Love To The Rescue (8 page)

“I like his red hair. It looks like mine.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re the spitting image of each other.” Amy chuckled and finished loading her groceries into the SUV.

“I can’t spit. My mom says it’s not polite.” The little boy glared at her, as if she’d attempted to lead him into a life of crime.

“You’re absolutely right. Spitting is a terrible thing. What was I thinking?” Amy attempted to appear chastised.

“Tommy, where did you disappear to?” A thirty-something, strawberry blonde woman, stepped out from behind a navy Dodge Caravan parked two vehicles over from Amy.

“I’m saying hello to this dog,” answered the little boy.

“Never mind the dog. We’re going to be late picking up your brother from his piano lesson. Let’s go.” The harried-looking mother clasped the little boy’s hand and turned toward Amy. “I hope he wasn’t bothering you.”

“Not at all. He noticed my dog has the same hair color as his. Judging by the tail wagging, Rover was happy he wandered over.” Amy smiled and headed for the driver’s door.

“Thank you for humoring him. Tommy loves animals. He’ll probably grow up to be a vet.” The woman strode back to her vehicle with her son in tow.

Amy climbed inside, closed the door, and peeked into the rear view mirror. “Made a new friend, have you?”

Rover woofed and his tail wagged furiously.

“Well, Red Rover, I’m happy for you. But I’ve got big news. I have a dinner date tomorrow night with Constable Robertson, and Kevin is in for one big furry surprise when he arrives. I’m really attracted to this guy, Rover. Please promise you’ll be on your best behavior. Okay?” The dog tilted his head in apparent confusion, or else he was considering her request.

****

By six o’clock the next evening, Amy was a nervous wreck.

“Rover, why did I accept this date?” He’d become a constant companion in the short time they’d been together. He stuck to her side like glue, half the time she was tripping over him.

“I’m a complete fool. I don’t even know the guy. Well, being a cop, the chances he’s a serial killer or registered sex offender are extremely slim. But still.” She shook her head.

“Twenty months ago, my husband died instantly, driving home one night after working late,” she shared some of her history with Rover. “His name was Allan Dickson. And yes, big guy, Allan didn’t mind that I kept my maiden name. Fate just ripped him from my life in the blink of an eye. I had nightmares for months, seeing his BMW being creamed by that drunk driver.” Tears filled her eyes at the memory.

Never having had the chance to say goodbye angered Amy the most. Never being able to tell him she loved him one last time had left her heart hurting so badly and for so long she feared she would die from the pain. But she hadn’t, and her heart survived, too. Almost two years had passed, but sometimes it felt like yesterday.

“I stood beside Allan’s grave when I buried him that rainy September afternoon, Rover, and I vowed to never love another man. And I haven’t dated since he died, consumed with grief and honoring my vow.”

Amy grabbed a tissue off the bedside table, wiped her eyes.

“And then I met Kevin.”

She tossed the tissue into the trash can beside the dresser.

“How many people have told me that time heals all wounds?” Amy glanced at Rover. He cocked his head, listening to every word. “Well, Constable Robertson looks like a pretty good candidate to mend the last of them.”

Amy took a deep breath and noticed the time on the bedside clock.

“Six fifteen! Oh God, Rover, I still haven’t decided what to wear.”

Her dog lay sprawled across the pale green carpet blocking access to her walk-in closet.

“Rover, you’ve got to move.” Amy struggled to haul the dog onto his feet. “Or is this your way of keeping me at home?”

Finally, the dog lumbered over to his bed, flopped down, and stared up at her with sad, pleading, brown eyes. “Don’t do that. Kevin will arrive in ten minutes, and it is way too late to cancel now.”

And then reality struck. For the first time since Allan died, she was going on a date. And with a man she’d only known for a few days.

“Maybe I should cancel?” she glanced over at Rover, almost expecting him to agree with her. The dog lay on his bed, resting his head on his paws, watching her expectantly. Was it fair? Leaving Rover home in his crate, in a strange house, all alone?

“I’ve got to do it sooner or later. I guess it’s going to be sooner.” She glanced down at Rover. “I’m not certain if I’m more stressed about this date, or leaving you home alone in your crate.”

A date.

Oh God, oh God, oh God.

“You can do this, Amy,” she coached herself. Taking a calming breath, she strode into her walk-in closet.

A couple of weeks ago, Amy had bought a little black dress which emphasized all of her curves in a good way according to the salesclerk. She hadn’t considered wearing it on a date, imagined she’d wear it to a fund raiser or at a writers’ convention. Tonight was the night to debut it. Amy quickly finished dressing, donned her favorite diamond studs, and nervously awaited her date’s arrival.

At six thirty sharp, the doorbell rang which sent her canine security system into a barking frenzy. Amy walked into the entryway with Rover at her side. She opened the door and greeted her date with a smile. “Hi, there. Right on time.”

Kevin took a step inside and spotted the dog. “Hey. Where’d you get him?”

Rover had bounded downstairs, tail wagging in anticipation a minute ago. Now, seventy pounds of Irish setter caught a glimpse of the man towering over him and raced back upstairs with his tail between his legs.

“That was Rover, my new housemate.” Amy figured she could have stood there naked. Instead of Kevin admiring the woman in the new black dress, all he’d noticed was the four-footed guy wearing the red fur coat.

“Where did he go?”

“Upstairs. Probably hiding under the bed.” Amy chuckled. “He’s a rescue from the Humane Society. The poor guy suffered terrible abuse, and he hates men as a result of the beatings and kicking he received from his former owner. But he loves women and kids.”

“Poor dog. How could someone abuse such a beautiful animal?” Kevin stood hands on hips.

“You like dogs?”

“Love dogs. I even considered applying to the K9 unit at one time. But it never worked out for a lot of reasons.”

Kevin didn’t elaborate, and Amy didn’t inquire further. Maybe it was part of that confidentiality thing again. “I should go up and get him. I intended to leave him in his crate in the kitchen while I was away.” Amy started up the stairs.

“Need some help?”

“I’ll call if I require back up, Officer,” she added, glancing back at him and grinning.

“Cute.” Kevin chuckled and waved his hand. “Go get your hound.”

Amy kicked off her high heels and raced upstairs. “Rover, where are you? You big goof. That guy would never hurt you.”

Silence.

Amy crouched down on all fours and peeked under her bed. Sure enough, a set of terrified brown eyes met hers. “Rover, it’s okay. I can’t believe you actually fit under there. Come on out.”

Rover whined but remained ensconced in the safety of his hiding place way at the back.

Amy clambered to her feet and headed for the other side of the bed, hoping for greater success. As she rounded the end she stubbed her toe on the chest at the foot of her bed.

“Ow, ow, ow, oh shit.” Amy flopped onto the bed to examine her injury. “Damn that hurt!”

Kevin raced into the room. “Are you okay? What happened? Did he bite you?”

Amy burst out laughing, still grasping her throbbing baby toe. “No. I stubbed my damn toe when I attempted to walk around to the other side of the bed.”

Kevin attempted to suppress a grin. He failed miserably and burst out laughing. “Where’s Rover?”

“Under the bed,” answered Amy. “Just him and the dust bunnies.”

“Well, let me try. At least the dust bunnies won’t bite me.”

“Don’t be too sure. Saturday is cleaning day, so there’s a week’s worth under there until tomorrow.” Amy examined the toe which appeared red but not broken.

Kevin bent down on one knee, raised the dust skirt and peeked underneath. “Rover, what ya doing under there? Come out here and kiss your owner’s booboo.”

Amy chuckled. “My booboo? Oh, that’s precious.”

“Don’t laugh. I’ve kissed a booboo or two in my time.” Kevin grinned. “I’ll kiss your booboo, if you want?”

“Move over. My booboo is just fine.” Amy stretched out on the floor and peeked under the bed again.

Kevin lay down beside her. “Would he come out if you offered him a treat?”

Rover lifted his head and his ears rose up a fraction.

“So, you understand ‘treat’,” observed Kevin.

“Oh, yeah, and c-a-r and p-a-r-k and t-o-y and w-a-l-k.” Amy met Kevin’s eyes, shook her head, and felt herself smiling. She’d fantasized about having another man in her bedroom one day, but she just never imagined it quite this way.

Kevin lay on his stomach with his upper body propped up on his elbows. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking? I never dreamed I’d end up in your bedroom on the first date. You didn’t seem that kind of woman.”

Amy laughed and Kevin joined in. And then his hand reached over, and he slowly trailed his fingers down her cheek. “God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered.

Amy leaned into his caress before she could stop herself. Their eyes met and his expression told her he wanted to kiss her. She forgot to breathe, realizing she wanted nothing more than to be kissed by this handsome man.
Kiss me
, she silently encouraged him.

Kevin complied with her unspoken request, touched his lips to hers. She closed her eyes and he deepened the kiss. Amy heard herself sigh, and the sound urged him on. She felt his hand on her back. She leaned closer and he wrapped his arm around her. She parted her lips, allowing him access to her mouth. Their tongues performed a delectable tango.

She thought she’d die from the excitement of kissing this man she’d known such a short time. For one crazy moment, she wondered if he’d suggest they skip dinner. Right now with his kisses doing crazy things to her mind, he could suggest almost anything—skydiving, bungee jumping, making love—and she’d agree to it.

His right hand moved to her breast, gently caressing it through her dress while the kiss continued. The wonderful sensations he was creating in her private parts were totally unexpected, but she welcomed the feelings that she now realized she dearly missed.

Suddenly, he pulled away from her. “Oh God. I can’t believe that just happened. I’m so sorry. I got a little carried away.”

They were both breathing heavily. She couldn’t miss seeing the longing evident in his eyes and knew he’d see the same thing in hers.

“You weren’t in this alone,” she managed to say, her heart beating furiously.

“We’d better stop now, or that dog will be under the bed for the rest of the night.” Kevin leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose.

“Okay, yeah, we really should rescue him from under there,” she agreed. “Although the Humane Society literature mentioned letting him hide if he needed to.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, willing her heartbeat to slow down. Only a few minutes ago, she’d been considering cancelling the date due to nerves and leaving the dog home alone. Now, thanks to her dog, she’d found herself lying on her bedroom floor passionately kissing a man she’d only known for five days. If she’d written something like this in one of her romance novels, one of her critique partners might remark that it wasn’t a realistic scenario.

To heck with realistic, she thought.

Amy attempted to calm her breathing. “By the way, you’re wearing a lovely shade of lipstick,” she teased. “We’ll need to make a few repairs before we leave for dinner.”

Kevin touched his mouth and grinned when he glanced at her. “Your makeup is really messed up. Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” she smiled. Maybe dating again would be a good thing after all. The guy hadn’t been in her house for twenty minutes, and they were making out on her bedroom floor.

“I wonder what Rover’s doing?” she inquired, and they peeked under the bed skirt.

“He’s still under there.” Kevin chuckled.

“Imagine that,” replied Amy, laughing.

She noticed Rover creeping a few inches closer. “Maybe laughter equals safety in his mind,” suggested Amy. “Tell me a joke and maybe my laughing will coax him out even farther.”

“A cop, a romance writer, and a priest walk into a bar...” Kevin paused in his story, grinning.

Amy smiled at him. “Is the priest going to marry them?” she blurted without thinking.

Kevin paled.

Amy felt her face redden, flabbergasted that she’d actually said that. A change of subject was required, and quickly. “I keep a bag of doggie treats in the drawer in that bedside table. Please hand me one and let’s see if he’ll come out. I really don’t want to leave him alone and loose in the house yet.”

Kevin paused for a second before getting to his feet. He found the jerky strips and handed one to Amy. “I’ll wait in the hallway. Maybe you’ll have better success if I’m not in sight.”

“Good thinking.” Amy noticed the bulge in his trousers that he’d tried to hide from her when he climbed off the floor. She also felt aroused by his kisses, but she returned her attention to Rover. “Come and get it, big guy.”

“What?” Kevin swung back around, met her eyes.

Had he assumed she was talking to him? What thoughts had been crossing his mind, she wondered?

“These are your favorites,” she wagged the treat at the dog, smiling.

Rover whined.

Kevin’s face reddened two shades darker than her lipstick he was wearing. He almost raced out of the room.

“Come on. You’ll get a treat as a reward for coming out.” Amy rose to her knees.

Rover belly crawled to the edge of the bed.

“All the way out.” Amy stood and then bent forward and waved the treat in front of Rover’s nose.

Finally, the dog maneuvered his entire body out from under the bed.

Amy tossed the treat in the air. Rover caught it in his mouth and she reached out and snagged his collar. “Good boy. Now don’t do that again. There is nothing to be afraid of.”