by Codi Gary
“I’ve been thinking about our problem with your ‘lack of credibility,’” Ellie said.
“My lack of credibility?” Mike echoed as they passed by the bar toward one of the booths on the wall.
“Eric, I’m taking a break.”
Eric scowled at her from behind the bar. “A break? You just got here!”
“Technically, I’ve been here for over an hour, and we’re dead anyway.”
It was true. Only a couple of men in their forties sporting ball caps and farmer’s tans were in the place.
“You’ve got ten minutes,” Eric said.
“That’s all I need.” She slid into the booth across from him with a grin. “That’s what she said, am I right?”
Mike burst out laughing. “Did you just make a dirty joke?”
“Hey, it broke the ice.”
“I guess it did,” he said.
“Great, now that we have that out of the way, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.” She gave him a once over, and he pulled at the collar of his plaid shirt. “We need to give you a less…stiff image.”
“I look stiff?” He’d gone home to clean up before coming.
“Let’s see. You’re wearing khakis that actually appear to be ironed, a button-down shirt with a collar so crisp I’m confident it will never lose its shape, and your shoes are shinier that my lip gloss.” She pursed her lips as if to give him a better look. “Stiff. You look like a math tutor.”
He’d thought changing into fresh clothes would be seen as a good thing. “I’m guessing that’s bad.”
“Very. Women do not want uptight nerds, although nerds are hot if they are presented the right way.”
Mike couldn’t remember anyone, besides maybe Gracie, calling him a nerd since high school.
“So, how do you make a nerd look cool?” he asked.
“First off, keep these”—she pulled his glasses from his pocket—“on your face.”
“My glasses? Seriously?” He’d had Lasik surgery years ago, and used them only for working and reading.
“Deadly.” She leaned over the table and slipped them over the bridge of his nose, pushing them up with her finger. This close, his gaze wandered over her thick eyelashes, smooth cheeks, and back to those shiny lips.
“Next, don’t slick down your hair. Leave it messy, maybe with a little gel in it. Your hair is just the right length that when it’s a little tousled, women want to run their fingers through it.”
“You can’t know that—”
“Yes, I can. Because I did.”
That gave him pause. “You did?”
“Yeah. Earlier when you kept running your fingers through it and messing it up. All I could think about was getting my hands in your hair and fixing it.”
He grinned, thinking if she was a friend, he would be teasing her about thinking he was sexy.
As if she could read her thoughts, she groaned, “Oh, for God’s sake, let’s not make a big deal out of it. You’re a hot guy. Own it and play it to your best advantage. Even if a woman can’t stand you, she might still hate-fuck you if you work it just right.”
A bark of laughter escaped before he could stop it. “I don’t think I’ve ever hate-fucked anyone.”
“You should. Angry sex can be way hot.”
Damn, he kind of liked that she spoke her mind without seeming to care if he judged her or not. In fact, he found her openness…sexy.
Ah hell, now I’m thinking about angry sex with her.
Trying to get back on track, he cleared his throat. “Okay, so I’m wearing the glasses and looking like I just rolled out of bed. What else?”
“Hmm, I’m going to have to inspect your closet, but I think we’re going to need to go shopping.”
He grimaced. He hated shopping.
“Also, have you ever thought of buying a motorcycle?”
“God, did you and Gracie join forces or something?” he asked.
She cocked her head, bewilderment written all over her face. “Huh?”
“She told me the other day I should get one.”
“So, why don’t you? They are totally hot. Plus, the gas is cheaper and—”
“Yeah, I got the speech from Gracie.”
“Yo, Ellie, time’s up!” Eric hollered from the bar.
Ellie sighed and waved at him. “Why don’t I bring over Chinese tomorrow and we’ll discuss the rest of my evil genius plan.”
“I believe the evil genius part.” Why was he doing this? Did he really think she was going to be able to help? What if she was just trying to make him look like an idiot as some revenge plot for his asshole behavior and he was going along with it?
Because I will always be that pathetic high school nerd who can’t say no to a pretty face? Weak, Stevens.
“Oh, and I need the little Pickup Artist book so I can make notes.”
“Yeah, no, I’m not giving it to you,” Mike said.
“Why not?” Her tone was sickly sweet, and didn’t help his suspicion. “Don’t you trust me?”
“As much as I’d trust a mouse in my cupboard.”
“Come on, I promise I won’t show anyone.” She rolled her eyes when he hesitated. “If we are going to have a professional work relationship, you gotta take a leap of faith and trust me. I promise, I will not make you look like an idiot.”
And just like he when believed Felicity Marshall when she’d promised to go out with him if he did her science homework, he said, “Okay.”
Once a sucker, always a sucker.
Chapter Seven
The next morning, Mike headed down into the canyon to run along the Snake River. It was seven-thirty and the cool May air felt amazing as he stretched. There were several more populated trails, but he preferred to run alone.
Plus, the landscape of lush trees and bushes, and the sound of the rushing water was soothing.
If only he wasn’t so tired today.
As far as Ellie and this partnership went, he wasn’t sure if this was really going to work. Especially since Ellie’s promise of not making fun of him lasted until about eight o’clock when the texts had started. He’d given her his number so they could make a plan to meet up and she’d blown up his phone until almost midnight.
Now he couldn’t force her voice from his mind.
Seriously? Give a woman a “neg”. How in the hell is there an 82% success rate on that?
Mike knew what a neg was, but he had never used one on a woman. Mostly because he couldn’t imagine saying, “Normally I’m turned off by tall women, but your curves more than make up for it,” and not getting slapped. Plus, there was the fact that two of his closest friends were women and had pinched his arm for saying they looked tired. His mother raised him to think complimenting women was more effective than being a dick.
Obviously, she had been a little off on that advice because from what he had seen, most women seemed to prefer their men on the douche bag side.
As he stretched and prepared for his run, he caught the flash of something black-and-white in the bushes. The creature hadn’t been bigger than a rabbit, and had moved fast.
He sniffed the air, worried it might be a skunk.
Instead a puppy peeked around a bush hesitantly, its dark eyes wary.
“Hey, there.” Mike squatted down and made kissy noises. If there had been anyone else around, he may have been embarrassed, but he loved dogs. “What are you doing out here?”
The puppy appeared to tremble at the sound of his voice and it started to back up, so he spoke in a higher register.
“Here, puppy. Come on.”
The puppy whimpered.
“Don’t be scared, little dude. I’m awesome, I promise.” Mike started crawling toward the pup, surprised when the creature dropped onto its belly. When he was within arm’s length, he reached out and picked the fuzzy bundle up. He was thin under his thick, wet fur and there was something foul coming off him…
And that’s when he smelled it: the odor of something dead.
Mike stood up with the pup and took pushed through the underbrush, following the scent. He pushed aside a limb and his stomach rolled over, threatening to upchuck the protein bar he’d eaten before leaving the house.
There was a sack on the shore of the river, and he lifted the opened end to find a litter of pups inside. They’d obviously been tossed in to drown, and Mike’s disgust turned to rage.
He noticed larger paw prints next to the sack, followed closely by a smaller version.
“Was your mom with you? Where did she go?”
The pup whined, and wiggled against him, but several shushing sounds calmed him.
Mike followed the tracks up the bank, letting out a loud, high-pitched whistle. Nothing.
He ducked into the trees and noticed the disturbed leaves, the puddle of blood, and the drag marks through the dirt.
Mike didn’t want to find out what had taken mama dog, at least, not unarmed.
Holding the pup against his chest, he headed back to the trail. His heart slammed into his breastbone, and the blood pounded in his ears. Every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig had him jumping. It felt like an hour had gone by when he got back to where his car was parked.
Once he was inside and the pup was sitting on the passenger seat next to him, Mike let out a shaky breath. He’d half expected a cougar to jump from one of the trees and make a meal out of them. Being surrounded by steel and glass was comforting.
The pup climbed across the seat and onto his lap. As Mike stroked him, he reached across the seat for his phone in the glove box. He couldn’t get a data signal, so he set the phone and puppy on the seat and headed back to Rock Canyon. The first thing he needed to do was take the dog to the vet and get him looked at.
The pup tried to crawl back into his lap and when he set him on the seat again, a pitiful whine erupted into a series of howls. With a sigh, Mike lifted him with one hand and held him against his chest.
“You’re killing me, Smalls.”
The puppy snuggled into his neck, clawing his way up until he was wrapped around the back of Mike’s neck, caught between him and the seat. His warm breath tickled Mike’s skin, and he reached up to rub a soft, floppy ear.
Mike parked the car on Main Street in front of Rock Canyon Veterinary Clinic. He pulled the sleeping puppy down into his arms and climbed out. Dotty, the receptionist, was just flipping the sign over to open when he reached the door.
She unlocked the door and pushed it open, her weathered face smiling widely.
“Mike, who do you have there?”
“I found this little guy down by the Snake River.” He stepped into the white reception area. Framed posters of puppies and kittens adorned the walls, and there was the sound of excited barking coming from the shelter kennels in the back. Rock Canyon was small enough that the town couldn’t afford a separate building for the animal shelter, but it was big enough to take some animals and didn’t have to send every case to Twin Falls.
Zoe Archer, the veterinarian, came through the door from the shelter and waved when she saw him. Although Zoe was beautiful, tall with long black hair and blue eyes, Mike wasn't interested. This was partly because Zoe's big rescue cat scared the pants off him, and not in a good way.
Zoe used to be the host of Zoe’s Critter Kingdom, a popular wild animal show for kids. No one knew why she'd given up the glamour of Hollywood to become a small-town vet, but most of the citizens of Rock Canyon adored her.
Just not necessarily the cougar and host of other wild creatures that lived on her sanctuary ranch.
“Mike, I didn’t know you got a dog,” Zoe said.
“Actually, he kind of found me. I was out for a run and he peeked his head around a bush.”
Zoe came over and leaned closer. “Whew, well he smells like he’s been through the wringer. Were there any more out there?”
“There was a whole litter somebody dumped in a sack to drown. I’m assuming the mom was in there, too, because there were tracks leading away from the shore, but I am pretty sure something got her.”
Zoe frowned as she stroked the top of the puppy’s head. “I don’t understand people! Why would you drown a litter of five-week-old puppies instead of just bringing them here?”
“People are idiots, I guess.”
“I’ll call Larry to go down there and pick them up. Maybe if I post something about it on Facebook, we can catch the bastards. Are you going to keep him?” Zoe asked.
Mike started a little. He hadn’t even thought about keeping the pup, but as he looked down into the dog’s tiny face and saw a pair of dark eyes watching Mike intensely, he nodded. “Yeah, I’ll keep him.”
“That’s good to hear.” Zoe took the pup from his arms and cuddled him against her white lab coat. “Do you want to leave him with us and we’ll give him a complete health check? I’m going to see if he’ll eat canned food and formula from a dish, but you may need to bottle-feed him for another week or so if he doesn’t get it.”
Mike smiled, not even thinking about what this puppy was going to cost him.
“Whatever he needs, do it.”
Ellie walked into Jenson’s Diner just after noon to meet her sisters for lunch, in dire need of some greasy food and girl talk.
Val and Caroline were sitting in a booth toward the back. Caroline was the oldest and five months pregnant with an adorable little baby bump hidden by the table. Her dark hair was up in a ponytail, and her face was scrubbed free of makeup, showing off the dark semicircles under her eyes. Ellie knew that Caroline had been suffering from insomnia the past month and had issues falling asleep.
Val was five years older than Ellie, and was sporting her own dark circles, but Ellie was pretty sure those had to do with her two-year-old son. Carter Silverton was the apple of his mama’s eye, but Val had been whining for weeks about Carter crawling into his parents’ bed and kicking her all night long. It didn’t matter if she put him back in his toddler bed. He always crawled back in and the kicking would start all over.
“Well, don’t the two of you look pretty?” Ellie said with a wicked grin.
Val shot her a withering look. “Bite me.”
Ellie kissed her cheek before sliding in across from her and Caroline. “That’s what you have a husband for, perv.”
“Ugh, that man is never touching me again. Not until I hit menopause.”
Ellie laughed, thinking that she should probably remind her sister that she had been afraid she wouldn’t be able to have children before Carter. That she had wanted at least three.
But then, Val didn’t really look like she was in the mood to be teased.
“Why are you so chipper today?” Caroline grumbled.
“No reason. Just had enough coffee, I guess.”
Ellie didn’t see any reason to tell her sisters about her possible deal with Mike, or especially the notebook. She’s promised him that she would remain hush-hush about it, and she was determined to keep that promise.
No matter how much her sisters looked like they could use a pick-me-up.
“Is Carter with Justin?” Ellie asked.
“Yeah, he decided to take him into town with him as a kind of father and son day so I could nap.”
Ellie quirked one eyebrow at her. “And did you nap?”
“Are you kidding? I slept in until nine, and had a cup of coffee in blissful silence. Then cleaned up the house and took Gus for a short walk. Poor guy is getting too old for much more than that.”
“I didn’t hear anything about a shower in there.”
Val stuck her tongue out at her. “I’m going to take a long, hot bath when I get home.”
“Nice. Caroline.” Her sister jumped in her seat, and Ellie was pretty sure she’d dozed off. “You okay?”
“Yeah, fine. Just tired.” She yawned, her mouth opening so wide Ellie could see halfway down her throat. “I did get the baby’s room painted last night.”
Val elbowed her. “I thought you were going to let Gabe do that? The fumes
aren’t good for you or your baby.”
“If you lecture me again about what I can or can’t do, I am going to stab you with this fork.” Caroline waved the fork at Val and Ellie leaned forward, snatching the utensil away.
“Let’s get through one lunch without threatening to stab each other, all right?”
Val and Caroline looked at each other, before focusing on her.
“You are too chipper. Is it a guy?” Val asked.
“Nope, no guy.”
“I thought you were talking to Dale Ranney?” Caroline said.
“Didn’t work out.”
Their waitress came by to take their order, and once they were alone again, Val said, “It isn’t Mike Stevens, is it?”
Ellie’s mouth dropped. “Why would you think that?”
“Well, that thing in Small Town Scandals column—”
“Oh, for the…” then Ellie got an idea. A deliciously provocative idea.
“You’re absolutely right.”
“Huh?” her sister’s said together.
“Mike and I have been hooking up on the DL and damn, but it is fantastic. I mean, his dick is…” Ellie held her hands about a foot apart and almost giggled at the shocked expressions on their faces.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Val asked.
“Why did you start a fight with him, then?” Caroline’s voice held a hint of skepticism, and Ellie cackled silently. If she could convince her oldest sister, she could fool the whole town.
“Because I was jealous. He was talking to this cute blonde and I was worried he was going to stop our FWB arrangement if he got serious with someone. Oh, but that night, we had the best sex we’ve ever experienced. I mean, the things that man can do with his tongue…”
“Whoa, we’re in a restaurant,” Val protested.
“Oh, no, go on. Gabe is treating me like I’m breakable when we do it, and it is driving me nuts,” Caroline said.
Val covered her face with a laugh. “You two are terrible!”
“When did you get so prudish?” Ellie asked.
