Paws for a Kiss (Canine Cupids Book 1)

by Stephanie Rowe

A man in gray overalls and a canvas jacket stood next to them, a metal toolbox dangling from his right hand.

  Mack had a pained look on his face. "We're here for the pre-closing inspection."

  Her gut clenched. It was too soon. "Oh."

  "Care to join us?" Whittle's voice dripped with sarcasm.

  She narrowed her eyes at Whittle. "No. Want a cocker spaniel? I have just the one for you."

  "No. Let's go, Spenser. Better call your dog."

  Janey was still snuggled in Bev's arms, so Whittle's intended insult was obvious. How could Mack live with himself, having to kowtow to a man like Whittle? She knew the death of his sister was too powerful for her to comprehend, but Mack was such a good person, too good for what he was being asked to do.

  Mack met her gaze, and she knew then how much he hated Whittle. She shook her head slightly, trying to let him know it was okay. She knew he couldn't defend her in front of Whittle, and she understood.

  "Spenser! I thought you liked your dog. Better save the mangy thing from her." Whittle was grinning, his lips stretched thin over his yellowed teeth as he relished in the moment.

  "My dog is just fine where she is." Mack's voice was low, but unyielding and cold, drawing a lump to her throat. He'd defended her.

  Whittle snapped his head toward Mack, glaring at him. Mack said nothing, meeting his gaze with cold eyes. Tension crackled in the air, and neither man spoke. Then Whittle turned to the inspector. "Well, lead on young man. We don't have all day."

  The inspector nodded and walked past Bev, followed by Whittle. Mack touched her shoulder. "I’m sorry," he whispered.

  She shook her head. "Your job matters to you. I understand."

  "There are limits. I'll call you later." And then he was gone, Janey jumping down to run after him.

  Bev hugged herself, wishing she could be like Janey and chase Mack down. But she couldn't. Not now. Today, his job stood between them. Would it always?

  Three hours later, Mack was leaning against a dusty cement wall contemplating what it would be like to tell Whittle what he actually thought of him. The man disgusted him more with every minute Mack spent in his presence, and a three-hour inspection wasn't helping his mood. They'd hit every corner of the place, Whittle determined to find something amiss he could blame Bev for. Water damage from the flood was visible, but it wasn't enough to stop the sale of the property or even affect the price, especially given that Whittle was going to level the building.

  He detested the man, and was beginning to detest his job. At least for today. When this shelter business was over, he'd find his way back to his old self, relishing his work. Though he wasn't certain about the long hours anymore, not when he could be spending time with Bev instead of haggling over millions at midnight. Something he was going to have to think about.

  "Hey, there's some new pipe here. What's that about?" The inspector looked up at Whittle, who shrugged his shoulders and looked at Mack.

  "Broken water pipe a week ago," Mack said. "It's been fixed."

  "Someone had a heck of a time busting it." The inspector eyed Whittle. "A little scam to get down the price of the property, huh? Water damage can be a significant issue."

  Whittle narrowed his beady little eyes. "What are you talking about? Are you accusing me of intentionally flooding this building?"

  "Someone did. These marks in the pipe aren't from one of those dogs sharpening their teeth, that's for sure."

  Mack pushed himself off the wall. "What marks?"

  The inspector pointed to some shiny crevices in the old section of the pipe. "Looks like someone tried to break through this part with an axe or something. Probably got through further down, where the new pipe is."

  Mack ran his fingers over the marks, feeling the sharp edges and indentations in the metal from the blows.

  "That little wench! I'm going to have her arrested!" Whittle smacked Mack in the chest. "This is your fault, and you better fix it! I want twenty percent shaved off the price, or I'm pressing charges against her and the sellers."

  Mack stood up and faced Whittle. "Bev didn't do it."

  Whittle's beady eyes snapped. "How do you know? Did you do it for her?"

  "Of course not." He stared down at the man, his face cold. "Bev didn't do it. Don't even try to start something against her."

  Whittle narrowed his eyes. "Whose side are you on, my boy? It's either her or me."

  "Just don't start."

  "And what if I do?"

  Mack bunched his fists, cursing his choices, the same choice he'd been faced with again and again since he'd met Bev. He was damn tired of that choice.

  Chapter 21

  Bev was in the cat room when she heard the front door slam later in the afternoon. Were they finally gone? She'd been avoiding the trio all day, her stomach like a sunken log. "Mack?"

  She reached the window just in time to see Mack drive off with Whittle. He hadn't stopped in to say good-bye, as she would have expected. What did that mean?

  The inspector was still loading up his van. Maybe he had some answers.

  She made it to the parking lot just in time to jump in front of the battered gray truck, the beagle and Mac barking with excitement as she flagged him down. "Wait!"

  He rolled down his window. "What?"

  "How did the inspection go? Did the warehouse not pass?" As if she could be that lucky.

  "Oh, no. It passed."

  "Oh." She sighed, unable to hide her disappointment.

  The inspector leaned on the window, his eyes gleaming. "Did you bust that pipe? I thought it was that fat dude, but was it you? Maybe hoping to keep the place from selling?"

  "What?" She waved her hand at the dogs, trying to quiet them, so she could concentrate on what the man was saying.

  "I thought the fat guy was just covering for himself when he blamed you, but it's making sense now. You got nowhere to take these dogs, do you?" He grinned, flashing a set of smoky yellow teeth at her. "Well, sweetheart, I hate to disappoint you, but he's still going to buy the place, and he told the big guy to get you arrested. Have a nice day."

  Bev stood in the parking lot, her hands dangling by her sides. What was he talking about? The plumber hadn't said anything when he fixed the pipe last week.

  She walked inside and squatted next to the repaired section of the pipe, running her fingers over the shiny new copper. She was no plumber, but it looked fine to her. Why did they think someone had broken it intentionally? Mac ran by her, chasing the beagle in a frenzied race, knocking into her knee.

  "Mac!" She caught herself on the pipe just before she toppled over. Sharp pain shot through the palm of her hand, sharp metal slicing through her skin. "What the..."

  It was then that she saw them. Long, narrow indentations in the pipe. As if someone had tried to break it open with an axe. "No way."

  Bev closed her eyes and leaned back on her heels, holding her injured hand to her chest. Mack must have thought she'd done it. That's why he'd left. No! That couldn't be right. How could he not trust her? He loved her! Okay, so he hadn't admitted it, but it was true. What if he used the pipe incident as an excuse to get away from her, like she'd used the shelter incident to try to convince herself she wasn't falling in love with him?

  No! This wasn't how it was supposed to end! Tears welled up in her eyes, refusing to be banished.

  "Bev? Where are you?" Les's voice rang through the shelter, and she closed her eyes.

  She was so not in the mood to deal with him.

  While Mac and the beagle ran off to greet Les, Bev used her tee shirt to dry her eyes. By the time Les tracked her down, she was collected and calm, her bleeding hand hidden behind her back. No way could she deal with Les trying to administer to her wounds the way Mack had. "What's up, Les?"

  He was standing near the door, the tail of his wrinkled shirt hanging out of his pants. "You found them?"

  "Found what?"

  "The marks."

  "Marks?"

  "Uh..." He turned re
d and started to back out of the room. "Never mind."

  Suspicion flaring in Bev's mind, she jumped in front of the door, blocking Les's exit. "Les! What did you do?"

  "Nothing." He stared at the ground, kicking at invisible dirt.

  "Did you break the pipe? Was it you?"

  He said nothing, sniffling loudly.

  Bev took a deep breath and calmed her voice. "Les, you need to be honest with me. Please?"

  Averting his eyes from her face, he shrugged. "I was trying to get your attention."

  Bev let her breath out in a distressed whoosh. "You did break the pipe."

  "It's not my fault! You were with him! You didn't notice me or need me anymore! I had to do something!" He was whining now, distress raising the decibels of his voice.

  Recognition dawned. "You mean, I was with Mack?"

  "Yes!" He finally looked at her, and the distress in his face nearly tore her heart. "I'm the one who cares about you. I do your chores around here. I hand out flyers. I'm the one who loves you."

  Bev pursed her lips. "You turned me down for dinner, Les."

  "Of course, I did! I wasn't prepared! If I was going to finally get to go to dinner with you, I would need time to prepare. If you'd given me more warning, I could have gone." He scowled. "And I never got another chance because he showed up."

  Okay, so Josie had been right. Les was definitely not the man for her. She put her hand on his sweaty shoulder, surprised to feel him shaking. "Les, you and I weren't meant to be, even if Mack hadn't come into my life. You're like my brother."

  He stared at her. "Your brother?"

  "Yes," she said, trying to sound optimistic. "Which means you'll be in my life forever. People who are dating break up and never talk again. Can you imagine if that happened to us? If we never spoke again? Ever?"

  Les blanched. "That would be horrible," he whispered.

  Bev nodded. "But as my brother, we'll be friends forever. Isn't that better?"

  He pursed his lips, then nodded his head slightly. "I guess..."

  "Great." Bev patted him on the back, unable to cope with him any longer. "I think it's time for you to leave, Les. I need to do some stuff."

  He pointed at the pipe. "Did the warehouse pass inspection?"

  "It passed."

  Les's mouth dropped open in dismay. "How could it have passed? This was going to make you realize you needed me," Les whined. "I was going to save your place, and then I'd be your hero."

  Okay, so maybe Josie had been right that Les's adoration would be smothering. "I appreciate the effort, Les, but it wasn't a good idea." She needed to get away from him, needed to think.

  "It should have worked." He was sulking now.

  She bit her lip. "Les, I love you like my brother, remember? You don't need to do things like that, okay?" At his nod, she sighed. "I think you should leave."

  He looked like he was going to protest, but only for an instant. Then his shoulders slumped and he slunk out the door.

  Bev pressed her hand to her forehead. She could go tell Mack the truth, that Les had broken the pipe, but what would it solve? If he didn't want to believe her, there was nothing she could do.

  Great. Two days until closing, and now she didn't even have someone to hug her at night. She lifted her chin. Maybe she was wrong about Mack. Maybe he wasn't blaming her at all. Maybe it was just Whittle getting on his nerves that had made him not say good-bye. Mack wouldn't walk away from her like that. Would he?

  No, he wouldn't. She'd take care of her hand, finish up at the shelter and head home. Mack would call her before the sun set.

  Chapter 22

  By ten o'clock that night, Bev was no longer so confident. She hadn't heard from Mack all day, not even to return the messages she'd left him. She patted her bed, and the beagle hopped up. She had a feeling the beagle was going to become the next addition to her family. She was too sweet to send to a shelter, and her big, brown eyes could swallow Bev up with love. And what girl couldn't use a little more love in her life? Especially since Mac was sitting on the balcony, probably waiting for Mack to arrive with Janey. Could she blame him?

  A knock at the door made her heart lurch. "Who is it?"

  "It's Mack."

  Bev leapt to the floor, her heart soaring with elation. He hadn't rejected her. She flung open the door, then froze, stunned by the hard lines on his face. "What's wrong?"

  "I have to leave."

  "Leave? To where?" He'd just arrived. "Business crisis?" But at least he came by, even if it was only for a minute, right?

  "California."

  "Really? For how long?" Emptiness wafted over her and he hadn't even left yet.

  "Two years."

  Bev felt like she was choking. "What?"

  "I told off Whittle today."

  "You did?"

  Mack nodded. "He threatened to press charges against you for the pipe. Said you did it. So I threatened him to make him back off."

  Her heart thudded. "Do you think I broke the pipe?"

  He snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. I wouldn't have lost my client over you if I didn't believe in you."

  Aww…how sweet was that? "I thought you were mad, because you didn't stop by at the end of the day to say you were leaving."

  "Oh, Bev. I couldn't. I had to go with Whittle to do damage control when we got back to my office. He was ready to try to get me thrown in jail for assault."

  She blinked. "You hit him?"

  "No. But I might have scared him a little." Mack grinned slightly. "But anyway, that's in the past. I have to go to California now."

  Bev held up her hands. "Wait a minute. I'm confused. Did you get fired?"

  "Of course not." He stepped into the small apartment and shut the door. "He tried to get me fired, of course, but since I own part of the company, he can't exactly do that."

  "So, what happened with California?"

  "About five months ago, we signed a huge client who is California based. They wanted one of us to stay out there so they could have personal service. My partner and I agreed that if we could sign a few more big California clients, then one of us would move out there for a couple years to start up a small office."

  Bev collapsed onto the couch, her heart leaking out of her body. "And you're going?"

  Mack sat down beside her and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. He stared at the rug. "I have to."

  "Why? Why not your partner?" Tears threatened, but she bit them back.

  "Because his wife is six months pregnant, and they have two kids in school. It's not a good time for them to move."

  Bev pressed her fists into her eyes. "And you're single."

  "Yes."

  She lifted her head and looked at him, the man she loved so desperately. "You're definitely going?"

  "Yes." Mack tore his gaze off the carpet and looked at her. "Come with me."

  "What?" A pebble of hope stirred in her chest. "You want me to move to California?"

  He took her hands in his. "Yes. Will you?"

  "Whoa." Bev pulled her hands out of his and stood up. "Just like that, you want me to give up and move? What about my animals?"

  Mack stayed on the couch, watching her with a veiled expression. She couldn't read him at all. "The shelter is closing in two days. You can open a new one in California."

  "With what? I don't have any money."

  "I'll pay for it."

  Bev stopped pacing and stared at him. "What?"

  "I'll buy the property and give you money to start it up properly."

  "Hold on a sec. Let me see if I get this." She pressed a hand to her forehead. "All along, you've had the money to donate to save the shelter and you haven't done it? And now you're offering just so I'll move out there and be your sex toy?"

  Mack stared at her for what felt like an eternity.

  "Mack?"

  "That's not how it is. It's more complicated than that."

  "Then tell me how it is." She was so angry her hands were shaking
, her heart felt like it had been torn from her body and trampled by a herd of buffalo. "Is it that you wanted me to rely on you so you could suck me into your life and seduce me? Or was it that all your statements about how bad you felt were lies? Or was it for my own good to lose my shelter? Tell me, Mack."

  His face looked calm, but there was a hurricane in his eyes. "I donate over a million dollars every year to fund medical research and to various children's foundations. I pay for lodging so families can stay in the same city as their kid who needs to be relocated for special medical treatments."

  Bev slumped against the television table, listening to him.

  "When I go to the hospital and hold the hands of kids who are sick, whose families can't be there, I know I'm doing the right thing with my money, and I'll keep doing it. Not only can I help make sure my family is taken care of, but as long as I keep earning this much money, I can take care of a lot of other people so maybe one family or one child somewhere doesn't have to go through what my family went through. I have to make choices, Bev, and I've chosen sick kids."

  "Mack..."

  He held up his hand. "When I first met you, my interest in the shelter was just part of another job. It wasn't personal."

  "So you've said." But her voice was quiet and nonjudgmental.

  "And then I met you, and you turned my world on its side. I didn't intend to get involved with you, or to care about the shelter on a personal level." He scooted forward on the couch, staring at her. "But both of those things happened, and I can't walk away now. Giving you money for a shelter now isn't a donation to the shelter. I would do it just for you."

  Bev's heart was being held together by tiny bits of fragile thread. "Why do you want me to come, Mack?"

  She could only go if he loved her. A passionate affair was one thing. Taking a risk by letting herself fall in love was another. But giving up her life and moving across the country for him was too much, unless he loved her. "Why would you buy me the property, Mack?"

  "Because I want you to come with me."

  "But why?"

  He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. "I don't know."

  One thread broke, and a piece of her heart fell. "I want love, Mack. Marriage, kids, and a husband who adores us. That's what I want."