Rescue My Heart (6 page)

“
Dr. Roberts, please.” She
leaned against the counter.

“
Do you have an
appointment?” the older woman asked.

“
No. He has my
dog.”

“
Has your dog?”

Rory checked the badge the lady wore
to learn her name. “Yes, Mary. Baxter, the pug he ran over in the
park today?”

“
Oh, oh. Yes. Just a
moment.” Mary smiled at her and picked up the phone. “Are you okay?
You look pale.”

“
Haven’t eaten much,” Rory
said, leaning more weight on the desk. “Thanks for
asking.”

“
This might help.” Mary
reached into a drawer and pulled out a candy bar. She slid it
across the counter.

“
Thank you.” Rory
unwrapped the bar and wolfed it down.

A minute later, Hack Roberts came
around the corner. “Hello, Ms…uh, Ms…Aurora?”

“
Sampson. Rory Sampson.
Where’s Baxter? How is he?”

“
You and Baxter have a lot
in common, Ms. Sampson. Baxter has a broken leg, and you look like
you broke your arm. Not your funny bone, I trust.” He
grinned.

“
Nothing funny about it. I
didn’t break my arm. You broke it for me with your damned bike.”
Anger seethed in her chest. “Is that all that’s wrong with
Baxter?”

“
Yes, Baxter was a very
lucky pug.”

“
When can I take him
home?”

“
Right now. Bring me the
hospital bill when you get it.”

“
I have it right here.”
Rory plucked the invoice out of her pocket and pushed it over the
counter to him.

“
I’ll take care of it.” He
stuffed the paper into his pants pocket.

“
Damn right, you will. But
what about my life? I’m a writer, and I walk dogs. Now, I can’t do
either.”

“
That’s not my problem. If
you hadn’t stepped in front of my bike…”

Her voice rose. “Stepped in front of
your bike? If you had been going the proper speed and stopped at
the light…”

His stare turned icy. “It’s all water
under the bridge now, Ms. Sampson. I guess you’ll have to figure
out how to get along. I can’t be responsible for your
life.”

A tall, extremely thin, pale woman,
wearing a thigh-high, black dress, sporting very black, very short
hair, too much eye makeup, and an attitude, approached. She looked
over Rory with a disdainful eye.

“
Who the hell are you?”
she asked, directing her words to Rory but gazing at
Hack.

“
She’s the woman who got
in the way of my bike in the park this morning.”

“
She’s a mess…”

“
I came right from the
hospital to pick up my dog.” Rory tried to smooth out her dirty,
blood-stained shirt with one hand. She tugged on her ripped shorts.
Her auburn hair was half in a ponytail and half out.

“
Eww. Get your dog and be
done.” She waved her hand at Rory.

“
This is Felicia Adams…”
Hack started.

“
His fiancée,” Felicia
finished.

Rory raised an eyebrow at the woman
and muttered under her breath, “Is that a woman or an ironing
board?”

“
What did you say?” the
skinny brunette asked.

“
Nothing.”

“
Don’t be bothering Dr.
Roberts with your trivia.” Felicia pulled out a mirror and checked
her hair, combing the short locks with her fingers. Mary had
retreated to a back room and now came out carrying Baxter. The pug,
sporting his own cast, wagged his tail when he saw Rory.

“
Baxter!” She stroked his
head. He licked her hand then her face.

“
No charge, Ms. Sampson,”
Mary said.

“
How am I going to get him
home?” Helplessness was not a common occurrence in Rory’s life. She
stuffed down a feeling of panic at not being able to manage
alone.

“
I’ll take him,” Hack
piped up.

“
Don’t you think that’s
going too far?” Felicia asked.

“
I live only three blocks
away,” Rory said. Hack picked up Baxter, who struggled for a bit
until he got comfortable. The doctor held the door for Rory with
his free hand.

“
I’ll be back in a few
minutes,” he said to Mary.

On the way home, Rory walked next to
the tall man, talking to the pug.

“
Do you always talk to
your dog?”

“
He’s my muse. Helps me
write.”

“
What do you
write?”

“
I’m working on a
mystery.”

“
Mystery, huh? Sounds
interesting.”

“
It’s a mystery to me why
you’d care, but no mystery that I don’t.” She smiled for the first
time that day.

“
Think you’re clever,
don’t you?”

“
Why not? I
am.”

Hack narrowed his eyes.

* * * *

Her sharp tongue pissed him off. But
her bruised chin, smudged face, and wild hair made her look
helplessly adorable. He glared at her, but she was too busy
navigating her way around obstacles and talking to Baxter to pay
attention to him. That disturbed him. The mirror told him he was an
attractive guy. Square jaw, brown eyes, shiny brown hair—the
epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. Women flirted with him
regularly…at the coffee house, on the subway.

“
Roberts
men don’t ride the subway. We go by limousine,” his father used to
say. Hack grinned at the memory.
Dad,
always living in the past. Subway is the fastest way to get around
this crazy city.

But Rory
didn’t pay him any mind, and it irked him. He glanced at her,
giving her the once-over. She had a great body, what he could see
of it around her sling, baggy, torn shorts, and bandages.
Nice rack, something to fill a man’s
hands.
And her bottom…not too big or too
small, nicely rounded. A small tingle shot up his fingers at the
thought of giving it a squeeze.

Before long, they arrived at her tiny,
studio apartment. “Where’s the bedroom?” he asked.

“
You’re standing in it.
One room fits all.” She put down her purse and keys.

Hack laid Baxter down gently on the
beige, faux suede sofa bed and sat next to the animal, examining
him briefly. Rory filled a small bowl with water. She placed it
next to Baxter’s food dish. The little pug struggled to get off the
sofa, so Hack lifted him down. The dog clunked over to his water
bowl and took a healthy drink.

Rory sank down onto a wing chair. Her
eyes filled with tears, but she managed to blink them back. Hack
helped Baxter return to the sofa. The pug snuggled up to the
doctor.

“
I can’t even dress myself
without help.” Her sigh covered a shudder.

Hack
wanted to touch her thick, shiny hair.
Comb my fingers through it
. Her eyes
were large and light blue, almost translucent. Her messiness,
bandages and all, couldn’t hide her beauty. There was something
about her, something round, soft, vulnerable, and appealing about
Rory.
She looks lost.
He wanted to hold her, kiss her, touch her.

“
I’m a master at unhooking
a bra,” he snickered, hoping to lighten the mood.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Yeah?
And I’m a master at neutering.” She glanced at her watch. “Why
don’t you get back to that beanpole you call a fiancée?”

“
Look, miss…”

“
Rory.”

“
Yes, yes, Rory, whatever.
I’m not responsible for your hardship. If you hadn’t leapt out…”
Hack stroked Baxter’s ears and showed no signs of
leaving.

“
You admitted losing
control of your bike. And the officer is a witness.”

He shrugged. “Sue me. Take me to
court.” He dropped his hand from the dog, who promptly nudged him
to continue.

She narrowed her eyes. “Maybe I
will.”

“
It takes a lot of money
to bring a lawsuit.” Baxter nosed his face under Hack’s hand. The
vet continued to pet the pug.

“
Don’t be so confident I
won’t. My cousin is a lawyer. It’ll cost me zip-o to sue
you.”

“
I don’t mean to be rude,
but…”

“
Rude? That’s exactly what
you mean to be. You and Miss…Miss Toothpick. Nasty, self-satisfied,
smug…”

“
Enough!” Hack pushed to his feet.
I’ll be damned if she’s going to call me names, even if she
is sexy.

“
You haven’t heard
anything, yet.” Then, as quickly as it flared up, Rory’s aggressive
manner seeped out of her like helium out of a deflating balloon.
She glanced at the dog then back at Hack. “I don’t know what I’m
going to do. My boyfriend and I just broke up. I’m alone.” Her
words came out in a whisper. “How will I take care of Baxter?”
Despite rapid blinking, tears ran down her cheeks.

Hack
looked down at his hands.
Please turn off
the Hudson River. I can’t stand it!
“Maybe
I could pay for a dog walker…for Baxter. Until you get the cast
off.”

“
That’d help,” she
sniffled. Hack whipped out his handkerchief and poked it at Rory.
She wiped her face. “Need the toothpick’s approval?”

“
Her
name’s Felicia…” He couldn’t stifle a chuckle.
Damn creative.

“
Do you sleep with her?
How can you have sex with someone who disappears when she turns
sideways?”

Bet
you’re great in bed…so fiery and soft.
“It’s not all red roses and
Godiva
Chocolates, but we’re
compatible.” His groin tightened when he glanced at Rory’s
chest.

“
Compatible? Sounds more
like college roommates than a love match,” she
snickered.

“
How
much do you need for a dog walker?” He ignored her comment.
If I don’t leave, I’m going to do something
stupid.

“
I…I don’t
know.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You’re a dog
walker yourself, and you don’t know?”

“
I don’t know who has free
time. I’ll get back to you.”

I’ll get
to talk to her again.
“Fine. You have my
card.”

Rory pushed to her feet, teetering,
obviously unaccustomed to the bulky cast, as Hack moved toward the
door. Baxter barked, causing Rory to turn sharply toward him and
lose her balance. Hack caught her before she fell against the wall.
His arm saved her from a collision, forcing his fingers to close
around her breast.

“
Sorry,”
he murmured, removing his hand and helping her stand.
Wow. Nice. Very nice.

“
I’ll bet,” she mumbled,
turning away to hide the blush in her cheeks.

“
Would you rather I let
you fall?” He rested his hands on his hips.

“
Got a nice, free feel,
didn’t you?”

Hack
sensed the heat in his face.
Damn right, I
did.
For a moment, he wished Felicia had
the sweet curves Rory had. Maybe then, he’d actually get serious
about her.
Rory’s not a friend. She’s
threatened to sue me. Stop thinking about her body.
“You have to learn how to keep your balance with
that cast.”

“
Yeah, I
guess.”

“
Call me when you know how
much the dog walking comes to.”

“
Yeah. I will. Or I’ll
have my lawyer call you…with a big, fat lawsuit!”

He shuddered for a minute. “Go ahead.
Threaten all you want. I know my rights.”

“
Do you? Do you have the
right to take away my livelihood? Do you? I don’t think so, and I’m
betting a judge won’t either. Don’t think paying for a dog walker
gets you off the hook.”

“
Get a regular job. You
still have one good hand. You could work as a cashier.”

“
The nerve!” she yelled at
him. “Don’t tell me what to do, what job to take. You’re so full of
yourself.”

“
Hey, hey, no offense. I’m
leaving, okay? Call me when you know how much for a dog walker.” He
grabbed the doorknob, anxious to make a quick exit. Baxter barked
again. Rory’s stormy expression didn’t change as he moved through
the doorway.

Hack
exited the building quickly, heading back to his vet clinic.
If she wasn’t such a bitch, I’d love to date her.
Well, maybe sleep with her. Forget it. She’s an adversary.
He shrugged and continued on his way, until his
cell rang.

“
Hey, Dad.”

“
Hack, when are you coming
to dinner?”

“
Hmm, don’t
know.”

“
Can you come tomorrow?
Bring Felicia?”

“
I’ll ask her.”

“
Your mother has been
asking for you two.”

“
Okay. I’ll see what I can
do.”