“Feel free to not be rude any time you want.” Violet grabbed the cup with her name on it and took a long drink. “Ah, sweet vanilla, how I needed you.”
Denali pulled a scone out, and her brow wrinkled as she squinted at Sadie. “You weren’t going to tell us about what, exactly? The scones or the entire bag?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sadie spoke around her bite as she licked her fingers.
“Maybe she’s talking about your addiction to these scones.” Aurora pushed up her glasses as she located her cup. “Or she could be referring to that time the mayor brought celebratory cookies, and you hid them in the cupboard with the medical supplies.”
“You guys don’t even like peanut butter cookies.” Sadie sputtered through her giggles, remembering the shocked look on Denali’s face as the Tupperware full of cookies had tumbled from the cabinet.
“No, you keep telling yourself we don’t like peanut butter so you don’t feel guilty eating them all.” Denali waved the last lemon lavender scone in the air. “Kind of like you wanted to hide these gems.”
Sadie lunged for the pastry, but Denali pulled it out of the way. Reggie yipped a joyful bark and circled between them, probably hoping the scone would drop. Bjørn tipped his head back and busted out laughing. All the women froze like they were caribou that just realized a wolf was in their midst. Sadie turned to find him leaning against the counter, his gaze darting between her, Violet, Denali, and Aurora.
“Don’t mind me.” He popped the last of his scone in his mouth.
“Sorry.” Sadie wiped her hands on her jeans. “We sometimes forget not everyone is family around here.”
“Don’t apologize. I have six siblings.” He waved his cup toward them. “All this is like home.”
Six siblings? Were they all overachievers like Bjørn and his pararescueman brother? She pointed to Denali.
“Bjørn, these are my cousins Denali and Aurora, and this cute guy is Reggie.” Sadie bent down to pet Reggie and calm him down. “Denali’s focus is the law enforcement service dogs.”
“And I’m the computer nerd.” Aurora lifted her cup. “I’m totally okay with letting these three do the whole adventure thing.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.” Bjørn gazed around the building. “It’s pretty incredible you’re doing this. Transforming this place couldn’t have been easy.”
Sadie followed his gaze and wondered what he saw. The half-century-old house had taken a lot of elbow grease and paint to make it presentable. They’d ripped out walls to bedrooms to make the main room larger. They’d had to replace all the flooring, so it’d be easy to clean. She loved the bright colors and amazing mural Violet had painted on the wall. This place was home more than her cabin she shared with Denali and her son was, but what did others see when they visited?
“This place is amazing.” Bjørn whistled low. “Did you have to renovate yourself?”
“Yeah, except for the electrical and plumbing.” Sadie toned down her excitement and pride his words had pushed to the surface. “It was a real mess, but we’ve been able to make it work. Would you like a tour? I was about to give the puppies their Super Dog training. You can help if you want.”
Okay, Sadie. Stop talking and let the guy answer.
“Super Dog, huh?” He straightened to follow her. “If you’re teaching them to fly, why do you need me?”
“It’s early cognitive training. I definitely still need you.” Oh, dear Lord. Had she really just said that?
She waved him to follow her as she turned to hide the heat rising up her neck. Violet tucked her head down, her snicker still audible. Violet had caused Sadie’s brain to have this meltdown with her Norse god comments and her suggestion that Sadie and Bjørn would be perfect together. If her sister had kept her mouth shut, Sadie would just view him as another one of the guys.
She peeked back, deciding his profile definitely was Louvre worthy. Plus, he delivered baked goods and coffee on a whim. She turned forward and blew out a breath that caused her lips to flutter together. Who was she kidding? Bjørn Rebel was the epitome of a heartthrob. That didn’t mean she had to act on her attraction, especially if she wanted to keep her own heart safe from snapping like a glacier calving into the ocean.