How I’d let myself scream so loud because of some tiny animal that it woke up one of the people who hired me is beyond me.

At least I hope it’s only one of the people. If I woke the whole house with my stupid cries, I’ll start looking for ways to subtly disappear.

And not only did I wake him up, I screamed loud enough that he thought I was in danger, which made him come out of his house to check if I was doing all right. When I opened the door to the cabin, I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. Aaron was there, clad in gray sweat pants and a white T-shirt that hugged every single muscle in his chest. It was truly something out of a dream.

The fact that I noticed those muscles is another reason why I needed this morning’s run; what was I doing, ogling his body like that? Something dumb, that’s what. I’ve never had any problem keeping my eyes off men before. I can appreciate good-looking guys, sure, but I never stare at them like a desperate lioness.

It’s those freaking rats’ fault.

Molly’s paws hit the ground at the same pace as mine as we turn around. As much as I’d like to keep running from my problems, both figuratively and literally, I can’t do it forever.

It’s brisk and misty this morning, the cold seeping through my bones. However, there’s nothing like breathing in the pure air of the forest, with its smell of pine and musk. The road I’m on is long enough that for miles there’s nothing around it but trees and sparse, long driveways.

Molly seems to have more energy than ever this morning. We’ve been running for close to an hour, and she’s not showing any signs of fatigue. She probably likes not having to stop at red lights every two minutes.

I tried bringing Maybelle with us once, but she whined as soon as we started, and after five minutes, I had to stop and carry her home because the little miss had decided to stop moving. I’ve learned the hard way that she would much rather sleep in.

My feet too soon lead me back to the farm, where I start slowing down.

“Good girl,” I tell Molly, who snuggles her head against my hand as our jogging turns into a speed walk, her big chest panting almost as fast as mine.

“Hey!” a voice calls behind us as I start climbing the steps to the cabin. A voice I recognize.