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Ted.”
    “Look who’s talking, Loretta,” Mary shot back with a wink. “You went out with half the football team in high school—all at the same time.” With a snicker and a wink, she elbowed Dash toward the door. “Now get going before those flowers wilt.”
    * * * * *
    Carmen dithered in front of her closet for far longer than she should have. Stupid, really. Since she had real trouble making out patterns or matching things that weren’t solid blocks of color, most of her wardrobe consisted of jeans or denim shorts and simple shirts—solid color scoop-necked Ts for summer and sweaters for winter, with some long-sleeved man-tailored shirts in denim or white for in between. She also had a couple of simple black dresses she mostly wore when visiting her parents in Houston since she couldn’t bring herself to wear jeans to the opera, which was the one passion she shared with her mom. Wearing a dress seemed way over the top though. She finally settled on jeans and a butter-soft T in a bright green that reminded her of Dash’s eyes.
    Silver hoops at her ears and her silver charm bracelet weren’t too much, she decided, and she swiped on a coat of her favorite grapefruit-flavored lip gloss. There. That 24
    Eagle’s Redemption
    would have to do. Makeup was more than she could manage. Leaving her feet bare, she padded downstairs to finish making the salad.
    She popped the bowl back into the fridge to stay cool just seconds before she heard the truck out front. Silver chuffed softly but didn’t bark or move as the doorbell rang, a sure sign that he’d already accepted Dash into his pack. Carmen couldn’t help but grin at the thought as she crossed the room to open the door. Silver was a very discerning judge of character and not usually so accepting of another potential alpha.
    When she opened the door, Dash thrust a large bundle into her arms. “For you.”
    The scent was a dead giveaway, though judging by the size, these had come from a garden rather than the side of the road. Carmen buried her nose in the bluebonnets and inhaled deeply. “Thank you—they’re my favorites. Come on in and have a seat while I get a vase.”
    “How’s the eagle doing?” He stayed in the center of the floor while she got a vase from a cabinet, fortunately with minimal fumbling. Having a near-photographic memory helped her muddle along on her own, but getting things from the back of cupboards was still tricky when she couldn’t see.
    “She’s doing well. I’ll probably let her go day after tomorrow. You can come help me release her if you want.” She filled the vase with water then set it on the counter beside the bundle of flowers, which she unwrapped and carefully lowered into the vase. “Would you like to go see her before we start dinner?”
    “Why don’t I start the grill then we can go out to the barn while it’s heating up?”
    She heard a thunk and realized he’d set a sack of groceries on the counter.
    “Sounds good.” She led him through her living area to the sliding glass doors opening out onto the tiled patio her grandfather had built her. The gas barbecue was bricked into one end of the space, with a tiled counter beside it.
    “Nice,” said Dash, with a distinct note of masculine approval in his voice. “Always wanted a setup like this, but it’s hard when you live in a condo. Might just have to add one on to the line shack.”
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    Cindy Spencer Pape
    Carmen laughed. “Or you could build yourself an actual house, like Leah’s been telling you to. But we had that conversation last night.”
    “We did. And again, maybe eventually I will. For right now though, I’m comfortable where I am.” There was a whoosh as the gas burner lit and then Dash fiddled with the controls before closing the lid. “Now let’s go see the bird.”
    He captured her hand as they walked to the barn, and that small touch sent a tingle all the way to Carmen’s toes. It was going to be a challenge to make it through dinner