Scared of love

24

~Kieran's POV~

"That has to be the last." I place the last box of Poppy's belongings in my kitchen and wipe my brow.

"You sure own a lot of stuff don't ya, Darlin'." Laughs Miles and Poppy just smiles.

Miles came over to help us bring up all of Poppy's stuff. It's taken a while, but we now have all her things up here.

"I think I deserve a beer." Mumbles Miles as he makes his way to my fridge. "The only thing Poppy's done is bring Kano upstairs."

We all laugh and I reach for Poppy, holding her in my arms. "Welcome home." I say and kiss her forehead.

"I'm so glad to be here." She says as she holds on to my muscled arm. I'm so happy that she's moved in. I want to find her dirty clothes on my floor and her toothbrush in my bathroom. I love her so much and I want to spend every moment I can with her.

"Just think, Poppy, two weeks and then we'll be off to America." I tell her and Miles raises his bottle.

"To going home!" He cheers on his own and begins to drink again.

"I'm so excited." Poppy smiles broadly then runs off to start putting her clothes away.

I go and at the kitchen table, opposite Miles. "You love her more than anything, don't you?" He asks me.

I nod. "Yes, I do. I know everyone says this, but I feel complete with her." I lean back in my chair.

"I'm glad you found her, you deserve it, buddy." Miles mirrors me, leaning back in his chair. "You haven't had a dog since you lived on the ranch, how does it feel to have one again?" He asks me and I glance at Kano who is lay, chewing on a bone he brought with him.

"I'm happy to have him around. Plus, I couldn't bare to separate the two. He's been with her for years." I explain to him and he nods.

"That's fair enough." Miles nods and finishes his beer. He places it on the table  "You bringing him to the ranch then?"

"What?" I never thought about that.

"The two are attached at the hip so I presumed you'd be bringing him with us since we're going for a month." Miles furrows his eyebrows slightly. "I'm taking Jax."

Jax is Miles' seven year old, long hair border collie. He found him a few years ago at a crime he was called to. Miles pretends he's a rock hard cop, but he can't say no to suffering animals. Jax was found half dead at some run down dog fights and Miles fell in love with him.

"Aunt Carol and Uncle Stefan know Jax though, will they mind if Kano comes to?" Miles shakes his head at that.

"It'll give Jax some company. They can both come along on the overnight cattle drive." He tells me.

"I'll give them a ring later then and double check." To be honest, I don't think that they will mind, it's a large ranch with room for them to play on

"I'd better go home so that I can get ready for work."

I stand up and give him a hug. "Thanks for helping us out today."

"It's not a problem, Mate, I'll see you later."

"See ya."

Poppy comes running out the bedroom. "Thank you, Miles." She smiles warmly at him. I'm glad that she's finally comfortable around him.

"No problem, Darlin'." He smiles at her before turning to leave.

"Bye Miles." We both say in unison and he waves before letting himself out.