because she's so excited," I said, focusing my attention on Tess again. Her rear end wiggled out of control as a result of the attention.
    I couldn’t help myself; she was so sweet and excited that I had to let her love on me. I sat cross-legged in front of her and patted my thighs, inviting her onto my lap. Without hesitation, she put her front paws right onto my legs, sniffing my chest and neck. I giggled as I took fistfuls of the fur around her neck and rubbed vigorously.
    "You are the best welcoming committee ever!" I said to her in that same baby-talk tone I'd been using.
    "You've got a friend for life," Cub said.
    I glanced up at him to see that he was smiling down at us. "I'll put your bags away," he said. "You can come find your bedroom if she ever lets you up."
    Evan plopped onto one of the couches, and Cub and Mia disappeared down the hallway with our bags.
    "This is nice," Evan whispered when I glanced at him. His facial expression made it obvious that he was surprised—like he thought we'd be staying somewhere with dirt floors. Evan was an avid environmentalist who traveled the world fighting global travesties. I could only imagine some of the places he had slept. He was most likely comfortable on a dirt floor.
    "Can you believe he built it himself ?" he asked, looking around.
    Evan had come from a family of stonemasons and builders. His dad and brother had taken over our grandpa's family business when he passed away. I wasn't sure why he was so impressed. My face must have reflected my confusion.
    "He drew the plans, and then he made them come to life. He's not a contractor who hired an architect, and a plumber, and an electrician, and so forth. He did it all."

 
    Chapter 5
     
     
    I sat on the floor snuggled up with Tess for the next hour or so while Mia and Evan took their showers. We all sat around the living room talking about life and laughing at each other's stories.
    Cub fit in like he was our long-lost cousin. I thought I remembered Rachel saying the boys in our family reminded her of her brother, but it didn't sink in until we were all hanging out together and it seemed like we'd known each other our whole lives. Or maybe Cub was just so down to earth that he could fit in with any family. Either way, we were totally comfortable from the moment we met him.
    The only problem was that Mia had me all messed up with the idea of having a summer camp fling with him. I knew it wasn't going to happen, but her implications made it hard for me to ignore how handsome he was. I was almost mad at her for suggesting it in the first place.
    Thankfully, Cub had no fashion sense at all. I didn't think of myself as a materialistic person, but when you live in Los Angeles and your brother is a movie star, you're exposed to the latest trends and fashions all the time. Cub's clothes weren't last season's; they were more like fifteen years ago, and not in a charming, vintage sort of way. He was fit and devastatingly handsome, but he was overdue for a haircut and his clothes were not flattering at all.
    Please don't judge me for saying that.
    It was the truth, and a truth for which I was grateful. If he had a good haircut and some fitted