Rescue My Heart (2 page)

“
Freddy’s got the
Cuz
, and he’s not giving it up. I
must have a treat in here. That’ll do it. I’m Brooke,” the second
woman said, rummaging through her purse. It wasn’t long before
Freddy had five pugs chasing him, including his sister
Ginger.

Brooke mooched a treat from a man with
a black pug and lured Freddy into giving up the toy. The women got
involved in conversation and didn’t notice the other dog owners
slowly drifting away. A policeman approached. He tapped Rory on the
shoulder. She turned around, and the smile fell off her
face.

“
Miss, is this your
dog?”

“
Baxter? Yes, he’s mine,”
she said, quickly clicking the leash back on his harness. The other
women followed suit. The officer’s dark brown eyes bored into hers.
He whipped out a ticket book from his back pocket. “You know he’s
supposed to be on the leash, don’t you?”

“
What
time is it?” She glanced at her watch.
Crap! Nine-fifteen.

“
He was supposed to be
leashed fifteen minutes ago.” The cop took a pen from behind his
ear.

“
Oh, please, officer. I
lost track of the time. I’m so sorry. I can’t afford a two hundred
dollar ticket.” Her heart thumped so loud she thought he could hear
it.

Bess stepped out from behind Rory.
“What’s the trouble?” She blinked her big blue eyes at the
man.

A slow
smile crept across his face. “Say, aren’t you…Bess…from
Baking with Bess
on TV?”
He put the pen back.

“
I am. And you
are?”

“
Terrence
McNeil.”

“
Nice to meet you.” She
glanced up, into his eyes. “Are you six-foot three?”

“
No, ma’am, only
six-foot,” he smiled.

Bess shot him a flirtatious glance.
“You’re the tallest officer I’ve ever seen.”

“
I’ve watched your show.
You’re an amazing cook.” He took a step closer to her.

“
Thank you. What’s your
favorite dessert?”

Rory
watched Bess inch nearer to the officer. She studied the baker’s
body language and facial expressions.
I
think I’m in the presence of a professional flirt. Maybe I can
learn something.

“
Your apple pie made me
drool.” He blushed.

“
Apple pie? That’s so easy
to make.”

“
My ex couldn’t bake to
save her life. You make it look easy.”

“
What a shame! I’d love to
bake a pie for you.”

“
Really?” He returned the
ticket book to his back pocket and gave Bess the once-over
again.

“
Sure would. I’m trying a
new recipe for a chicken dish. I could easily tack on apple pie for
dessert. Would you be my guinea pig?”

Rory saw
the man swallow.
Is he drooling over the
food or over her? Maybe both.
She covered
her mouth with her hand to stifle a grin.

“
Me?” His eyes
widened.

“
Uh huh, I’m making it
tonight. I hope it’ll be good enough for the show. And if you join
me, I’ll do pie.”

Maybe
she’ll be the dessert.
Rory stood
motionless, watching Bess wind the policeman around her little
finger.

“
A chance to eat your
cooking? Are you kidding? I’d love to.” His gaze swept over her
ample curves, clothed in a T-shirt and jeans, stopping to rest
briefly on her cleavage.

“
Fine. It’s a date,
then.”

Like a beautiful spider, Bess wove a
web of charm around the officer. He was a most willing victim. Rory
had to admit that—with his glossy, dark brown hair, broad
shoulders, and trim waist—he was hot.

The sparkle in her new friend’s blue
eyes indicated that she found the officer attractive, too. Rory
couldn’t tell if Bess wanted to date the officer or was flirting to
get them out of tickets. Rory didn’t care. She let out a breath,
relaxing her body as she watched Bess work.

“
You’re serious?” he
asked.

“
Absolutely. Seven
o’clock. The Wellington on Central Park West. You know
it?”

“
Yes, ma’am…I mean,
miss…”

“
Cooper. Bess Cooper.
Apartment fifteen G.” Bess stuck out her hand. McNeil shook it and
held it between his two for a moment, while their eyes
locked.

“
I look forward to it,
Miss Cooper.”

She smiled a dazzling smile.
“Bess.”

“
Bess, then.” He tipped
his hat and turned to leave, stopping for a quick word with the
other women. “You ladies are lucky. Today, you get away with a
warning. Next time, it’ll be tickets all around.” They watched him
walk away.

“
Cute butt,” Bess
commented behind her hand. All four women breathed a sigh of
relief.

“
You’re really Bess
Cooper?” Brooke asked.

“
I am.”

“
I’m impressed. I love
your show.” Brooke snapped the lead on her two pugs. Rory suggested
they have breakfast at the Boat House with their dogs. The others
agreed, and they trudged up the hill toward the outdoor
restaurant.

“
That was quick thinking,
Bess,” Brooke commented.

“
Thank God. I owe you
one,” Miranda said. “I don’t have two hundred bucks lying around,
either.”

“
Being a minor celebrity
comes in handy. He was awfully cute, don’t you think?”

“
Terry? Definitely a
hottie,” Miranda said.

“
You’re interested in him?
Not only trying to get us out of tickets?” Rory asked.

“
I am. I love a man in
uniform,” Bess sighed, batting her eyelashes. “He’s hot and seems
nice.”

“
Sounds like a win/win to
me,” Miranda said. Two women went to fetch breakfast while the
other two settled into a table and rounded up the canines. The pugs
got busy sniffing each other and finding a comfortable place to
sit.

Chatting
stopped when the meal arrived. They tucked into bacon and eggs,
scones and coffee. Each woman fed a taste of her food to the dogs.
When they were done, they ambled toward the
77
^th
Street park exit together. The pugs strolled along, tongues
lolling, noses sniffing and snorting.

As they were saying goodbye, Bess
raised her hand. “Wait! Don’t go yet. What are you all doing on
Monday?”

“
What did you have in
mind?” Rory asked.

“
Monday we do a
run-through before the taping on Thursday. There’s always tons of
food leftover.”

“
Don’t you give it
away?”

“
We give away what’s left
from the show. But the rehearsal food always goes begging. I’ll
bring it home, and you all can come to dinner. How about
it?”

“
I hate to leave Baxter
home alone.”

“
Bring the
pugs.”

“
Fabulous. I’m coming,”
Miranda said.

“
I’ll bring wine,” Brooke
said.

“
Great. Come at six. Did
you get the address?”

They nodded.

“
Thank God. Then, I can
find out how your date with the gorgeous cop goes,” Miranda
said.

* * * *

Rory, the first to arrive, stopped at
the entrance to The Wellington and gave Bess’s name. She and Baxter
were promptly admitted by the doorman. At the fifteenth floor, Bess
was waiting with the door open. Rory unleashed Baxter who, not
waiting for an invitation, went racing into the apartment. Rory
followed.

She was amazed at what she saw. The
white, marble foyer led into a spacious living room with four huge
windows facing Central Park. To blend with a rose-colored, corduroy
sofa and loveseat, the room was painted a warm, cream color. The
highly polished oak floor was protected by an oblong, Oriental area
rug in pinks, beiges, and whites.

To the left was a giant kitchen with
copper pots and utensils hanging from a black, metal circle over a
granite-topped island. There was a professional stove with six
burners and an enormous refrigerator/freezer combination. Two large
sinks were placed next to a dishwasher. The kitchen walls were a
light coral with natural wood cabinets. Brown and black granite
counter tops, plus stainless steel appliances, completed the
picture.

There
were so many cabinets and drawers, Rory didn’t doubt that Bess had
every cooking utensil known to man. She marveled at the room,
almost as big as her entire apartment.
Wow! I could do some major cooking in a space like
this.

“
Let me show you around,”
Bess said.

Baxter was greeted by Dumpling. While
the two dogs sniffed each other, Bess led Rory through the living
room to the other wing.

“
Here are the bedrooms.”
The first one was a feminine fairyland. It was painted in light
lilac, with a paisley print wallpaper in the same color gracing the
top half of the walls. A queen-sized, canopied bed dominated the
space. The spread was white eyelet, as was the canopy.

“
How do you keep this
clean with the filthy air that comes in our windows?” Rory asked,
almost speechless at the elegance and richness, as well as the
cleanliness, of the apartment.

Bess colored a little before
answering. “I have maid service.” She led Rory to the second
bathroom and the den. “The apartment belongs to my aunt, Delia. But
she’s let me live here for a couple of years while she’s in
Connecticut. I keep this for TV and as a guest room when she comes
to visit.”

“
Does she come
often?”

“
Not often enough. She’s
my favorite.” The room had a rich, brown leather sofa bed, white
walls, a cow skin rug, and chrome and glass tables. A large screen
television hung on one wall and original, modern art oil paintings
on the others. Coral, pink, and white throw pillows and a black
afghan gave the room warmth.

Rory recognized Baxter’s bark. “Bet he
doesn’t know where I am.” She smiled, trying to find her way
through the large apartment to reach her dog. When she emerged from
the hallway, Baxter was waiting in the living room, barking. He ran
to her and jumped up to lick her face. Then the buzzer sounded,
indicating new visitors.

“
Have a drink,” Bess said,
pointing to a tray of filled wine glasses. Rory took a glass and
plopped down on the sofa. Baxter curled up at her feet. Miranda and
Brooke came through the door together, chatting, while their pups
pushed ahead. All six dogs greeted each other with a bark, tails
wagging, before they began sniffing. Dumpling curled up in her bed
by the kitchen while Bess checked on the food warming in the
oven.

Heavenly scents wafted into the living
room. The rectangular table between the kitchen and living room was
set with beautiful, small flower print china and placemats in
coordinating colors. The women sipped wine and exchanged news of
their day.

Bess
brought out the casserole dishes and placed them on cork trivets.
Rory’s mouth watered at the tempting smells coming from the
CorningWare
.

The cook lit candles, refilled
everyone’s glasses, and sat down. “This is a sausage and egg
casserole. This is a broccoli, cauliflower, and cheese casserole.
And this is a sweet potato, raisin, and turnip casserole. We were
doing brunch food today to go with my homemade coffee cake.
Sorry.”

“
Don’t apologize.
Everything looks delicious. I’m starved,” Miranda said.

The women helped themselves and passed
dishes. Eating kept them quiet for a bit. Then, curiosity got the
better of Rory. “I can’t stand it. Tell me. How did your date with
hunky Officer McNeil go?”

Bess’s cheeks colored becomingly. “It
was great.”

“
Great? Give. I want
details,” Brooke said.

Bess sat back with her glass of wine,
grinning. “I made my new dish, Chicken Barcelona, for
him.”

“
Chicken Barcelona?”
Brooke asked.

“
I’ll make it for you guys
sometime. Can’t give out the recipe for a year. It’s in my
contract.”

“
Yeah, and then what?”
Rory asked.

“
Begin from the
beginning,” Miranda said between bites.

“
Okay, okay. He arrived in
civvies. No uniform.”

“
Were you
disappointed?”

“
A little. But he looked
so handsome. Navy blue jacket, white shirt, Kelly green tie,
khakis.” She rolled her eyes. “Devastating!”

“
And then?”

“
He brought a bottle of
wine and a dozen red roses. I melted. Roses are my
favorite.”

“
And?” Miranda
pushed.

“
We talked while I
finished up the dinner and put the pie in the oven.”

“
Fresh baked apple pie? He
must have come in his pants.”