by Mimi Milan
Yeah. He was happy he wore the shorts, and thankful to be in a place where he wasn’t the only one living with regrets – things that he wished he could’ve done differently; the deaths they all wished they had prevented. The pain of the past was a little easier to bear with others who understood where he was coming from.
Tanner lifted his beer and took a swig. It was nice, sitting there just being one of the guys. If he pretended hard enough, it almost felt like from before the war.
Almost.
“So what do you think?” Josh asked.
“Huh?” Tanner shook his head with confusion. Drifting off into La La Land had apparently cost him part of the present conversation.
“I asked what you thought about the therapy idea.”
“Oh.” Tanner shrugged. He considered lying and going along with whatever they were all for. After all, the group seemed good enough. At the same time, he didn’t want to agree to something he wasn’t ready for. He scratched the back of his head. “I’ll be honest with you, Josh. I was kind of enjoying my brew a little too much to really catch every word you said.”
Josh only smiled. “I understand that. Sometimes a man’s best friend is a good book with a long drink... and a four-legged ball of fluff to keep him in line.”
“A four-legged ball of—”
Something cold and wet touched Tanner’s good leg. He jumped up, knocking over his bottle.
“Whoa, friend.” Josh reached out to steady him, but Tanner only stared down at the familiar dog. He gradually looked up, his gaze traveling the length of the leash to the owner that held it.
“What are you doing here?”
The question sounded accusatory. In truth, he was as excited to see Eva standing there as she looked surprised to see him. Something suddenly clicked in his mind. What had Josh been saying earlier? Something about dogs being therapeutic.
Tanner studied the rescue quietly sitting in front of him, softly panting.
“Is this why you’re here,” he asked, looking back up at her. “To try to get me to sign up for some sort of… dog therapy?”
“No… I mean, yeah… but not exactly.” Eva struggled to find the right words. “Remember my friend Cathy? I told you about her during one of your PT sessions.”
“Yeah. What about her?”
“I was supposed to meet her here so she could introduce a program the shelter is trying to implement.”
“What kind of program?”
Before Eva could answer, the front door opened revealing yet another woman and dog team. Eva beamed before quickly answering, “That’s Cathy. She works for the Angel Paws Rescue Shelter. They think it would be beneficial to pair up veterans and rescues.”
“Beneficial for whom? Sounds like they’re trying to unload a bunch of unwanted dogs.”
Eva grimaced. The look made Tanner want to swallow his words. His defenses had gone back up, and he was being difficult again. A throat cleared from behind him. He glanced back to find the table of veterans staring at both of them. Mostly, though, they were staring at him.
“Actually, studies show that both parties would benefit from the experience,” Cathy chimed in as she joined the group. She firmly held onto the leash of a small, scruffy dog with one hand and extended the other. “Nice to meet you.”
Tanner accepted the handshake and began to apologize. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.” A look around the table had him itching to get out of the place. He leaned towards Eva, his voice low. “Listen, can we talk someplace else?”
Eva visibly brightened. “Sure. That is, if Cathy doesn’t mind doing the presentation by herself.”
A sly smile graced Cathy’s face. “Not at all. You two go have your little ‘talk.’ Maybe it’ll clear up some of that lover’s quarrel.”
“Cathy!”
Eva’s eyes widened and even Tanner could feel himself turn several shades of red. Was he that obvious to read?
Eva’s friend only laughed and turned to the table of laughing veterans, striking up a conversation with them as if she’d known them her whole life. Tanner motioned for her to follow. They made their way to the front doors, which he managed to open for her just fine.
“You’re getting really good at that, you know.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Walking around without crutches.”
“Yeah, well, I had a really good teacher.”
They ambled through the parking lot, aimlessly walking past the cars. Eva stopped to address him.
“I didn’t teach you that. I only showed you different moves to strengthen and stretch your muscles – things that would help you learn how to regain your balance. Everything else was hard work and practice that you put into the task. You should be proud of that.”
“I am proud of that,” Tanner admitted. “I didn’t think I’d get this far, let alone get here so soon. Still, I know it’s because of the work we did together. I never got to thank you for that.”
She gave him a soft, warm smile. It was the kind that made him want to reach out and trace the contours of her mouth. The kind of smile that made him want to kiss her. She leaned slightly forward, rising on the tips of her toes.
“You could thank me now,” she whispered.
He brought his face down to hers and their lips gently touched. His mouth filled with the taste of strawberries. He wanted more. The kiss grew deeper, sending heat through both of them.
He suddenly pulled away. The loss of his warmth made her shiver.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I know we shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Why not?” Eva asked, confused. She paced away, then back again. The dog followed her back and forth as if also confused. “Maybe it’s unprofessional for us to get involved. I don’t know. Cathy says it doesn’t count since I’m not even a real, licensed therapist yet. Maybe that’s just playing semantics. But if that’s how you feel, then the solution is simple. You’ve already cancelled your sessions with me. So if you still need therapy, then we can find someone else to help you. That would free both of us to pursue whatever it is we’re feeling for each other. That is, if you have any feelings for me.”
Tanner let out a low whistle. “Are you kidding? If I have feelings for you? Girl, that kiss should have said it all!”
Eva blushed, her head dipping for a moment. “Well, I hope you could tell the feeling was mutual.”
She looked back up and studied his face. He had appeared excited a moment earlier, but now his face was dark and clouded over.
“Part of me is really happy you feel that way, Eva.” His voice grew serious. “But what about your fiancé?”
She looked at him as if he were speaking a foreign language. “My what?”
“You’re fiancé – the one that visited you in the hospital. The nurse told me all about him.”
“Ha!” Her loud response surprised him. “She obviously gave you some very bad information – very bad. Bryan is my ex-fiancé.”
“Your ex-fiancé?”
Eva vigorously nodded. The movement brightened Tanner’s expression.
“You look like a bobble head doll.”
“I know.” Eva smiled. “It’s a little something Cathy taught me when I was feeling down.”
“Well, it works.” He inclined his head as if considering everything she had just revealed. “I’m sorry to hear you were feeling down, though. I mean, you’ve been through a lot. School, the accident, a quarrelsome neighbor, overbearing boss… and then there’s me. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy dealing with – what my mother likes to call – “poo poo attitude.”
Eva laughed. “I love your mother. She reminds me a lot of my own. Kind, smart, funny—”
“Wait a minute. Is that your way of agreeing with her about my attitude?”
The question only caused Eva to laugh even harder. “Oh, I was wondering if you’d catch that.”
“Yes, ma’am, I did.” Tanner sobered. He stared intently at her. His gaze sent
a delicious shiver down her spine. “I picked up on that along with the earlier bit of information that you don’t have a fiancé. So we can do what I was hoping to do.”
Eva’s eyes grew wide. “And what was it you were hoping we could do?”
A slow smiled stretched across Tanner’s face. “Well, now that you’re no longer going to be seeing me on a professional basis, and you’re not tied up with anyone else on a personal one, then maybe you would be interested in going out with me sometime?”
“Well, it depends.” Eva eyed him. “Think you could deal with me… and my dog?”
Tanner gave the rescue a once over.
“I think the question is more if he can deal with me.” He bent forward and held a hand out to the dog, palm up. “What do you say, boy? Willing to give me a second chance?”
The dog sniffed Tanner’s hand. He lifted a furry paw and placed it in the veteran’s grasp, who shook it to seal their agreement.
“See?” Eva beamed. “Friends already!”
“Well, I don’t know if we can say ‘friends’ just yet.” Tanner righted himself. “But I think we can agree to being comrades fighting on the same side.”
The sentiment wasn’t lost on Eva.
“I think that’s a great start. Speaking of which, how about we go back inside? I wouldn’t mind meeting some of your brothers-in-arms.”
Tanner offered his own arm in response. Eva linked her hand in the crook of his, the other hand guiding the dog as they made their way back to the building.
Epilogue
One Year Later…
Eva studied her reflection in the mirror. She was almost ready. Picking up her bronzer, she brushed a little more powder on her cheeks.
“How goes it in here?”
Eva whipped around to find Tanner peering in through the dressing room’s French doors.
“What are you doing here?” She frantically waved him away, then covered her face. “You know it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding!”
“Aw, that’s a lot of hogwash.” Tanner laughed. “You couldn’t run me off. Although, I can’t maybe say the same about you. Everything all right? You look like a rabbit getting ready for the pot.”
Eva gasped. “I look like a rabbit?”
She quickly turned back to the mirror and began straightening her veil, pushing it down to lose some of the height from her hair. “Maybe you’re right. All the fluffy white my mother insisted I wear makes me look like a stuffed animal!”
Tanner let out a deep, throaty laugh. “Naw. You look great, darling.”
He walked towards her, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“You think so?”
“I sure do,” he whispered in her ear. “You look like heaven.”
The warmth of his breath washed over her. She turned slightly to meet his welcoming mouth.
“Hey, you two!”
They both pulled apart at the sound of Cathy’s voice.
“Y’all need to save that for the wedding… which ain’t gonna happen if the two of you don’t git. Especially you, Mr. Loverboy. Didn’t nobody tell you it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?”
Tanner let out a small sigh, his eyes rolling heavenwards. “Like I told my lovely bride, nothing bad is going to hap—”
He trailed off at the sound of distant barking.
Eva looked at Cathy. “Where are the dogs?”
“Um…” Cathy gave her a sheepish grin. “They keep fighting over the pillows. Not too sure they like the idea of wearing the rings.”
Eva let out a groan. It had turned out that the wedding gig Tanner’s mom wanted to land had been this one. And being the designer that she was, she had sold them on the vision of a pair of doggy ring bearers. Everyone thought it was a fabulous idea… except Hunter. After almost a year of model behavior, he was once again acting out and behaving completely rambunctious. He had even torn off his outfit several times. She looked up at her husband-to-be. “I’m not too sure Hunter likes the ‘girlfriend’ you picked out for him.”
Tanner laughed and gave her a knowing look. “Oh, he likes her. Trust me.”
Eva glanced back to Cathy who was quick to soothe her fears. “I’ll go see if your mother needs any help with them.”
She popped back out of the room. Tanner turned back to his bride.
“Now where were we?” he asked. He leaned in again, but Eva held one hand up to stop him, placing it on his mouth. He kissed her fingertips. “Hey, I don’t mind starting there.”
“You’re bad.” She playfully slapped his arm.
“No, not bad… just back.” He placed a quick peck on the top of her forehead. “Thanks to you.”
Eva smiled. “We’ve been through this before. I didn’t do anything special.”
“I think you did,” he countered. “Maybe you didn’t take me by the hand, stand me up, and help me take step by step... Oh, wait a minute. Yes you did.”
He smiled and she knew he was thinking back to their first meeting in the clinic, and all the progress he had made since. From wheelchair to little more than a limp, Tanner’s accomplishments were nothing less than miraculous.
“The thing is you helped me get back to the person I used to be – to look to the future instead of wallowing in the past.”
Her eyes met his. The love he had for her radiated in his expression. Peace settled within her.
“You did the same for me,” she said. “You never once tried to mold me into the woman you wanted me to be, just accepted me for who I am. Thank you.”
Tanner pulled her close and wrapped her in a sweet embrace. “Aw, you don’t have to thank me, darling. Loving you is a blessing… especially when you smell so nice.”
Eva giggled. She knew almond butter was his favorite scent, but still tried to play coy.
“Oh, do you like it?”
“Mmm.” He tilted her face up and – before covering her mouth with his – whispered the words she longed to hear. “I like it almost as much as I love you.”
A Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
Thank you so much for picking up a copy of Scent of an Angel. Your readership of the Angel Paws Rescue books supports both our veterans and shelter animals.
Did you know…?
- According to online sources, twenty-two US military veterans take their own lives every single day.
- Every eight seconds a shelter animal that failed to be adopted is put down.
These are sad numbers to read. However, there is hope! Through various organizations like Pets for Patriots, unwanted shelter animals are carefully paired with our veterans – providing a home for animals, while helping military men and women combat various physical and psychological challenges like PTSD, physical trauma, and more.
If you would like to continue the series or learn more about my work or how you can help support our veterans and furry friends, then I welcome you to connect with me online. Please visit me at any of the following:
www.mimimilan.com
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/AuthorMimiMilan
www.twitter.com/thewritingMimi
What others are saying about Mimi Milan’s books:
A Rebel in Jericho
“A wonderful masterpiece… a riveting, memorable read.”
~ Amazon writer@heart
“The plot was interesting and kept me turning the pages…”
~ Carrie, reader
Twice Redeemed
“READ this book!”
~ Bibliophile Reviews
“Mimi Milan will draw you right into her book. Her passion comes through in these characters, making the story come to life…”
~ Cheryl Baranski, reader
“Interesting characters, secrets, and some hard times give us a lot of action and an all around good story!”
~ Deanna Stevens, reader
an, Scent of an Angel (Angel Paws Rescue Book 1)
