After Love (8 page)

Nick knew his grandmother, who had been an opening act for many famous musicians back in the day, still loved to drop in on bars and restaurants when her old friends were playing there. And they usually invited her onstage to jam with them. But to him she was just his grammy, and it seemed odd to hear a stranger rave about her. “I've never seen her perform,” he admitted.

“Shame on you, young man. You're missing out on a real talent,” Casey declared.

“Whoa.” Nick held up his hands. “I promise to check it out.”

Casey picked up a couple of menus. “For a minute there, I thought you'd brought this young man here for me. But you two look good together.” She laughed out loud. “Out on the deck?”

“That'd be fine,” Jamie said as she followed Casey outside near a small pond at the back of the building.

“You know the specials as well as I do. Two iced teas?” Casey asked.

“Thanks, that sounds good.”

Casey placed the menus on a table, then left to get their drinks.

“Make sure Harley is parked out of the aisle,” Jamie told Nick.

“Yes, ma'am.” He coaxed Harley to a spot between him and the outside stone wall. “So you're the matchmaker around here?”

Jamie scooted her chair closer to the table. “I fixed her up with someone a long time ago, and for a while it was going great. But the guy turned out to be a bastard, and she had to get a restraining order.”

“Bad background check?”

“Didn't do one. He worked for me for a while, and he seemed like a good guy. Then bang!” Jamie snapped her fingers to add emphasis.

“You were lucky he didn't hurt you.”

She winked. “I'm a Texas woman. We don't run…we reload.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” Nick opened the menu, but nothing looked as good as the day's special. Nick thought it was a good time to return to the subject that he couldn't seem to get off his mind. “Who is Jared?”

Jamie looked at him. “Why are you so insistent on finding out?”

Nick wasn't quite sure, but it was burning inside of him. Was Jared her lover? He didn't appear to be working with the dogs, but he was quite at home there. “Just curious.”

“Hmm…”

“Here's your drinks.” Casey returned and placed a sweating glass of iced tea in front of each of them and handed Nick a bowl of water for Harley. “Ready to order?”

“I'll take the roast beef sandwich with the smashed potatoes,” Jamie answered.

“Harley?” Casey smiled.

“Same.” Nick laughed. “And an extra plate for the dog.” He bent down and set the bowl of water on the floor next to Harley, who immediately started lapping it up.

Casey nodded and walked away.

“How's he doing?” Jamie asked. Harley was halfway under the table, so she couldn't get a good look at him.

Nick glanced at Harley, who was facing out, keeping an eye on the crowd. His chin was resting on his paws, but his ears were pointed and alert. “Does he ever relax?”

“Service dogs are constantly on duty when you're in public. It's a natural instinct to protect their masters. Once he gets used to your home and knows when you're not stressed, he'll relax.”

“So, again I ask, who's Jared?”

“If you must know…he's my brother. He and his dog lost limbs in Afghanistan. When he came home, he was in pretty bad shape. It took me months to track down his dog and get him over here, but Bobo has been the best medicine Jared could have gotten. Jared handles the marketing and is a liaison with the soldiers, and I handle the other customers and the dogs. He's much better at math than I am, so he also does light bookkeeping.”

“He gets around pretty good.”

“It's been a little over a year. He got fitted for his artificial legs right after the injury, but it's taken him a while to accept them. Still goes to therapy once a week and to local veterans' groups several times a month.”

“It's a tough war. I'll bet you're glad he's home.”

“I am.” She added sweetener to her tea and took a drink. Over the rim of her glass, she studied him. After putting her glass back down, she asked, “Did you think he was my boyfriend or something?”

Busted
. Nick busied himself by dumping several packets of raw sugar into his tea to buy a little time. “Actually, yeah.”

“Here you go, guys.” Casey set down Jamie's plate, then Nick's, along with a small empty plate. “Everything else okay for now?”

Nick nodded and Jamie confirmed. “We're good.”

Nick cut off a piece of roast beef, put it on Harley's plate, and set it on the floor before he charged into his sandwich, partially appetite driven but mostly to stall the progress of their conversation. The tactic worked, as Jamie also focused on her food. When their plates were empty, Casey magically appeared.

“Y'all are going to want a piece of our famous sorghum cake, aren't you?”

“Never heard of it,” Nick told her. “I'm not much of a dessert guy.”

Casey brushed off his objection. “Everybody likes our sorghum cake. Cowboys used to come here first thing after a long cattle drive. After going without fresh butter and eggs for months, our cake was a welcome reward.”

“I'd have gone for a shower and a bottle of whiskey,” Nick commented.

Casey turned to Jamie. “Where'd you find this guy?”

Jamie chuckled. “The dogs dragged him in.”

“Okay, I give up.” Nick leaned back in his chair in defeat. “Bring me a piece of sorghum cake.”

“I'll take one too,” Jamie said.

Casey smiled. “Good. I knew you would.”

After she left, Nick leaned toward Jamie. “That was kind of a hard sell. I think I'll hire her to negotiate my next raise.”

“That's just Casey. She's worked here forever.”

“What exactly did I just order?”

“It's kind of like a spice cake with lots of butter and sugar. Sorghum molasses has a thinner consistency and a slightly more sour taste than molasses. It's used more for cooking than sweetening.”

“You do a lot of gourmet cooking out on the farm?”

Jamie wiped her mouth and set the napkin down. “I used to, but not so much anymore. There's just Jared and me, and he's out with his buddies several nights a week.”

“Ever get to Austin?” he asked.

“You know their motto…
Keep Austin weird.
I'm not much for bars and the crowds on Sixth Street.”

“It's getting worse all the time,” Nick admitted.

“I'd rather hang out closer to home. The farm keeps me busy. I don't have a contract, but I'm on the bidder list for the federal government and for Texas, so I have steady income. And lately more private citizens are buying service dogs, but I'm leery of selling to people I don't know.”

Nick could understand her concern. These were highly trained, serious-minded dogs. Sure, they would fit in with a family, but, as Jamie had hammered into him already, they weren't casual pets.

“That's why I'm such a hard-ass, you know,” she added.

“It's one of your most endearing features.” Nick leaned over and stared pointedly at her ass.

She flushed and her long, thick, dark lashes swept down in an unusual show of shyness.

She clearly didn't hear compliments very often…even clumsy ones like his. Nick felt an odd twist in his heart. This woman was beautiful, intelligent, and competent. She deserved to have more people point that out. Nick felt bad that his comment had been about her ass when there were so many other excellent qualities he could have complimented.

But then, her ass was an impressive asset.

Casey carried two pieces of cake and placed them, with great flourish, in front of Jamie and Nick. “Enjoy!”

Reluctantly Nick picked up his fork and took a taste. Then another, bigger bite…and another, until the entire portion disappeared.

Jamie kept up with him, finally putting her fork on her empty plate. “You didn't like it, huh?”

Nick grinned. “Okay, I admit it was pretty good.”

Casey returned with their check. She noticed Nick's empty plate and gave him a knowing smile, but didn't rub it in. “Anything else?”

“Maybe a dog bone?” Nick said.

Casey reached into her apron pocket, pulled out a medium-size dog bone for Harley, and set it on the table on top of their check.

Nick grabbed the check before Jamie could take it and passed the bone down to Harley. He had also sneaked pieces of roast beef down to the dog, who had accepted them eagerly. Jamie had mentioned that she didn't feed her dogs table scraps, but Nick thought it was a quick way to the dog's heart and knew it was a rule that would get broken often. But it wasn't the hill he wanted to die on with Jamie, so he'd done it secretly.

They walked out to Nick's truck, full and content. It was almost two o'clock, and as much as he hated it, he knew today's lesson was about to be cut short.

Nick pulled into the end parking place in front of Jamie's house and turned the motor off.

“Are you staying…for the afternoon, I mean?” Jamie asked.

The fact that she hadn't bolted from the truck, and the tone of her voice, told him more than her words. And fuck…he really wanted to stay, but…

“I've got a three o'clock meeting with the DA that I can't miss. Same time tomorrow?”

She turned away, but he caught a hint of disappointment. “I have a training session every Saturday morning. Can you make it around two?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Jamie got out and opened the back door. “Harley, sit. Good boy. Harley, down.” The dog hopped down and followed Jamie around the front of the vehicle. She paused at the gate. “Thanks for lunch.”

“Thank Bobbi.” He knew he should go, but his fingers didn't move to turn the key. Instead he soaked in the dazzling sight of her hair glowing reddish gold in the sunshine, the breeze lifting the straight strands to swirl around her face. He realized, for the first time, that she had dressed up for the day, with a soft cotton red peasant blouse showing off her toned shoulders and white shorts that made her tanned legs look a mile long. He tore his gaze away just enough to see the time was 2:20. If he left now, he'd have to drive like a maniac to get downtown on time.

Shit, shit, shit…He could blow Bobbi off, but the DA wouldn't be amused. And since Nick already had a strike…or two…against him, he really had no choice. He turned the key and the engine roared to life. He headed down the gravel drive without looking in the rearview mirror. Hell, he was only human.

Jeez! What was it about Nick that made her feel like she was in junior high school with her first crush? His devil-may-care attitude and wry humor kept her amused even though she tried not to show it. She didn't want him to get the wrong impression.

But then, exactly what was the right impression? She was so confused. Nick was the most inappropriate man she had ever met. But when she saw him with Harley, there was a tenderness that he didn't show to people. When he talked to the dog, his face got softer and relaxed as he smiled. What had happened to him to make him feel like he needed that steel wall around him?

He'd mentioned his wife had cheated on him, which had to affect his attitude toward women and marriage. And she knew from Bobbi that he had been a decorated Marine Raider before becoming a DEA undercover agent. That had to do some major damage emotionally. Outwardly he was the most independent man she'd ever met, but as she spent more time with him, she was starting to see a wounded hero buried deep under that rugged exterior.

She didn't want to care about him. Life was so much simpler when she only had to worry about her dogs and her brother. But she couldn't help but like Nick. He was an accomplished flirt, and it felt damn good to have someone act like she was pretty and interesting again. She wasn't sure of his sincerity, and yet he didn't strike her as a man who lied or played games when he wasn't on a job.

Unfortunately, Jamie didn't have time to take in another stray and try to fix him. But just because she didn't want to keep him didn't mean she didn't want to see if he was as hot as he looked. She couldn't ignore the little twitter her heart made every time she saw him or the swirl of excitement that felt like her vagina was melting whenever he gave her that sexy crooked grin or called her
darlin'
. Sure, he probably called every woman
darlin',
but damn, it sounded good to her starving ears.

He seemed to be attracted to her, at least physically, and she was definitely turned on by him. But after he picked up Harley tomorrow, she would probably never see him again. So what did she have to lose by suggesting the friends-with-benefits plan? He could say no and be on his way. Or he could say yes and scratch the itch that was building inside her. No dates. No flowers. No promises. No expectations. Just good old-fashioned sex. Probably once would do it for another three years. Or maybe twice, but then she could forget him, and he could go on risking his life alone.

It was a crazy idea. But she shivered with excitement at the thought that he might actually take her up on it. If he laughed at her, she would be humiliated, but that would show her he was not the man she wanted to sleep with, which would serve the purpose of getting him out of her mind. Either way, tomorrow night she was going to get screwed.

The meeting had gone as well as could be expected. The DA chewed Nick's ass while Bobbi sat back and let him. Sure, Nick deserved it, but it was hard to take, especially when his mind was about twenty-five miles away.

Nick licked his wounds on his favorite barstool at the Jackalope. It was Friday night, and the bar was busy, but mostly with tourists and families. A few students filtered in and out, although certainly not in the volume of the fall session. Nick kept a wary eye out, but families, for the most part, were noisy and boring. The worst crime he witnessed was a husband making a bold grab at Gina's ass when his wife was looking in the opposite direction.

“Want me to shoot him?” Nick asked Gina when she returned behind the bar.

“Wait till I see what kind of tip he leaves. If it's less than twenty percent, I'll let you know.”

She put a fresh beer in front of him and took his empty mug away.

“Hey, I've been meaning to ask you…what's the house's policy on dogs?” he asked.

“We don't discriminate. We serve everyone.” As usual, she never stopped moving as they talked. She put the glasses and mugs in the glass washer, wiped the counter, and made four drinks while Nick watched.

“No, I mean a real four-legged dog.”

“We're fine with them as long as you clean up after them.” Gina shrugged. “Dogs make less mess than drunks. I can't tell you how much puke and piss I've cleaned up.”

“They don't pay you enough.”

“Damn straight, they don't. But you're giving me a great tip tonight.”

He leaned across the bar. “Here's a great tip: find a better job.”

“And leave all this?” she snorted with a laugh.

Gina hurried off to take care of another customer. Nick finished his beer and pushed away from the bar. It had been a crazy, busy week, and the lack of sleep was catching up with him. Besides, all he could think about was how many hours it was until he could go back to Woof Gang and see Jamie…and, of course, Harley.

After a leisurely breakfast, Nick made a much-needed but always-dreaded grocery run. He cleared a corner in the small living area of his townhouse and placed Harley's bed in the space. There was a plastic container for the food in the kitchen and a basket next to the dog's bed for Harley's toys. Nick tidied the house and did his laundry, making sure his shoes were all shut inside his closet in case Harley felt a craving for leather.

Finally Nick looked around and felt satisfied that even Jamie's very critical eye wouldn't find fault. He took a quick shower, shaved, and dressed in clean jeans and a dark blue button-down, collared, short-sleeve shirt. He coaxed his dark hair into submission and headed out the door.

He realized he was whistling as he drove west on Highway 290. The trip was slower because he hit the Saturday-afternoon traffic. Locals were out enjoying their weekend shopping, and tourists were flocking to the Hill Country. After spending some time in Denver, which stood in the shadow of the majestic Rocky Mountains, Nick had to admit that the Hill Country was pretty anticlimactic. But unlike Denver, this area of Texas was lush and green, with fields of colorful wildflowers and grazing longhorns.

The parking area in front of Jamie's house was full. About a dozen men and women sat on folding chairs that were arranged in a circle on the front lawn. Almost all of them had dogs sitting by their sides. Jamie and Jared were part of the group, apparently leading a discussion. Nick knew he was a little early, so he rolled the windows down on his truck and waited. He glanced at the cars and trucks around him and noted bumper stickers representing all four branches of the military, which meant that everyone was probably a veteran. A closer look revealed that many of the vets had artificial limbs.

He'd spent several tours in the sandbox himself, but luckily he'd come home with all his body parts. He couldn't imagine what these brave warriors were going through, trying to adapt to a new normal.

As he watched, the men and women stood, some struggling on their new legs, and yelled, “Semper Fi!” There was an exchange of hugs, backslaps, fist bumps, and handshakes. Gradually everyone made their way to their vehicles.

“We're heading to the VFW Hall for some beer and barbecue,” one of the vets called out. “Come with us.”

“I've got to take care of the dogs.” Jamie nudged Jared. “You should go. I can handle this.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yeah, go. Have fun,” she encouraged.

He hobbled after the group, his three-legged dog hopping along behind. It took several minutes for everyone to get their dogs loaded and get inside their vehicles, but eventually they were lost in a cloud of dust on the gravel driveway.

Jamie stood at the gate. “Are you going to sit in your truck all day?”

Nick unfolded his long legs out of the cab and walked toward her. “Looks like a nice group.”

“You should have joined us.”

“I'm not much of a joiner.”

“I've heard that a lot from vets. But the best thing is for them to get out of their houses and mix it up with some guys and gals who understand what they're going through.”

Nick reached the gate and swung it open for her. “Sounds like you could take a dose of your own medicine. How often have you gotten out there and
mixed it up
since your husband died?”

“This is not about me.” She spun around and headed toward the kennels, leaving Nick with no option except to follow.

Harley was not a demonstrative dog, as a rule. He tried to be cool, but his wagging tail revealed his pleasure at seeing Nick.

Nick squatted down and gave the dog a vigorous head rub, which Harley adored. There was a bounce to his step as he followed his new person to the arena.

“I've been working with him on his drug scents, and he's got a great nose,” Jamie assured Nick. “Have you ever worked with a drug dog before?”

“No, but I've seen them work. Several agents in my department have them.”

“Good, then this won't all be new for you. You probably already know this, but for the dogs it's not about the drugs, it's about getting to play and being rewarded.” She took a white towel out of her pocket and handed it to Nick. “I've hidden several different drug-scented items around this kennel and outside. You're going to give him the scent, and when he finds it, you're going to give him the white towel and let him play with it. Got it?”

Nick would never have admitted it, but this was pretty cool. “Sure. Let's do it.” He tucked the white towel in his back pocket.

Jamie pulled a small pouch made of cloth out of a plastic bag and handed it to Nick. “Let him get a good scent, then tell him, ‘Harley, seek.' He's going to take off, so be prepared, and hang on to the leash.”

Nick nodded and leaned down so he could hold the pouch where Harley could check it out. The dog's ears were so perked that their tips almost touched. His tail swung back and forth and his shiny black nose twitched as he sucked in the scent. When he lifted his head and started sniffing the air, Nick knew the dog was ready to go.

“Harley, seek,” Nick commanded in a firm tone.

The dog went from zero to twenty miles per hour in two seconds. The leash jerked tight and Nick had to scramble not to be pulled off his feet. Harley pulled him down the hallway and outside. He didn't slow down until he reached the big old oak tree in the front yard. Without hesitation, he stood on his hind legs while clawing at the bark on the tree and staring at a low branch with fierce intensity.

Nick looked back at Jamie, who had just caught up with them. “Is he right?”

She pulled a chair over, stood on it, and pulled out another small pouch that had not been visible. “He got it. Now reward him.”

Harley's tongue hung outside his mouth, and his eyes sparkled as he looked from Jamie to Nick expectantly. Nick removed the towel and held it out. Harley grabbed it and shook his head violently as if he were trying to kill it. When he was sure it was dead, he pushed it against Nick's hand in an invitation to play tug-of-war. Nick obliged, and even though he outweighed the dog by at least eighty pounds, Harley was able to drag Nick forward. “Good boy, Harley.”

“That was an aggressive alert. You'll also see him do a passive alert, where he simply sits and stares at an object. Either alert is a really good sign that something questionable is there, and you should always check it out. He expects you to follow through on what he found and praise him.” Jamie tucked the pouch in the plastic bag with the other similar one. “Ready for the next one?”

They continued the game for three more scents, including one of the loosies Nick had brought to her. Harley performed like a champ, but after four he was clearly getting tired.

“That was pushing it,” Jamie said. “He won't usually have that many different scents in a day, but I wanted to test him…and you.” She flashed Nick a pleased smile. “And you both passed with flying colors.”

“Does that mean we're graduating?” While he was excited at the prospect of working with Harley on the streets, no more lessons meant no more time with Jamie.

Jamie nodded. “Congratulations. You can arrange to take the official field test whenever you have time.”

But there was less enthusiasm in her voice than he would have expected. Maybe she always felt sadness when one of her dogs left. But he hoped it was that she, like him, didn't want these sessions to end. He was about to suggest they go out and get dinner when Jamie spoke up.

“I have some lasagna in the freezer and a loaf of Italian bread. Jared's going to be out late, so I'd just be eating alone….” She looked down at the ground and shuffled her cowboy boots in the dust. “It's Saturday….Of course, you probably have plans….”

Nick stepped closer and hooked his finger under her chin, lifting it until she was forced to look into his eyes. “I was hoping you'd ask. I love lasagna.”

Nervously the tip of her tongue moistened her top lip, completely unaware of the reaction the act had on Nick. Hell with the lasagna. He wanted to taste Jamie, to kiss those lips and strip her clothes off piece by piece, savoring every revelation of bare flesh.

He must have telegraphed his feelings to her because her attitude changed. She studied him with a curious expression that he couldn't identify.

“Let's go inside. I'm starving.” Jamie unclipped Harley's leash. “Harley, go pee.”

The dog trotted around the yard, his nose to the ground as he searched for the perfect spot. When he found it, he squatted and did his business.

Nick was horrified. “What the fuck? He pees like a girl.”

“That's because he's been trained not to lift his leg. Service dogs can't go around tinkling on posts and furniture.”

“Are you kidding?”

“No, it's to help make them more socially acceptable in public situations.”

As Nick considered her answer, he could see the logic in it. But it was emasculating, and he felt sorry that Harley couldn't just be a dog. However, that would mean he couldn't be Nick's partner. They were both making compromises for their jobs.

Nick followed Jamie into the house. “Is it okay if Harley comes in?”

“Are you kidding?” Jamie snorted. “Look around. Dogs have the run of this place. Just not on the furniture.”

Harley was standing on the porch, waiting for an invitation. As soon as Nick opened the screen door, the dog trotted in as if he belonged there. He stretched out on the cool tile floor in the kitchen and snoozed while Jamie and Nick worked together to prepare the meal.

Jamie handed Nick a bottle of wine to open.

“Is this the feed-store wine?” he asked as he twisted the corkscrew in.

“No, this is the good stuff. I got it the last time I was in Austin.”

Nick's dark eyebrows lifted. “Wow…what's the occasion?”

“Your graduation.” She watched as he poured the red wine into the jelly jars she had put out for him. “And I have a proposal I want to discuss with you.”

“Shoot.”

Jamie took a sip of wine and shook her head. “Not yet. After dinner.”

Of course, that planted seeds that bugged him throughout the rest of the meal's preparation and even when they were sitting at the table, enjoying the homemade lasagna. What could she possibly want from him? Maybe she just wanted him to give her a reference or a good review. Hundreds of possibilities tumbled through his mind, distracting him so much that he was barely able to carry on a conversation.

But he was able to eat, and when his plate was cleaned for the second time, he leaned back in his chair and groaned. “Is there anything you're not good at?” he asked.

“Oh, lots of things,” she answered with a laugh. “You just haven't been around me long enough to find out.” She stood and started gathering up the dirty dishes.

Even though dishes weren't really his favorite chore, he jumped up to help her.

“I can get these,” she protested.

But he didn't take no for an answer and insisted on helping her load the dishwasher. She rinsed the dishes and handed them to him, and he placed them in the racks.

As they stood side by side in front of the sink, Nick was very aware of her every movement. Their arms brushed against each other, and every time she passed him a dish, his hand lingered longer on hers. He wished they had had more courses, but all too quickly the dishes were loaded and the table, sink, and countertop wiped off.

Jamie looked around, checking to make sure everything was put away. She saw that there was a dirty spoon on the stove and reached for it just as Nick turned for the wine bottle on the counter. They collided and Nick grabbed her around the waist to steady them both. It was completely unplanned, but with their bodies pressed together, Nick couldn't resist. As she looked up at him, he lowered his head until their lips touched, gently at first. But when they moved over each other, he became more greedy and his hand cupped her face, pulling her even closer.