He wore a straw cowboy hat, frayed leather work gloves and faded jeans. Period. She suspected cowboy boots completed the outfit, but he stood too close to get a glimpse of his feet. But no shirt--that much was certain.
Christabel drug her gaze from the stranger's rippling abdominal muscles and somehow managed to look him in the eyes, and they were nearly as distracting. A clear, ice blue, twinkling with good humor.
"I'm Declan." He tipped his hat and gave her a wink.
She made every effort to keep her gaze focused on his face ... anywhere but his bare chest. "I'm Christabel."
He took off one of his gloves and scratched the dog on the chin. "Cute Chihuahua. What's her name?"
"Snowdrop." The pup's nose quivered and she licked the tips of his fingers. Christabel had wondered what kind of dog she was. "Do you think she's a Chihuahua?"
"Definitely. See the dome-shaped skull?" He ran his fingers over Snowdrop's forehead, pausing to scratch behind her ears. "A dead giveaway. Is she a rescue dog?"
Christabel's tongue tripped. "Y-you could say that."
"It looks like she's lucky you came along, then." He met her gaze over the top of the dog's head, and she became transfixed by his sapphire eyes. "Snowdrop? Nice name. I suppose that's because she's white like snow."
"Actually, a snowdrop is a type of flower."
"Really? I've never heard of one before."
"They have a unique history--their own mythology."
Declan's brows lifted and he leaned closer, "Do they?"
"Legend says that the snowdrop started as a snowflake that was magically transformed into a flower to comfort Adam and Eve when they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Now they're known as a symbol of hope." Her gaze darted again to his muscled physique. She blushed and looked away, trying to ignore the fact that he stood before her half as naked as Adam himself.
Declan's face grew serious, his voice quiet as a whisper. "What do you hope for, Christabel?"
Hope. The one word held so much weight that her heart raced as she stared into his deep eyes.
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