Rescue My Heart (22 page)

He washed his face and hands. “If I
don’t do something, she could end up married to him. Oh, my God.
Shit. What the hell? No, no, she can’t marry him. She’s got to
marry me!”

His heart raced as panic
set in. He paced faster. Did jumping jacks. Nothing helped. Anxiety
was growing in his veins and disturbing images of Rory in a wedding
gown walking down the aisle to Bruce kept popping up in front of
his eyes.

He jammed a hat down on
his head, sloughed on his down jacket, and closed up the clinic.
Instead of turning right to return home, he turned left, heading
for Rory’s apartment.

Eight
o’clock on the nose. It was pitch black outside, but street lamps
lit his way. The chilly air circulating around him sobered him
up.
What am I doing? Going after the woman
I love.
He set his jaw, and elongated his
stride to reach her faster. When he arrived on her block, he
stopped cold.
There she is!
He stood and stared, creeping
closer.

Rory was at the top of the stairs,
dressed to kill. He heard the click-click of her spiked heels on
the stone steps. Bruce reached out his hand. She took it and smiled
up at him. He placed his other arm around her waist. Hack wasn’t
close enough to hear the words Bruce was whispering in Rory’s ear.
But he was close enough to see her raise her chin for Bruce’s
kiss.

He held
Rory to him and kissed her passionately. When they broke, he looked
up the street before stepping off the curb. Hack pulled back, into
the shadows, to continue watching unobserved.
Where’s she going all dressed up in heels and a fancy
coat?

Bruce raised his hand in the air, and
a taxi stopped. He helped Rory into the vehicle. The door slammed
shut. The sound shattered his heart into a million pieces, as if it
were made of glass. They were out for a night on the town. She
looked happy. She was smiling. Suddenly, the energy drained out of
Hack, and he could hardly walk another step.

A cab stopped in front of him to let
out a passenger. Hack got in and gave the driver his
address.

“
Buddy, that’s only about
five blocks this way,” he said, pointing.

“
I know.
Please, take me there.” The man shrugged, pushed the button on the
meter and stepped on the gas.
It’s over.
Done. He wins. I lose.

* * * *

Rory
awoke at seven with a headache.
Hung over
and late. Damn.
She threw on sweats,
wolfed down a bowl of cereal, took two ibuprofen tablets, and set
out to walk her eight o’clock dogs. There was no sign of Bruce in
the apartment.
Like a hit and run. A
serial killer. He leaves no trace.

Bouncing
between being glad he wasn’t around and annoyed he wasn’t, she
started her day grumpy. Casey, the bloodhound that lived two blocks
away, was her first customer. His doleful expression was a perfect
fit for her mood. It was cold, and Rory was too tired to hit
Central Park.
Hack won’t be there again,
and I’ll feel worse. Not today.
She
expanded their walk by a couple of blocks North and one West to
give the dog the exercise he needed.

As she
was returning to her place, she remembered Baxter’s vet
appointment.
Crap! I’m going to see Hack
today. Damn, I’m not up to it.
She
prepared two eggs and sat down to eat. One more day until Christmas
Eve.
I have the Secret Santa tomorrow,
then Shirley and Hall leave tomorrow night.

She shuddered at the memories of
Christmas in New York on her own. The city that truly never sleeps
comes to a dead halt on Christmas Day. No one is about except a few
folks walking their dogs. She remembered how loud the silence was
with only the sound of her boots clomping on the sidewalk or
swishing through the slush of a recent snow. She sighed as she
fastened the harness on Baxter. Dread filled her heart at spending
the day by herself.

The
three block walk seemed longer.
Is it
because I’m hung over, or I’m going to see Hack?
The tinkling of the bells on the door of the
clinic reminded her of Jingle Bells.

“
Hi, Mary.”

“
Rory, so good to see you.
And Baxter. How you doin’, buddy?” Mary bent down to give the pug a
treat. He gobbled it down then tried to back out of the
building.

“
No, Bax. It’s okay. No
shots or anything today. Only a checkup.”

Hack came out of the back, wearing his
white coat and carrying a clipboard.

Rory’s
breath caught in her throat.
He’s more
gorgeous than ever.
Her throat closed up,
and her mouth went as dry as week-old bread. He looked up, and his
dark-eyed gaze connected with hers. She wanted him. Wanted to touch
him, kiss him, wind her arms around his waist. She needed to lose
herself in his embrace. Let him make everything
better.

A hungry look flashed in his eyes for
a second before his demeanor became professional. “Hello, Rory.
Baxter.” he said.

She
nodded, as speech wasn’t happening. Hack took Baxter’s leash,
brushing her hand with his. The jolt of electricity that shot up
her arm almost knocked her down.
Chemistry.
Hack led them into an
examination room. He touched Baxter’s leg, checked his ears and
teeth, and kept talking all the while, asking questions about the
dog. She gave one-word answers.
How dare
he look so good? Miss Rubber band must be treating him
well.

Suddenly, her hearing came
back like when her ears popped on an airplane. “…looks
good.”

“
Yeah. Thanks.” She turned
to leave, but his hand on her arm stopped her. The heat of his
touch almost burned her skin.

“
Do you have a
minute?”

For you,
I have a lifetime.
“Yeah. What’s
up?”

He fidgeted with the stethoscope
around his neck and cast his gaze to the ground. “I wanted to ask
you a personal question.”

“
Shoot.” Silence. She
shifted her weight.

“
How do you feel about a
little fib? A white lie?”

“
How little?”

“
Depends on your
perspective.”

“
From you to me? What are
we talking about here?” She looked straight at him.

“
Never mind. I don’t know
what I was thinking…it doesn’t matter. You’re taken. So what
difference does it make?”

“
What? What difference
does what make?”

“
Forget it.”

“
I don’t want to forget
it. I’m taken? Taken by what?” She grabbed onto the sleeve of his
coat, twisting the material in her fist.

“
It doesn’t matter.
Really. Baxter is doing fine. You look great…”

“
I want to know what you
were going to say.”

Hack opened his mouth, but words never
came out.

Mary burst through the door.
“Emergency, Dr. Roberts,” she said in her coolly efficient tone.
“Dog fight.”

Hack bolted, pushing through the door
and heading to the waiting room. Baxter started to bark as Rory
followed. She heard screaming and crying as three dogs snarled and
bit each other, drawing blood. One yelped then shook off,
splattering blood everywhere.

With the help of the two vet techs,
Mary ushered everyone waiting for their appointments to safety
outside the building. Rory got a death grip on Baxter’s leash as he
continued to bark, struggling to get at the fighting dogs. She
dragged him through the front door.

“
What happened,
Mary?”

“
Everything was normal
until the pit came out. The chow growled at him, and the pit
lunged. Then, the shepherd got in the mix, and it was a
free-for-all. I think the first two have a bad history.”

“
Horrible.”

“
I think two owners got
bitten too. Gotta get back,” Mary said as she re-entered the
clinic.

Chaos
reigned as the vet techs tried to separate the dogs. Rory worried
about Hack, who was in the thick of it. She chewed her lip,
watching from outside, as the two doctors managed to detach the
dogs from each other. One by one the animals were moved to private
examination rooms and doors were shut. Techs moved to clean up the
blood.
I hope he’s not hurt. He’s not my
responsibility.
Rory headed
home.

When she rounded the corner, she
noticed a blond man lounging against the front steps of her
brownstone.

“
Bruce. What are you doing
here?”

Chapter Eleven

“
Nice greeting to the guy
who came to wish you Merry Christmas. Ho ho ho, and all that. Come
sit on Santa’s lap. Office closed early today. My train to Shelton
doesn’t leave until four. So, I thought I’d come by for some
goodbye nookie,” Bruce said.

Rory’s eyes widened. Trying not to
look like she was looking, she peered around him and didn’t see any
package, box, or shopping bag.

“
We’re wasting time here.
Haven’t you heard of Christmas sex?” He laughed at his own joke as
Rory fit the key in the lock.

“
I’m not
a sex machine, Bruce.” It was an effort to lift her feet to climb
the stairs. Bruce hummed “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” as he
followed her.
No Christmas gift, and you
want sex? I don’t think so.

When they reached the apartment, Rory
cracked the windows to let in some fresh air. Bruce took off his
coat and opened the fridge. He took out a beer and popped off the
top. Then, he loosened his tie and took off his suit
jacket.

“
Today isn’t the best day
for me…” she began.

He sank down on the sofa and rested
his feet on the coffee table. “Oh, that time of the month, huh?
That’s okay.”

No, but
I’m not going to tell you that.
She went
to the closet and took out a soft package. She joined him on the
sofa. “Merry Christmas.” The paper crinkled as she handed it to
him.

“
Hey, Rory. You shouldn’t
have. I would’ve gotten you something, but I have a big family.
Huge. And I’m broke getting stuff for them.”

Ignoring his statement, she continued.
“Open it.”

He tore off the paper and pulled out a
hand-crocheted cap in navy blue and a matching scarf. He fingered
the soft wool and looked at her. “Hey, these are real nice. Did you
make them?”

“
I did.”

“
Great. Bet it took a
lotta time, too. Just that…well, I kinda don’t wear stuff like
this. Actually, I don’t wear hats. Like never. But I’ll keep it in
case it gets real cold. Thanks.”

He checked his watch. “I have time to
finish this beer. Something I forgot to do before I
leave.”

She
couldn’t breathe. Her body fought with anger and pain. The sting
behind her eyes meant tears were threatening, but she stubbornly
refused to give in.
I’m not going to let
him see me cry.

“
Can I get a rain check on
some sugar until I get back?”

“
When?”

“
Right after New Year’s.
Gotta be back on January second.”

“
After
New Year’s?”
Crap. No New Year’s Eve
date?

“
Yeah, my brother and his
family are coming in from San Fran, and my mom wants us to
celebrate together. I’ll miss you, Rory.” He put his arm around her
shoulders and pulled her toward him for a kiss. Her back stiffened.
“You okay?”

“
No, actually, I’m not
okay. I’m tired of being your booty call, Bruce. Not good enough to
meet your family, or even to be with on New Year’s Eve.” Pain
brought tears to her eyes. “You treat me like shit, and I’ve had
it. I’m done. Don’t come back here, not after New Year’s…not
ever.”

He stopped to turn and face her. “What
the hell are you talking about?”

“
You’re using me. I don’t
like it. It’s over. Find another convenient woman to have sex with.
It’s not gonna be me.”

“
But, sugar…”

“
Don’t give me that crap.
You and your sweet talk, garbage. It’s all about you. You don’t
give a damn about me. Never have. Always trying to change me. You
don’t get what I’m about. But as long as I sleep with you, you
don’t care. Well, that’s over. Get out, and don’t come
back.”

“
But…but…”

She
shoved him through the open door and slammed it in his face.
Blinking rapidly, she smiled.
Damn, that
was good. The Club was right. Bruce is a sleazy booty
call.

“
You’ll be sorry! Never
have it so good as you get it from me,” he called.

Rory held her breath, listening, until
she heard angry footsteps stomping down the stairs. She let out air
in one long breath.