No Strings Attached

Clara froze mid-step as she caught sight of the man's striking features. "Mr. Brodie? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

Why did Brodie's profile remind her so much of lan's? Not only that, their builds and movements were uncannily similar. She'd mistaken two completely unrelated men for one another. If lan found out, he'd surely be as sour as an overturned jar of pickles.

Brodie offered a gentle curve of his lips. "I've acquired that land. I'm planning to build an eco-friendly farmstead and thought I'd scout the place out."

Clara followed the direction of Brodie's gesture and saw a verdant lake stretching before them.

Nodding in approval, she said, "The lake is surrounded by hills. The environment is really serene, and the water is pristine. You could develop some water attractions. I bet it would be a hit."

Brodie chuckled. "You seem to know quite a bit about development."

"I worked on an eco-estate project with lan once. It's similar to what you have here."

crossed Brodie's eyes, and his voice deepened

proposed to me. We were going to get our marriage certificate the day before yesterday, but Grandpa Reed took a nasty spill, and we couldn't make it." Brodie saw the twinkle in her eyes, like when she was a child and had spotted something she adored. A touch of bitterness flickered across his face, but he managed a small smile. "Clara, if lan's mother had hurt someone you love,

"Does my father's kidnapping have something

a pained empathy. "It might be connected, but we don't have enough evidence

against lan. He's his own man. His mother is a different story." The look in Brodie's eyes intensified further. He wanted to ask her if she would still

between them, which was abruptly shattered when a dark figure leaped out from behind them, lunging at Clara. With quick reflexes, Brodie yanked Clara out of harm's way and landed a kick in the belly of the shadowy figure. Only then did Clara see it was the aggressive stray dog that often roamed the

from the ground and defended them both, keeping Clara safely behind him. After a

tears and shaking, asked, "Brodie,

comfort her as he had when they were younger. "Don't be scared. I've got you," he would have said. But his hand, raised to touch her head, stopped midway and fell back

little girl could never return to how they once were. He forced a smile. "I'm fine. Just got my clothes

is just up ahead. Let me take you there to clean

haven't had dinner yet. You just saved me, so the least I can do is treat you to a