“You’re my favorite niece.”

Starr laughed. “You have to stop saying that. Now you have two.”

“Oh, right. I didn’t think of that. Well, I’m going to say it for a while more and then I’ll just think it.” She kissed Starr’s forehead. “How about pizza for dinner?”

“I’d love that.”

“Me, too. Let’s go pick our toppings.”

Starr crossed to the kitchen drawer with the take-out menus and found the one for pizza.

“Pepperoni for sure,” she said.

“Of course. It wouldn’t be pizza without it. What else?”

Starr tilted her head. “You’re dating Aidan.”

The change in subject surprised Shelby. “We’re not dating. We’re friends.”

“But you’re together all the time and you’re not seeing any other guy. You like him. How is that not dating?”

“It’s hard to explain, I know, but we really are just friends.”

“That’s not what everyone is saying.”

Then everyone was wrong. But she didn’t say that, because the statements were starting to get repetitive. Instead she pointed to the menu.

“Extra cheese.”

Starr grinned. “Absolutely.”

CHAPTER NINE

THE SWING OF the ax followed by the thunk of the blade sinking into wood was satisfying. The crack as the log split. Aidan bent down to grab the split pieces, then he tossed them into the growing pile by the side of the house.

The sun was out, the snow steadily melting as the temperature climbed into the fifties. He’d already hung his coat over the railing. In another half hour or so, he would be rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.

“You could help,” he called to his brother. Nick sat on the porch in one of the big chairs. Charlie was settled in the other man’s lap. Neither of them seem inclined to move.

Nick waved his bottle of beer. “You’ve got it covered, bro. I’d only be in the way.”

“You like watching me work.”

“I’ll admit it’s satisfying.” He rubbed Charlie’s ears. “What were you thinking with this dog?”

“You like Charlie.”

“I do.” Nick took a drink. “He’s not your type.”

“My type is changing. Besides, he’s a good guy.”

Despite his small size, Charlie was turning out to be a great little companion. He was easygoing with just enough quirks to be interesting. When he rode with Aidan in the truck, he not only wanted to be on Aidan’s lap, he wanted to drive. Or at least give directions. At home, he had an internal clock that rivaled anything NASA had developed. If his dinner was even a minute late, he was right there to nudge Aidan into the kitchen.

He enjoyed a good game of tug or ball, an afternoon on the sofa watching sports or going to the office. He did his business outside, waited politely for table scraps and protected the house with a fierce bark.

Nick continued to rub Charlie’s ears. “How many logs are you planning to split today?”

“I’m not sure. How many do you need?”

“Seeing as winter is about over, almost none. But they’ll keep for next year. You go on working through whatever your issues are.”

Aidan grabbed another log. “What makes you think I have issues?”

“You’re here, splitting logs. It’s the kind of thing a man does when he has something to think through.” Nick paused. “Shelby?”

“What? No. Why would I need to think anything about her?”

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch. I was just asking.”