by Mimi Barbour
The words popped out before he could stop them. “Traffic was slow.”
“Not the way you drive.”
“I had an unwanted guest who kept me within the speed limit.”
He watched her look at his car, angle her head questioningly and then turn back his way.
“He got out on the last block. You’re obviously ready so let’s go.”
“Not in this pretty toy you call a car. We’ll have to use the company vehicle.” He should have known something was up when her checks reddened.
Hobbling along by his side, she led him into the underground parking lot right up to the ugliest monstrosity on four wheels he’d ever seen—a rosy pink doggie van with splashes of paw prints streaked to run along each side. The hideous, doggy, shag-mobile was outfitted with a penned-in back where the animals rode, each with their own windows and special enclosures reminiscent of baby seats.
She frowned at him when he couldn’t stifle his horror. “Don’t you say a word! My mother and sisters bought this through the company when they realized my own car was too small to transport the animals safely. They ordered it specially designed and painted, and if you’d been there to see their expressions when they presented it to me, you couldn’t have refused their generosity either.”
He grinned.
She glared.
Then he helped her step up into the passenger seat, got behind the wheel, and drove it out onto the street. The silence had thickened, so he spoke.
“No, really! It’s roomy. And the pink is… is eye-catching. Paw designs, are a good way to advertise.”
She said nothing, but she did snort.
“We’re getting lots of attention.” Yeah, everyone’s laughing! Words popped into his head coming straight from his conscience.
He hated himself for lying, and the truth must have showed in his sour expression.
“Not funny! And slow it down, especially when the dogs are with us. They’ll get antsy if you go too fast.”
“And you know that how?”
“Never mind… and lose the grin.” Even though her voice sounded rough, the chuckle he heard negated her being in a real snit.
“Yes, ma’am.” Maybe the stares won’t be so hard to take after all. It was nice being with Sadie again. She looked stunning with her soft curls bouncing around her pretty face. He’d looked forward to spending the afternoon with her, and if it meant driving a pink puppy parlor, he guessed he could take it.
After all, guys who had a firm grip on their sexuality didn’t get rattled with minor shit like this. And if the asshole in the car next to his didn’t stop wiggling his eyebrows and smirking, he’d be more than happy to rearrange his face at the next light.
“Liam. Quit glowering at everyone and listen. Please. I have to explain a few facts before we start the day. I don’t want you to undo all the work it’s taken me months to put into practice. My students are in training, and unless you do exactly as I tell you, it won’t be pretty.”
“Students? I thought they were dogs.”
“They are dogs, silly. But they’re my students, also. I train them during these walking exercises, and they respond very well—to me. I just don’t know whether you’ll be smart enough.”
“Now you’re just being mean and… and rude.”
“I’m not being rude. These dogs are very intelligent. They know whenever they can get away with anything, and like children they’ll try to take over, be the pack leader. It’s up to you to stay in control—to show them who’s boss.”
“Lady, if I can get through Special Forces training and work with some of the young idiots people are producing today, I have no doubt I can handle a few mutts.”
“Don’t be too hasty. Or ignore my advice.”
“I’m sure I’ll be just fine.” He gave her his best don’t-worry-about-me-little-lady nod, and she closed her mouth and crossed her arms.
Eating his own words didn’t come easy to him. Begging didn’t either, but by the time he’d walked the first pack for one block, had been tripped and almost upended, had the chains wrapped around his legs so he’d had to sit down on the sidewalk in order to get loose, and stopped a dozen times to undo leashes and rearrange their order, he’d begun to worry. The final straw came during one of the leash removals when the smallest in the group, Peppi the Pomeranian, had taken the opportunity to break loose. After he’d chased him three blocks before catching the poufy-haired little bugger, he knew he needed to listen.
The fact that Johnny-come-lately witnessed his disgrace didn’t help either. By the time Liam got back to where Sadie had the dogs properly behaving as they all waited for his return, he was hot under the collar and felt pretty damn foolish.
To see the devil glinting from the angel’s eyes didn’t help the situation whatsoever. “Why don’t you go hug a cloud?”
“And miss all the fun? Not likely!”
“Liam, are you now ready to take some advice?”
“I’m all ears!” Go figure. Six dogs could be so hard to handle? He looked at the well-behaved monsters now arranged around Sadie, who sat like a queen on the park bench with her roll of plastic doggie bags on her lap, and he motioned his surrender.
“Okay, first you’ll have to pick up the poop that Nicky and Reverend left just over by the trees. Here’s the bags.” She unrolled two smallish bags and held them out.
He wasn’t sure if he’d heard her properly. Did she just ask him to pick up dog shit in a baggy?
“Cor. The stuff won’t bite you. Blokes pick up dog droppings all the time.”
“Not this bloke.”
“So you’re going to make Sadie do it when she can barely walk, never mind bend over?”
Liam stomped over to her and whipped the bags from her hands. “Where are they?”
She pointed. He purposely didn’t look her in the eye, because if she was enjoying this moment, which he had no doubt she was, being a nice guy, he didn’t want to spoil it for her. Plus, he knew the squeamishness he felt in his gut had to be splashed across his mug. He wasn’t enough of an actor to hide it.
A damn good thing the litter can stood only a few feet away.
Holding the bags out at arm’s length would have drawn a bit more attention than he wanted if he’d had to go any farther.
“Give over, ya toff. Don’t be daft. It’s a natural function.”
“Be quiet! I did it, didn’t I? When I was a kid I wasn’t allowed to have a dog. So this is all new to me.”
The angel’s attitude instantly underwent a change. “I know, Liam. You did good, my man.” So saying, Johnny disappeared and left a rush of gladness behind that dissolved all the anxiety inside Liam. Left him feeling strangely happy.
He went back to Sadie. She was speaking softly to the dogs, which were rapt with attention, all six pairs of eyes glazed with adoration. In his mind, they were walking a strange assortment of mutts. And he guessed he shouldn’t think of these expensive, groomed-to-their-eyeballs, manicured babies as mutts, but in his mind that’s exactly what they were.
Stunned at how people could spend the amount of money it took to not only buy the animals but maintain their perfect styling, he studied each one.
Peppi, his personal favorite, the mutt who’d shown gumption by getting away when he had the chance, was a reddish-gold ball of fluff whose little black, beady eyes seemed to see everything. At the same time his tongue lolled to the side and his open mouth curved upwards in a distinctly cheeky way.
Lying next to him was a gorgeous white Samoyed called Samantha who had a similar laughing expression and a large plumed tail that never stopped waving.
Then came Giorgio, a standard white Poodle, who had to be dragged along, as walking didn’t appeal to him much. According to Sadie, he’d won Best of Breed in many shows and was the particularly spoilt baby of a wealthy heiress.
Next to him a German Shepherd called Nicky displayed leadership qualities by marshalling the others back into position with a nip or a bark, then l
ooked angelic when Sadie called him on his tactics. He was a strong son-of-a-gun who’d almost torn Liam’s arm from the socket during a few tussles.
Lying next to him, totally bored and showing it, was the ugliest of the happy little group, Reverend, a wrinkled mass of fawn-colored skin whose eyes disappeared periodically. According to Sadie, Shar-Pei dogs were a relatively new breed, intelligent and loving. Maybe so, but dragging one along in a group of six wasn’t easy.
Just then the yappy one started up again. A miniature Pinscher, or Min-Pin as she called it, took the prize for its annoying habit of never shutting up. Liam visualized wrapping his hands around the small neck and squeez—
“Liam? Where did you go? I’ve called you twice. We have another group to walk in a short while, so we need to get moving.”
“Right, sorry. Was thinking about how different these breeds are and how each one of these mutts perform.”
“They’re very smart, you know.”
“I have no problem with real dogs, ones that have faces and paws, not these powder puffs with feet.” First he pointed at the Giorgio and then Peppi.
“Are you dissing my pack?” Her smiling eyes downplayed the harshness in her tone.
“I just can’t imagine how any normal person would put so much importance into a four-legged barker—seems to me that people should come first.” Once the words hung out there, he realized he sounded pretty insensitive and felt the disintegration start in his backbone and work its way down to his weakening knees. What an idiot, running off at the mouth like that.
With a warning glint in her eye, Sadie spoke softly. “You must admit, when I have control, they’re very well behaved. Some are show dogs, after all, and worth a small fortune.”
He scanned the wagging, squirmy bunch. What he figured was the money spent on a poodle with a glittery necklace of pink gems gracing her neck and a rhinestone-studded harness around her body could feed a village in some of the countries where he’d travelled.
As if he sensed his importance, Giorgio pranced forward, his backcombed pompoms waving in circles and his tiny black eyes blinking in a flirtatious manner.
Liam backed away. The doggy grin allowed a glimpse of sharp teeth, and the low growl portrayed a problematic attitude.
Just then the German shepherd, Nicky, stepped between them, using his body as a shield. He nipped at the poodle, which sniffed and turned away. “Now there’s a dog a man can be proud to walk.”
Liam reached to pat the regal head and just managed to retrieve all his digits before they were snapped off by the sharp jaws.
“What the hell…?”
Sadie’s grin showed off her pearly whites. “First of all, Nicky has an attitude problem, and secondly, you never wave your hand toward an animal unless he knows you and is relaxed around you. They don’t like it. It intimidates them.”
“No kidding! So what’s Nicky’s beef with the world?”
“He doesn’t like men, but he’s got a heart the size of Mount Rushmore.”
“And the teeth of a crocodile.”
“At least he’s honest in his reactions, and lets the world see who he is, unlike some people I know.” She stared at him with purposeful directness.
He shuffled and turned away to hide his dismay. She’d gotten to know him pretty well in a very short time. He needed to change the subject.
“You mentioned that you teach these dogs tricks?”
“I don’t teach them tricks. I train them.”
“Train them, you mean like—how to shake a paw and roll over?”
“Those easy parlor tricks they learned in no time at all. Most of these dogs are incredibly clever and aren’t satisfied with the easy stuff. Now we work on harder trials like fetch and count and…”
“Count? How can a dog count?”
“Watch.”
“Gorgio…” She waited until the poodle deigned to lift his head and look her way. “How many fingers?” She held up three and the fluff ball barked three times. Then she asked, “Are you sure?” And the dog nodded. “How many now?” She lowered one of the fingers and the dog barked twice. “See?”
“Pretty good! What other tricks did you teach it?”
“It’s not an it. It’s a he.”
“That’s a male?” Liam glared at the animal and said, “You oughta be ashamed.” The fluffy canine looked down at the ground and a small whine could be heard as he turned away.
Sadie shared the humorous moment with him before going on with her explanation.
“I train the dogs because if they aren’t properly schooled, I can’t accept them into the walking program. Also, bored dogs are sad, and my friends are never sad. Many of these guys have been used in movies.” The pride rang through her tone. “Don’t let their appearance belie their intelligence.”
“In other words, you can teach an old dog new tricks.” He grinned at his silly pun.
“Canine ones. Humans, not so easy. Especially the male of the species.” Her eyes held a definite twinkle.
“You’re not funny!”
Chapter Thirteen
After she and Liam had finished with the first round of walkers, they followed up with three more groups till the light waned in the sky and darkness was still just a warning. Sadie had talked Liam through the afternoon’s route and she felt surprisingly pleased with the results. Once she’d instilled the importance of how to hold the leashes, tone of voice, and the physical strength that kept them moving and stopped any shenanigans, everything worked out very well.
“I know you do this every day, and I’m truly amazed. Anyone who believes dog-walkers have it easy needs to give their head a shake.” The sincerity she heard in his voice began to unwind the tight ball she constantly carried around in her stomach whenever she spent time with a man.
Her sisters and mother had tried to talk to her about carrying her teenage hostilities into her life as an adult. But when a vulnerable young girl gets a certain kind of unwanted attention from idiot teenage males, the kind that rips out hearts and makes a girl cry herself to sleep every night, it’s damned hard to let go of the deep bitterness.
For some, like her sisters, being overweight never created a problem. They sailed through their school years with a huge group of friends and were very popular. But Sadie was different.
Introverted, shy, a slim girl imprisoned in a large body with no way out and no one to turn to, she’d struggled year after year. When she did try to explain her feelings to her family, they took it personally, and she could see that if she continued down that road their feelings would take a beating. Of course, that wasn’t an option. And so she ate their food, laughed at their foolish ways, and bided her time until she couldn’t take it anymore.
Then, like a miracle, Greta came along to save her sanity. Her roommate in university, Greta let Sadie be herself, and she blossomed. She took many courses on good dietary habits, and even cooking classes, and put them all to good use.
Just before they graduated, Greta’s aunt had built the condo complex and was looking for residents she trusted to take care of the property. Greta grabbed the first suite and put in a good word for Sadie. Since then, life had been great. Other than the pressure her family applied for her to find a boyfriend, happiness had finally found her. She had a job she loved and a peaceful place of her own to unwind, so what more could she ask?
The little bites her emotions suffered periodically when she watched a romantic movie or a love story on television was a small price to pay when it came to protecting her heart.
Battered by memories still vivid enough to awaken her at night, she rued the day she’d let a high-school stud sweet-talk her guard down long enough for him to get into her pants and then post it on Facebook.
Never again—no way, no how.
So when Liam asked to come in for a while after they finished work, her response came easy.
“Why?”
“Ahh, because?”
“Not good enough.”
�
�I thought we could have a beer and discuss the day. You could fill me in on the dogs, like their backgrounds, especially your favorites.”
The sweet-talker knew where to stroke. But it wouldn’t do him any good. Not with her.
Before she could send him on his way, Greta pulled her Jeep up beside them and started a conversation.
“Hey, girlfriend! How was your day?” All the time she talked, she batted her eyes at Liam and smiled in the toothy way that she used on anyone with a penis and lips.
Sadie sighed and surveyed the underground garage’s white ceilings, pipes, and the horizontal florescent fixtures. A nudge from Liam got her attention, and she saw the other two waited for her to make introductions.
“My friend, Greta.” She waved at the simpering idiot whose head was sticking out the window, and then pointed at the guy beside her. “Speedy Gonzales, who prefers you call him Liam.”
“Hey, Liam. I’ve heard all about you.” After the hissing sound and glower that came from Sadie, she added, “From Bea, Sadie’s mom. She said you’d be helping her sweet little girl with the dogs for the next while. Lucky bitches!”
Only Greta could get away with sarcastic teasing that would break Sadie’s restraint and make her laugh.
“Hey, you two, here’s the thing. I’ve got the makings for the biggest stir-fry you’ve ever seen, and I’m expecting my last-night’s date in about half an hour. Why don’t you join us?”
“We’d love to.”
“Not a chance.”
When Liam turned to Sadie, obviously to see just how serious her refusal, she knew he made note that her eyes were still lit with humor. She couldn’t help it. Greta could always make her laugh.
She sensed him trying to think of the right words to convince her to change her mind, but Greta took the situation into her own hands.
“Give me twenty minutes to change, and then be prepared to be put to work as my underpaid whipping boys.” So saying, she peeled away to park further down the garage.
Sadie stamped her foot and the painful reminder from her sore body made her catch her breath. Maybe she’d overdone it a tad. Should have sat and let him walk the dogs alone, but she’d been a bit leery. Good thing, too, since he’d had some close calls at getting his legs broken and his hands ripped off.
