Little Miss Lovesick

by Kitty Bucholtz

  “They need a good fam’ly,” she explained.

  “Do you have kids? They love kids,” the middle boy volunteered enthusiastically. “Especially kids my age.”

  Matt smiled. “No, I don’t have any kids.” He leaned down and scratched one of the puppies in the box. Wet noses crowded against his hand as the pups fought for his attention. I put back the one I had and picked up another one.

  A particularly enthusiastic puppy climbed over her siblings to rest her front feet on the back of Matt’s hand. She looked up at him with her liquid brown eyes, whining excitedly in her high puppy voice. Her tail wagged so hard her whole body shook. Within seconds, she tumbled over backward. Matt and I laughed as she twisted herself upright and climbed back up on his hand. With his other hand, he scooped her up against his chest and stood.

  “You sure are a friendly one, aren’t you?” he said as he scratched her head. The puppy responded by licking his cheek. As Matt turned his head, the dog kept licking whatever skin she could reach. Soon both of Matt’s cheeks, his chin and his neck were covered in puppy kisses.

  Oh, look at him, sighed Lovesick.

  Don’t lose your head, warned another Voice.Puppies and kids may bring out some of his cuteness, but that doesn’t mean he’s The One.

  “All right, all right, you little germ-carrier. That’s enough,” he said as he laughed and pulled the pup away from his face.

  “She’s nice, huh?” The older boy spoke as the others looked on hopefully. “She’s housebroken, too. And she’s smart. Everybody needs a smart dog.”

  I looked at the kids’ mother. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a good salesman.”

  She laughed. “They’ve already given three away, and the day’s not over.”

  Matt looked at the young salesman. “How do you know she’s smart?”

  “If she wasn’t smart, she’d be dumb, and she’s no dummy!” The boy thought for a moment. “Her mom can do lots of tricks.”

  “Yeah? You think she’ll be as smart as her mom?”

  “Oh, yeah.” The boy nodded his head vigorously. “I’m almost as smart as my dad and I’m only seven. He tells me that all the time.” The boy frowned in consternation. “But I don’t know who the daddy dog is, so I guess I don’t know for sure she’ll be smart.”

  Matt tried to suppress his mirth. He caught my eye and winked. I smiled and put back the puppy I had. I stood up and stroked Matt’s puppy’s ears. If only they stayed this cute and soft forever.

  Matt held the pup in front of his face. She craned her neck to try to lick his nose. I laughed. I desperately wanted one, but I’d settle for visitation rights if Matt took one home. Between the puppies and the kids, he looked thoroughly wrapped around someone’s finger.

  I’d love to have him wrapped aroundmyfinger, purred Lovesick.

  Don’t let him catch you looking at him like that. He’ll likely turn tail and run, warned another Voice.

  “She looks pretty smart,” he said to the boy. “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it. You think I should take her home and give it a shot?”

  The kids looked at him with a mixture of excitement and wariness. The younger boy spoke up. “We don’t got no returns, mister. You gotta be sure.”

  Matt laughed out loud. I turned away when I laughed so I wouldn’t hurt the kids’ feelings. I elbowed Matt in the ribs, and he tried to control his expression into one more befitting the children’s serious purpose.

  “You’re right. This is a long-term commitment. Let me think. I’ve got money to buy her food. I live on a farm with a house and a big yard. I’ve got plenty of time to play with her. Yeah, I think we’d be good for each other.” Matt looked from the boy to me. “What do you think?”

  Youaren’tfalling for him, said a Voice.It’s the puppy. That’s all.

  He’s got my dream life in the palm of his hand, said Another.

  And the power to crush it, warned the first Voice.

  “You live on a farm? With cows?” the little girl asked. Matt turned to her and I closed my eyes against wanting him.

  “A cow might step on her. Maybe you shouldn’t take her.” The oldest boy reached for the puppy.

  “No, there aren’t any cows. I call it a farm, but I don’t have any animals. It’s just a lot of fields and woods.” Matt thought that was a pretty clear answer, but the kids no longer looked convinced he was worthy.

  “I promise, she’ll be safe there.” Matt waited for the trio to give him their unanimous blessing.

  How did they manage to let go of three puppies already?

  The boy spoke to me for the first time. “No dogs on the bed. That’s the rule. So you gotta get her a doggie pillow. And she needs to be petted every day, and brushed and washed. But you can’t yell at her too much ’cause it’ll hurt her feelings.”

  I opened my mouth to say he’d gotten the situation wrong, but how to explain? I looked at their mother. “We’re not — we don’t—” She waved my explanations away with a smile.

  I looked at Matt, afraid of what to say or how to react. But he didn’t appear to mind that the kids included me in their “Care and Handling” lecture.

  The oldest looked back at his siblings and put his hand over his heart. They followed suit, and the three turned to Matt and me.

  “Put your hand on your heart,” said the little girl.

  Matt smiled, moved the puppy into his left hand and covered his heart with his right. The puppy immediately began licking the back of his right hand.

  “You, too,” the middle boy insisted, looking at me. I glanced apprehensively at Matt.

  “You heard him,” he said. I relaxed and smiled back.

  “I promise to be really nice to this puppy, and make it happy forever and ever, amen.” The kids spoke in unison.

  Matt bit his lip for a moment to choke back his laughter. I pressed my lips together to keep it in. Then, as solemnly as we could, we repeated the oath.

  “Yay!” The kids jumped up and down and ran to their mother. “That’s four, Mom! Only three left! See, we told you we could do it!”

  Matt laughed and looked down at his new roommate. “We better leave before they con me into taking one of your brothers.”

  CHAPTER 18

  OUR shopping expedition changed course a bit after that. I stayed in the truck with the puppy while Matt ran in for the necessary groceries. There was a PetCo nearby (“Where the Pets Go” — sorry, TV addiction, getting counseling), so we drove there next. Matt boughtso much stuff for that dog.

  “You don’t have to buy everything today, you know,” I teased when he picked up an adult-size collar as well as a puppy collar. He stuck his tongue out at me and put the larger one back.

  The drive to his place was fun, but a tad dangerous. We were so busy watching and playing with the puppy, we nearly rear-ended someone. I was crazy curious to see where Matt lived and what it looked like. The description he gave the kids could mean anything. Some of the countryside right outside of town was gorgeous and expensive. Some areas were little more than personal junkyards. Heck, maybe he didn’t even live that close.

  Out on M-72, the main road heading east out of Traverse City, we passed one of the fancy golf resorts. I knew from work that a competing nearby resort planned on adding another nine holes next summer. The price of land out here was skyrocketing.

  Matt turned onto a country road near Williamsburg. A few minutes later, he pulled into a tree-lined gravel driveway. A two-story, white farmhouse with a wrap-around porch sat in a clearing in front of me. A medium-size barn sat back a little farther, at the end of the driveway.

  Matt parked the truck in front of the barn. “Well, here we are.” He glanced at me, then looked out over his backyard. “What do you think?”

  Think? I was too stunned to think. “Wow,” I said. “This is yours?” Stupid question. Comes with the “too-stunned-to-think” territory.

  The corner of Matt’s mouth quirked up. He looked proud and…content. “Yup,” h
e said.

  “Wow.” I desperately wanted to askhow, but I didn’t want to showcase my bad manners. Either he was independently wealthy, or he didn’t want to be. If this was family property, I can assure you Matt has been hounded by developers to sell it. And if he personally just went out and bought it… No, it must be his family home.

  Matt opened the door and grabbed the groceries from behind his seat. “You comin’?”

  I clipped the leash on the puppy’s collar in case she got away from me and got out. We walked through his backyard and onto an obviously new extended deck. It basically gave the house a huge back porch in addition to the front porch. I saw Matt’s new built-in grill.

  “I put the grill where I could use it as close to year-round as possible.” Under the porch roof and close to the back door. “Unless there’s a blizzard, I think I’ll be able to get to it.”

  He unlocked the back door and motioned for me to precede him. “Just because we live in snow country is no reason not to grill.”

  “Ever heard of George Foreman?” I teased as I entered the kitchen.

  “Got one of those, too. Meat is my specialty.” He set the groceries on the counter and went back to the truck for the dog’s belongings. I turned in a slow circle, absently petting the pup while I stared.

  The huge country kitchen had been renovated in the last few years. A large, wheeled butcher-block table dominated the center. Modern appliances and countertops highlighted the spaciousness of the room. A room that was probably four times the size of the kitchen in my apartment.

  Welcome to Envy, population one.

  Matt entered with the dog bed and several bags. “What do you think?” he asked.

  Will you marry me? That’s what I was thinking. Probably not an appropriate response under the circumstances, however.

  “It’s nice,” I said. “Very nice.”

  He nodded. “It works.” He found a place for the bag of dog food in the walk-in pantry, and put the food and water bowls on the floor. He hung the leash on a hook near the door, then looked down at the puppy in my arms.

  “Welcome home, missy.” He took her from me and ruffled her ears.

  She gave a yelp.

  “Did you say she’s a girl?”

  “I did, but—” Matt held her up and looked. “Yup, she’s a girl. I didn’t exactly check before. She just seemed like a girl.”

  “What do you mean, she seemed like a girl?” said I, eyes narrowing in mock defensiveness.

  “Well, she was all over me the minute she saw me. She’s barely stopped kissing me since I picked her up. And I have a feeling she won’t be sleeping in her own bed tonight.”

  “Oh! You are such a schmuck!” I gasped and slugged him. He jumped away from me as we both laughed.

  “Come on, dog, you’re supposed to protect your master!” Matt yelped as I got him in the stomach. The puppy yipped excitedly in his arms.

  Matt made a grab for me, and I lost my balance. To keep me from falling on my butt, he pulled me toward him with his one free hand, and I landed right in his arms.

  Laughing, I tried to get free. Matt’s laughter echoed right behind my left ear, his breath warm against my cheek. I liked the sound and closed my eyes for just a second, enjoying the closeness of another human being. His cheek brushed against mine, scratchy with a day’s worth of whiskers.

  I twisted to see Matt’s face.

  Big mistake.

  An inch from mine, I felt his breath warm against my cheek and mouth. His eyes were a beautiful darker blue in the low light, laugh lines spreading out like ripples on the water. His skin was brown from the sun, and smelled of sunshine and water — and puppy. I smiled at the thought.

  Big mistake number two.

  Matt’s laughter died into — something I couldn’t quite define. He stared at my face, my eyes, my lips. My insides went all warm and fluttery. Yikes. My breath came in shallow gasps as I stared back. Our lips were so close they were almost touching. I could feel the heat from his forehead so close to mine. I would barely have to move at all and skin would be touching skin.

  His arm tightened around my waist. The intimate moment was suddenly peppered with memories of Dirk. Memories of being loved and then betrayed. How could I know that it wouldn’t happen again? I scrambled to get out of Matt’s arms. Our eyes never lost contact, but I was sure mine must be conveying my sudden wariness. It terrified me how much I wanted what Matt had to offer — but wasn’t offering.

  I leaned toward the puppy and scratched the wriggling mass. “My goodness! You have such puppy breath.”

  I looked back at Matt. He was still looking at me. He smiled a little and his dimple showed. I smiled just a little back. He studied me for a moment, then sighed and handed me the dog.

  I let out my breath. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding it. That must be why I was feeling a little light-headed.

  Matt started unloading the groceries. “If you’re too much of a city girl to cook, you might at least help me pick out a name.”

  Retreat. Whew.

  “Do you have any ideas?” I asked, sitting down at the wooden kitchen table.

  “I was thinking maybe Rover,” he said, as he washed his hands and began preparing the meat.

  “Rover? What kind of name is that for a girl?”

  Matt laughed at my appalled expression. “She’s a dog, not a girl. She doesn’t care what her name is.”

  “Then how about Juliet? Hey, Juliet. Do you like that name? Huh?” The puppy wagged her tail and leaped up to lick my chin. “See? She loves it!”

  “Hey, Rover! Come here, Rover!” Matt clapped his hands and the puppy tumbled over my legs and ran across the kitchen to him. “Aha! She loves ‘Rover.’”

  I rolled my eyes and groaned. “She just came because you clapped your hands.” I pulled her away from trying to climb up Matt’s jeans. “That doesn’t mean she thinks Rover is a good name.”

  “Exactly.” Matt tilted his head at me, one eyebrow raised. He went to get something from the fridge.

  “Wha-at?” I put on my best innocent face, then ruined it by laughing. I sat back down at the table.

  “What about Boots?” I suggested, fingering one velvety soft sable paw.

  “Mm, nah. Maybe Blackie?” Matt looked questioningly over his shoulder.

  “Neither one of those is original enough.” I puckered my brow as I thought. “How about Clementine?”

  “Clementine?” Matt said with a frown. “I think maybe I should name her myself, come to think of it.” Matt widened his eyes and nodded at the puppy, tapping his head as if I were a little off balance. I laughed.

  “All right, smart alec, so what are you going to name her?”

  “Hey, these things take time. Don’t rush me. I don’t want to end up with a common name like Sydney.” Matt ducked as I threw a nearby towel at him.

  “You name your dog after me and I will never speak to you again!” I pointed my finger at his nose and tried to look angry. Of course, I didn’t come close.

  Matt put his hand over his heart and looked at the dog, currently chewing on my hair. “Sorry, pup. I had a beautiful name for you, but it would’ve displeased the lady. I hope you can live with Rover, buddy.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Like Sydney and Rover were the only choices.”

  “They’re the onlygood choices.” Matt winked at me.

  My stomach did a double back flip. It must be hormones. That’s it. It’s PMS. That’s why I want to jump his bones. That’s why I want to spend the rest of my life right here in this moment.

  Matt marinated the meat, then we put away the rest of Rover’s belongings. I couldn’t believe he’d named her that, but maybe he was teasing. Like he said, she didn’t seem to mind.

  He gave me an impromptu tour as we moved around. What used to be his mother’s sitting room (she really did bring guests there and use it in that old-fashioned way) had become a library. I sat down in one of the comfy chairs and told him I was never going to leav
e.

  “Okay,” he said, “but you’ll miss the rest of the tour.”

  I sighed loudly and followed him. The living room was a man’s dream world. Boze speakers were mounted in the corners. A wide flatscreen TV hung on one wall. Stereo equipment, CD racks and DVD cabinets were positioned against the other walls. Every available seat faced the TV.

  I glanced at the nearly empty bowl of stale popcorn on the coffee table. “Fall asleep watching TV last night?”

  Matt cleared his throat and grabbed the bowl. “Uh, yeah, sorry about that.”

  I chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I’m teasing you.”

  We had to return the popcorn to the kitchen because Rover was trying to eat it. Then Matt showed me the rest of the house.

  “I remodeled the master bed and bath the way I wanted it,” he said, dropping one of the two dog pillows next to his bed.

  I liked the room. It had kind of a mission-style look to it. The dark wood shone in contrast to the light colors of the curtains and bedspread.

  “I haven’t decided what to do with the other three rooms.” He opened and closed doors as we walked. “Well, one will be a guest room. No hurry there since I never have any guests. Uncle Ted sleeps in my old room.”

  Matt opened that door. A loud, unladylike laugh burst out of me. Wallpaper with trains of every description covered three walls. The outer wall with the window was painted a faded blue. A blue comforter covered a twin bed. Shelves held a variety of model planes and cars.

  “It’s so cute! It reminds me of my brother’s room. When he was five.”

  Matt pushed me out the door and closed it. “I told you I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Whenever I’ve had time, Uncle Ted is here and he doesn’t want me messing with it.”

  I grinned up at him. “I said it was cute. I just never thought of you as a little boy before. That’s all.”

  Matt looped his arm around my neck in a gentle headlock and dragged me that way to the last room. He opened the door, said “See?” and closed it again. All I saw was a glimpse of pale yellow walls and some furniture. I started laughing. He put down the puppy and started tickling me.