Was she commenting on his body? This beautiful woman had noticed him? What man with a pulse wouldn’t be flattered? “I do need protein to keep up with my workouts,” he said. “You’re right about that.”
There was gratitude in her eyes when they finally managed to meet his. “Well, plant protein works just as well. And that’s me, getting off my soapbox now.”
He laughed. She was charming, even though he got the sense she wasn’t trying. There was nothing that made him more uncomfortable than a person who clearly worked at being charming. He’d always find himself wanting to tell them to relax.
“So I guess a pizza would be out of the question?” he asked, teasing a little. “I’m starving, and while I don’t normally indulge, I think I deserve it after conquering Mount File Pile today.” Indeed, the front office looked downright neat and tidy, every file arranged alphabetically and the chairs and tables dusted and straightened.
“I’m vegetarian, not vegan.” She chuckled. “Cheese is okay. In fact, cheese is essential. I don’t think I could live without it.”
“I’ll take note of that. I make a mean fondue.”
“You?”
He pointed to himself, eyes wide in mock dismay. “You don’t think a guy like me knows his way around a fondue pot? I’m disappointed.”
She was so pretty when she blushed—and just like he’d guessed, a few errant curls skimmed her cheeks. She tucked them back, laughing at herself. “Okay, okay. Point taken. I can order a pizza. You want toppings?”
He wrinkled his nose as he shook his head. “No. Just all the cheese they have in stock.”
“I think that can be arranged.” She slid a phone from her purse and stepped away to order their dinner, leaving him wishing he had an excuse to take her someplace. A woman like Holly deserved fine dining, or at least something nicer than a pizza eaten in a doctor’s office.
He could imagine them seated in a restaurant. There would be candlelight, of course, and he’d hang on her every word. With her wit and charm, she could probably make a story about walking to the corner interesting and even funny.
Inwardly he chastised himself. This wasn’t a date. It was business, and they hadn’t even begun discussing what he’d brought her there to talk about. Was this the way the next few weeks were going to go? With him fighting an unfortunate unprofessional attraction?
No. That couldn’t be the way. He had a job to do, and he’d be doing Holly a grave disservice if he shirked his duty by flirting. Beyond that, she had a son, and if there was one thing Mason was sure of, it was that he had no business getting involved with a kid. Not with his history. What if he did get involved with Holly? How about when it inevitably ended?
Again, something he didn’t need or want to think about. It wasn’t like she’d even brought her up son in conversation at this point. Most likely, she sensed Mason wasn’t the kind of man she wanted around her child.
With his thoughts now in line, he could focus on the job and, hopefully, get away from the woman with the electrifying touch before anything got messy.
Chapter 6
It was a good thing Mason had mentioned dinner. Not only was Holly’s stomach growling, but she needed the excuse to step away and pull herself together.
What was it about him that made her so awkward and giggly? She said all the wrong things and blushed nonstop. He had to think she was a complete airhead. And all that preaching about being vegetarian? He didn’t want to hear that.
At least he played it off well. He had a great personality, an easygoing manner she liked almost as much as she liked the sight of his biceps flexing whenever he lifted one of the file boxes. Down girl, she schooled herself once her call to the pizza shop was finished. A quick stop in the restroom to splash her face with cold water was in order.
What a mistake. She took a good look at herself and recoiled—hair a mess, smudged mascara under her eyes. She cleaned it up quickly and did what she could to tame the unruly curls that had been a plague her entire life. There she was, joking and giggling and blushing while she looked like she’d been struck by lightning.
Then again, she felt like she had. He electrified her.
Color rushed to her cheeks again at the thought of him. That had to stop. He had to focus on his job, and she needed to focus on hers. The fewer distractions she presented him with, the better.
Clearly, he was thinking along the same lines. “So, tell me about your experience with this dog ring,” he called out when she emerged from the restroom. He was in one of the three exam rooms, checking on supplies.
Right. Business was business, and that’s what they were there for. Even if her heart sank a little at his abrupt change in demeanor.
“I’ve heard rumors of them before,” she explained. “They go from town to town, avoiding the cops. There’s a core group of men who run it. Sometimes they recruit new guys from whatever town they’re in to help scout for likely candidates, even if it means stealing dogs from loving homes.”
Her voice cracked, and she turned away toward the window. The building was part of a row of similar brick structures along the street, all connected, but there was a small yard in the back which she looked over now. The garden was choked with weeds, overgrown. She wondered if Mason would think she was sticking her nose where it didn’t belong if she offered to help clean it up.
“I heard you had experience with three of the most recent missing dogs,” he said softly, his voice thick.
“Sure,” she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. “I rehabilitated them and made sure they were ready to be placed with families. With children. They were thriving, and I was so proud.”
He was right behind her now, the warmth of his body seeping through her clothes and into her skin. “I’m so sorry. It’s never easy to know there are innocent animals being hurt and taken advantage of when you feel there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Yes, she could sense he understood. This was more than lip service. “I only started asking questions to challenge the police to do something about it. They acted like their hands were tied, like there was nothing to be done. I don’t know if they were afraid or what. Doesn’t that sound crazy? Why would they be afraid?”
“Sometimes, it’s easier to turn away.” Mason sighed.
Something in his voice told her he understood a lot better than he was letting on. Like there was an entire universe inside him, a deep awareness of what she’d experienced and a lot more on top of it.
He cleared his throat. “People pretend not to see, telling themselves they’re only thinking about what’s good for the greater number of people. They click their tongues and shake their heads and mourn over how sad or terrible things are, but they won’t lift a finger to help.”
Keeping her back to him, she replied, “Exactly. It’s enough to boil my blood. Poor dogs being abused and killed for what? Entertainment? And what sort of person finds that entertaining? It’s enough to make me wonder about the people I’ve lived around my whole life. You just never know what’s going on in a person’s heart.”
She’d said too much. She knew it. “Sorry,” she whispered, the tears threatening to spill over. “I’m too emotional.”
His hands cupped her shoulders. They were gentle, not asking for anything, not demanding. Just…there. Reminding her she wasn’t alone anymore, that someone cared besides her.
The tension drained from her shoulders, neck, and back. She hadn’t even noticed how tight her muscles were until then. He was like magic.
“Nobody can blame you for feeling this way, especially since they’re cowards with only the nerve to threaten you,” he said.
It helped her relax further and even lean against him a little, her back to his chest. Any other time, she’d be pulling away, but for once, she didn’t feel like she was carrying everything alone.
“They’ll never touch you. I swear it,” he murmured, low and soothing. The strangest part of all of it was that she wholly believed him. Even more peculiar, the
re was an undeniable, heart-penetrating trust in him after only knowing him for half a day.
It was a good thing the bell rang with their pizza delivery. Otherwise, who knew how far she might’ve fallen without any effort on his part whatsoever.
Chapter 7
The night air was cool and fresh when Holly stepped out of the doctor’s office, which was now ready for patients to come calling again. Granted, the scent of pizza still hung in the air, but that was nothing a few open windows wouldn’t help.
Her feet had wings. It made no sense, of course, seeing as how Mason was there to protect her, not to romance her. And he wouldn’t want to romance her if he knew the whole story of her personal life, either, so the entire thing was one giant moot point.
And still, she could hardly breathe sometimes when their eyes met. She still felt his hands on her shoulders, even though he hadn’t touched her once the pizza arrived and they’d settled in to talk about her safety. She still felt him with her, reminding her he was there to protect her.
As always, the sliding of the key into the lock at Chester Animal Rescue sent the dogs into a frenzy. She couldn’t help but smile.
“Okay, okay.” She laughed as she stepped into the back room.
“Guess what?” she asked them as their eyes peered at her through their kennels. “I met someone amazing today. You’ll probably get to meet him soon. He’s gonna make sure nothing bad happens to any of us. Isn’t that great?”
Lady didn’t care. Neither did Biscuit or any of the others. “Okay, fine. I know what you really want.”
She got up, pulling out the bag of dog food and pouring it into the bowls before letting them out of their kennels. It was nice when the rescues got along with each other—and it was a rarity that Holly appreciated. “Easy, now,” she chided the twelve of them as they practically climbed over each other. “Everybody be nice.”
She’d worried about Trixie, a little Morkie weighing fifteen pounds, when she’d first arrived at the office matted, underfed, and terrified of her own shadow. It had been three months, and now she was holding her own against dogs two and three times her size.
That was why Holly did what she did. She stood back with a proud smile, watching her dogs interact. They were feisty but well-behaved enough that they didn’t need to be fed separately. Only new dogs, dogs used to fighting for survival, were kept away from the others for all their safety.
It hadn’t been an easy road. Her mother still didn’t understand why she’d given up a veterinary practice to open a rehab clinic for dogs. Sure, the money wasn’t nearly as good and the hours were much less predictable, but the reward? That meant everything.
Like watching Trixie come out of her shell, helping her learn how to exist alongside others. Whatever had happened to her must’ve been terrible. Unthinkable.
How could anyone do that?
A crash rang out in the front office, sending both her and the dogs into a frenzy. “It’s okay; it’s okay!” she whispered, fighting her way through them. Was it a bad idea to go out there to see what happened? Probably.
She didn’t have to. “Stay where you are!” a voice called out from the front somewhere.
“Mason?”
“I heard the commotion from across the street. Stay put!”
She turned her attention to the dogs. “It’s all right,” she said, giving out pets and kisses. “It’s okay. Everything’s fine. Mason’s out there, helping us. We aren’t alone. Okay?”
She could’ve cried, both in despair and relief. It was so strange feeling both at the same time. The thought of how she might’ve fallen apart without Mason to watch her back was what drove that dark, painful feeling. A feeling wiped away by the sound of him giving the all-clear from the backyard. She flung the door open without thinking and threw herself into his arms, the dogs pouring out to dance circles around them.
Chapter 8
What was this?
Mason didn’t know what to focus on first. The sense of relief that she was all right? Frustration at not having caught up with whoever threw a brick through the front window? Confusion at the dogs running in circles, barking and jumping and trying to learn all they could about a newcomer?
No. He had to focus first on the woman in his arms who’d launched herself at him after he’d—luckily—closed the back gate. If he hadn’t, they might’ve had a much bigger problem on their hands as twelve dogs escaped into the night.
She was warm and soft, her heart hammering against his chest hard enough for him to feel it. He’d closed his arms around her purely out of reflex, and now he was glad he had. As much as a man could be glad to move closer to his own destruction.
Funny how that was the word that came to mind. What else could she be? His wasn’t the heart for hers. She deserved someone better. Someone who could give her all the things she deserved.
He wasn’t fit for that.
Still, she felt good against him, and he relished the contact for as long as he dared before easing away. She was scared, nothing more. She would’ve done the same thing to anyone if they’d come to her aid.
Her eyes searched his in the moonlight. Wide, fearful. “Did you find anything? Anyone?”
“No one,” he muttered, looking around. “I heard the crash from one of the exam rooms and came out as fast as I could, but it was already too late. They must’ve been driving past. They were out of range of the cameras as they drove by.”
“What happened? Did they throw something?”
“A brick,” he said. “It looked like there might be something wrapped around it, but I didn’t take the time to check. Do you feel safe coming in with me to see if they left anything?”
“I feel safe with you,” she whispered, and his chest swelled. She trusted him already, and he had to ensure that trust wasn’t misplaced.
He went in first, waiting while she rounded up the dogs. “I would normally have left them out there to do their business,” she said, “but I don’t feel safe doing that now. They need supervision when they’re outside.”
“Absolutely. I would’ve advised it if you hadn’t already decided on that course of action.” He appreciated her good sense and the way she handled the riled-up dogs. They were calming after having sniffed roughly every inch of him. “I guess they think I’m okay.”
She offered a weak smile, but it was nothing more than a brief shadow. What mattered was the brick waiting for them in the front office and what message it might carry. When she reached for his hand, he didn’t pull away.
Her grip tightened when she took in the mess. Shards of glass littered the floor and every other horizontal surface. It glittered in the light coming in from the streetlamps, an effect that ended with the flip of a switch.
She released him in favor of reaching for the brick, but he stopped her. “Let me touch it, just in case,” he advised, remembering back to when one of his teammates ended up in the hospital. Kolby had picked up a package intended for Ivy, the celebrity he was protecting at the time, and ended up poisoned by liquid nicotine which had seeped through his skin from the soaked box.
The brick looked harmless enough, and touching it didn’t give him any strange numbness or tingling. He unwrapped the paper folded around it.
“Let me see,” Holly insisted in a firm voice. He had to give her credit for her courage, even if he didn’t think she needed to see what was waiting to be read.
The message wasn’t surprising. Watch your back. We’re watching too.
The paper trembled in Holly’s hands. Her breath started coming in short little gasps.
“Sit down.” He tipped one chair over to sweep any bits of glass away before guiding her into it. “Lower your head. Breathe slowly.” With a hand on the back of her neck, he held her in place as best he could while fighting the urge to sweep her into his arms and promise to protect her always.
“What am I going to do? I can’t even afford to get the window replaced. This is a small town, and I already put what little funds I c
an spare into the rescue.” Her shoulders shook as she started to cry. It was the most desolate sound, enough to twist his heart.
“We’ll help you with that.” Mason crouched in front of her, rubbing her back. “We’ll help you.”
She sat up, searching his face with tears rolling down her own. “Why? How? You don’t owe me anything.”
“When we take on a case and agree to help someone, we don’t ask what’s in it for us. I’m making the call here, and I’m telling you with complete confidence that what I know of you so far tells me you deserve all the goodness in the world.” He tucked a black curl behind her ear.
She covered his hand with one of hers before he could pull it back. “Who are you? Really, I mean. People like you don’t exist. You’re too good and kind.”
“Funny.” He smiled. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
Her eyes. It would be easy to get lost in them and spend the rest of his life counting the flecks of green and brown and gold.
Which was wrong.
He shot up. “I’ll relay this to the team, and all you’ve got to do is get in touch with someone to fix the window. Give me their estimate, and I’ll pass that along too.”
She blinked rapidly as if trying to keep up. “Okay. Thank you.”
With a sigh, looking around them, he asked, “Where’s the vacuum? I guess we’d better get this cleaned up.”
Chapter 9
The next morning, Holly cradled her phone between her ear and her shoulder, giving assurances to her mom. “Everything’s fine,” Holly said as she put the carton of creamer back in the fridge.
“You’re sure?” her mom asked. “I don’t like you being there at your house by yourself. You should stay here for a little while, until this all blows over.”
“Mom, you already have your hands full with Jack—and I still plan on stopping by later with more food and stuff,” Holly promised as she returned to her coffee and gave it a stir. “I haven’t forgotten.”
The Ranger's Destiny (Army Ranger Romance Book 6) Page 3
