“They’re calmer, if they don’t have personality issues,” Linx replied. “Most of the vets want companionship. An older one is already housebroken, hopefully, and has been through sorrow and grief—kindred spirits.”
“Then we should give him as many as he wants,” Tami concurred.
“There’s a problem, though,” Linx said. “Our policy is that whoever adopts our rescue dogs is the final owner—not a pass through. We are the ones who should vet the eventual homes of our guests.”
“Ideally so,” Tami said. “But we’re overcrowded, and some of the old guys have been here forever. Plus, we’re running low on funds, and we need to enlarge the kennels.”
“I don’t trust the guy.”
Tami let out a snort. “With your heart, sure, but you’ve got to admit it’s interesting he’s turning up now.”
Tami didn’t know the details on Linx’s long-ago relationship with Grady, only the fallout—which was bad enough.
“What’s so interesting?” Linx swirled a breadstick in the dip and looked for her sister, Joey. Why was it taking so long for her to take their order?
Her gaze froze.
“Speak of the devil.” She clenched her jaw. “There he is.”
Six-foot-two inches of rough and tough man took off his aviator sunglasses and glared at her from the entrance of the diner.
That man was too arrogant for his own good. What gave him the right to walk around like a modern-day James Dean, complete with black leather jacket, black boots, and skin so tan he could be mistaken for a pirate?
Heck, he even smoothed his thick hair back like he was a twenty-first century reincarnation of a rebel without a cause.
“You’d think he owned this town.” Tami eyed him with eager curiosity as he wove his way toward them.
Linx fought to keep her face from heating up as she reached for her phone and commanded it to call her brother, Todd, the town sheriff.
Grady put his hand on the back of the booth. “Why, Miss Linx, I thought you fought your own battles.”
Linx tapped the end-call button and slid her phone into her pocket. She’d clue her brother in later, and yes, she did fight her own battles, and she wasn’t going to let the likes of Grady Hart worm his way back into her good graces with some tall tale of doing good for veterans.
Bed was a different story, maybe, but a woman had to keep up appearances, especially in front of her family.
Except doing battle with Grady Hart was always a losing proposition. The man had an advantage—the smoldering gaze, work roughened hands, the grizzly stubble on his strong jaw—and he took it—early, often, and with much relish.
Linx tore her gaze from the mouth which would so easily and knowingly ignite her most sensitive zones. She grabbed a breadstick and shoved it into the creamy dip, in and out. Slowly, she twisted it between her succulent lips and gave him a sweet, innocent smile. “Jumped any fires lately?”
Fire season in the Sierra Nevada region, Gold Country California, started in May, and with the weather as dry as tinder, fires broke out all over the state, keeping crews of smokejumpers and wildfire firefighters busy, sooty, and exhausted—too busy and exhausted to cause trouble in her hometown of Colson’s Corner—a tiny village too high up and remote to garner much traffic.
“Only spitfire I’m jumping this year is you.” Grady bent down and scooted into the booth facing her, with Tami traitorously making room for him.
“You’ve never missed a fire season in, what, ten years?”
“Sitting this one out.” Grady took a breadstick and crunched it nonchalantly, as if she’d invited him to join them.
“But why?” Linx made her voice smooth with a dab of flirtation. “Big man like you always did two fire seasons a year. You injured?”
“Nope.” Grady looked over his shoulder at Joey, Linx’s younger sister who owned Joe’s Diner. “Figured I’d try something new. Something along your line of business.”
Linx expected him to wince, to dodge her jab, but Grady had faced down flames armed with only a shovel and a saw.
A little snark from a woman wouldn’t faze the tough guy at all.
“Coffee?” Joey put down a menu and turned over an unused coffee mug.
“Don’t mind if I have some.” Grady gave Joey a flirtatious wink. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did.” Joey’s eyelashes fluttered as she refilled Linx and Tami’s mugs.
“Then I’ll ask another. Why is the diner called Joe’s Diner and you’re a girl named Joey?”
“That’s three questions.” Joey’s cheeks flushed pink under Grady’s friendly gaze. “I think you owe me a big tip.”
Tami almost choked on her coffee as she stared at the tip of her breadstick which was soggy and limp. Linx kicked her bestie under the table, not at all happy with Grady flirting with her baby sister.
“We’d like to order, if you don’t mind?” she said. “And in answer to Grady’s impertinent questions, the ‘Y’ fell off the sign and Joey doesn’t like her real name.”
It was Josephine, of course, but what young woman wanted to sport an old aunt name?
“Breakfast is on me,” Grady said. “I’m here to discuss business. I’ll take a lumberjack special.”
Linx ordered her usual blueberry waffle with a side of eggs sunny side up, and Tami ordered fruit compote over yogurt.
After Joey departed, Grady hooked a glance at Tami who was President of the Chamber of Commerce and the town’s only realtor. “Looking for office space. Might I bother you for a showing?”
“Definitely. I’m sure we have quite a range to suit your needs,” Tami purred. She was already pressed against him, since she was an almost-plus-size who was perpetually dieting.
Linx didn’t want to feel possessive, but she’d draw the line between her and her sister and best friend.
“Something must have happened.” She zeroed her gaze in on Grady. “You missed Australia in December, and now you’re missing all the action here.”
This time, she detected a slight wince between his eyebrows. “The dogs and veterans need me more. Besides, isn’t your shelter overfull?”
“True, but we have a policy that only the final adopter can take the dog from our center,” Linx said.
“You got my list, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but I don’t handle third-party adoptions.”
He didn’t know how desperate she was to place the elderly dogs, but then, he didn’t have to. She would uphold the standards of her policy to let him know he wasn’t God’s gift to rescue centers—no matter how many good deeds he was prepared to do.
“Your dogs need homes, I presume?” He lifted an eyebrow, letting her know he wasn’t buying her resistance.
“How do I know they’re good homes? How do I know they can handle a dog? Just because they’re veterans doesn’t mean they’re exempt from the application process. What if they have PTSD? Or they’re mentally ill? There was a veteran not too far back who tied her therapy dog to a tree and shot him.”
“Suspicious, much?” Grady narrowed his eyes. “What’s this really about? You afraid of me?”
“You, no way.” Linx puffed her chest, drawing his heated gaze.
“Then let me go over and scout out the dogs. I can take pictures and do a preliminary evaluation of personality and temperament. I’m also working with a trainer and therapist to make the match.”
On the surface, he seemed reasonable, without a hidden agenda, but Grady Hart was angling for something, and it wasn’t a quick, no-strings roll in the hay.
Still, he was a master at making her look crazy and unreasonable.
“Fair enough,” Linx said. “Meet me there when we open.”
Next to Grady, Tami made faces to remind Linx why Grady should not go over to the rescue center.
Linx used her foot to nudge Tami’s leg, letting her know she was well aware of the danger. She’d lock Cedar up in the bathroom. No problem.
Chapter Five
Grady Hart frowned as he drove his truck down the rutted dirt lane to the Mountain Dog Rescue Center. He hadn’t expected Linx to be quite so hostile about him adopting the dogs on behalf of the veterans.
Wasn’t she the one who had donated the seed money for his charity by buying Jenna’s sexy see-through high-concept wedding dress for a reality show fundraiser?
True, she’d told him to stay away from her place because her dog supposedly hated him.
Last Christmas, he’d come to Colson’s Corner when his sister Cait was kidnapped by a deranged psychopath. He’d met some of Linx’s family, and she’d pretended she hadn’t known him, by allowing Cait, who she’d befriended, to introduce him.
He’d returned the favor and didn’t let his family know about her—or their past—either. It was better that way—given the heavy accusations she’d thrown his way—threatening to blackmail him for sexual harassment if he didn’t do as she demanded.
True, he’d been her smokejumping instructor, but she was over eighteen and she was the aggressor, chasing him all over the camp and cornering him when he’d least expected.
He slammed the door of his truck and walked up the path to the wooden cabin which served as the office. A chorus of barks ranging from deep bass bellows to the sharp yips of smaller dogs competed to welcome him.
He stepped onto the porch and spied the sign. It said, “Closed.”
What game was she playing? She’d agreed to meet him, but now she was playing hard to get?
As if he’d have anything to do with any woman, including her. All they wanted was a man’s money and having him whipped to the size of a kitty cat at their beck and call.
Nope, because of Linx Colson and others like her, he would never allow himself to be caught up in their drama and games. He simply needed the dogs, nothing more, nothing less.
Grady pressed the buzzer, and a dog barked and whined behind the door. It wasn’t a warning bark, or an aggressive “get off my property” bark, but a playful and demanding bark.
The sound was almost familiar. It was a big dog, that much he could tell. Maybe female and very affectionate—begging for a tummy rub.
How could a dog expert like Linx interpret these noises as hate?
He heard sounds of her scolding the dog named Cedar who she dragged away from the door. Another door slammed and footsteps returned.
Linx opened the door, looked around, and grabbed him by the lapels.
“Get in here before anyone sees you.” She slammed the door, then shoved him against the log walls of her cabin. Still clutching his jacket, she attacked his lips.
Her hot tongue drilled into his surprised mouth—not that he was shocked, and her breath came fast and panting. She devoured him, kissing and nipping his lips and rubbing her cheek against the two-day growth of beard he sported.
He quickly took control of the kiss and grabbed her tight, turning her so she was pressed against the wall, and he was the one plunging his tongue into her mouth.
What was going on here?
But then, this was vintage Linx through and through. She used to jump him behind the mess hall, entice him to follow her to the far side of the hangar, or find him on “mop up” duty and tumble him onto the still smoldering ashes, trusting their flame retardant clothes would take care of any lingering embers.
Then there was the skinny dipping. How could he forget?
But he needed answers, and as long as her lips ravished his, he’d get nothing useful from her—not even the reason she shut her friendly-sounding dog in the bathroom.
Taking a breath of her spicy and seductive scent, he pulled back from her swollen lips enough to mutter, “What’s wrong with your dog? Aren’t you going to put her out before she hurts herself?”
“How do you know it’s a her?” Linx’s head snapped back. “Have you been snooping around? You know my dog hates you.”
“I think she wants to play.”
“You don’t know my dog.” She pushed back from him, and he wanted her lips back on his. Kissing was better than arguing. “We shouldn’t be meeting here. Too dangerous.”
He changed the subject instead. “Let’s go to the barn out back so you can show me the dogs.”
“No, you’re not supposed to be here—”
A loud pounding cut off her reply. “Open up. Sheriff.”
Linx patted her hair down and tugged her shirt, smoothing her jeans before opening the door.
“Oh, hi, Todd!” she chirped. “Grady was just leaving.”
The big man, who had once seemed so friendly when he was rescuing Cait, put his hands on his hips, his right hand near his holstered gun. “Grady Hart. You know damn well you need to leave my sister alone. Leave peacefully, or I’ll be forced to take you to court.”
“To court? What for?” Grady wiped his lips with the back of his hand to remove any traces of telltale lipstick.
“A restraining order. My sister filed a complaint and you’re not supposed to come within fifty feet of her residence.”
Linx shrank from Grady’s side, appearing to hide behind her brother.
What the heck? This woman was no shrinking lily. She was a hellcat on wheels. Why was she acting like she needed her big brother to rescue her?
“The only person who needs restraining is her.” Grady jabbed a finger her direction. He brushed by the lawman and stomped down the steps of the porch.
Linx Colson had just pushed his last button.
Linx stared out the window at the dust left by Grady’s departing truck, followed by Todd’s patrol car. Apparently, Todd had gotten a missed call from her, so being the protective brother he was, he’d headed for her cabin once he was finished with another call he was on.
She wiped a stray strand of hair from her forehead and opened the bathroom door, letting Cedar out. The dog rushed to the front door, sniffing all the spots where that hot man had taken all the oxygen from her lungs.
Her stomach twisted. Should she have kept Cedar from Grady all these years?
Definitely.
Leaving her alone in a remote cabin where fire broke out was pure negligence.
She reached over and gave Cedar a firm rubbing of her reddish mane. The poor thing had practically been abandoned. She’d needed Linx.
Just like the puppy she’d rescued a few days ago.
“Let’s see if Ginger’s up. Come on.” Linx patted her leg for Cedar to follow her up to her loft where Ginger slept in a box with a hot water bottle next to Linx’s bed.
The little puppy was awake. Her head swayed from side to side, and she squealed, looking for the bottle.
“You adorable little sweetie,” Linx said as she cradled the tiny pooch to her chest. Actually, as newborn puppies went, Ginger was quite large, already the size of a Yorkie. Her fluffy fur was dry and soft, and she’d stopped shivering after putting on weight.
Cedar sniffed the puppy and licked her, but when the puppy tried to latch onto her nose, she jumped back like an alien worm had attacked her.
“You’re not jealous, are you?” Linx patted her dog’s back. “She looks so much like you, that if I didn’t know you’re spayed, I would have thought you’d given birth and kept it a secret from me.”
Cedar groaned and gave a half-hearted bark.
Linx jogged down the stairs and into the kitchen. Poor Ginger was so hungry she squirmed and wiggled between Linx’s breasts. Not that there was anything there for her.
After warming up a bottle of prepared formula, Linx settled on the couch near the front door to feed her little puppy.
Correction, the Center’s newest guest.
She couldn’t afford to adopt every dog she rescued, and puppies like Ginger could bring in donations and a higher adoption fee—money she desperately needed to keep all of her guests housed, fed, and comfortable.
She should get Ginger’s story out on the internet. Any attention and publicity would help with fundraising and attract adoptions for all the dogs.
Ceda
r’s ears perked up, and she jumped toward the front door as footsteps clambered onto the porch.
It couldn’t be Grady, could it?
The front door opened. By reflex, Linx caught Cedar by the collar. Her heart threatened to jump to her throat, but settled down at the familiar voice hailing through the doorway.
Tami bustled into the cabin like a thunderstorm without the rain. Her platform heels clip-clopped over the heart-pine floor and her large and lethal purse knocked down a plastic vase, spilling a bouquet of dried flowers onto the coffee table.
“Looks like I missed Todd. Passed by him on the way over here.” Tami’s eyelashes fluttered as she propped her hand on her hip. “Next time you sic him on Grady, make sure to clue me in.”
“It wasn’t intentional,” Linx explained, hoping her lips weren’t tell-tale swollen from beard burn.
“Good thing, too, or he would have been clued in about Cedar.” Tami took out a compact and checked her lipstick. “You live dangerously.”
“That man is dangerous, not me,” Linx grumbled as she put the nipple of the bottle into Ginger’s mouth. “Did he come up here just to stick it to me?”
“He can stick it my way anytime,” Tami said, slapping a stack of file folders onto her desk. “Got several people looking at commercial property and offices.”
“Oh, really? Who?” Linx paced around the desk, still bottle feeding the puppy.
“Your man’s sister, Cait Wonder, called. She’s looking for a central retail location for her wedding store.”
“A wedding store? Here?”
“Seeing that the town’s full of singles,” Tami primped her hair, “it would make a lot of sense. Maybe she should run a dating service, too.”
Linx had made friends with Cait and her husband, Brian, last Christmas when the couple found two lost chow chow dogs. Their family owned a cabin in a remote area up the mountain, and Linx had taken the dogs in when Cait and Brian had to return to San Francisco.
“Right, a dating service.” Linx’s mind wasn’t on dating—not with her dismal track record. She and men were like oil and water—full of piss and vinegar with a dollop of gunpowder. Explosive chemistry with no safety valve.
Summer Love Puppy: The Hart Family (Have A Hart Book 6) Page 3
