Next Door Knight

by Nicole Flockton

  Moments passed between them and the smile died on her lips. “Never mind,” she murmured and made to move away.

  Instinctively, Caleb reached out and placed a hand on her arm, her skin warm and soft under his fingertips. A sensation he did his damnedest to ignore. A light touch, but enough that she paused and turned. He let his hand drop to his side, fighting the need to shake it to dispel the tingles flaring through him.

  Her eyebrow rose. “Was there something else you wanted to say?”

  “I’ll do it even though you’ve just invited a complete stranger to look after your father. I know you’re Kerry, but you don’t know me,” he snapped, the moment still so surreal. “How do you know I’m not some sort of serial killer or something?”

  Her eyes widened a fraction, the only indication she hadn’t really thought the idea through fully. But in a flash, a small smile spread across her face. Her eyes sparkled in the early evening light, and her plump lips tempted him to taste them. “I trust you because Willow trusts you.”

  What the hell? Her dog was her barometer? Yep, she was insane.

  He shouldn’t have gone against his instincts, should have knocked down her request quicker than when Trigger alerted their team to immediate danger in the field. Caleb closed off thoughts of his working dog partner.

  Fuck. He needed to remove himself from this whole situation.

  Another nudge—the little corgi was rubbing her head back and forth across his leg, as if soothing away his hurts.

  God, he should walk away, his sanity wouldn’t survive this, but he’d given his word and he never went back on it once he’d given it. He held out his hand, knowing the second she took it in her own, he’d regret it.

  “Caleb Bradshaw.”

  Kerry’s smile grew wider.

  Shit, attractive women have always been my downfall. Why did I agree to this?

  When her hand slid into his, his flesh indeed buzzed at the contact; he was surprised there weren’t tiny flashes of lightning sparking between them. “Pleased to meet you, Caleb, and again, thank you so much for helping out. Do you, um, think we can go now? Time is running out for me, and I want to make sure Dad is settled.” She pulled her hand out and he closed his fingers in a tight fist. Her entire body language hadn’t changed at their touch, so clearly whatever he was feeling was one-sided.

  “Yep, let’s go.”

  Kerry cocked her head and then looked at his feet. “Don’t you want to, you know, lock your house and grab your phone or whatever?”

  “You didn’t seem too concerned about that when you all but suggested we leave the second I agreed to helping you.”

  A faint pink hue bloomed over her cheeks. “We’re really making a mess of this, aren’t we?” she said ruefully.

  Against his better judgment, the corners of his lips quirked up in half a smile. “Seems that way.”

  “Okay, so how about I go home, try and call one of Dad’s friends to see if they can come over in an hour so your whole evening isn’t ruined. I can also let Dad know what’s going on. While I’m doing that, you can get yourself organized here and then come on over to my place. I can quickly run through everything that he needs. Then I’ll go to work.”

  “Sure.” He could do with a few minutes to get his shit together. Not to mention knock some sense into his head at the same time.

  She once again headed down the path. “Kerry,” he called out, halting her progress. Really, again, why was he doing this? He should just let her go.

  “Yes?”

  “This is a one-off thing. Don’t expect me to babysit your dad again.”

  Chapter Two

  “Caleb, come in. Thank you again for doing this.”

  The aroma of his citrusy aftershave tickled her nostrils. He hadn’t been wearing cologne when she’d run into him; she would’ve remembered the scent for sure. Not that she’d had plenty of opportunity to sniff men’s necks.

  “It’s fine.” Tension lines appeared around his eyes, and his tone didn’t give her the impression that he was fine with it at all, but she had no choice in the matter.

  “Dad is this way,” she said as she started down the hallway.

  A grunt sounded behind, and she rolled her eyes. Typical male response.

  She was pleased to see her dad was still seated in his chair and hadn’t attempted to stand to greet Caleb.

  “Caleb, this is my father, Ron Williams. Dad, Caleb Bradshaw.” She stood back as Caleb strode past her.

  “Good to meet you, sir.” Caleb’s response was clipped and respectful. A little of her doubt about how he would treat her dad evaporated.

  “None of this sir business. Call me Ron. Thanks for coming over to babysit me.” Dad winked at her. She bit back the urge to poke her tongue out at his cheeky comment.

  “Okay, Ron it is. I understand I’ll only be here for a little while. Correct?” Caleb sent her a pointed look.

  Yeah, yeah she got the hint. The last place he wanted to be was in her house. “Yes, for however long it takes for Eric to get here.” She directed her gaze to her father. “You called Eric, didn’t you?”

  “I did. He’s with his daughter but should be here soon. She doesn’t live too far away.”

  “Good.” Kerry glanced at her watch again and groaned. “I’m going to be late. I can’t afford to lose this job.”

  “Well, then go.” Her father waved his hand in a shooing motion. “We’ve got this all under control, haven’t we, Caleb?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He’d taken a seat on the couch and Willow was on the ground, her nose resting over Caleb’s sneakered feet, a look of concern in her brown eyes. Her dog was telling her something about Caleb, but she didn’t know what. And she should. As a therapy dog, Willow was in tune with the emotions of people around her, so she must sense turmoil in Caleb. Or had she picked up on something else? Something that could be harmful to her dad.

  “If you’re sure?” Still she hesitated in leaving, even knowing every second she stayed at home meant the later she would be to the restaurant.

  “Go, Kerry.” Her father snagged her gaze and used his best don’t-mess-with-me-I’m-your-father tone. “We will be fine.”

  He was right. She walked over to her dad and laid a hand on his arm. “Thanks again, Caleb,” she said to the man who’d come to her rescue, not once, but twice in the last hour.

  He nodded and switched his focus to looking out the window. Well then, she’d been dismissed and that was that.

  She snatched up her bag, headed to the door while checking the contents for her wallet and sunglasses. Her phone trilled with an incoming text, and she automatically dug the device out of her pocket.

  Hi, this is Verna from Angel’s Home Help. I’m sorry, but I’m unable to take on the job of looking after your father. I hope you find someone else who’s suitable.

  “You don’t say. Would’ve been nice if you’d texted me over an hour ago,” she muttered and tossed the phone in her bag. Getting someone else to look after her dad would be tomorrow’s problem.

  *

  It was close to one a.m. by the time Kerry slotted the key into the back door and entered her kitchen. Willow came running the second she placed her handbag on the counter. Kerry squatted down and picked her up, snuggling into the coarse dog fur.

  “Hey, puppy, why aren’t you cuddled up on your granddaddy’s bed, keeping him company?”

  Willow licked Kerry’s cheek and the fatigue that ate at her bones melted away. “You always make me feel better,” she said as she placed the dog on the ground and went to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water. Her hand stilled when the sound of laughter filtered into the kitchen. “What the hell? Dad’s still up?”

  Taking a long swallow from her water, she strode down the hallway toward the living room, stopping abruptly. She didn’t know which surprised her the most; the fact that Dad appeared happier than he had in a long time or that Caleb was still sitting in the same place he’d been when she’d left
for work hours ago.

  “I guess my invite to the party got lost?”

  “Kerry, sweetie, I didn’t hear you come in.” Her father’s smile was big. “You’re not going to believe this, but Eric’s future son-in-law, Ethan, lived next door with Caleb. They both serve in the air force.”

  “Served,” Caleb interjected.

  Her father waved away Caleb’s gruff response. “Semantics. You’re just on medical leave.”

  The humor shining in Caleb’s eyes dulled and his lips tensed into a firm line. Definitely something going on there, but it wasn’t her place to ask. “Well, that’s great. I don’t know if Dad told you, Eric, but I’ve only just moved in and haven’t really had a chance to get to know my neighbors. The only reason Caleb is here is because Willow escaped out of the backyard and Caleb found her for me. Then he generously offered to sit with Dad until you came.” And, geez, she needed to shut up. She was babbling, and it wasn’t anything Eric needed to know.

  “I have to admit I was pretty surprised when I saw Caleb here. It’s been a great evening though,” Eric said as he stood. “But I should be getting home. As I said earlier, Caleb, Ethan’s back. I’m sure he’d like to see you. The baby will be here soon too, and then Isabella and Ethan will be getting married. It’s going to be a crazy time.”

  Kerry couldn’t drag her gaze away from Caleb. With every word Eric said, Caleb’s features tightened and it was like looking at a brick wall. His eyes were as dark as the night sky and the whites of his knuckles stood out on his hands clenched by his sides.

  Did he really not like his former roommate? Or was it Ethan’s fiancée he had an issue with?

  Not your business.

  The little voice in her head was correct, but her compassionate side wanted to comfort him. Stupid, considering they’d just met, but Caleb looked lonely even in a room with three other people.

  Willow’s training kicked in and she waddled over to Caleb and touched his leg with her black nose. If possible, he tensed even more and then stood abruptly, winced, and rubbed a hand down his left thigh.

  Interesting.

  Her dad had mentioned he was on medical leave and she’d noticed a limp earlier. Was that what he meant by served? So many questions she longed to ask, but she didn’t know him well enough to ask him. Instinct told her Caleb was going to do everything possible to avoid stepping foot inside her house again.

  “I’ve got to go. Bye, Eric, it was good to see you again, and to meet you, Ron.”

  He brushed past her and, before she could think it through clearly, she reached out and halted his progress. Caleb looked at the hand on his arm and then up at her. The pain of whatever he was going through blazed in his eyes. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. “Thanks for staying. I really appreciate it.”

  He nodded brusquely and continued out of the room. Kerry hurried after him to open the front door. The second she did, he was through the gap and striding into the dark night as if a million demons were chasing after him.

  Willow barked beside her and Caleb’s step faltered a fraction of a second before he disappeared into his own front yard.

  A brush against her leg made her look down. “Yeah, puppy, he’s hurting for some reason, but I don’t think he’s ever going to let anyone help him.” Not that she had time to help even if the circumstances were different.

  Chapter Three

  Caleb’s eyes snapped open, his heart raced, and sweat covered his body. As on previous occasions when he’d woken up like this, the memories of the dream he’d been having hovered on the periphery of his psyche like the haze simmering over a hot desert. If he allowed himself to delve into his mind, the images from his dream would be there—but he didn’t.

  Why did he need to remember the worst day of his life?

  The day that changed the path he’d been traveling down. Now here he was, waiting to find out what the next chapter of his life would be while living with the guilt that he hadn’t been able to protect Trigger, his K-9 dog.

  He’d worked many positions in the security forces division of the air force, but when he moved into the K-9 unit, he’d finally found his home. After almost twenty years in the service, he should’ve worked his way up the ladder a lot further than he had. The opportunities had been there and he’d been tempted, but in the end, he stayed with Trigger, and their partnership was the longest relationship he’d ever had in his life.

  He shifted in bed, to ease a dull ache at the top of his thigh. Flinging back the covers, Caleb swung he legs over the side, grimacing as the movement intensified the pain.

  The house was quiet. Too quiet for his liking. After nearly six months of living by himself, he should be used to it. But he wasn’t. Being in the military, he’d always been surrounded by people.

  What he should do was move. It had been a rash decision to stay in the house once Ethan had informed him his pregnant fiancée and her father would be collecting his things so when he returned from his deployment, he’d move straight in with her. Of course, at the time of the call she hadn’t been his fiancée and his former roommate hadn’t known he was going to be a father.

  Caleb scrubbed a hand down his face. Thinking of Ethan reminded him of the previous evening at his attractive neighbor’s house. The way she’d looked when she returned from her job. More strands from her schoolmarm bun had escaped and floated around her face. She looked tired but invigorated, too, as if the job gave her energy to face anything. He’d felt like that once.

  Dammit, stop thinking about the past.

  He got up and limped to the kitchen. Mornings were always the worst with his leg. Once he’d been moving for half an hour, the tense muscles eased up and he almost forgot about it. He pulled a carton of juice from the fridge and was reaching up to grab a glass from the overhead cupboard when he paused, sure he’d heard something or someone shuffling around on his back porch.

  Quieting the jumble of sounds in his mind, he concentrated like he would do on patrol. Yep, there it was again, a definite snuffling sound. The glowing numbers on the microwave informed him it was just before six. The normal time he’d be getting up if he was about to head to base.

  But he wasn’t and he needed to investigate the sound. It was probably just a feral cat or possum. Worst-case scenario, it was a skunk and he’d have to make sure he didn’t do anything to make the critter spray him. Not the best way to start the day.

  Heading into the laundry room, he snagged a pair of sweatpants from the pile of folding he needed to do and slipped into them. He found his slide sandals by the back door and grabbed the flashlight he kept on the windowsill in case of emergencies.

  Cautiously he opened the laundry room door, which led to the backyard. The beam from the flashlight landed on a pair of eyes, making them glow eerily in the early morning light. But he recognized the eyes. He turned the flashlight off and found the outside light switch, flicking it on.

  “Fuck, Willow, what the hell are you doing here again?” The dog padded over to him and sat on her haunches, her brown-and-white coat glistening under the glow of the light bulb, her mouth open as she panted happily at him.

  “Willow? Where are you?” He could tell Kerry was trying not to yell too loudly so as not to wake the whole neighborhood.

  Why was her damn dog now finding its way into his backyard?

  According to Ron, Kerry and Willow had been living in the house next door to him for two months. He’d heard the dog barking on occasion, but because he’d been keeping to himself, he hadn’t seen Kerry or her dog. Now, within the space of twenty-four hours, her dog had found its way into his yard twice.

  Yeah, maybe it was time to move. Perhaps a nice apartment complex that didn’t allow pets. Now that seemed like a perfect idea.

  “Woof.”

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s your owner,” he muttered to the dog as he headed across his yard to the fence.

  “Willow’s over here,” he called out.

  “Caleb? Is that you?�
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  “Well it’s not friggin’ Santa Claus. Yes, it’s me.” Dammit, he didn’t mean to sound so surly. Then again, it was six in the morning. He had reason to be grumpy.

  From where he stood he couldn’t see Kerry approach, but he heard the faint slap of her feet on the grass. If he got right up to the fence he could probably see over, but he had no plans to do that right now. “Sorry,” she said, her voice louder than before. “That was a stupid thing to say. Of course it’s you, Caleb. Who else would it be? Our backyards run alongside each other.”

  Abruptly the flow of words ceased, and his lips twitched into a small smile. He found the way she babbled a little the previous evening kind of endearing. Such a contrast from the way she’d succinctly spoken to him when they first met.

  “It’s always best to be cautious when you can’t see who’s speaking to you,” he said after the silence between them had stretched beyond the normal pause in conversation.

  “I think you’re being too nice.”

  “Woof.”

  Willow had joined them.

  “Willow, girl, what are you doing there?”

  “Woof.”

  “Well, I don’t think Caleb appreciates you barging in on him. We’re going to have to have a serious talk when I get you.”

  His smiled grew wider at the one-sided conversation Kerry was having with her dog. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d smiled like this. “Why don’t I bring Willow over to you and then you can continue this conversation?”

  “Oh, that would be great. I’ll be out the front of my place in a minute.”

  Through the pine fence, he could hear her feet slapping as she rushed away. Caleb shook his head and leaned down to scoop up Willow.

  “Come on, you. Let’s get you to your mom.” Before he started thinking that having a dog in his life again was a good thing.

  *

  Kerry yanked her front door open and rushed down the pathway. She had no idea what had gotten into Willow. There must be a broken fence slat she could wiggle her chubby little body through. A gap that hadn’t been there before, because Willow hadn’t dug a hole. She’d never been a digger—then again, they hadn’t had a backyard at all, so who really knew if her dog was a digger or not?