This time, the Rottweiler seemed much more relaxed about the other dog. He even wagged his stub in greeting.
"You really shouldn't let him run loose like that." Will frowned as he drew nearer.
"Tuck's loose,” she pointed out.
"Tuck's trained."
Ugh. Attitude much? And he'd said Rugby had the problem.
Yeah.
More flies with honey, Charlie thought and offered Will her brightest smile.
"Well, Rugby will be soon, too. With your help, I mean. Thank you for meeting us today." She bent down and hooked the leash onto her dog's collar.
Will cleared his throat and ran his palm across the back of his neck. "It's no problem."
Was he blushing? Charlie craned her neck to get a better view. He was blushing! For the first time since meeting him, she allowed herself to take a better look. Thick eyebrows framed stunning blue eyes, and his lower lip was deliciously plump.
He glanced up at her and smiled uncomfortably. The whiteness of his teeth sparkled in contrast to his bronzed skin.
Why did he have to be so attractive? She needed help controlling her dog—that was it. Nothing more.
Yet somehow she couldn’t get past the image of his strong arms wrapping around her waist, his mouth coming in for a kiss. His hands—
"Ready to head to the trail?" His expression was quizzical as he leaned down to leash Tuck.
Charlie snuck a quick peek at his backside, which flexed taut and smooth beneath his khaki shorts. No, no, no! Stop it!
Okay, even if he was handsome, their personalities totally clashed. She was fun and impulsive. And he...?
Uptight was the only word for it, really.
Rugby barked and tugged hard on his leash, reminding her why they'd come here in the first place.
Apparently, Will had already jumped headlong into a lecture about proper obedience training. She nodded and smiled, hoping she hadn't missed anything important while arguing internally with herself.
"Charlie," he said in a way that implied he'd probably called her name more than once. "Snap back on the leash and tell him to heel."
She yanked on the leather looped through her hand. "Heel, Rugby."
"Good, good. A little harder next time. Really get his attention."
They walked in silence for a couple minutes. Rugby was already doing better—even with her heart only half in it. At this rate, they'd be done in no time, and could move onto the next phase of this strange day.
"So, Will…” She even liked the way his name tasted in her mouth. Yeah, she definitely needed to get out of here before she did anything stupid, like flirt or worse. ”What do you do?"
His head jerked back and he shot her a cautious expression—no doubt startled by the non-dog-related inquiry. "I'm an actuary."
An actuary?
"I assess risk," he clarified.
"Sounds... fun." She smiled, embarrassed. "I'm a high school English teacher."
"Uh-huh." Will's eyes stayed glued to the horizon.
She was about to ask how he liked being an actuary, when he reached over and yanked the leash from her hands.
"Heel," he said firmly, then turned to her. "You have to keep on him, or he'll never get better."
"Sorry," Charlie mumbled. Her insides shouldn't have tingled when he scolded her, but somehow she liked it. Did he feel the same way, or had she actually lost her mind? Either would be just as likely.
"What are your weekends normally like?"
"I take a jog with Tuck, head to the office to catch up on work. Sometimes catch a game."
"And do you ever do anything for fun, like—?"
"Rugby, heel." Will reached over to yank on the leash again. "Maybe we should quit trying to have a conversation and focus on the dogs, okay?"
Charlie nodded, though she’d broken a bit on the inside. She didn’t want him anyway… Or did she?
Of course, Will saw Charlie's interest—it was impossible not to see. The way she inched toward him while they walked, the look in her eyes as she asked her questions, how she'd begged him to help train her dog yet didn't pay the slightest attention to his guidance.
In another life, he might have flirted, asked her for a date, something. But this wasn't another life—this was his life, for better or for worse.
Charlie stopped and bent down to scratch Tuck behind the ears. "Who's a good boy? Yes, you are!"
Tuck's tongue popped out from the corner of his mouth as he thumped his tail against the earth, clearly smitten with his new friend. Not that it was unusual for the golden retriever to like everyone he came across, but still, he didn’t need a broken-hearted dog.
Unfortunately, their lessons with Rugby weren't making much progress. The dog had a mind of his own, it seemed. Far too exuberant to be restrained.
Heck, Will would be exuberant, too, if he got to sleep curled up with Charlie each night. Her long legs looked gorgeous in her jean shorts. Her arms, too, were lithe and pretty. The green polka-dotted blouse complemented the flecks of emerald in her mostly brown eyes, and her thick, slightly curly blond hair begged to be touched.
Tuck rolled over onto his back and demanded a belly rub.
Charlie giggled and rubbed him playfully with both hands. She glanced up at Will and grinned, joy bursting behind her familiar eyes.
This was ridiculous! Charlie was nothing like Ashlee.
Sure, they had eerily similar eyes and their delicate noses and mouths resembled each other as well, but while Charlie always wore a grin, Ashlee never smiled, not really. She was always whining about something or another—Will didn't spend enough time with her, he spent too much time with her, he hadn't bought her flowers for weeks, he'd bought the wrong flowers, he'd brought home Mexican when he should've known she wanted Italian….
On those rare occasions when he actually managed to give her what she wanted, she'd put on a huge smile and call him "Snuggle Bear." Her smiles never lasted long, though. It only took a few seconds for the fire to dampen and for Ashlee to start demanding the next thing she swore would make her happy, if only for a second.
Of course, Ashlee had her good qualities, too. Being with her was safe, because she always knew exactly what she wanted and made sure to ask for it. Will didn't like to be left guessing. He would rather fulfill a million of her little demands than fail to figure out what she needed of him.
As a successful accountant, she also shared his workaholism and his passion for numbers. They liked all the same movies and music, and, on the rare occasions when they felt called to read a book, they could read it together and discuss as they went.
For three wonderful years, she had been his companion, his greatest love. And he had been happy for the most part.
They'd still be together, in fact, if Ashlee hadn't decided that despite his endless trying he couldn't give her what she needed anymore. That much became crystal clear when he'd walked in on her with some bearded imposter. He'd returned home a day early from his trip to visit his parents in Minnesota and was overjoyed at the prospect of surprising her. He'd even picked up a dozen roses on his way home.
When he caught her making love to the coarse-looking stranger, he hadn't thrown a fit. Instead, he calmly asked them both to gather their things and leave.
"I trust you can find a new place to live," he told the woman who'd shared his heart and home for over three years.
When they had finally left, he took his aggression out on the roses, shoving them down the garbage disposal one by one and watching their beauty meet destruction just like his failed relationship. He had to live with the lingering fragrance of the flowers for nearly a week, reminding him of what he'd lost every second of every day.
That would teach him to find an outlet for his emotions.
This all had happened nearly a year ago. Since then, he'd somehow managed to stop longing for Ashlee, to stop thinking about her every time he got lonely and needed comfort, or was happy and wanted to share it with someone. He had accepted hi
s solitary life and was content to share in his friend Brad's life by proxy.
If taking a chance at love meant risking devastating heartbreak, Will refused to take the gamble.
Even with Charlie. Especially with Charlie.
Every warning bell in his head sounded when she was near, but still, he wanted her. He already saw how this would end—with rejection and roses down the garbage disposal—but still he wanted to pull her in and never let her go.
What was wrong with him? They'd only just met, and her personality was nothing like his. Then again, he and Ashlee had had everything in common, and their relationship had failed miserably.
So what if...?
Charlie popped up from her kneeling position and glanced at him with those tragically beautiful eyes. "Ready to get going again?"
How long had they been standing in place while Will mentally relived his failed relationship?
"Yeah, sorry." He tightened his hold on Tuck's leash and continued down the path.
Curiosity spread across Charlie's face. "Is everything okay?"
Will frowned. Should he let her in, give her the chance to get to know him, take a risk?
Rugby saved him the trouble of making a decision when he pulled Charlie into the woods in pursuit of a squirrel.
"You've gotta keep on him!" Will shouted as he chased after them. When he caught up, he seized the Rottweiler's leash and thrust Tuck's into her hand. "Never ever leave the trail."
"Will, it's okay. It's not a big deal."
Rugby strained against the leash and Will sent a series of tight jerks down the line. "Not a big deal, huh? So I guess that means you're a seasoned hiker?"
"Well, no. But I don't get why you—"
"I am, and, trust me. It's stupid to wander off. There are bears, wolves, moose—all kinds of creatures who can tear you and your dog apart in a matter of seconds."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Will could feel the shivers running off Charlie's skin. He sighed as he realized he'd been too harsh with her yet again.
"No, I'm sorry." He offered a half-smile to put her at ease. "Remember how I assess risk for a living? Sometimes, I forget to clock out and live my life like a normal person."
She nodded, but kept her eyes glued to the ground. "Thanks for letting me know. Rugby and I will be careful when we come back next time."
The thought of Charlie alone in the woods, victim to the every whim of her unruly canine made Will shudder. He couldn't let her endanger herself on his watch. She still needed a great deal more help in learning how to handle Rugby.
"I don't think that's such a good idea."
Charlie shrugged, refusing to look at him.
"I mean, you two still need to do a lot of work before you're ready to come back. Why don't we meet for another lesson tomorrow? We can continue our leash training and start in on the 'leave it' command. What do you say?"
Warmth returned to Charlie's face as she glanced up and said, "Thank you. That would be great."
They made plans to meet at Charlie's house the next day at noon, and Will knew right then and there that he wouldn't be able to resist her charms forever.
Chapter 4
The TV clicked off, taking Cesar Milan's face with it. After returning from the nature reserve, Charlie found herself unable to focus on anything but Will and his hot and cold attitude. She cooled down with a long, slow bath and a new book she'd been dying to read.
But the thoughts of Will continued to plague her. In a last-ditch effort to regain her sanity, she decided to take that first piece of advice he had ever given her—try watching The Dog Whisperer. Luckily, the Discovery Channel was running a marathon, thus treating her to a solid seven-hour block of "be the pack leader" and other such advice.
"I'm in charge," she told Rugby who sat lazily at her feet. "Me." She pointed to herself. "I'm alpha, okay?"
The dog jumped up on the sofa and planted a big wet kiss on her cheek.
She laughed, then said "off" in her most authoritative tone.
Rugby settled in and laid his head on his paws.
"Off!" she repeated, this time shoving him to the floor. At first she worried she'd hurt him, but when he opened his mouth in a smile, she knew he'd already forgiven her for her momentary coarseness.
"Sit." She flicked her wrist to give the corresponding gesture.
Rugby obeyed.
"Not bad, not bad." She patted her leg and said, "Come."
Rugby obeyed again.
"What the heck? You mean, that's all it took?"
Rugby barked as if he understood.
"Well then, looks like we have a nice head start for when we see Will tomorrow. Huh, boy?"
Charlie grabbed her Kindle from the coffee table and trotted up the stairs, dog at her heels. Together, they jumped into bed and passed out.
The next thing she knew, Will was there in her bedroom. He ushered Rugby into the hallway and crawled beneath the comforter with her.
"Going to bed without me, Char?" He chuckled and caressed her cheek with a familiarity the two of them didn’t yet have.
"Without you? Never." Charlie smiled at her reflection in his still blue eyes.
He leaned in to kiss her—amazing yet comforting at the same time.
She opened her mouth wider to deepen their kiss.
“No. Don’t.” Will sighed, removing his lips from hers for the briefest of seconds.
"Why not?"
"Because this isn't real."
Charlie awoke with a start. The dream had seemed so real, so sensuously real. Sure, she'd had plenty of romantic dreams before, but this one was different. The way they talked, kissed, looked at one another—it somehow all felt like love.
Too bad love was completely out of the question. She'd seen what it had done to her grandmother. Love had taken hold of the once free-spirited girl and turned her into a dowdy housewife and stay-at-home mom. No, thank you.
Charlie loved her freedom too much to be tied down by any man. Her commitment to Rugby already meant next summer's travel plans would be seriously hampered. But a man, a boyfriend, what would that do to her life of freedom, fun, and absolutely no restraints? Especially, a man like Will who was so afraid of taking a risk, he couldn't even wander off the stupid hiking trail.
No, she was just grateful for his help in training Rugby. That was it. And the dream was probably nothing more than some lame reinterpretation of a romantic comedy she'd seen years ago and long since forgotten. She mentally chastised herself and fell back into a fitful sleep, trying and failing to put Will out of her mind.
The gear shift burned hot beneath Will's grip. He let go and glared at the red indent it had left on his palm.
It's just business. One dog lover helping another. Will tried to relax his tense muscles. Even if she thinks she's interested in me, she's wrong. A guy like me could never keep up with a girl like her. We'd never work.
He made a loop around the cul-de-sac and pulled into Charlie's driveway. Her modest ranch bore yellow vinyl siding and white shutters. The place had a cheery air, even though the garden in the front yard had withered due to neglect. Will laughed when he noticed the lawn gnome sporting beachwear that stood guard on her porch.
Tuck let out a high-pitched bark, eliminating any chance he had to gather his nerves before knocking.
"You ready to play?"
Tuck wagged his tail hard, beating it against the closed window.
"All right, all right. Let's go, boy."
Tuck barely waited for Will to hook him onto the leash before straining against it to make a dash for the front door.
Uh-oh. This whole dog teaching dog thing seemed to work both ways, Will thought. How much work would it take to undo the Rottweiler's negative influence?
Tuck barked outside while Rugby barked inside.
A moment later, Charlie appeared in the doorway, her face red with exertion but her eyes and smile bright. "Hi, Will. Hi, Tuck. Come on in." She shimmied backward while maintaining a
firm hold on Rugby's collar.
Will hurried in and clicked the door shut behind him.
The dogs immediately went into the whole butt-sniffing, greeting ritual thing and then ran off to play in the living room.
"Hi," Charlie said again, hugging herself around the waist. Something had changed, but for the life of him, Will couldn't figure out what. She still smiled, but her energy level seemed low.
"Didn't sleep well?"
The rose of her cheek turned brick red, and she let out a large, choking cough.
"Whoa, whoa, you okay?" He couldn't stand still while this beautiful woman hacked herself to death, so he moved in closer and patted her on the back. A light floral fragrance clung to her yellow T-shirt, tickling the inside of Will's nose. He so badly wanted to inhale deeper, to suck her in, but resisted the urge.
She finally stopped coughing and took a step back from him. "Sorry about that." Her face returned to its normal color, but she still seemed sapped.
He'd really hoped she would take the lead today, and now he wasn't sure how to proceed. "Umm, why don't we let Tuck outside and work with Rugby alone for a bit?"
She nodded and followed him over to the glass sliding door on the far end of her living room.
"We'll start with something easy. Sit." He flicked his wrist to add a gesture to the command. "Adding a visual cue helps, when—" He stopped cold when Rugby wandered over to them and set his rump flush on the ground.
"Err, okay, beginner's luck. Why don't we try down?" Will held his palm horizontal and motioned toward the ground.
The Rottweiler sighed and shifted from a sitting to a lying position.
Charlie snickered and covered her mouth with both hands.
He squatted down to rub the dog's neck as a reward and turned to look up at Charlie. "Have you—have you been working with him?"
"Maybe a little."
Will's heart sank as he realized she probably didn't need his help anymore, and just when he'd decided it would be okay to get to know her a little better. Well, that was the story of his life—one missed opportunity after the next. This is what he wanted, to be done with her as quickly as possible… Right?
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 22
