by Dawson, Zoe
“She’s pretty smart. I think I can work with her. I’d also like to suggest additional stimulation. Walks, of course. Work with her until she’s walking on her own. No more free rides.”
He nodded.
“Basset hounds are hunting dogs. They are trackers. I would suggest that you two work as a team and go to the park where there’s fresh air and a stimulating environment. Give her the scent of one of you, then stay ahead of Daisy as she follows your scent. Try to throw her off if you can. It’ll only help her to reacquaint herself with what she loves to do, and that is tracking.
“Jared. Why don’t you take her over there and teach her to shake with voice, then hand signal. If you get ambitious, you can try to get her to spin.”
“She already knows how to shake.”
“Okay, then try a hand signal. Then get her to turn in a circle if you can.”
“All right. Thank you for this, Callie.”
“Sure.”
When Jared walked away Callie turned to her. “Okay, what’s going on with you?”
“What?”
“Don’t act all innocent with me. You look…sated. And when you look at him…well let’s say it’s not a platonic look. I can tell when someone is getting nookie while on the phone.”
“I slept with him.”
“I thought you didn’t want to jeopardize this whole dancing thing?”
“I didn’t…I don’t. After he saved Allan, I was overcome with emotion and I lost it. I seduced him.”
“You?”
“I know. I half expected the sun to fall out of the sky.”
“Well, the way he saved Allan was…it was so heroic and spectacular. I was half in love with him myself. You know there was a reporter there. He took a picture and some people filmed it. He might go viral.”
“Oh, God, really? I don’t think he would like that. He really doesn’t think of himself as heroic. You should see him, all scraped up.”
“Oh, not a chance. I’m an almost-married woman. I don’t think I should see anything more of that simply gorgeous man. I love Owen to pieces, but there’s something about a big, hunky guy.”
“Callie, you are almost married. It’s getting close, so eyes front and center. And, what the hell, Owen is a big, hunky guy.”
“Hey, just because I’m chained at the fence doesn’t mean I can’t bark at the cars.”
“True. You any closer to picking out a wedding cake?”
“Nope. I’m still torn.”
“You’d better make a decision soon or Brooke will be making your cake, and she has enough to do.”
“I know. She’s freaked, but trying not to be freaked.” Callie nudged her. “So is he good in bed?”
“I came with him inside me.”
This time Callie turned to look at her, her mouth dropped open. “Really?!? But you never do that. Ever.”
“He just seems to know my hot spot. I don’t know how to describe it.”
“Sounds like a keeper. He saves little dogs, gets you off while he’s doing you, and looks great while doing both.”
Poe sighed.
Callie laughed and nudged her again. “Welcome to the club, my friend.”
They both smiled as Jared got Daisy to do a half spin on the second try. He stood up and did the Rocky victory dance.
“Look at that. He doesn’t look at all awkward.”
“No, so maybe it’s a mind thing. Just like Daisy’s depression.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, at brunch you told us he was a dynamo on the basketball court, dexterous, quick, coordinated, and barely missed a basket. That means he’s got the moves, but can’t translate them into the dance. So, it could be he’s afraid of looking awkward and stupid when he’s dancing. So maybe you should work more on his mind than his body.”
“Oh, really?”
“Don’t sound so sad. You can still sleep with him.”
Poe brightened. “I’m afraid there’s no stopping that now.”
“Would you want to?”
“No. I wouldn’t. Now that I know, it would be doubly hard for me to keep my hands off him.”
They walked over to Jared.
“Looks like she’s doing a great job.”
“She’s really smart,” Jared said, beaming like a proud papa.
“I’m sure it won’t take much to get her trained. Once you stimulate her and work with her every day, she’ll get better and better.”
“She’s a good dog,” Jared said softly. He reached out and Callie clasped his hand. “Thanks for the help.”
She nodded and smiled. “Anytime.”
“What do I owe you?”
Callie tilted her head and gave Poe a saucy grin. “Just treat Poe right and we’re even.”
Jared smiled as he met her eyes. “That’s a very easy task.”
As they left Sit Happens, Jared nudged Poe. “Were you indulging in some girl talk while I was working Daisy?”
“Who me?” She batted her eyelashes at him and he grabbed her around the neck. “Aw, you’re not as innocent as you seem.”
Poe shrugged and giggled. “Now it’s time for a treat. Daisy did so well, she gets rewarded.”
“Where are we going?”
“Bone Appétit. Daisy’s going to love it.”
“I take it there’s nothing for us to eat there.”
“On the contrary, my friend is all about both dogs and owners enjoying themselves. She’s got a coffee bar and pastries.”
“Yahoo! My kinda gal. Annnddd, we’re going for the pastries, right?”
Poe bit her lip and gave him a smug smile. “You’re too smart by half, Jared.”
It only took fifteen minutes to get to the dog bakery. The bell chimed when they walked in. A perky girl behind the counter said, “Welcome to Bone Appétit! All dogs are welcome.”
She came out from behind the counter. “Oh, what a cute basset hound.”
It was clear the girl thought the owner was really cute, too.
“What can I get for you?”
Poe went up to the case and said, “We’ll have three yappy meals, and three pretzels. I’m getting some for the boys,” she said to Jared over her shoulder. “Don’t want to leave them out.”
“Poe!” Brooke said coming through a door in the back. “I thought I heard your voice. I didn’t know you were stopping by today.”
“Hey, Brooke. I didn’t even know you’d be here. Jared Taylor, this is Brooke Palmer, soon to be Hudson.”
Jared nodded. “Howdy. Nice to meet you.”
“I’ll take care of them, Sue. Could you go in the back and bag the cupcakes I made today?”
“Real cupcakes or doggie treat ones?” Jared asked with a hopeful look on his face.
“Doggie, sorry.”
“I’ll take three of those, too, Sue.”
The girl smiled, gave Jared another once-over, and sighed as she headed toward the back.
“I know what treat she was hoping to bag,” Poe said and nudged him.
He chuckled. “I can’t help it if I’m as cute as my dog.”
“No, I guess you can’t.” After ordering coffee, they all sat down at one of the cute puppy-motif tables.
“So, how go the wedding plans?” Poe asked.
“Aw, we’re not going to bore poor Jared with the wedding stuff, are we?”
“Yes, he can handle it. He was a Marine.”
Brooke chuckled. “Okay, then I guess he’s tough enough.”
“I am a Marine, always a Marine,” he said with a perfectly executed salute.
“At ease, soldier,” Poe said, rubbing his forearm.
Brooke’s brows rose when she saw the move, and Poe gave her a yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking look.
“The caterers are taken care of for both weddings, as are the flowers, and venues. Emma—that’s Drew’s sister who is getting married a week after Callie—has already ordered her cake, so that is done. She had her dress before we went to Con
ey Island, so at least she’s set with that. Callie got her dress in the fall, a gorgeous mermaid style. Emma’s gotten herself quite a catch. Ben Cross, her fiancé, played the violin at the New York Philharmonic’s Star-Spangled Celebration over the fourth of July, and he was divine. Emma’s gallery is almost ready to open. She’s assembled some really outstanding art. You’re still coming, right?”
“Yes, it’s the end of this week, right?”
“You’re invited, too, Jared, if you’d like to come.”
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”
“Good. An art fan. Maybe you’ll find something you really must have.”
“I just might.”
Poe blushed as his intense eyes settled on her.
“If there’s anything you can do to get Callie to pick a cake that would be great. You also need to come over sometime soon to get the last fitting on your dress. Okay. That’s enough about the wedding stuff.”
Poe nodded. “Will do.”
“So, you’ll soon be unemployed.”
“Yes, the practicum is done at the end of the month.”
“Practicum?” Jared asked. “I thought you were already a vet.”
“I am, but veterinarians have to do what is called a practicum to specialize. I wanted to have my surgical specialization before I either open my own practice or join one. That’s what I’ve been doing this year at St. Marks and it’s almost up.”
“St. Mark’s could offer you a job, right?” Brooke said.
“I think they might. That would be nice. My salary should increase quite a bit.”
After asking Jared the usual, “where you from” questions, Brooke packed up their doggie treats and they left.
“Was that a subtle way to introduce me to your friends to get their opinion?”
“Opinion for what?”
“Whether I’m relationship-worthy material.”
“Relationship?”
“Yes. Unless I truly read this wrong, and if I did, I apologize.”
“There’s nothing wrong with casual sex.”
“No,” he agreed. “But there was nothing casual about what happened this morning.”
Adrenaline exploded into her system, along with a whole lot of panic. He was right. There wasn’t a thing that was casual. So why was she hesitant to give him some reassurance?
“Poe?”
She smiled at him and said, “We don’t have to classify what we have. It just is. Can’t that be enough for now?”
Back at her apartment, as soon as he opened the door, the Terrible Two were begging for her attention. She walked into the kitchen with Jared to get some water out of the fridge. When she walked back into the living room, she squealed. They didn’t like being left behind and had attacked and destroyed one of her throw pillows on the sofa as a protest. Daisy tried to look innocent, but it was no use. Her boys had corrupted her, and she had the feathers around her muzzle to prove it.
“I’m going to let this pass, you two,” she said, shaking the pillow at them with a mock frown, “because you saved me from a mugger. But you only get one. Daisy, oh, Daisy, I’m so sorry, my boys are too irresistible for you.”
She turned at Jared’s chuckle. He had immediately squatted to give Daisy a good belly scratch, clearing the feathers from her muzzle. Watching him, Poe thought how ridiculously easy it would be to fall head over heels in love with this man and his adorable dog. When he glanced up just then, his lips quirked in a bit of a smile as he surveyed the damaged pillow.
“I’m afraid you should just put it out of its misery,” he said sadly.
Poe shook her head. “You’re as bad as the dogs.” Yes, so amazingly easy, as her heart squeezed, and it might just be too late, she was already halfway there. Again that brought a twinge of panic. Why? “It’s okay, a pillow is replaceable. Allan isn’t. Did I thank you for saving him?”
“You did quite thoroughly. I don’t think I’ve ever received that many thank-yous before.”
“Yeah, three in a row. Quite impressive.”
He stood and flexed his biceps.
“Are you sure you don’t have a blue and red suit somewhere with a big red S on it?”
He grinned. “I am the man of steel, but would you be disappointed if I told you I didn’t have any superpowers? And, really, x-ray vision would be so damn cool.”
Poe rolled her eyes. “Men.”
“What? Would you’d rather I had the Care Bear stare?”
She walked over to him, enjoying the proprietary whiz-bang that clobbered her senses, aware that he wanted her close to him even when they weren’t having sex, and, in fact, encouraged her closer with his open eye contact.
“Well, you are as huggable as a teddy bear.”
He gave her a sour expression.
“Are you saying I’m plush and plump?”
“I said huggable.”
“Same thing. I just took you like Tarzan would take Jane in the primal jungle—”
“I know,” she said, shivering in remembered delight. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t also be—”
“Huggable?”
She slipped her arms around his waist and pressed against him. He gave her a quelling look as he put his arms around her. “Oh, no,” she said in a baby voice. “Someone’s a grouchy teddy bear.”
“I’m never grouchy.”
“What if I said we should still sleep in separate beds—”
“What?” he growled.
He did a good job of masking the startlingly vulnerable look on his face. Immediately feeling bad for teasing him and feeling off-kilter at that vulnerability, her heart turned over. The idea that he was, with her, flustered her even as it moved her. She lifted up and kissed him softly, full on the lips. “I was kidding.” She smiled into his eyes. “But see? You do get a little grouchy.”
Understanding dawned, and the most devilish twinkle sparked to life in those moss-green depths. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to pay for that.”
“What? I think it’s sexy.”
“First you think I’m huggable; now grouchy is sexy? Do you want me to start yelling things like ‘Get off my lawn and did you use my razor for your damn legs again?’”
Her shoulders trembled with her deep belly laughs. “Would you, just for my amusement? But, you know, if you think I should pay…exactly what kind of retribution did you have in mind?”
She wasn’t protesting, thoroughly willing to tithe her share when she found herself unceremoniously snatched and dragged in Jared’s arms to her bed, where she was dumped onto her back. A squeal of surprised delight whooshing out of her as Jared’s weight pressed down on top of her. “You want the detailed list?”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “I’m a big believer in demonstration, not talking smack.”
“Oh, snap, you didn’t,” he said his green eyes twinkling.
Daisy chose that moment to let out a particularly mournful howl from outside the bedroom door, which made them both laugh. The dog followed that up with a very pathetic sigh, then collapsed in a thumping heap and snuffled along the crack in the door. Then there were sharp barks in stereo from her boys.
“I think the kids are getting restless,” Jared said, still chuckling. “Besides, I’m going to need some time to recharge my batteries…um…before tonight.”
It was clear he’d made a joke about their dogs being their children, so there was absolutely no reason to feel a twinge somewhere deep inside of her. Children. Jared’s children.
“What?” he asked, the laughter fading from his voice.
She couldn’t imagine what he’d seen on her face. He was far too observant at times. She blinked, smiled. “Are you kidding? Those dogs are spoiled rotten,” she said, but the awkward moment persisted as her comment fell flat.
He held her gaze for the longest moment, but rather than push, he simply leaned down and kissed her soundly. “So am I,” he said, then climbed off the bed.
She watched him stroll out of the bedroom,
slapping his thigh so Daisy and The Terrible Two followed him to the kitchen. He would be an easy man to love. Oh, God. Love and children in the same short span of time.
“You coming?” he called, crouching to get the dog food out of the cupboard.
Poe slid off the bed, reveling in the very thought they’d be back in it, together, tonight. And, at the same time, getting irked with herself for those twinges of panic.
“Well, until your dog interrupted us, I was on my way. I guess I shouldn’t be greedy.”
Jared grinned at her as she sidled up to him and reached down for the three dog bowls.
“I don’t know. Night’s still young and I don’t just talk smack. I back it up with action.”
“I like your kind of action, baby.” She bumped his hip and smiled, turning just enough as she steadied the bowls while he poured the dog food to keep him from seeing whatever might be showing in her eyes now.
She wished to God she knew what that was.
Chapter Ten
Jared woke from a deep sleep. The Jack Russells were pacing, he could hear the jingle of their collars. Something was wrong, he could feel it in his bones. Poe!
He turned over to find the bed empty and his heart climbed up into his throat. He jumped out of bed, tripping over Edgar when the dog sought Jared’s touch for comfort.
“Poe?” he called, but there was nothing but the silence of the apartment. His dread turned to panic.
He tripped into a pair of gray shorts and a t-shirt, shivering a little from the air conditioning. Out in the living room, he checked the door, only to find it locked.
She’d gone out! Without letting him know! And, he’d been sated from her body, drugged from her scent, and drowsy from her soft kisses.
He ran his hands through his hair, then grabbed the spare keys she’d given him and bolted out the door. In his haste he wasn’t watching, and Allan wriggled out the door, too, but instead of heading towards the outside, he headed for the door to the roof and scratched at it. Ducking back inside, he grabbed Allan’s leash. He wasn’t going to trust that little escape artist again.
He clipped the leash on him. “What, boy? Poe’s on the roof?”
He huffed, thinking wryly that Allan was no Lassie, and that he was most definitely no Timmy. He looked down at the two keys and tried the one that didn’t fit the apartment lock. It slid home and the door opened soundlessly. Allan scampered through and flew up the stairs. Jared took the stairs two at a time to keep up with him until they came to the door leading out onto the roof.
