by Laurie Roma
Dare scowled at him. “You’re a heartless bastard.”
“I am when it comes to pie,” Hunter said with a laugh. “You feeling better now?”
“It’s a start.”
Hunter sobered. “You won’t be bothered here. It’s a good place to take some time and get your head right. There are only two guys here right now. One has a room, but he’s rarely here. The other one lost part of his arm in an IED explosion and is doing rehab at Fight Hard. He’s from a few towns over, but he’s having a hard time adjusting, so he decided to stay here.”
Dare nodded. “It can be hard acclimating to an injury like that. Sometimes it’s more difficult to be around family or the people close to you while you do.”
“I agree.” Hunter paused before saying, “He’s got a girl—his fiancée—that he’s been avoiding.”
A look of disgust marred Dare’s face. “She not sticking now that he’s back?”
Hunter shook his head. “Naw, she’s solid. Been by to check on him even though he won’t see her. She’ll wear him down eventually and make him see that she isn’t going anywhere. I just wanted to warn you, because when she does track him down, shit is gonna hit the fan.”
“I guess we’ll just have to sit back with a few beers and watch the show.”
“Damn right.” Hunter chuckled then winced as he looked at his watch. “Shit. I’m gonna be late. I’m supposed to be at the center now. Feel like helping out?”
Dare winced. “I was going to go for a run, but I guess I should. I have to apologize to Evie.”
Hunter’s eyes fired as he pinned Dare with a glare. “What the fuck did you do?”
Running a hand through his hair, Dare sighed. “When I showed up I was so tired I couldn’t form complete sentences. You’re cousin probably thinks I’m fucked in the head.”
Hunter relaxed again. “I wouldn’t worry too much. Evie’s got a soft spot for the damaged. She does run a rescue center, after all. What happened?”
Dare gave Hunter a brief rundown of what had transpired, leaving out the fact that he had been lusting after her when he’d first thought she was a figment of his imagination. He couldn’t even blame his friend for laughing at him when he explained how he’d unintentionally insulted the rescue center when he’d complained about the barking.
“Come on. She’ll forgive you if she sees you cleaning up piles of shit in the cages.”
“Great,” Dare muttered, then finished his coffee before getting up.
Once they were outside Dare shot Hunter a look as the other man walked over to a golf cart that was under an awning located on the side of the house. “Seriously? Your legs broken or something?”
“Just shut up and get in. It’s too fucking early to deal with your shit,” Hunter growled as he started the cart up.
With a laugh, Dare hopped into the passenger seat just as Hunter took off. It felt almost silly driving down the road in the little vehicle, but hell, it did beat walking. As they got closer to the rescue center, Dare admired the large pond that was partially shaded by weeping willow trees. He'd definitely have to take a run on the paved path that wound around the pond later, but first he had to make amends by helping out a little.
Hunter parked the golf cart outside the massive, red, barn-like structure that was the size of a warehouse, right under the large Beaumont Rescue Center sign. The name was painted over a large, black paw print centered on a white circle. As Dare got out of the cart, he could see numerous cages set up in rows outside under a shaded awning inside a gated area. He followed Hunter through the gates, and several of the dogs barked with their tails wagging in greeting.
“What is that?” Dare asked, nodding toward what looked like a small playground set up in an area past the cages.
“That’s an obstacle course used for agility training. Besides doing rescues, we also do all kinds of training here. People can schedule group classes for obedience training or search and rescue.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah, most of us are involved. All the teams in the area take turns being on call. People are always getting lost in Big Thicket or in the surrounding areas. Come on, I’ll show you around.”
Dare spent the next few hours helping Hunter clean the kennels. To his surprise, he didn’t mind the work. Cleaning up shit wasn’t his idea of a good time, but he enjoyed interacting with the dogs. Most of them seemed happy with the attention, but a few shied away from any human interaction. Hunter and a few others shared stories about the dogs, and it was heartbreaking to hear how some of the animals had come to the center. There were dogs that had been rescued from dog fighting rings, or those who had simply been dropped off at the center, while others had been saved from abusive owners.
He didn’t understand how someone could abuse an animal, and it made him angry to think about all they had suffered. As he worked, Dare took the time to study the setup of the place. For so many animals housed in a relatively compact area, it was a clean, well-organized facility. He could see the care and attention given to every detail. At first he had been surprised by how many people actually worked at the center, but it made sense, since there was also a veterinarian’s office located on the premises that was run by Hunter’s brother, Beckett.
Besides the paid staff, there seemed to be an abundance of volunteers that seemed to pop in and out throughout the day. Some of them came in to visit with certain animals, while others simply stopped in to help out with whatever was needed. Dare found himself settling into the rhythm of the work, but he was also getting frustrated with his inability to accomplish what he was there for in the first place.
Throughout the day he saw Evie all over the place. But she was like the wind—there one minute, gone the next. The woman had the energy of ten people, and seemed to be in charge of several projects, all happening in different places at the same damn time. He’d catch a glimpse of her feeding dogs one minute, but by the time he made it across the room, she was outside training a class. He kept himself busy while he waited for the class to end, but by that time she was helping out in the veterinarian clinic.
By late afternoon, he finally gave up.
Hunter had left to meet a client at the tattoo parlor, and since a whole new set of volunteers stopped by to help out, Dare decided he was finally free to take his run. However, he was sidetracked once again as he heard a pain-filled cry as soon as he walked out of the building. Reacting on instinct, he ran to the little girl sitting on the ground who holding onto one of her knees. Blood trickled down her leg from beneath her tiny fingers as she tried to staunch the wound. His stomach rolled at the sight of the blood, but he forced himself to keep it together.
Get a grip, man. Focus!
“What happened, honey?”
She raised her tear-streaked face to his. “I was trying to keep up with my brother and our friends, but they were too fast.”
He glanced up and saw a group of teens standing near the kennels outside. Whoever he was, the little girl’s brother was oblivious to the accident. Dare silently promised to have a talk with the kid was to make sure he took better care of his sister in the future.
“Shh, now, let me see how bad it is,” Dare said in a low soothing voice as he pried her hands away from her knee. He let out a relieved sigh after he saw she had only scraped it on the concrete when she fell.
“It hurts!”
“I know it hurts. Don’t worry. We’ll fix you right up.” Dare lifted the girl into his arms just as one of the young women who worked at the rescue center ran over to join them. She must have just arrived as he hadn’t seen her earlier.
“Carly! Oh my god, what happened? Is she okay?” she asked, alarm filling her voice. It was difficult to hear the question since the young girl had wrapped her arms around Dare’s neck and was currently sobbing against where she had buried her face in the crook of his neck.
“She’ll be fine,” Dare said. “She just fell and scratched up her knee a little.”
“
Should I get Dr. Savante?”
Dare thought of the veterinarian that ran the clinic and briefly considered handing over his wailing charge for a second before he shook his head. “I got this. I’m assuming you have a first aid kit in there?”
Her gaze trailed toward the front door to the animal clinic he had just nodded to, but she remained unconvinced. “Sure we do, but—”
“I’m a doctor. Dr. Daryk Nyght. I’m staying over at the boarding house while I’m in town,” he said in response to her skeptical look. He saw the relief on her face and she smiled at him.
“Of course! I’ve heard all about you. Please, follow me.”
The young woman led them into the clinic, straight through the waiting area to one of the smaller exam rooms. Dare tried to pry the girl’s arms from around his neck, but young Carly continued to cling to him like a little monkey. The woman’s lips twitched as she watched him struggle with the girl. She set down a large first aid box on the table and backed out of the room.
“I know Carly’s brother, Miles. I’ll just go get him.”
“Hey, wait—” Dare scowled as he watched the woman leave him alone with what he equated to be as dangerous as an incendiary device strapped to his chest. “Damn it.”
Carly’s head lifted and she sniffed delicately. “You swore.”
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
Dare frowned at her. “How could you tell over the sound of your wailing? I still can’t hear anything in my left ear. In fact, I don’t think I’ll be able to hear out of it the same ever again.”
She gifted him with a little giggle and he felt the band of tension in his chest ease a little. He’d never been good with tears, and this situation was even worse because she was a little girl. Kids were like some foreign creatures that baffled and confused him. He’d always done his best to avoid them whenever possible, but he knew this little girl was depending on him. He just needed to clean her up and send her on her way.
Taking advantage of the break in tears, Dare pried Carly’s arms from his neck and set her onto the table so he could clean and bandage her injury. His newfound aversion to blood made him feel foolish, but the little scrape was nothing compared to the trauma wounds he was used to dealing with, so the uncomfortable feeling quickly dissipated. He opened the first aid kit and removed the items he needed, aware of those young eyes watching his every move.
“Are you really a doctor?”
“I am.”
“You could just be saying you are. How do I know for real?”
He raised a brow at that. Trusting little bugger. “Why would I lie?”
“I don’t know. Why would you?”
Oh, for the love of...
Dare was saved from more questions as two young men hurried into the room. “Carly! Jesus, what happened to you?” one of the teens demanded as soon as he saw her bloody knee.
“Miles, I fell,” Carly whimpered as Dare began cleaning the wound. “Ouch!”
Carly’s brother wrapped his arm around his little sister’s shoulders. “You’re hurting her!”
Dare shot the brother a look that made the boy shut up, then he let his face soften as he glanced back toward Carly. “Sorry, kid. I just have to clean it before we bandage you up.”
“I don’t want a shot,” the girl whispered, her eyes filling with tears again.
“No shots,” Dare promised quickly.
“You’re Dr. Nyght, right? Hammer’s friend?” the large teenager who was leaning against the door asked.
Dare looked over at him and nodded. He noticed there was another younger boy standing slightly behind the teen, as if hiding. Ignoring them for the moment, Dare turned back to Carly’s brother and pinned the younger man with hard eyes. “You need to watch over your sister better if you’re going to be bringing her here. She fell and injured herself, but there are dogs out there that could really hurt her if you aren’t paying attention.”
“I thought she was right behind us,” Miles said defensively, but he couldn’t stand the weight of Dare’s censure for more than a few seconds. The boy’s shoulders slumped and he busied himself with giving his sister another awkward hug. The girl smiled, preening under her brother’s attention. “Sorry, Carly. I’ll watch over you better from now on.”
Out of the corner of his eye Dare saw the young boy at the door peek around the teen to watch him cleaning Carly’s knee. It wasn’t bad, but he wanted to make sure he removed all the grit before he bandaged it up. Then he could leave...as fast as his feet would carry him.
“Hammer told me you were a surgeon or something in the Army,” the teen at the door said. “He also said you were staying at the boarding house for a while.”
“Hammer seems to be pretty talkative,” Dare commented in a neutral voice, belying his irritation. Why the hell did it seem like everyone knew about him? It made him uncomfortable...and slightly panicked.
The teen’s chest puffed out. “I’ve been training with him at Fight Hard and I also work part-time at Kali’s bakery after school. I’m Nate, and this is my little brother, Shane. That’s my buddy Miles and his sister Carly.”
“If you’re training with Hammer, you’re training with the best,” Dare said as he finished cleaning the wound. He chose a large bandage from the box. Opening the package, he peeled off the backing and placed the bandage on her knee. “All done. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“It was.” She looked down at the plain beige bandage with a little frown, then blinked up at him with big eyes. “My mom always gives me Hello Kitty ones when I hurt myself.”
“Hurt yourself often, do you?”
“She’s a klutz,” Miles responded with a smile “We both are, aren’t we Carly?”
“Yep!”
Dare looked around the room for a moment, then moved to the counter to pick up a permanent marker. Walking back over to the little girl, Dare pulled off the cap and leaned down to draw a lopsided happy face on the plain bandage. “There.”
Carly tilted her head as she studied the drawing, then looked up and smiled. “Thanks!”
Dare scrambled back a step as she lifted her arms to him. Christ, did the kid want a hug or something? Nope. Not going to happen. He had trouble peeling her off of him once already. Instead, he reached out and awkwardly patted her on the head. “Ah...okay then. I gotta go now.”
He turned toward the door and made a quick escape, exiting the clinic almost at a run. When he got outside he took a deep breath. Kids and puppies. He was surrounded in this place and needed to get back to the sanctuary of the boarding house. But first for his run. He’d only taken a few steps when he heard a noise behind him. Spinning around, he barely held back a scowl as he saw Nate had followed him outside. “Need something, kid?”
“I...ah...I was just wondering how long you’re planning on staying here.” Nate stuck his hands in his pockets and looked as decidedly uncomfortable as Dare felt.
“I’m not sure yet.”
Nate opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to hesitate. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you around. Thanks for taking care of Carly.”
“No problem.” Dare could tell that Nate had wanted to say something else, but had held back. Feeling like an asshole, Dare tried for a friendly smile as he said, “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around here or at the gym. Maybe we can spar sometime.”
That perked Nate up. “Great! See ya around.”
With that, the teen hurried off, leaving Dare to make his way to the path surrounding the large pond. Now that there were no other distractions in sight, Dare took the time to stretch out in peace. Really it had been his own fault. No one had made him volunteer today. He had enjoyed himself, but there was only so much socializing he could take at the moment.
The sound of laughter had him looking back toward the center, and he saw Nate, Shane, Miles and Carly were playing with two little dogs out in the yard. Carly looked over and waved her hand vigorously at him. Dare lifted his own hand in response, then let
out a curse as she got up from where she had been sitting on the ground.
Kids and puppies.
Feeling like a coward, Dare turned away and ran as if the devil was on his heels.
Chapter Three
Oh, wow...
Evie tried to pay attention to what her accountant was saying to her, but she knew she was failing miserably. Instead, her rapt attention was fixated on the man running around the pond at a brisk pace. Dr. Daryk Nyght—or Dare as he had told her to call him—was a fine specimen of a man.
The golden skin of his bare chest glistened with sweat in the sunlight, emphasizing his spectacular physique that she wouldn’t have thought typical of a doctor. Sure, he had been in the Army, but Dare was cut. Even from a distance, she could see the definition of his abs and the contours of thick, corded muscles over his body.
Just the sight was enough to make her drool.
Evie had been in her office in a meeting with her accountant when her cell phone had started pinging repeatedly with incoming text messages. Although she knew it was rude, Evie checked the messages in case it was information about a rescue or some other urgent matter that needed her immediate attention. But when she had checked her text messages, she saw it was from one of her friends who worked on staff telling her to get her ass outside so they could watch DH run. After meeting him, Evie’s friend Amelia had nicknamed Dare “Dr. Hottie” privately, but after a few hours of him being at the rescue center, the nickname had spread to every female in the building. Evie couldn’t help but agree.
Dare was smoking hot.
He had shaved since the first time she had seen him. When she had met him at the boarding house he had reminded her of a dark, brooding grizzly of a man, with half his face covered in a beard and his eyes flashing with impatience and fatigue. But earlier today she had been blindsided when she’d seen him helping out around the center. At first, she hadn’t recognized Dare. Seeing a tall, devastatingly handsome, muscular man working with her cousin Hunter had made her curious, but that had turned to shock as she realized who the man really was.
