Animal Attraction: Buckhorn Ever AfterImagine Me and YouGimme ShelterPartner in Crime

by Lori Foster

  “Retired.”

  “You’re young to be retired.”

  “I’m thirty-eight.” Abel shook his head, not ready to go there with a stranger...or anyone else for that matter. “Long story. Care to tell me what’s going on?”

  “I think it’s best if you don’t know, considering your...authority.”

  Abel stood straight up and sighed. “Listen, whatever illegal...”

  “I just need you to hold the dog while I clean him up. That’s all.”

  “Is he wounded?”

  “Filthy and malnourished, but he’s very skittish and I need help. He has a cut on his back leg, and I can’t tell how bad it is.”

  Abel had a feeling this woman rarely asked for help with anything ever. And damn if she didn’t make it hard to say no. Besides, he was itching to do something other than try to come up with plan B, if his doctor delivered bad news.

  “Let me grab some shoes,” he told her. “I’ll be right there.”

  By the time he grabbed his tennis shoes, threw on a T-shirt and got to her front door, Saige had already gotten supplies out and had the dog lying on an old blanket on her wide porch. The warm evening breeze blew, picking up wisps of her hair dancing around her shoulders. With the bright full moon, she appeared to be playing some sort of hero role all dressed in black and acting mysterious.

  Damn, he was devoting way too much time to Saige and her personal life. He barely had a personal life of his own. Why would he even bother trying to dig into hers?

  Abel squatted down beside her. The dog appeared to be very thin, ribs showing through the short coarse-looking hair.

  “What can I do?” he asked.

  “If you could stay near his head but don’t move too fast. I tried that, and he growled at me. He’s just scared. I truly don’t think he could harm you.”

  Fantastic. She wasn’t sure, which meant he needed to focus on the questionable, hurt animal and not the floral scent enveloping him from her shampoo, soap or whatever the hell else she used.

  Abel moved slow and eased over to the head of the dog. “Hey, buddy.”

  Having no clue how to console a dog or even what he was consoling him for, Abel just stroked the fur on his head between his ears and around his neck as Saige applied ointment on the dog’s hind leg and put a bandage over it. The dog jerked slightly, and Abel gently put both hands on the skittish animal.

  “What happened to him?” Abel asked.

  Without taking her eyes away from the task, Saige shook her head. “It’s probably wiser that you don’t ask questions.”

  “If I’m going to be an accessory, maybe it’s best if I’m actually clued in here.”

  Her eyes darted over briefly. “You’re not an accessory, and I’m not pulling you in on anything.”

  Once she was done, she gathered her dirty supplies and wrapped them in a waiting plastic bag. She came to her feet and looked down at him.

  “Let me set this inside, then you can help me lift this blanket, and we can just lay him in the spare bedroom.”

  She disappeared inside for just a moment, was back shortly, propping the door open.

  “If you could grab the corners of the blanket down there, I’ll get these by his head,” she told him.

  They lifted the dog and moved through her cozy house full of bright, happy colors. The house he’d just sold before moving here was full of white, white and more white. Oh, and he’d had a splash of color with his tan couch.

  Saige guided him to the bedroom where Fluffy was curled up on a dog bed snoring. The stench that slapped him in the face as soon as he entered the room nearly had his eyes crossing.

  “Dear God,” he muttered.

  Saige laughed. “Sorry. Fluffy has a little gas problem when she sleeps.”

  “Little? That’s not farts,” he told her, trying not to gag. “That’s like a backed-up sewer line.”

  They moved through the room, holding the blanket tight, so as not to jostle the injured dog, which seemed to be very calm. Either he was scared or thankful that he was being loved. Probably a little of both.

  “Obviously she’s a heavy sleeper,” Abel said as they sat the new dog in the other corner.

  Saige smiled. “Yeah. Fluffy values her sleep, and she plays well with others. But with this new dog injured, I’ll take Fluffy out when I go to bed and give this one some privacy.”

  Abel was amazed at her thought process over the sleeping habits of dogs. He’d never had an animal. Growing up, the apartments they’d lived in wouldn’t allow pets, and then when he’d joined the force, he’d been so focused on a career that he hadn’t had time. And now here he was, set in his ways, so...

  “I can take it from here. I just needed him distracted.” She held out her hand to shake his. “Thanks for the help.”

  Abel glanced to her small delicate hand and nearly laughed. If she had any idea the course of his thoughts, she wouldn’t be encouraging touching of any kind. But who was he to turn down such a respectful gesture?

  Gripping her pale hand in his, he was impressed by how much stronger her grip was than he’d imagined. Of course, he’d seen her carry this massive dog from her car and up the porch steps, so he knew she had strength. Obviously Miss Saige of the intriguing green eyes and shapely body didn’t sit around and crochet or play Scrabble for a hobby. There was force in those defined arms he’d seen earlier.

  “Care to tell me why you’re all in black, and it’s the middle of the night?”

  She glanced down to their still-connected hands and quirked a brow. “These are my pajamas.”

  “Black spandex from head to toe?”

  “I don’t like material bunching up.”

  He raised his brows. “You’re a terrible liar.”

  She slid her hand from his and tipped her head. “You may be retired, but I’d say that’s only on paper.”

  Abel swallowed, not wanting this very in-tune neighbor to read too far into his warped mind. And he hoped to be able to shred those papers she mentioned shortly.

  “I’m all-the-way retired, but if you’re doing something illegal, I really can’t let this go.” His eyes betrayed him as they darted to her lips and back up. “No matter how intriguing you are.”

  A ghost of a smile danced around her mouth. “Ooh, now I’m intriguing? I’ve never been called that before.”

  “I have other adjectives but intriguing fits best.”

  Saige reached up, patted his face and laughed. “I’ll let you keep those others to yourself. Intriguing is the best compliment I’ve been called, so let’s just stick with that.”

  When she turned and walked away, Abel refused to reach up to feel the warmth where her hand had just been. He wasn’t someone dying for affection or in need of a reassuring touch. He was a man, damn it. But her innocent pat still impacted him in a way he couldn’t explain...and didn’t want to analyze further.

  “I promise not to bother you after midnight again,” she said as she breezed through the hallway with a small bowl of dog food. “I can take it from here. Little guy is worn out and needs a bit of food to get his strength back up.”

  “How did he hurt his leg?”

  Saige placed the bowl near the dog’s head and stepped out into the hall. Crossing her arms over her chest, she grinned. “There you go with those questions again. Let’s just say good-night and leave it at that.”

  This mystifying woman was slowly driving him to want to break into his sister’s well-stocked liquor cabinet, and he hadn’t touched alcohol since college.

  Abel stepped closer, pleased when she stepped back, encountering the wall beside the door. Her eyes widened, and she had to tilt her head to peer up at him.

  “What if I don’t want to leave it at that?” he asked, cursing his damn mind and mouth for acting witho
ut his consent. “What if I want to know more?”

  Saige swallowed, stood taller. “Then I’d say that’s an occupational hazard, and you’re on your own. Just because you’re hot doesn’t mean I’m going to start sharing all my secrets.”

  Abel didn’t budge, didn’t even bat an eye at the “hot” comment.

  Saige laid a hand on his chest. “It’s late and I have to work in the morning. Maybe we should finish this conversation another time.”

  Abel nodded. Thank God someone was thinking clearly. Sleep deprivation and irritability had him acting out of character and damn near doing something he’d regret, like kissing this secretive creature until she was panting beneath all that black spandex.

  He leaned closer, to tempt her; himself, he didn’t know. His lips were a breath away; a flare of desire sparked in her green eyes.

  “Good night, Saige.”

  And with that, he walked out of her house, cursing himself all the way home for playing a game he damn well knew he couldn’t finish.

  Chapter Three

  Saige pulled the next chart and nearly fanned herself with it. After last night’s very interesting encounter with her hunky temporary neighbor, Saige had been sweating and...all right, nearly swooning. Abel was a drop-dead-gorgeous man from a distance, but when he’d gotten right up in her face, she’d seen every black eyelash, every flicker of gold in those dark eyes and felt the warm breath on her face.

  What would she have done had he kissed her?

  Saige nearly laughed as she went to the waiting room to call the next patient. She would’ve done what any other male-deprived woman would when facing down such an attractive, obviously sexual male. She would’ve grabbed hold of those muscular shoulders and kissed him right back until he was begging for more. Because that’s the kind of giving gal she was.

  “Pepper,” she called to the crowded waiting room full of various dogs and a few kitties.

  The elderly lady, who was a regular at the clinic, tugged on the leash, and her Lab mix came toward the door. Saige didn’t know which of these two actually cared for the other. Both were old and not walking quite straight, but they were a pair and always together.

  And it was those bonds between a pet and their owner that made her job so enjoyable and made the world seem like a brighter place.

  Once she took Pepper’s weight, the three went into an exam room.

  “Is Pepper just here for his regular checkup, Erma?” Saige asked, bending down to rub Pepper’s ears.

  “Yes, and he’s out of his heartworm-prevention medicine.” Erma took a seat in the chair and sighed. “Were you able to get the other incident taken care of last night?”

  Saige nodded. “I did. He’s at my place and recovering.”

  “Good. I may have another for you.”

  Glancing away from Pepper, Saige looked to Erma. “Already? How do you know of all these animals?”

  “I’m old, honey. It’s my civic duty to be nosy and know everybody else’s business.”

  Saige laughed as she pulled the stethoscope from around her neck and placed the buds in her ears. “I’m so glad I’m on your side.”

  Once the vitals were done, Saige went to get the vet and promised Erma, if she had more locations to pass along, Saige would check them out. There was no way in hell she could sleep at night knowing animals were being abused, ignored or harmed in any way. Not when she could do something about it...legal or not.

  As the day went on, Saige thought more and more about her neighbor. She really didn’t have time for a fling, though considering how sexy and smoldering those heavy-lidded eyes were, she may have to do some adjusting of her schedule. A man like that really shouldn’t go ignored—not that Saige thought for one second his sheets were ever cool.

  Unfortunately her sheets were not only cool, they were icy. Between raising money for her project and her nightly missions that took planning and scoping out, she was pretty strapped for extra time for any type of a social or sexual life.

  At the end of her ten-hour shift, Saige stopped by the supply room to stock up on more bandages, ointment, antibiotics and various other items she needed to keep on hand at home. After her coworker added the bulk to Saige’s ever-running tab, Saige loaded up and headed for home. She was even too tired to cook tonight, and cooking for one was depressing. Drive-thrus were out since she had seen a documentary on all the disgusting things she’d been putting in her body, but then that left her wondering if really all she should eat were carrots and water.

  Screw it. Saige whipped her car into the first fast-food chain, and by the look of the cars wrapped around the drive-thru, everyone had the same idea. As she sat in her car and waited, she mentally made notes for tonight’s rescue. Surprisingly the cars moved faster than she’d thought, and before long she was at the speaker greedily ordering a sloppy cheeseburger and large fry. If she was going to fall off the healthy wagon, might as well fall into a delectable grease pit and eat her way out. With a diet drink, of course.

  When she swung around to pay, she froze. What the hell?

  Abel was walking some well-stacked petite blonde to her sporty car. Oh, so he was one of those shallow men. She should’ve known. Men who looked like that either went for big boobs or other men. The blonde threw her head back and laughed at something he’d said.

  Really? He made someone laugh? Saige hadn’t heard him utter one funny comment. He was dark, irritable and...completely droolworthy. He’d also starred in a very erotic dream she’d had last night, but best not to go there since that dream would never become reality.

  “Ma’am?”

  Saige turned toward the window to the young high school boy who was holding her food and her change. “Sorry,” she muttered as she took her things.

  Abel was still chatting with his date or flavor of the month when Saige turned the opposite way and headed for home. Not that she had any hold whatsoever on him, but hadn’t he come so close to kissing her last night? Hadn’t he undressed her with his eyes more than once?

  Perhaps he did have a different woman every night, but Saige wasn’t going to be on the list of participants. She might enjoy a romp, but there was no way she’d be joining the nameless women who rotated in and out his door.

  By the time she’d pulled into her drive, she’d inhaled every last tasty morsel of her artery-clogging meal, licked her salt-coated fingertips from the fry residue and had pushed Abel from her mind. She had much more pressing matters tonight and an animal waiting to be rescued. Even though she wasn’t thrilled with the area of town, she had a solid plan and felt much better about tackling her rescue.

  She had to wait until dark to scour the neighborhood of the next prospect, but first she wanted to examine Toby’s wound. She truly had no clue of the new dog’s name, but he seemed like a Toby, so Toby he was. Besides, the animals never stayed with her for very long before another family or lonely person took them in, renaming them. And that was why Saige risked so much. She wanted to give the animals a better life.

  Like always when she walked in her door, Fluffy greeted her by throwing his paws up on her shoulders as if giving her a big pit bull–lovin’ hug. She didn’t have the heart to ever train him any differently, because when she’d gotten her, the poor thing had been so terrified. The fact she was so open and loving now just proved how far she’d come.

  “I see you, baby. Hop down, so we can go check on our new friend.”

  She grabbed one of her homemade dog cookies and took it with her. Even when she packaged her batches up for sale, she always kept several on hand for her rescues and Fluffy. Fluffy had been a rescue, but now Fluffy was all hers.

  Saige had put Toby in the spare bedroom, which she’d purposely turned into a recovery room for occasions such as this. When she opened the door, the dog lifted his head, and a small wiggle of his tail told her h
e was on the mend.

  “How ya doin’, big guy?” She squatted down and Fluffy sat down behind her.

  Saige patted Toby’s head first to get him used to her touch again before she went to examining the wound, which looked so much better after only one day of ointment and oral antibiotics. She fed him the cookie, which he greedily ate.

  “Good as new in no time,” she declared, smoothing a hand down his shiny black coat.

  She left the door open for the dog to roam around as he pleased and went to open the back door for Fluffy to head outside to do her business. Then Saige ushered Toby out slowly and left him in the fenced-off area to get some fresh air.

  While they were out for a few minutes, she took the time to check her email and voice mails, but she was too tired to answer any of them. She stepped outside to check on Fluffy, who was roaming and sniffing, and Toby who was in the pen. Then she turned...

  And, holy moly, her hunky muscular neighbor had all his goods on display.

  Well, not all his goods...not the good goods, but with no shirt and just swim trunks that skimmed his knees and were soaking wet from his dip in the lake, Abel and his lack of attire had Saige frozen like a fool with eyes and mouth wide open.

  Sweet mercy, that man should be in a calendar. Naked.

  He must’ve come right home and changed and headed straight to the lake. Apparently this was his version of a cold shower since it looked like he was alone. No busty blonde warming his bed tonight.

  When he glanced her way, she threw up a hand and waved. He merely grabbed a towel and mopped his face. She wouldn’t mind helping him dry off. With her tongue. Would that be too forward, considering they really didn’t know each other?

  Nah. She prided herself on her honesty. Well, except when he’d asked her whereabouts last night. That was totally off-limits for the former cop. She had a feeling that even though he didn’t carry the badge on his hip, he still carried the code of ethics, and she wasn’t going to make him go against it by learning of her extracurricular activities.