by Jessica Gray
“You two don’t get along well.” It wasn’t a question. His stomach cringed as he remembered the earlier scenes of Ev belittling and scolding her daughter. No wonder Linda acted shy and awkward.
Linda made a face at him. “My mother doesn’t approve of me. And especially not my work.”
Chuck stopped walking and turned to face her. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “You are doing a worthy job.” Her happy smile at his praise sent heat searing through his body. That woman wasn’t good for his peace of mind. He liked his bachelor ways, but with Linda he wanted more. A lot more.
He wanted to protect her, nurture her, and make the pain in her eyes go away. He wanted to make her feel cherished.
Getting involved with her was bound to bring trouble to his doorstep. It was better to stay away.
Chapter 6
“Do you want to come with me to work and meet Nate and the dogs?” Linda asked, slapping a hand over her mouth as the words spewed forth. Before Chuck could answer, she spoke again, “I’m sorry. That’s not your job – of course you don’t want to come to work with me.”
Chuck gave her a scrutinizing look and then said, “Actually, I’d love to.”
“Really?” she asked with her mouth hanging open.
“Really,” he assured her.
They returned to the house, where Ev was waiting for them. “I hope you got a good look at my property?”
“Yes. Thanks to Linda. I think someone from the inside stole your Oscars. I need a list of potential suspects–”
“Tomorrow.” Ev cut him short. “Right now I have a meeting with Steven Spielberg. If you return tomorrow at ten, I’ll have everything arranged for you to interview my staff.”
“Of course,” Chuck agreed.
“Wonderful, Chuck.” Ev gave him one of those smiles reserved for male prey and sent her daughter a smoldering look.
Linda held her breath, hoping Chuck wouldn’t say anything about her offer to show him her workplace. When he kept silent, she relaxed a slight bit.
“I’ll see myself out,” Chuck murmured, moving past them on the porch.
“Nonsense. Linda, don’t be so rude. See him to his car.”
Linda wanted nothing more than turn around and run away from her mother’s hateful words, but she couldn’t. Chuck had stopped and was waiting for her, so she joined him and walked with him through the house and outside to his vehicle.
The minute she was out of reach of her mother, the comfortable feeling of being at Chuck’s side returned, along with the immense attraction that had been building since his arrival. Her pulse ratcheted up, and as they reached the bottom step, she stumbled. Stupid, clumsy me!
Chuck grabbed hold of her arm, steadying her until she found her footing once again. He was close enough she could feel the heat radiating off his chest and smell his aftershave. She looked up at him and wished he would enfold her in his arms – wished she had the courage to stand on her tiptoes and kiss him.
But she didn’t have that kind of courage. Besides, it would be totally inappropriate. Her mother had hired Chuck to find out who stole her precious Oscars, and she needed to stay away from him. He had a job to do, and nothing good would come from her allowing anything between them to develop.
“I’m sorry you and your mother don’t get along,” he commented as they reached his SUV.
Linda nodded, swallowing back tears at the note of compassion she heard in his voice. “Not getting along must be the understatement of the year. She hates me. I’m not good enough for her world, never have been.”
“Do you hate her too?” His blue eyes had darkened, and she shuddered under his scrutiny.
Do I hate my mother? The question took her by surprise and she paused a moment to answer it. Yes. I hate her.
But she couldn’t say that out loud. Instead, she answered, “I need to get to work or I’ll be late.”
“I’ll follow you,” he offered with a pensive look.
Linda got into her small SUV parked beside his and a few minutes later, she was headed down the main street with Chuck right behind her.
Fifteen minutes later they arrived at her place of work, a posh private clinic with extensive gardens. As soon as she got out of the car, two dogs greeted her with wagging tails and slobbery kisses. Not that she minded.
As she turned to introduce them to Chuck, he was hanging back, eyeing the dogs carefully. She held out a hand. “Come meet Courage and Picasso. Courage is my dog, and Picasso is Nate’s.”
“Do they live here, at the clinic?”
“Well, Courage does. My mother refuses to allow him in the house because she says he stinks.” The private clinic had elaborate kennels and huge gardens on-site, and her dog didn’t seem to mind having to stay there at night with the other dogs in training. But Linda minded.
She turned to the dog, giving him the hand signal to sit and wait. “Chuck, say hello to Courage. He won’t bite you.”
Chuck took a hesitant step forward and she chuckled at how tense he was. He was trying to hide his fear, but the dogs were getting antsy, picking up on his fear. She gave both dogs the signal to disappear and then turned to look at him, the relief evident in his eyes.
“Why are you so afraid?” She heard herself asking the question, wondering where the bravery to ask had come from.
He winced. “Was it that obvious?”
“That the dogs scared you?” When he nodded, she smiled. “Yes, it was that obvious. So, what happened?”
His face closed down and Linda feared she’d overstepped. It was none of her business, and now he probably thought she was the nosiest person on the planet.
But instead of telling her to mind her own business, he swallowed and lifted pain-filled eyes to hers. “I was bitten by a Doberman when I was a child.”
“Ouch! How did that happen?”
“I don’t remember exactly, but I still get tense when I see a dog.”
Linda couldn’t help but laugh. This big strong man was scared of dogs.
“Are you laughing at me?” he asked in surprise, a hint of anger entering his voice.
She shook her head and instantly sobered. “No.” Her insecurities came rushing back and she agonized over the fact that she’d insulted him. Now he’ll scold you and leave. She didn’t dare to look at him. “I’m not laughing at you.”
“Good. My male ego can only take so much abuse, and believe me, I provide enough on my own.” The humor in his voice animated her to look at him, and what she saw overwhelmed her. Instead of being angry his eyes pierced her with unconcealed desire. Oh my god!
“Lots of people are afraid of dogs,” she offered by way of distraction. For him as much as for her.
“That’s true. So, feel like showing me around? I promise not to hide behind your skirts if I see the dogs again.”
Linda chuckled and nodded toward the doorway. “Good thing I’m not wearing a skirt. Just remember, Courage and Picasso won’t hurt you. They are gentle as lambs.”
Chapter 7
Chuck and Linda entered the building and moments later a very attractive man in his late twenties greeted them. “Hey, Linda, I was starting to wonder about you. Everything okay at home?”
Linda looked puzzled for a moment. “I texted you…and then Mother interrupted me before I hit send. Sorry.”
Chuck watched as a knowing look entered the man’s eyes. “You should move out.”
He and Linda were standing much too close for Chuck’s liking as they had this conversation, and he felt a sting of jealousy at how intimate the pair seemed. He eyed the handsome stranger, trying to figure out who he was and if their relationship went beyond friendship. Were they lovers, or had they been at some time in the past? It was difficult to say.
Linda turned toward him, motioning him forward “Nate, this is Chuck Armstrong.” So he was her dog-training partner.
Nate shook hands with him, and Chuck relaxed bit by bit when the man didn’t exhibit any signs of jealousy that she’d
brought another man to work with her.
“This place is amazing,” Chuck stated, walking over to look out one of the large windows at the grass and flowers beyond. “How many doctors work out of his building?”
Linda joined him and her unique smell made it difficult to concentrate. “There are four doctors, mostly psychologists, and including Nate and me seven therapists with different specializations. And a bunch of therapy dogs.”
“Impressive.” He glanced around the foyer, noticing at least a dozen persons in the waiting room, several kids among them.
Linda noticed where his gaze had gone and offered, “We work with quite a few PTSD patients, and the remainder of the client base is unfortunately children.”
“You said that earlier. Why is it unfortunate to work with kids?” he inquired.
“We work with troubled individuals. Most of these kids have been traumatized in one way or another. Physical, emotional, or mental. Very few of them were born with the problems that bring them to our door.”
Chuck had a clear idea what that meant. In his line of work, he’d come across more than enough cases of child abuse. It still caused him physical pain and the urgent need to beat the crap out of the responsible adult.
“Nate and I work primarily with the main child psychologist, using animal-assisted therapy to help the kids feel safe and comfortable talking about their traumas. Until they tell someone what happened, it’s hard to help them overcome their problems...” Her voice trailed off and the expression in her eyes changed from proud of her work to unbelievably sad and horrified about the cases she was obviously remembering.
Chuck touched her arm to bring her back to the present and she jerked, but didn’t remove his hand. That was promising.
“You’d be amazed how the kids open up, even if they initially only tell the animals what happened to them. Sometimes, the dogs simply provide a topic of conversation to get a therapy session moving forward. But more often they provide affection and a sensory outlet to help with anxiety and pain.”
When Nate cleared his throat and pointed to his watch, she immediately adopted a professional demeanor. “I’m sorry, but I have a therapy session in a few minutes. You’re not allowed in the doctor’s office, but you’re welcome to come with us to fetch Courage.”
Chuck wrestled with himself for a few moments, but the urge to see Linda at work was greater than his fear of dogs. “Sure. Lead the way.”
She led him to the waiting room where she called out to a boy around the age of ten. “Luke, it’s time to fetch Courage.”
The boy looked at her with a blank expression and got up, his posture indicating he wanted to be anywhere but at the doctor’s office right now. Luke countered Linda’s efforts to start a conversation with monosyllabic murmurs. But the moment he spotted the dog in his kennel, the boy’s face lit up in delight. He kneeled besides the Golden Retriever and hugged him, accepting the doggie kisses with small giggles of delight. Chuck wanted to leap forward, because he was afraid the dog might hurt the kid, but Linda stopped him by putting her hand on his arm. Again.
Chuck’s brain was about to explode. On the one hand, he admired the remarkable change in the kid from desolate to happiest boy in the world and on the other hand Linda’s touch did outrageous things to his body and mind.
While they watched the kid cuddling with the dog, Linda whispered to Chuck, “You may have read about Luke in the newspaper. He was abused, first by his biological parents, and then again by his foster parents. He’s very slow in trusting people, but with Courage in the room, it’s a totally different story.”
“Does the dog stay with him the entire session?”
“Most of the time. It’s not unusual for kids to end up crying during their therapy, and the dogs just sit with them, licking their hand, and making sure our little patients know they have a true friend.”
Chuck remotely remembered having read about Luke’s case in the newspapers about a year ago and even now rage entered his body, making his carotid artery throb. “I hope his abusers rot in jail and receive some of their own medicine while incarcerated.”
Linda nodded and waited a few more minutes before she addressed the kid with a soft voice, “Luke, I think it’s time to take Courage to the doctor’s office. Don’t you think so?”
The young boy stood, not letting go of the dog for one moment, and then he accompanied Linda to the doctor’s office. Chuck took the hint and prepared to leave. How much he wanted to kiss her right now!
“I’ll get out of your hair, Linda. What you’re doing here is special. See you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” she questioned. “Oh, that’s right. I’ll see you tomorrow at the mansion.”
Driving away from the clinic, Chuck recited a multitude of reasons why falling in love with Linda Ross was a bad idea. Her mother is my client. It never pays to mix business and pleasure. Besides, Nate is probably her boyfriend. Which is a good thing, because I don’t need the hassle right now. Yeah, falling in love with Linda Ross is definitely not a good idea.
Chapter 8
As soon as her session was finished, Linda went outside to the run-out for the therapy dogs to clear her head. In session she should have been focused on the little boy who so desperately needed help, but instead, her thoughts had revolved around Chuck.
Dreaming of a romantic relationship made no sense. There was no way he’d want her. A clumsy and insecure girl who still lived with her mother. Linda was absolutely useless, while he was in control of his life and sure of everything he did.
Not to forget, he was downright gorgeous. She closed her eyes and inhaled dreamily, a smile spreading over her lips at the memory of his chiseled hard chest, and those eyes. But her eyes fluttered open when the hard truth hit her. An attractive guy like him would never want to be with a fat girl like her. Not only was she unattractive, but also a blimp.
A small voice in her head tried to make itself heard. You’re relapsing into bad habits. But she brushed the voice away. Hadn’t her mother and her teachers drilled into her that she was inadequate? That she’d never be a lady? Each vacation at home, she’d prayed her mother would find something good in Linda and not send her back to the dreaded boarding school. It had never happened.
No, she didn’t need a man in her life right now. Least of all Chuck Armstrong – the PI her mother had contracted to find the stolen Oscars. Getting involved with him was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
She needed to get a grip on her life. Like right now, before she fell back into the dark hole of the self-damaging behavior she’d barely escaped from.
When Linda had discovered her love of dogs and had taken the animal-assisted therapy classes, her whole life had turned around. She’d bought her Golden Retriever as a puppy even before she started the classes and had named him Courage. The dog had soon become a lifeline for her, and she’d been his first patient. Still was.
As if he’d sensed her thinking about him, her dog came running, fawning. She smiled at him. “Here you are, Courage. How did you know I needed you?”
The dog just cocked his head and waited until she petted him. He’d lived with her at the Ross mansion for a few weeks as a puppy but after he’d peed in the hallway, her mother had decreed the beast was not welcome at their home.
A few minutes later, Nate arrived. “Here you are, girlfriend. Congratulations.”
Linda eyed him curiously. “On what?”
“On landing a hottie like Chuck. If you ever find out he’s into men, you be sure and send him my way.”
She chuckled. “Don’t get your hopes too high. I’m pretty sure he bats for the other team.”
Nate came up next to her and leaned his butt against the fence, making a very sad and dramatic face. “Not only does that boy bat for the other team, but he only has eyes for you.”
“What?” she asked. “You must be wrong.”
He shook his head. “No way. I’m an expert at reading men, and that one is a goner for you.”
> She vehemently shook her head. “No way. Why would he want to be with me? I’m not even beautiful, and I’m sure Chuck has never dated someone who wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous.”
Nate looked at her with sad eyes. “Sweetie, that’s your entire problem. When are you going to start believing me when I tell you how gorgeous you are?”
“Thanks, Nate, for being nice, but that’s not true. I have eyes, you know. I look in the mirror at least twice a day. Chuck isn’t the type of man to even take a second glance at me.”
“You are dead wrong there. That man was practically drooling over you, and if a man ever looked at me that way, I’d snatch him up so fast, he wouldn’t know what hit him. Tell me you’re not the tiniest bit interested in that hunk of maleness.”
“I’m not…”
“Bullshit! You are lying through your teeth, trying to convince yourself that’s true.” He glanced down at where both Courage and Picasso were sitting, waiting for their masters to finish their conversation. “What do you think boys? Is Linda full of it?”
She glanced down, and both dogs appeared to nod their heads in agreement with Nate. She glared at the dogs, even more so when Courage sidled up to Nate to have his ears scratched, rather than approaching her.
“Traitor. You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“There is no side here, Linda.” Nate said and turned to go inside for the next session. “Hey, sweetie, wanna go for drinks later this week?”
“Drinks? Sure. I could need some distraction,” Linda said.
“Okay, I’m busy Thursday, but how about Friday...” Nate cursed and shook his head, “Forget that, I’ll be gone all weekend.”
“Hot date?” Linda inquired, only slightly jealous. Nate had parents who loved him, a social life, and hot dates en masse.
Nate waggled his brows and licked his lips dramatically. “Don’t you know it. We’re going away for the weekend. How about we postpone the drinks to next week?”
