by Lori Wilde
Who’d have ever thought he’d come to care this much about the puppy?
He knew the answer—Erin had. All along she’d told him he’d come to love Brutus, and he did. Brutus seemed to love him right back. All it had taken was being nice to the puppy, and Brutus had come right around.
Too bad he couldn’t figure out a way to make Erin love him as well.
“Maybe if I sit with her when she’s sick, she’ll decide she loves me,” he said to the dog.
Brutus flopped his tail once, a sure sign he still wasn’t one hundred percent better. Poor little guy. This was all Leigh’s fault. She should have been watching him closely. Then she would have seen Brutus eat the dead crickets.
“Women,” Trent said, still rubbing the puppy’s stomach. “They’ll let you eat crickets and break your heart all without batting an eye.” Brutus sighed a big puppy sigh, obviously agreeing with Trent.
“I mean, come on. I told her I loved her. I’ve never told another woman that ever.” Warming to his topic, Trent added, “I went out on a limb, put my feelings out there for her to see, and she said she needed time.”
Brutus made a hmpf noise which Trent took as a dog’s version of a snort.
“Exactly. That’s what I want to know. Time for what? To see if I’m a jerk?” He scratched the puppy behind the ears. “See if I’m the same sort as her ex-fiancé? What about faith? What about trust? Don’t those count for anything? Haven’t I convinced her that I’m nothing like that Don guy? Haven’t I shown her I really love her?”
He looked at Brutus. “You know, I’m going to go have another talk with her. I thought I’d let this sleeping dog lie, but I can’t. I’m not giving up. Not yet. Not by a long shot. I’m the right guy for her, and if she doesn’t see that, then I’ll have to help her see that. I’ve never been in love before, and I know in my bones, I’ll never be again.”
He glanced again at Brutus and saw that the puppy had finally fallen asleep. Since the furball was asleep on the guest bedroom floor, Trent decided to sleep in here as well. He wanted to be nearby just in case the pup had more trouble during the next few hours.
And then tomorrow, once he had taken Brutus to the vet again to make certain the pup really was all right, he was going to go see Erin.
Things between them weren’t over. Not nearly over. In fact, even with everything that had happened over the last couple of weeks, he couldn’t help believing that things between him and Erin were just beginning, not ending.
They were meant to be together. He was absolutely positive of that.
Erin was feeding the hamsters when the bell over the door jangled. Leigh Barrett walked in, her expression determined. Uh-oh. That couldn’t be good. Leigh at the best of times was like a human tornado. A determined Leigh could only be big trouble.
“Hi,” Erin said, hoping against hope that she’d misread Leigh’s expression. Maybe the younger woman wasn’t here on a mission.
“Sick puppy,” Leigh said. “One sick puppy.”
Okay, now that seemed way too harsh. “Excuse me?”
“Do you know what Trent’s been doing all night?” Leigh asked in return.
“I don’t know, Leigh, but whatever it is, it won’t change my mind. I’ve told every member of your family and most of the town of Honey that I really care about Trent, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to get too serious. We had agreed when we first started—”
“Messing around?” Leigh supplied.
“Not exactly the way I would have put it, but yes. We both agreed we weren’t interested in getting serious.” Trying one more time to get the other woman to see her viewpoint, Erin explained, “It wasn’t all that long ago that I thought I’d found the perfect man for me. It turned out to be a disaster. I was completely wrong about him and only saw what I wanted to see. I’m not looking for more heartache.”
Leigh nodded thoughtfully, then said slowly, “Sick puppy.”
Okay, that was it. “I’m not a sick puppy just because I don’t want to have my heart smushed by your brother.”
“Of course you’re not a sick puppy. Brutus is. That’s what Trent’s been doing the entire night— tending to the sick puppy.”
The puppy was sick? The little guy had been the picture of health and mischief the last time Erin had seen him.
“What’s wrong with Brutus?”
“He ate some dead crickets and has been grossly sick all night.”
“How was he able to eat the dead crickets? Trent always watches Brutus carefully.”
Leigh’s gaze darted around the shop. “Someone had taken him for a walk and her...I mean, that person’s cell phone rang. That person was talking about a real cool job offer, and for one split second didn’t watch the dog.”
Erin sighed. “Leigh, you have to watch Brutus all the time. He’s like a goat. He’ll eat anything.”
“Hey, goats do not eat just any old thing.”
“But Brutus does,” Erin pointed out.
Leigh drummed her fingers on the counter beside her. “We’re getting off the main point here. It doesn’t matter how Brutus got sick, just that he was. And my brother drove him to the vet in the middle of the night, then sat up with him until morning.”
She leaned toward Erin and added, “Plus, he even rearranged his schedule so he could stay home from work today and make certain the little guy is better.”
Trent had done all that for the puppy? Heck, adopting Brutus hadn’t even been his idea.
“Does he know you’re here?” Erin asked.
With a snort, Leigh said, “As if. He’d bust a vein if he knew. But when I went over there this morning and saw what he’d been up to, well, I had to come and tell you. You’re all wrong about Trent. Sure, he can be a little wild. Maybe a lot wild. But he’s a good guy. He’s nothing like that jerk you were engaged to marry.”
“I appreciate what you’re doing. It’s very sweet of you to come defend your brother. I agree that Trent is a great guy. He’s smart and funny and can be unbelievably sweet. But I’m not looking for a serious relationship right now. I’ve just moved to this town and opened my business. Love can wait.”
“No, it can’t. And it won’t. Love doesn’t stick around where it’s not wanted. If you don’t grab hold of the love Trent’s offering you, it will disappear. And you’ll be left alone and sorry.”
With that pronouncement, Leigh spun on one heel and headed toward the door.
“Leigh—”
The younger woman stopped and turned. “Do you realize you’re walking away from a man who’s willing to clean up after a sick puppy? A really sick puppy filled with dead cricket parts. Come on, how many guys do you know would clean up that kind of mess, especially when they didn’t really want the dog in the first place?” She shook her head. “You’re never going to find anyone else even half as great as Trent is, and you know it. He’s loyal to his job. He’s loyal to his family. For crying out loud, he’s loyal to Brutus. He’d be loyal to you, too.”
Then Leigh yanked open the door and walked out.
“Guess I’ve been told,” Erin muttered to the hamsters after the door slammed shut behind Leigh. One of the small, furry pets seemed to stare directly at her, almost as if he were listening.
“But I’m right,” she said.
The hamster tipped his head and looked as doubtful as a hamster can look. Great. Even small rodents thought she was being a fool.
“Fine, maybe I am a fool, but just because someone loves you doesn’t mean you have to love him back.” The hamster continued to watch her with his small black eyes. “Oh, all right, even if I do love him, that doesn’t mean we have to get married and have a couple of kids and buy a minivan and go to soccer games. We’re not required to live happily ever after.”
She said the last sentence with enough force that the hamster wiggled his nose and ran off. Apparently, he was unconvinced by her argument.
Well, too bad. It was a good argument. A sound argument. So maybe Trent wa
sn’t like Don. Maybe he wouldn’t run off with another woman. Maybe once he settled down, he really would be settled for life.
Did that mean she had to be the woman he settled down with?
Of course not.
Feeling unbelievably dejected but refusing to give in to the mood, she finished feeding the hamsters, then moved on to the fish. Thankfully, none of them looked at her with accusatory eyes. They blithely went about their fish lives, ignoring her.
“You don’t care a bit that my heart’s broken,” she said, shaking more food into the fish tank. When what she’d just said hit her, she froze.
Her heart was broken? Really? When had that happened? Why hadn’t she noticed when the first tiny fracture lines had appeared?
This was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid—a broken heart. She’d gone to great lengths to prevent this very circumstance. She’d moved to a new town. Started all over again. Gotten involved with the one man who absolutely would not break her heart.
And yet she’d still ended up hurt because what she hadn’t counted on was how crazy in love she’d be with Trent. He was so wonderful; how could she not love him? The man had sat up all night with a sick puppy. Who could resist a guy that terrific?
Not her. The only reason her heart was broken was that she refused to accept the love he was freely offering.
“I really am a fool,” she told all the animals in general, realizing she’d been avoiding facing the truth for a long, long time. So her ex-fiancé had been a jerk, and sure, it seemed way too soon to get involved again.
But Trent was a different man than Don. A man she knew in her heart she could trust.
She didn’t need any more time to know that. She didn’t need any more proof of his love.
She just needed him.
“Well, that’s a problem I can fix.” And she could. All she had to do was say yes. Yes to loving him. Yes to spending her life with him.
She could do that. In fact, she could hardly wait to do that.
Glancing at the clock, she saw she had three hours before it would be time to close the store. She could only hope those hours went quickly because she could hardly wait to see Trent.
Trent headed down the sidewalk at a clip. He’d spent a long night thinking about this whole thing with Erin, and dang it all, he was going to say what was on his mind. She was making one huge mistake keeping them apart, and he was going to let her know that.
Feeling stoked, he shoved open the door to Precious Pets and headed inside. Erin was with Delia and Zach, apparently helping them pick out some more bird food, but he didn’t care. For once in his life, he was going to ignore his mama’s teachings and be downright rude.
“Excuse me, Delia and Zach, but can I have a few minutes alone with Erin? We need to talk.” He planted his feet firmly and knew she could tell he meant business.
Rather than looking upset, Erin seemed pleased.
Well, she probably wouldn’t be once he was done, but at least she’d know how he felt.
“I’m so glad you stopped by,” she said. “I want to talk to you, too.”
Now that was a change in her tune. But before he could get his hopes up, he reminded himself that she’d probably just thought of another reason why the two of them had no future. Well, whatever she’d come up with, he’d find a counterargument. He might not be the brightest searchlight in the sky, but he knew they should be together, and he wasn’t giving up or backing down.
He glanced at Delia, who flashed him a wide grin. She obviously knew he was a man on a mission.
“I’ll stop by tomorrow for the seed, Erin.” She nudged her grandson, who was looking from Trent to Erin then back to Trent. “Come on, Zach. Let’s go look for soccer shin guards for you.”
“Great.” Zach must have figured out what was going on, too, because on his way by Trent, he said, “Good luck.”
Trent patted the boy’s shoulder. Yeah. Good luck. He could use some of that.
Delia winked. “Remember, you have handcuffs if you need to get her to stand still and listen to you.”
Then, with a laugh, Delia and her grandson headed out the door. Once they were alone, Trent faced Erin. She still looked very happy, and for a split second, he worried that the speech he’d worked up would make her unhappy. But he pushed that thought aside. She definitely needed to hear what he had to say.
“Isn’t this how we met? You standing there with your handcuffs, all set to arrest me?” Erin asked, a twinkle in her eyes.
“I wasn’t going to arrest you. I just had some questions.”
She smiled. “And today? Do you have questions?”
Yeah, he had one. One very important question. But first, they needed to get some things straight. Trent squared his shoulders and took two deliberate steps forward until he stood toe-to-toe with Erin. “We need to talk.”
She arched one brow and didn’t look the least bit intimidated. “Oh, really?”
“Yes, really. I’ve had a long night, and I’ve done a lot of thinking. I’ve come to a few important conclusions.”
“Okay. Such as?”
At least she was being reasonable about this. “For starters, just because we originally thought we’d keep things casual doesn’t mean they always have to stay that way. Life is about change, Erin. And when something wonderful happens, you don’t push it away because you didn’t expect it. You grab on to it with both hands even if it wasn’t part of your original plan.”
She nodded. “I know.”
She did? Well...good. But he wasn’t nearly done. “And you’re dead wrong about me. I’m not the kind of guy who would tell a woman he loved her if he didn’t mean he’d love her forever.”
Erin gave him a soft smile. “I know.”
Momentarily disconcerted, he gathered his thoughts, running through the other points he’d come up with during the long night. Oh, there was another really important one.
“You also don’t give yourself enough credit. It wasn’t your fault that your ex-fiancé was a moron. You’re a trusting person, and you thought you’d found someone who was equally trustworthy. That doesn’t mean your judgment in men is off. It just means you had the bad luck to choose the wrong guy.”
Her smile grew. “I know.”
She did? He ran one hand through his hair. “But that guy wasn’t the right guy. I’m the right guy. I’ve never told a woman I loved her. I’ve never even come close. This is the real deal, Erin, and you can’t let it pass us by.”
She leaned closer to him. “I know.”
For crying out loud, what was going on here? Was this some sort of game? She’d made it clear time and again that she didn’t agree with him, so why wasn’t she putting up a fight now?
He blew out an exasperated breath. “Why are you agreeing with everything I’m saying?” “Because I think you’re right.”
He frowned. “Since when?”
She laughed. “You simply can’t believe that I agree with you, can you?”
“No. Not really. You never have before,” he pointed out.
She placed one hand on his arm. “I do now. Earlier, I reacted without thinking. But when I really stopped to consider everything, I realized you aren’t my ex-fiancé. And I truly believe you’re the right man for me.”
Dang. Now he knew something was up. “Not that I’m not thrilled with what you’re saying, ’cause I am. But I have to ask—what changed your mind?”
“Leigh did.”
Ah, hell. If Leigh was involved, this couldn’t be good. He stared at Erin, hoping he’d heard her wrong. Although he loved Leigh, he couldn’t exactly say she’d been a big help in his life. In fact, he could readily think of about a hundred times when she’d caused him trouble. The woman was a walking disaster zone.
“Are we talking about my sister Leigh?” he asked, just to make certain.
Erin laughed. “Don’t be so cynical. Of course, I mean your sister.”
“I’m not cynical. I’m just trying to figure out what
Leigh could have possibly done to make you agree with me.”
With one small step, Erin moved close enough to lean against him. “Leigh told me how you took care of Brutus last night.”
What did the sick pup have to do with all of this? “Of course, I took care of the furball. He was sick and needed me.”
“Exactly. You were there for Brutus. Just like you’re always there for everyone who needs you. At first, I thought you were a hopeless flirt and a wild man. But over the past few months, I’ve come to realize that you’re actually a great guy. Leigh told me about how you took care of Brutus through the night. It reminded me just how great you are.”
He liked the sound of that. Things were definitely moving in the right direction. “So since you think I’m great, where does that leave us?”
“First, I have to ask how Brutus is.”
Trent laughed. “Figures. I’m standing here more nervous than I’ve ever been in my life, and you’re talking about the furball.”
She placed one hand on the side of his face. “You love Brutus, and you know it.”
“Yeah. I do,” he admitted. “He’s grown on me. And to answer your question, he’s fine. Under the weather last night, but perky as all get-out today. I took him to the vet this morning and was assured he’s out of the woods.”
“Good. I’m so glad to hear that,” she said.
“So now that you know Brutus has recovered, I’d like to return to the conversation about us. I believe you were saying how great you think I am.”
She looked downright adorable when she gave him a flirty, sexy look. Man, he loved this woman. “I do think you’re great.”
“That’s it?”
“No. I love you, too.”
At her words, his heart raced in his chest. She loved him. Just to make certain, he asked, “Sure?”
She nodded. “Positive.”
Life did not get any sweeter than this. He leaned down and kissed her. For several long minutes, he simply held her in his arms and enjoyed kissing the woman he loved. Finally, he broke the kiss but still held her firmly within the circle of his arms.