by Dale Mayer
“To a certain extent, yes. And Saint Bernards are the ones you see in the comics with a little barrel under their neck for people lost up in the Alpine.”
Her face lit up at that reference. “Right,” she said. “I’ve seen a bunch of those around town.”
“Are you from around here?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m an events planner. I started my own company, and why I would have done that I don’t know.”
“Like weddings and stuff?”
Her stare turned flat and grim as she leveled it at him. “Events. Not weddings. Unless under duress,” she said. “Did you know the nicest, sweetest, most beautiful woman can turn into a nightmare ogre over her wedding? I planned one once for a friend. We’re barely friends anymore. So, yeah. No, not weddings. Wedding planners specifically handle those events.”
“So, what kind of events then?”
“Everything from music festivals to modeling shows to …” She raised both hands in frustration. “I guess even dog shows. But nobody said I had to understand the different breeds. I happen to like dogs, but I’ve just never been around them much.”
“Are you scared of them?”
“Sure,” she said. “I was bit by one when I was a kid. And, for some reason, I’ve never really had a chance to get over it. But I don’t avoid them when I see them.”
“You need to be around dogs more to get over that,” he said.
“You sound like quite a dog lover.”
“I am,” he said. “I worked with rescues in New Mexico. Best day ever was when those animals were adopted into new homes.”
“Well, there’s a shepherd running around here that looks lost.”
“Which way did it go?” he asked, studying the woods across the road.
“The opposite way you’re looking.”
He shot her a look and gazed over in the other direction. “The woods go on for miles of state land out there, don’t they?”
“There’s talk of a subdivision coming in between this road and the new highway on the other side of this wooded belt. I hope it doesn’t. Part of the beauty of the place is the fact that we’re still fairly quaint and small. Once more developments come in, we lose some of that prettiness.”
“Depends on how well it’s done,” he muttered. “Did you hit it?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I didn’t hear a thump, but I was honestly way too busy trying to keep my vehicle on the road.”
He walked across the road and checked the ditch. “I don’t see a dog lying anywhere around here.”
“Thank God for that,” she murmured. “I wouldn’t have been able to approach it either.”
“No, but you could have called for help.”
“I did,” she said. “I called the tow truck.”
He laughed. “I think that’s coming down the road toward us then.”
She looked down the road. “Yes,” she said. “I might get back to town at a decent hour.”
“Are you that late?”
“I was late an hour ago,” she said gloomily. “I need to get all this shit to the event. Today’s Wednesday. It starts Friday at eight p.m., and I have way too much to do.”
“If you want, I can give you a lift.”
She looked at him and frowned.
He said, “I am from around here. I just haven’t been home much in the last ten years.”
Her eyes lit up. “You know what? I thought you looked familiar.”
“I’m Blaze Bingham,” he said. “Dex Bingham is my dad.”
“And he’s the trainer of the Newfies and the Saint Bernards, right?”
He nodded.
She reached out a hand and shook his enthusiastically. “I remember him. He’s a sweetie.”
“Yes,” Blaze said. “To a certain extent. But, like all fathers and sons, we’ve had our outs.”
“Yep, sure can relate to that. I have a mother and two older sisters. Thankfully we live on opposite sides of the country. That way we still love each other.”
She gave him such an impish grin that it had him laughing. “And you are?”
“Camilla.”
“Have we met before?”
“Nope. I’d remember.”
Before he could ask her to elaborate on that comment, the tow truck approached. Blaze watched the big blue vehicle pull past and then back up and out hopped somebody he hadn’t seen in a very long time. Blaze had a huge grin on his face as he waited to see if Slim, the driver, would recognize him.
Slim glanced at him briefly, looked over at the woman and asked, “Camilla, what are you doing now?”
“Me?” she cried in outrage. “Me? I didn’t do anything. A damn dog went across the road, and I tried to avoid it, and somehow I must have run over something. Look at that. It’s flat.”
Blaze didn’t want to tell her that it was more than flat. The rim itself was bent. That meant buying a new tire, at least.
“Well, this one’ll cost you,” Slim said.
“Cost me what?” she asked suspiciously.
He just rolled his eyes at her. “It’s not just a flat tire this time. You need a whole new wheel.”
She just stared at him, her jaw dropping. “Oh, no,” she said. “That’s expensive.”
“Doesn’t matter if it’s expensive or not,” Slim said, pushing his hat back off his forehead. “You got a car. You need four wheels. Right now you have three wheels. The good news is you can afford it.”
“Maybe, but I have huge expenses too, and my business is hardly lighting the world on fire,” she said mutinously. “Still, if I need it, then get me a fourth one,” she said matter-of-factly.
He stared down at her and said, “That’s what I’m saying. You need a total replacement.”
Blaze was amused at her reaction, but then he noted potentially financial stress behind it all. “Any chance of her getting a secondhand one? Or a pair rather?”
She turned and looked at him gratefully and then spun to Slim. “Right, is that possible?”
Slim scratched his forehead, but his gaze went from the tire to Blaze and then back again. “Maybe,” he said, and then he stopped, and his grin started. “Well, I’ll be.”
“You still sound like a country bumpkin,” Blaze said, reaching over to shake his old friend’s hand.
“I am a country bumpkin.” He looked Blaze up and down and said, “You’re a sight for sore eyes. Man, will your dad be happy to have you back in town.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I haven’t told my dad yet. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
“Well, it’s a good one. You know it’s a good one. He’s been hoping you’d come home for the last five years.”
“I’m here now,” Blaze said. “I was just about to offer Camilla here”—he stopped as she swung her gaze and those huge baby blue eyes back at him—“a lift into town with all her stuff.”
“That’ll go past your place, and then you have to return again,” Slim said in that no-nonsense voice. “Might be better if I just take her.”
“But I have a lot of stuff in the vehicle,” she said. “Can you carry it all? And I need to be dropped off at the center.”
Slim looked a little doubtful at that.
“Look. It’s not a big deal,” Blaze said. “I’ve got lots of room in my truck. Let’s just get everything moved. Slim can get your vehicle hooked up and can let you know when he gets some secondhand tires and maybe rims.”
She nodded. “Slim, you’ll work on that, right? I really need my wheels back.”
“I’ll see what I got in the shop,” he said, “but you shouldn’t be driving on one odd tire.”
“As you just pointed out, I won’t be,” she said in a tart voice. “I’ll be driving on four.”
It was all Blaze could do to hold back his snicker, but he caught Slim’s eyes as he rolled them, so Blaze explained. “What Slim means is, if you can’t afford to buy four new tires, you need to at least replace two, so you’re two and two.”
“
Why would I do that?” She stared at him in outrage. “Only one is broken.”
And Blaze did something he hadn’t done in a very long time. He started to chuckle, and that chuckle ended up in true laughter, and, before he was done, he was bent over double—until, all of a sudden, he was being whacked on his shoulders. She’d grabbed her purse out of the front seat and was hitting him with it.
He stepped back, holding up his arm defensively, desperately trying to get his breath. “Sorry,” he gasped. “That just struck me as terribly funny.”
She glared at him. “You’re not very nice.”
“I wasn’t laughing at you,” he said, but Slim was grinning, waiting to see if Blaze could get out of this pickle. “But Slim here wasn’t doing a great job of explaining that you shouldn’t drive with one tire odd to the other three. They should be replaced in twos, even if one is still okay.”
She fisted her hands on her hips and glared at him. Then she spun around to Slim and said, “And when were you going to tell me that part of it?” Her voice got darker by the minute.
“Now, Camilla, don’t you start with me,” Slim said. “I’ll even help you and Blaze unload your car into his truck, okay?”
“I’ll move my truck. Give me a sec.”
With her silent nod, all three jumped into action. When the transfer was complete, Slim walked back to his tow truck and lowered his winch. “I’ll get this vehicle loaded up. I’ll take it back to my shop, and we’ll see. But no guarantees. And, yes, Blaze is right. You should have four new tires, two at minimum. Plus a spare. I know business hasn’t been going that great for you lately, so I’ll do what I can, but you need to plan that into the budget coming up. Because those other tires are almost,” he said, stopping for emphasis, “shot too.”
She snorted and marched to Blaze’s truck. Blaze figured maybe he was the better of the two bets after all. He managed to keep his chuckles to himself, but he patted Slim on the shoulder as he walked past and said, “We need to have a beer and catch up.”
“Give me a shout,” Slim said. “It’s good to have you back in town, man.” And he turned to hook up the small car.
Blaze turned on his truck and headed back into town. He mentally marked the location and then saw Mile Marker 26 up ahead.
“What are you looking at?”
“The mile marker here,” he said, “so I can come back and look for that shepherd.”
She stared at him, her eyes huge. “You’d do that?”
“Absolutely.”
Camilla Channing looked at him in surprise. “Wow, okay, I never knew anybody who would do that for an animal.”
“My dad would, and, if you told Slim about it, I bet he would too.”
“I’ve never been around animals much,” she confessed, “so they’re all just this big mystery. My mom would never let us have anything. From a cat to a dog to a guinea pig or to a hamster, they were all nasty and too much work.”
“Should’ve brought spiders home for her. She would have seen a hamster as an easy pet after that.”
Camilla looked at him, and then she giggled. “I happen to like spiders,” she whispered.
He laughed. “I have got to tell you that you don’t look like a spider person.”
“Well, not those icky ones that move really quickly across the floor,” she said comfortably. “But a friend of mine had tarantulas. Now they were awesome.”
She knew she’d blown him away with that comment when he just muttered something under his breath and kept on driving. She snickered. “You shouldn’t make judgments about people, you know? Because we all turn out to be different.”
“I wasn’t trying to judge you,” he said, “but you’re right. You’re definitely different than I thought.”
“Good,” she said. “Never want anybody to get too complacent. Because then they pigeonhole you into a corner and don’t think you can do anything.” She winced at that, realizing she was probably telling him way too much about herself, but years of having people tell her that she wasn’t old enough or not a big enough company or didn’t have the chops to do the job had her a little abrasive on the topic. “So, what kept you away for ten years?”
“Navy,” he succinctly said. “Then an accident and then surgery and then rehab, followed by trying to figure out what I wanted from life again.”
She gasped in sympathy. “Oh my,” she said, “that sounds terrible.”
“I did return anytime I had leave and I could come though. But my parents also traveled a lot with the dog shows. We lost Mom two years ago, and I know life has been that much harder for Dad since then.”
“And for you,” she said gently. “Particularly if you were still healing yourself.”
“Exactly,” he said as if surprised at her insight. “I was planning on coming back for visit as soon as I was well enough, but she was killed in a car accident before I got to that point.”
“And you didn’t come for the funeral?” she asked hesitatingly. She shifted in her seat, not sure what to say. But she just couldn’t imagine the pain for the entire family. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I probably met your mom, but I can’t remember your dad’s wife, if that makes any sense.”
“Makes total sense,” he said. “And, if you weren’t into dogs, you probably wouldn’t have known my mom. She was dog crazy. She was into show dogs and grooming dogs and breeding dogs, and it just went on and on and on.”
“Is your dad still doing that?”
“I think so, at least to a certain extent,” he said. “I’ll know more when I get home.”
“And here instead you’re driving me into town, when you could already be at home, reunited with your father. I’m sorry.”
“The day I pass by somebody in need is the day I deserve to be pistol-whipped,” he said.
She smiled. “I think you actually believe chivalry isn’t dead.”
“It isn’t,” he said, his voice strong. “Neither is honor, loyalty or morality.”
“Wow, okay.” Just then they arrived at the center. “Can you turn into that parking lot for me?”
Obediently he followed her directions and then backed up to the double doors. She hopped out on her cell phone, calling for her assistant to open the doors. “I owe you one,” she said, followed with a heartfelt “Thank you.”
Blaze hopped out, walked around, dropped the tailgate and said, “Not a problem.”
Chapter 2
She watched as he unloaded her things from his truck and not just to dump her supplies outside but carried it all in and placed it exactly where she needed it. She felt awkward now. She didn’t know if she should offer him money for the gas or what. But she also didn’t want to insult him. “Next time you’re in town,” she said warmly, “let me know, and I’ll buy you a coffee.”
He nodded. “Only if you let me buy you a meal.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Are you asking me out on a date when you just hit town? Wow, you work fast.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s effective though, does it?” he said with a grin. “So, is that a yes or no?” He leaned his forearms on the bed of his truck, outlined with a silver metal rim that went all the way around.
She nodded. “Sure, well, let’s start with lunch.”
“Lunch it is.” He walked to the driver’s side and looked back at her. “When? And I have no way to contact you.”
“Oh,” she said. She opened her purse that she’d smacked him with. “Since I hit you hard enough with these, I should give you a couple.” She handed him two cards. “That’s my business card.”
He checked both sides and noted her business name in bold big letters, but Camilla’s name was nowhere to be found on her business card. No business address was given either. Contact Blyth and a phone number were provided. “So why is your name not here? Most entrepreneurs are ego-driven enough to want to see their name in print.”
“Not me. Plus my assistant, Blyth, has to worry with the headache of dealing with phone calls. I’ve got enough o
ther stuff to do. And don’t even think about calling me until after this event on Sunday night.”
“What is it?”
“One of those things I said I’d never do,” she said with a groan. “But, when you’ve got a lot of girlfriends, it gets hard to get out of it.”
“So this is a Bridezilla event?”
Her gaze went round, her finger went up to her lips, and she whispered, “Shh. Don’t ever let anybody hear you say that.”
He laughed, got into the truck and, with a honk of his horn, he drove off again.
Grinning, she walked back inside to see her assistant, Blyth, shaking her head, pointing an accusatory finger at Camilla. “What? I got a flat tire. What did you expect me to do?” she asked, rushing forward.
“It’s not that, but I just heard you agree to a date. When was the last time you agreed to a date?”
“Too long ago,” Camilla said. “Why? Am I in trouble for that too?”
“Do you know how many men I’ve tried to get you to go out with? And every time you ignore me. You won’t let me set you up with anybody, and I know everybody,” Blyth said, rolling her eyes.
But considering Blyth was sporting bright purple spikes on the top of her head and tattoos all up and down her arm, Camilla hadn’t convinced herself that Blyth’s circle of friends would contain anyone she was interested in. “It wasn’t the right time,” she said, walking over to the boxes Blyth had unpacked.
“Interesting,” Blyth said. “So, who is this guy?”
“He’s from around here. His name is Blaze. His dad trains Newfies and Saint Bernards,” she said haphazardly. “At least, I think those are the breeds.”
“Oh, my goodness. He’s Dex’s son.” She looked back out at the open doors, but the truck was gone. “Why didn’t you introduce me?” she cried out.
Realizing this was important for some reason, Camilla frowned, straightened, turned to look at her assistant and said, “You just gave me heck for accepting an invitation. Now you’re giving me heck because I didn’t introduce you?” She shook her head. “Talk about double messages.”
“Whatever,” Blyth said. “His mom was a beautiful woman. It was so sad what happened to her.”
