Love Is a Four-Legged Word

by Kandy Shepherd

  “They’re beautiful creatures. I admire them, but at a distance.” She reached up to stroke the silky gray fur of her cat. “I’m much happier with an animal that’s smaller than me.”

  She paused. Her eyes glazed with the matchmaking look he loathed. “Did you know Maddy loves horses? She has the cutest china pony in her living room. I went to admire it, and she wouldn’t let me touch it.Why don’t you—?”

  “Mom . . .” Tom warned.

  “So taking Maddy horseback riding would be a bad idea?”

  He had to laugh. His mother was incorrigible. But at the moment he leaned over to hug her, his cell phone rang. “Sorry, Mom, I have to answer that. It could be the office.”

  It was the doorman from his apartment.The supermarket delivery had arrived but his friend had gone and couldn’t collect it.

  Tom cursed.

  Where the hell had Maddy gone? What was so important that she’d ignored his advice and left the apartment?

  He apologized to his mom as he ran out of her boutique, knocking a freestanding rail of dresses askew.

  Maybe he was overreacting. But the threatening gesture and the gutter-dirty way Stoddard had talked about Maddy and Serena played over in his head.

  He called Serena on his cell. At first she was evasive.Then she admitted Maddy was on her way over. Something about her damn lucky pony.

  “I tried to stop her,Tom,” said Serena, “but she insisted.”

  “Is Brutus with her?”

  “She said she was leaving him with a dog sitter next door.”

  Thank God at least the dog was out of harm’s way. Despite his somewhat disgusting personal habits, Brutus was a cute little guy. He didn’t deserve to meet a horrible end at the hands of a poisoned-T-bone-wielding maniac like Jerome Stoddard. And for the sake of his bonus, it was vital that the dog be kept alive for the full twenty-one days.

  The bonus. He should tell Maddy about it. Right away. With the press speculating that she was a gold digger, and he was in on the scheme to grab an old man’s money, his fee structure should be totally transparent. Especially to her.

  But right now he had to make sure she was safe. He hailed a cab to take him to Serena’s house.

  Maddy left the engine running as she opened the Honda door and took the stairs from the sidewalk two at a time up to Serena’s front door. Serena stood by the open door.

  Maddy slapped her friend a high five and a breathless “thanks” as she rushed past her and up the stairs to the bedroom. She expelled a breath in deep relief. Her pony sat on the bookshelf just as she’d left it. She picked it up and lovingly stroked it. Then kissed it on its cold, china nose.

  From a ten-year-old’s perspective she’d thought the pony the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen—a chestnut with a flowing tail, two white socks, and a white blaze just like her beloved first mare, Lady.

  With an adult eye she could see it was a cheap piece of mass-produced china, chipped now on one ear. But the pony was as precious to the adult as it had been to the child.

  Exhilarated by the success of her mission, Maddy tore down the stairs. She’d jump into the car and be back at Tom’s apartment with Tom none the wiser.

  Then she saw Jerome.

  He stood just inside the door and he had Serena, one hand over her mouth, the other holding her beautiful friend’s hands behind her back. Serena’s eyes were wide with fear and anger.

  Maddy skidded to a halt.

  Jerome’s voice was as beautifully modulated as ever. “Ah. Madeleine. At last. I’ve been watching for you. Glad you could make it. We can deal with this in a civilized manner. Or . . .” He tightened his grip on Serena who moaned her fear and discomfort.

  “Let her go,” Maddy shouted.

  “Hand over the damn dog.”

  “He’s not—” she started to say but then Snowball set up a furious barking at the back door.

  Jerome laughed a laugh totally without humor. “Don’t try and tell me it’s not here. I can hear the miserable cur yapping. Get it. Now.”

  Maddy thought quickly. Snowball, though small, white, and fluffy, was a ferocious watchdog.

  “Sure,” she said to Jerome and backed down the hallway, not daring to take her eyes off Serena for a second. She opened the door.

  A flash of white sped up the hall, took one look at his beloved mistress in peril, snarled, and launched an attack on Jerome’s thigh.

  Jerome cursed as the Maltese terrier bit deep into his flesh. He let go of Serena and started frantically kicking his leg to shake off his furry attacker. “Where’s Brutus?” he demanded. “I’ll throttle this one if you don’t get Brutus.”

  Maddy pushed Serena out of the way. “Go,” she screamed.

  She thought she was seeing things when Tom burst through the doorway and rushed to her side. “What the hell—?”

  “Snowball!” cried Serena. She ignored Maddy’s efforts to get her out the door. Instead Serena grabbed Snowball’s collar from behind and managed to pull him off Jerome.

  Thwarted, Jerome turned after Tom and hit him square in the back. Tom, bigger, stronger, but taken by surprise, got the full impact of Jerome’s fist.Winded, he staggered forward.

  Anger at Jerome burned through Maddy. How dare he hurt Tom in a coward’s attack from the rear. What could she do to protect Tom from being attacked again? She needed a weapon. But there was only one thing in her hand. Her beloved good-luck pony versus Tom’s safety?

  She only had to think for a second. With all the strength she could muster she threw the china figurine at Jerome. The pony hit him sharply on his chest. He lunged at her, cursing a stream of profanities. Tom, recovered now, shoved Jerome away from Maddy, then grabbed him in an armlock.

  The two men struggled. Then Snowball wriggled out of Serena’s grasp and, baring his sharp little teeth, went for Jerome again. Jerome sidestepped and Tom tripped over the wildly barking little white dog. In the second Tom took to right himself, Jerome twisted away from Tom and headed for the steps.

  “You’ll pay for this, you bitch,” he shouted at Maddy. “When I slit the throat of the old man’s dog, you’ll be watching.”

  Maddy felt like throwing up. “When you’re in jail, I’ll be laughing.”

  Tom was only one step behind him but Jerome took advantage of his lead to limp down the steps, leap into Maddy’s waiting Honda, and drive off in a squeal of tires.

  “My car!” cried Maddy.

  “Forget the car, what about you? Are you all right?” Tom turned and put his arms around her.

  She shuddered at the thought of the venom in Jerome’s voice. “I’m . . . I’m fine. You?”

  “His marshmallow fist will be hurting more than my back.”

  Tom’s solid chest was a haven. For a moment, she allowed herself to lean against him panting in shock but feeling strangely victorious. Jerome had gotten away but they’d put up a good fight.

  She pulled away from Tom. “Serena, are you okay?”

  Serena hugged Snowball to her. “Never better. Did you see my little Snowball go for that creep Jerome?”

  “Little dog, big teeth. Did you see the way Jerome was hopping around on one foot?” Maddy knew her laughter was tinged with hysteria but she couldn’t stop.

  “And did you notice the way he referred to Brutus as ‘it’? I hate that.”

  “Me, too, I think—”

  Tom interrupted. “Does it really matter if a dog is referred to as ‘he’ or ‘it’?”

  Maddy and Serena both turned on him at the same second.

  “Okay, okay, he’s a ‘he,’ ” Tom said in response to their combined glare. “But there are more serious issues at stake here. How did Stoddard get in?”

  “He must have been lurking around outside. Watching for Maddy. And I had the door open.”

  Tom glared at Maddy. “I’ll ask you later to explain what you were doing here. I told you Jerome was dangerous.”

  Maddy swallowed hard. Now she didn’t feel one bit like laughing.
Tom’s eyes were blazing. He had every right to be angry with her. She’d put not only herself but also Serena in serious danger. And all just for her lucky pony.

  Her pony! After all this, had it shattered on the floor?

  Frantically, she scanned the floor to find the precious figurine sitting forlornly on the carpet where it had bounced off Jerome’s shoulder. She bent down to examine it.

  “Oh, Maddy, is it broken?” said Serena, her voice warm with sympathy.

  Carefully, Maddy turned it over in her hands. She let out a breath of relief. “There’s a chip off the end of her tail but otherwise, I think she’s all right.”

  Tom sighed and he didn’t care who heard him. Not only did Maddy think it worth debating whether to call a dog “he” rather than “it,” she now called a china figurine “she.” This was even odder than talking to animals.

  And, he had to admit, even more endearing. He was so glad she was safe that he was finding it difficult to chastise her for her foolishness in being at Serena’s house. At Serena’s house, wearing his shirt and cap and looking utterly adorable.

  Serena confronted Tom. “I hope you realize what it meant for Maddy to risk breaking her pony to protect you from Jerome.”

  Tom stared back. These girls were missing the point. Here he was trying to ascertain the circumstances surrounding an attack on two women and all they could mumble on about was a china figurine.

  Maddy was now quietly stroking the horse from mane to tail. “My pony. It touched Jerome. That’s broken the link.” He could see she was close to tears, which wasn’t surprising considering the shock she’d had. It was hard to stay angry with her.

  “Link? What link?” Tom looked from Maddy to Serena and back again.

  “The only other person to have touched this horse was my mother.” She sniffed. “It’s . . . it’s . . .”

  “Almost sacred to her,” said Serena.

  The importance of what had just happened dawned on Tom. Maddy had risked breaking her pony to help him. That was some sacrifice. He realized now that what looked like a cheap china figure to him was something invaluable to her. And it got the privilege of being stabled in her underwear. Lucky, lucky pony.

  “My pony. It will have lost its luck.” Maddy looked up at Tom and her eyes were misty with tears.

  “I don’t get it, Maddy,” he said. “Because it touched Jerome?”

  She nodded.

  He thought quickly. “But . . . but it only touched his sweater, not his body, not his skin. Your hands and your mother’s hands are still the only hands that have touched it.The luck will still be there. I promise you.”

  He couldn’t believe that he, corporate attorney, aspiring partner of Jackson, Jones, and Gentry, was uttering this kind of superstitious nonsense. But putting Maddy’s smile back in place was more important than anything else. “Don’t you agree, Serena?” he asked.

  “Absolutely,” her friend agreed. “In fact, I think that after the pony has been so . . . so . . . heroic, it will be luckier than ever.”

  She. The figurine is a she, not an it, Tom mentally urged Serena. But Maddy didn’t seem to notice her friend’s error.

  Maddy sniffed again. “Yes. You could be right.”

  “We are right,” said Tom, drawing her close to him. He breathed in the familiar lavender smell of her. She was warm and soft in his arms. “Look how lucky you are right now.You’re safe. Serena’s safe. Serena’s dog is safe.”

  Maddy’s eyes were huge. “And you’re safe, Tom. That’s lucky, too. Lucky for me. And for Brutus. What would we do without you?”

  She snuggled in next to him. His heart started to beat faster. Not from sexual arousal, though that was never far away when Maddy was around.

  No, it was a potent mix of relief, protectiveness, and tenderness. A feeling that he’d never felt before for anyone. He liked it that she was wearing his shirt and cap. It made him feel like she belonged with him.

  Maddy had been thrust unexpectedly into his life. Today’s episode had forced him to confront what life might be like if she was just as suddenly taken out of it. And he didn’t like that scenario at all.

  Serena coughed. “I hate to break up this little scene but there’s something that isn’t so lucky around here—Maddy’s car.”

  “Ohmigod, yes,” said Maddy, drawing her warmth away from him.Tom could have cursed Serena.

  Maddy ran to the top of the stairs. “My Honda is at the end of the block. He’s left it there double-parked. And it’s getting a ticket.”

  Tom cursed. “He’s a clever bastard. Now we can’t get him for car theft.” He turned to Serena. “But we witnessed his assault on you.”

  Serena shook her head. “I don’t want to report him. I’m not hurt, and I don’t want to have to face him again.” She looked pale and shaken.

  “Are you sure? He shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.”

  She nodded.

  “Do you want to come home with Maddy and me?”

  “I’m fine,” said Serena.

  “Home?” said Maddy.

  “I mean my apartment,” he said gruffly, wondering if he’d given himself away by that slipup. Because he suddenly realized that his apartment only seemed like home with Maddy in it.

  “Ohmigod,” Maddy said again. “I told Nora I’d be back in forty minutes for Brutus. I’ve gotta get the car.”

  “I’m coming, too. Do you think I’d let you out of my sight after what’s happened here today? Haven’t you learned a thing?”

  Her mouth quirked. “I guess not. Grumpy rides again.”

  “You’ve given me good cause to be grumpy. This is serious, Maddy.”

  She looked suitably contrite. “Okay. Fortress South Beach it is.”

  Seventeen

  Maddy thought Nora Green seemed quite pleased to hand Brutus back over to her and Tom. Apparently Brutus and Max had not gotten along as well as anticipated. But the older woman assured them she was quite sure the two animals would get used to each other with a little time—and separate living spaces.

  And, yes, it was still quite okay to leave Brutus with Nora on Wednesday, audition day. Only could Maddy please pack a muzzle in her dog’s playdate kit?

  Maddy lingered, chatting to Nora for way longer than was necessary. From where he stood behind her she could sense Tom’s edgy impatience.Truth was, she was using the chat to stretch out the time before she had to face him alone and explain why she had left the apartment against his advice.

  Finally, Tom politely terminated the conversation with Nora. She could tell he was speaking through gritted teeth. He took her by the elbow and steered both her and Brutus firmly through the door and into his apartment.

  “Ouch!” she said, pulling her arm away from him as soon as he had banged the door shut behind them. Brutus took off up the hallway. Maddy made a big show of rubbing her elbow. “That hurt.” She looked up at him through eyes narrowed with bravado. “I don’t like your caveman tactics.”

  “I don’t like your airhead tactics,” he said, back in full grim mode.

  “Airhead?” she spluttered. “I don’t know—”

  “You know exactly what I mean. I couldn’t have been clearer about you not leaving this apartment. Under any circumstance.”

  Maddy knew she was in the wrong. Of course she did. And if Tom had given her a chance to apologize, she would have. But instead he was bossing her around. Again.

  Her chin jutted out. “I made a decision based on what I thought was right at the time. I need the pony for my audition. I have to have it with me or there’s no point in going.”

  “So you not only risked your own life, you also risked Serena’s.”

  “You think I don’t realize that? I even risked Snowball’s life, for heaven’s sake. Do you think I won’t live with that guilt?” Her voice rose with each word.

  “How do you think it was for me, Maddy? I didn’t know where you were, what had happened. I thought you’d been abducted.” His jaw was so tightl
y clamped he looked as if he were in pain.

  Pain caused by her irresponsible behavior. He was right. She hadn’t really thought it through before she’d made her mad dash for the pony. She took a deep breath.

  “Tom, I’m sorry I messed up. I know you’re furious, but I—” She didn’t get a chance to finish her apology. Tom pulled her hard against his chest and kissed her, knocking her borrowed cap off her head and onto the floor in the process.

  “Tom, I—” she mumbled against his mouth in surprise but he just kissed her harder. His mouth was firm and warm and delicious. She stopped trying to talk and started to kiss him back, relax against him, enjoy it. Until he broke the kiss.

  “Hey,” she said. “Don’t stop. That kind of caveman tactic I like.”

  His hands gripped her shoulders so tightly she winced. “Maddy, this is not something to joke about. I’m just so thankful that you’re all right.” He dropped his hands from her. “I wonder if you truly appreciate the gravity of the situation. When I saw you there with that madman Stoddard . . .”

  His deep, husky voice trailed away and he paused a moment to collect himself before speaking again. “As it was, everything turned out okay. Comical, really, with Snowball the hero of the day. But you heard him threaten to slit Brutus’s throat. I believe he’s capable of it.”

  “With me . . . with me watching.” Nausea rose in her throat as she remembered the look in Jerome’s eyes.

  “What if Stoddard had had a knife with him or—God forbid—a gun?”

  A gun! Maddy shuddered. A poisoned T-bone. An oversized block of chocolate. All weapons with an element of buffoonery. But she hadn’t thought of Jerome carrying a gun.

  “Maybe . . . maybe I underestimated Jerome.”

  Tom looked searchingly into her eyes, his expression intense and unreadable. He skimmed his thumb over her cheekbone and down the side of her face as if to reassure himself that she really was unhurt. “Don’t ever pull a stunt like that again. Okay?” His voice wasn’t quite steady.

  Tom could tell from Maddy’s pallor and the way she was chewing on her lip how bad she felt about the Stoddard fiasco. He wanted to pull her into his arms but he didn’t dare. He wasn’t sure he could stop comfort from flaring into passion. And she’d made it quite clear she wasn’t ready for that yet. Though he’d had to—just had to—kiss her.