The dog refused to leave her side, even as the blood from her own injuries coated her fur and dripped onto the concrete. That night, she’d promised the dog a home for life. No one would ever separate them. And now, for the first time she was about to break that promise.
Sure, she took trips to do speaking engagements, but Angel had always remained safe and sound in her own home, knowing Mikayla would return. But this was different. This time, Angel would be living away from her home for two months, and Mikayla had no way to assure her she would return.
She felt like the worst kind of betrayer. Hearing the door open behind her, she swiped at her eyes. This was going to be the longest two weeks of her life.
“Okay, she’s all settled in.” Dusty came up beside her, and the surprised look on his face told her she had not gotten rid of all the evidence of her sorrow.
“Hey, relax. I promise you, Angel’s going to be just fine. I’ve been training dogs for over ten years. I know what I’m doing.”
She forced a smile. “I’m sure you do.”
“Come on.” He gestured to a nearby golf cart. “I want to show you something.”
The pair climbed in and Dusty guided the cart toward his house. The closer they came to the house, the more her tension grew.
“Where are we going?” she asked, looking directly at his house in the distance.
Despite the fact that he was certain she knew, still he pointed to the house. “My home. I have some friends there I want you to meet.”
Her eyes widened in terror, and Dusty could literally feel her fear like it was a tangible thing.
“What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean friends you want me to meet—I just met you!”
“It’s okay, trust me.” Dusty was split between her reaction and the strong emotions swirling in the atmosphere around his head. It was the most bizarre thing, but he knew with complete certainty he was feeling her emotions. And what she was feeling was not good.
“Trust you? I don’t even know you!”
He stopped the cart, and she was instantly out of it, walking quickly back up the hill toward the hospital.
“Mikayla!” he called to her, then turned the cart around and followed until he could come up beside her. “Did I say something wrong?”
She shook her head. “I just remembered something I have to do.”
He stopped the cart again. “I just wanted to introduce you to my dogs!” he called after her.
She stopped in her tracks. She turned to look at him. “Your dogs?”
He hopped out of the cart and walked to her. “I thought if you saw them and heard how far they had come it would be encouraging to you.”
The heavy air surrounding them began to thin as she smiled. “Your dogs.”
The calm expression on her pretty face could not wipe away the terror she’d felt a moment ago. He’d felt it as surely as she did. It was the strangest phenomenon he’d ever experienced, but he knew it was real.
He gestured to the cart. “Do you have time?”
She nodded and climbed back into the cart.
As they approached the house, Mikayla could see it was even bigger than she’d thought. “Wow, what a beautiful home.”
“Thank you.” He stepped out of the cart and waited for her to join him. Together they went along the side of the large house, to the backyard where three dogs, a Labrador retriever, a German shepherd and a Chihuahua all lay on the large open deck, bathing in the sun.
The three together, so different and yet seeming in perfect synch, made a comical trio, and Mikayla couldn’t help but smile.
Dusty gestured to the open area around his house. “As you can see, there is no fence to keep them in. In fact, they are pretty much given free run of the ranch, but nonetheless most days this is where you will find them.
“The big guy is Athos.” He gestured to the German shepherd. “The Labrador is Porthos, and—”
“And let me guess, the Chihuahua is Aramis.”
He smiled in return. “Good guess.”
“The Three Musketeers.”
“After watching them together for a while, I could come up with no better names.”
“Did you get them all at the same time?”
“Yes, and…” His smile faded. “And all were meant to be bait in dog fights.”
She glanced back at the dogs resting on the porch. Only Aramis seemed to be aware of their presence. He lifted his little head and sniffed the air. Satisfied with what he found, he plopped is head back down on the deck.
“When they were rescued, they were all slated to be put down for different reasons. Aramis there was deemed in too bad a shape to survive. Athos had become extremely aggressive and Porthos is said to have psychological problems.
“Even though they thought I was crazy I talked the rescue shelter into letting me adopt them. I brought them home and worked with them. With a little love, time and attention I made them into the worthless fleabags you see before you.”
She laughed. “Wow, what an improvement.”
His smiled faded. “Actually, it is.”
He crossed the yard and once he came into their line of vision all three dogs rose to greet him. “My point is that with a little love, time and attention I think any dog can be retrained.” He sat down on a stair and the dogs surrounded him, with Aramis wiggling past the two bigger dogs to climb onto Dusty’s lap. “You just have to give them a sense of security and safety. Something these dogs had never had.”
Mikayla followed him to the porch and the three dogs wandered over to sniff out the stranger. “I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t give you the impression that I doubted your level of compassion. I don’t. It’s just…” She paused, petting Porthos’s soft gold head and thinking of how much to say to this man who was still a stranger. “Just like you chose their names because it suited them. I named her Angel for a reason.”
Dusty watched her as some light of recognition came into his eyes. “I understand.” He nodded. “Just give me two weeks and see if you don’t see a world of difference.”
She frowned and rubbed Athos under his furry chin.
“What?” Dusty was watching her with narrowed eyes. “What are you thinking?”
She shrugged. “It’s just—I know Angel, and she has a tendency to be…how do I put it? Stubborn.”
Dusty smiled. “So am I.”
“And don’t let her scruffy appearance fool you—she’s very intelligent.”
“Most dogs are.”
“And—” Mikayla found herself wanting to warn Dusty but was unsure of the words “—she can be a bit sneaky.”
He smirked. “Again, most dogs are.” He leaned forward. “Look, Mikayla, I haven’t met a dog I couldn’t train, and I’m sure Angel will be no exception.”
Mikayla thought about her resourceful dog and all the clever little stunts she’d pulled over the years on dog sitters and dog trainers alike. She already knew it was going to be a long two weeks. Still, she decided, this man seemed different, and therefore deserved the benefit of the doubt.
She forced a smile. “I’m sure you’re right.”
Chapter 4
“Dusty Warren?” Kandi Martin, Mikayla’s literary agent and manager, took another bite of her Caesar salad, a slight frown creasing her brow. “I’ve heard that name before, but I can’t remember where.”
“Well, he’s well respected in his field and Angel’s last, best hope.” Mikayla took another sip of the cheese soup she’d chosen as an appetizer. “You should see his facility. It’s really state-of-the-art. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Kandi glanced across the table at her friend. “Sounds like an interesting man. Is he married?”
Mikayla returned the glance, knowing what her friend was asking. “Don’t even go there. This is just about Angel.” She shrugged. “Besides, when would I have time for a man?”
“Some things you make time for.” Reaching into the basket on the center of the table, Kand
i took a roll and tore it in half. “It’s about balance.” She held up the two parts of the roll. “The ying and the yang. Work versus play. If you ask me, you have way too much of one and not enough of the other.”
Mikayla reached across the table and snatched one of the halves. “Well, I didn’t ask you, did I?” To emphasize her point, she bit off the roll before placing it on her soup saucer.
As the waiter arrived with their entrées, and removed the soup and salad dishes, Kandi dug around in her large tote bag. “By the way, I received this the other day.” She handed Mikayla an elegant cream envelope.
“What’s this?” Mikayla opened the envelope and read the enclosed card. It was an invitation to speak at an AKA dinner at Bethune-Cookman University. “Oh, definitely.” She handed the invitation back.
“That’s another one of your problems, you spend too much of your time in all-female groupings. How are you gonna meet a potential lover like that?”
“First of all, let me restate, I am not looking for a lover. Second, it’s not my fault mostly women show up for my lectures.”
“Riiiggghhhttt,” Kandi muttered, cutting into her chicken parmesan.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kandi looked up at her friend with a tilted head and a knowing expression. “Come on, this is me you’re talking to. Don’t try to tell me you don’t enjoy getting up in front of a group of women and giving your little I-am-woman-hear-me-roar pep talk. You love it.”
“If by that you mean, do I enjoy empowering women who have been victimized in their own lives for far too long, then yes, I do.” She leaned forward, feeling defensive about her work. “And if my book can help even one woman regain control of her life, then—”
“Hang on, Sojourner.” Kandi held up her hands as if to ward off an attack. “Don’t get me wrong, I love what you do.” She reached across the table and took Mikayla’s hand. “And more importantly, I understand why you do it. I’m just saying you need more in your life than just this…this one-woman crusade you’re on.”
Mikayla sat back in her chair. “I do have more in my life than that.”
Kandi’s mouth twisted in a smirk. “Correction, more than a crusade—and a mangy mutt for companionship.”
Mikayla frowned. “She’s not mangy, she just has weird fur.” She shook her head in confusion, her mind running off in a new direction. “I swear I’ve tried every dog shampoo known to man, and nothing will make her hair lie down like a regular dog.”
Kandi shook the hand she was still holding to regain her friend’s attention. “Hello? Enough about Angel’s bad hair—I’m talking about you.”
“Kandi, I appreciate all your help and advice, but believe me when I say I like my life just the way it is.”
Kandi let go of her friend’s hand and turned her attention to slicing up her chicken parmesan. “That’s because you don’t know any better. You’ve never had a normal relationship with a man, so you can’t possibly know what you’re missing.”
The sudden silence caught her attention and she looked up to find Mikayla looking at her with a betrayed expression.
Her first instinct was to apologize for hurting her friend, but then she paused. As a policy, Kandi made a point of never apologizing for the truth, and if anyone needed to hear the truth it was Mikayla.
What started as a working relationship five years ago when Kandi signed Mikayla to a book contract had blossomed into one of the dearest relationships in her life, and she loved the younger woman sitting across from her like a little sister. But her little sister had scars. Scars left over from a vicious attack and the life before it. And until Mikayla confronted the ghost of her past those scars would never heal.
After the silence lingered a bit, Kandi muttered, “You know I don’t apologize for the truth.”
“Your truth is subjective,” Mikayla countered.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“As long as I was pumping out bestsellers you couldn’t care less about my loveless lifestyle. Now that I’ve hit a wall, what’s your sage advice? Get a lover.”
Kandi pointed her fork at Mikayla. “That is so unfair. This is not the first time we’ve had this conversation. And it’s not like I brought this up.”
“Well, I certainly didn’t!”
Kandi placed her fork on the table and folded her hands under her chin. “Describe this veterinarian.”
“What?”
“The vet, Angel’s best and last blah, blah, blah. Describe him. What does he look like?”
“How did we get back to him?”
Kandi arched an eyebrow. “That’s where this conversation started, and that’s where it will end. Now, describe him.”
Mikayla shrugged. “I don’t know. Good-looking, I guess.”
“Be specific.” Kandi picked up a forkful of steam cooked string beans. “You’re a writer for goodness’ sake, give me some details.”
Mikayla sighed. “Fine. Let me think.” She cut up her salmon and pulled to the forefront of her mind the face she’d been trying not to remember for the past week.
“Okay, he’s got a caramel-brown complexion—no, wait. More like molasses when you heat it up, and it has deep, rich, brown coloring you can almost taste even before the sweet smell reaches your nose. And speaking of smell, my Lord, that man smells good.” She frowned. “Which is amazing considering the fact he works with animals all day. But get within a few feet of him and his cologne. Just, mmmm…”
Mikayla closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ve got to find out the name of his cologne.” She chuckled. “Maybe I’ll buy a bottle for myself and just keep it on my dresser. It really is a wonderful smell. Probably won’t smell as good in the bottle as it does on him, though.” She opened her eyes to find Kandi watching her with a bemused expression. “What?”
“Nothing. Go on, caramel-brown and smells good. What about his eyes?”
“Deep brown, chocolate-brown, like dark pools, but not so dark you can’t see his bright pupils, and there is something else, as well. Just around the edges of his pupils are these unexpected flecks of gold. You know, they say you can see a person’s soul through their eyes. If that’s true, he has a compassionate soul.” She frowned again. “But I guess he would have to, considering—again—he works with animals all day.”
“Nose?” Kandi asked, her attention focused on her meal.
“Straight, strong, average, neat.” Mikayla smiled. “With the slightest little upturn on the tip. Adorable, really.”
“Mouth?”
“Perfect heart shape. Beautiful. Full, but not overly so, just enough to make them kissable.” She sighed again. “You should see his smile. It’s amazing. It’s like his whole face is transformed from just good-looking to stunning when he smiles. It makes you want to smile and you don’t even know why.” She laughed. “And on top of all that, he has the nerve to have dark red hair.”
“Red?”
“Yeah, more like a dark, dusty, blondish-red. But he wears it close cut. You probably wouldn’t notice except his eyebrows are the same color and when you meet him your attention is immediately drawn to those compassionate eyes.”
“I wonder if that’s where he got his name?”
“You know, I hadn’t thought about it.” Mikayla shrugged. “Maybe.”
The two women ate in silence for several minutes before Mikayla said, “Okay, so maybe I do find him attractive, but so what? That doesn’t change anything. All I want from this man is a manageable pet. I’m not interested in complicating my life with a relationship right now. I’ve got too much other stuff going on.”
Kandi continued to eat, saying nothing.
“And besides, he probably already has a woman. Hell, he may even be married and just doesn’t wear a ring.” She huffed. “Yeah, sounds about right, considering my taste in men.” She stabbed at her salmon. “And who’s to say he would even be interested? He probably flirts with every woman that comes into his clinic as a matter of h
abit.”
Kandi continued to eat, seeming oblivious to her friend’s conflictions.
“Using that damn smile of his like a weapon,” Mikayla muttered, making minced meat of her salmon. “Probably thinks he can have any woman he wants.”
After several more minutes had passed as the two ate in silence, Mikayla looked up and asked, “What were we talking about before?”
Kandi smiled. “I think we were deciding who brought up the topic of you needing a lover.”
Mikayla’s eyes narrowed menacingly on her friend’s face. “You know, sometimes I can’t stand you.”
“I know.” Kandi continued to smile. “I love you, too.”
Chapter 5
Over the next two weeks, try as she might, Mikayla could not seem to shake off her most recent conversation with Kandi. She found Dusty Warren intruding on her thoughts more and more. It had been a long time since she’d been so attracted to a man, but there was just something about him. Those compassionate eyes, his smile, even the gentle way he handled Angel after she’d caused such chaos in his clinic. And the way he looked at her, there was no denying his interest. But was she ready for that?
So much had changed over the past five years and yet so much had stayed the same. For instance, during those two weeks Angel was with Dusty, Mikayla hardly slept. The days were lonely but bearable, but at night the same creaking, cracking noises that she heard every night since she’d moved into the house a year ago suddenly took on ominous tones. Every time a car would drive down the street and the light would shine into her bedroom window she would awaken with a start.
She’d known living without Angel would be hard company wise. After all, Angel had been her constant companion for the past five years, but she had not anticipated the return of the fear.
The same fear she’d experienced when she first arrived in Miami from Atlantic City and settled into their first home. Although she never told Kandi, a small part of Mikayla had always believed the man who attacked her, Vega, would hunt her down and finish the job after his trial ended in a hung jury. Her only comfort had been the knowledge that he would have to go through Angel to do it. After their first encounter, Mikayla was certain Vega would not want to tango with Angel again.
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