Flirting with Love

by Melissa Foster

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind him sniffing me.” She rose to her feet as Kelsey came down the hall with Knight on her heels. Knight bounded over to Elisabeth.

  “Oh, hi, Elisabeth. Ross is with a client, but you can wait if you’d like.” Kelsey sat at her desk and eyed the Bundt cake.

  “Actually, I just stopped by to see how you were doing.” She loved up Knight and then turned her attention back to Kelsey. “I made this for you and your grandfather.” She set a small gift bag on the counter. “I brought you chamomile tea, too. I don’t know if you and Jim drink tea, but…”

  Kelsey smiled up at her. “Thank you. My grandfather loves cake, and I love tea, so this is perfect. I’m going to see him after work. This was really thoughtful of you.”

  “I’m really sorry about Gracie. Well, I won’t hold you up. I know you’re busy.” She gave Knight a final few pets and turned to leave.

  “Don’t you want to see Ross?” Kelsey asked.

  “I will, when he’s off work. I came to see you.” She turned to the woman with the pug. “Enjoy your day with Wiggles.”

  ROSS WORKED UNTIL after dark. With the county fair right around the corner, there was a long list of animals to be seen and paperwork to complete. It didn’t matter that he had sent out reminders to his clients sixty days earlier announcing that the fair was coming up and to remember to get their animals checked early. Some clients had taken note, but he found it difficult to teach old farmers new tricks.

  Elisabeth had been on his mind all day. They’d exchanged texts during the afternoon, and they made plans for him to stop by after he was done for the day. He did a quick workout, showered, and changed, then loved up the boys and played with them for a few minutes before piling them in the truck and heading over to her place.

  Country music filtered through the screen door. Ross knocked, but he knew Elisabeth couldn’t hear him over the music. He walked inside with the boys by his side. They found her in the kitchen, which looked like it had exploded. There were baking ingredients on every surface. Bowls, mixing spoons, a mixer, bags of flour, sugar, and other accoutrements, including several empty beer bottles—which surprised him—covered the countertops. Elisabeth’s hips swayed seductively to the music. He put a hand down to keep the dogs by his side as he took a moment to drink her in. She wore a simple capped-sleeve dress that was white on top and light pink on bottom. It hung loosely to just a few inches beneath her butt. Her back was to him, and she was belting out the words to the song. She had a lovely singing voice, and as he stood there, he imagined coming home to her every day.

  Hell, she had a lovely everything.

  He came up behind her, intending to wrap his arms around her waist, but the boys bounded in and she backed into Knight and yelped, dropping a cup of flour on the counter. White powder bloomed into the air, covering his clothing and hers.

  “Oh my gosh! Ross. I’m sorry!” She brushed the flour from his clothes.

  He laughed and pulled her against him. “I’m not.”

  “But you’re all floury now.”

  The dogs danced around their legs, sniffing the flour and then sneezing.

  “I didn’t really want to keep my clothes on anyway.” He kissed her again, and she moaned deliciously. “You might have to take off that floury dress, too.”

  “In your dreams, Mr. Braden.”

  “I have pretty erotic dreams.” He had to take her in another greedy kiss. After finally tearing his lips from hers, he noticed three cakes lined up on the far counter. “Puppy cakes?”

  “I can’t answer you right now. I’m still thinking about your erotic dreams.” She smiled and opened the back door to let the dogs onto the deck.

  “Beer cakes. Come, taste.” She grabbed a butter knife. “I’m trying new recipes for the county fair. I made one that I call Honey, Nuts ’n’ Spice. I made it with honey beer.” She cut a piece and fed it to him. “I iced it with honey beer frosting.”

  “That’s delicious.” He kissed her. “Like it?”

  “My favorite taste. Rossie cake.” She kissed him again and then cut a hunk of the next cake.

  Rossie. The nickname made him smile. He definitely didn’t think of himself as Rossie, but Elisabeth could call him anything she pleased.

  Her eyes were wide with excitement as she held the piece of cake up between her fingers. “This is a chocolate Bundt cake made with stout beer and yogurt.” She fed it to him and bit her lower lip, waiting for his response.

  “Lis, I’m going to need to work out twice a day if you keep feeding me like this. That’s delicious, too.”

  She clapped her hands. “Yay! This is so exciting. These two men made a joke about beer pie today.” She cut a hunk out of the third cake. “And I thought, guys like beer. Why not? I’m going to see how they go over at the fair. This next one was a little risky. If you don’t like it, please be honest.”

  The cake was thinner than the others, and it had a rough texture to the top and what looked like chunks of fruit poking out all over.

  “I call this oatmeal whiskey surprise. I made it with oatmeal stout beer and a bit of whiskey. I added chunks of apples, too.” She went up on her toes, and her eyes grew serious while he chewed.

  “Honest answer?” He arched a brow.

  She sank back to her heels. “Please.”

  “Fucking incredible. I may never eat regular food again.” He swept her into his arms and kissed her again. “Have you tasted them yet?”

  “Not these. I was waiting for you. So you think I should sell them at the fair?”

  “Absolutely. People will love these. I’ll help you clean up the flour I made you spill.” Ross grabbed the trash can. “There’s cake in the trash?”

  “Those are the ones I made and tasted while I was perfecting my recipes.” She smiled and twisted her hair around her finger.

  He pulled her close again. “You need to stop being so cute or we’ll never do anything but get naked and ravish each other.”

  “And that’s bad because?” She licked her lips and then pushed away from him. “I’m too excited to fool around. I need to plan out my shopping list.” She grabbed a pad of paper and began writing.

  Ross went to work cleaning the kitchen. “Wow. I’ve never been turned down for a grocery list before.”

  “Not turned down, just delayed.” She didn’t look up from her list, and Ross found her even more attractive standing among the messy kitchen with flour in her hair and all over her pretty dress and a look of sheer concentration on her beautiful face.

  “I heard you came by the clinic today.” Kelsey had been unable to stop talking about how compassionate and thoughtful Elisabeth was.

  “I brought Kelsey a cake and some tea.” She brushed flour off of his sleeve.

  He wished everyone knew Elisabeth as well as he did. They’d see that she wasn’t here only to take what she could get and skip town.

  “Are you sure you weren’t born in Trusty? Because you’re as good-natured and trusting as a person could ever be.”

  “I think that’s the nicest thing you could ever say to me. Maybe my shopping list can wait.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her easily into his arms. Her legs circled his waist as her lips met his.

  Ross’s cell rang. He reluctantly pulled back and sighed. “I can check it later.”

  “What if it’s an emergency?”

  “Fine.” He slid one arm beneath her butt and held her up while he dug his cell out of his pocket and looked at the number. “It’s my cousin Rex.” He backed her up and set her on the counter, then cringed. “I forgot about the flour. Sorry.”

  She wiggled her butt. “My boyfriend told me that’s what washing machines were for. Answer your call.”

  Boyfriend. He loved hearing that, but his mind and his heart were already hinting for more.

  “Rex, how’s it going?” Rex and his fiancée, Jade, lived in Weston.

  “Hey, Ross. Things are good. Thanks for asking. I hear Pierce and Reb
ecca are planning their wedding.” Rex’s voice was as deep as his body was strong. He worked his father’s thoroughbred horse ranch and was the epitome of a brooding cowboy, or at least he had been until Jade came into his life. Rex’s love for Jade softened his gruffness.

  “Yes, for sometime in the spring. How’s Jade?”

  “Actually, she’s the reason why I’m calling. Are the rumors true? Are you dating Elisabeth Nash?”

  “Jesus, Rex. How on earth did you hear about that?” Ross smiled at Elisabeth and lifted her off the counter, then brushed the flour off her butt. He covered the phone and whispered, “Would you mind turning down the radio?”

  She danced over to the stereo in the living room and turned it down. Ross caught a glimpse of the picture of Robbie, still in the box on the kitchen floor, and he felt a spear of jealousy tear through him.

  “Your mother told Jade that Elisabeth did some kind of pet pampering and she thought it might be a good opportunity for Elisabeth and Jade to trade referrals. Then, of course, Emily and Jade had an hour-long conversation about the two of you.” Rex laughed. “Better you than me. That’s all I can say about that.”

  Ross ran his hand through his hair and averted his eyes from the offending picture. Elisabeth was poring over her grocery list at the kitchen table and twirling her hair.

  “Leave it to Emily to spread the word.”

  “Jade wants to talk to Elisabeth about working together. Are you guys free anytime this week? You could come out for a barbeque, or we could come there. Whatever works for you.”

  “Rex, that’s great. Hold on a sec.” He lowered the phone. “Lis, Rex’s fiancée does equine massage and she wants to get together and see if there’s any way you two can combine your efforts. Want to meet them for a drink or dinner?”

  She jumped to her feet. “Yes. Oh my gosh. That’s great. Please tell him thank you.”

  He wrapped an arm around her waist and answered Rex. “Sounds good, Rex. We have the county fair next weekend, so things are pretty crazy around here. Are you guys free for dinner tomorrow or Wednesday?”

  Ross checked with Elisabeth and they made plans to meet for dinner Wednesday. When he ended the call, Elisabeth flew into his arms. “Thank you!”

  “I didn’t do anything. You need to thank my mom. She told Jade and then I guess Emily called Jade and they talked about you, or us.”

  “I kind of like the Trusty grapevine now.” She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, then danced around the kitchen as she cleaned up.

  “That would be the Braden grapevine.”

  “Can I have your mom’s number so I can call and say thank you?” She began scrubbing the counter.

  “Don’t you want to talk with Jade first and make sure it’s what you want to do?”

  “Oh, it doesn’t really matter what happens with Jade. The fact that your mom thought about me and recommended that we talk was really nice. I just want to say thank you.”

  He circled her waist from behind and kissed her cheek. “I think she’d love to hear from you. And you might just make a go of your business after all.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  ROSS AND ELISABETH spent Monday night at his house. The boys had all slept on the floor—at least most of the night. They awoke Tuesday morning with Ranger sprawled across the bottom of the bed. Elisabeth didn’t seem to mind. In the morning she crawled down to the end of the bed and hugged Ranger before she even hugged Ross.

  They got up early and took care of her animals together, which gave Ross a chance to check out the piglets. Pigs were hearty animals, and even though Kennedy was a runt, he was eating well and growing without issue. Elisabeth was relieved to hear that he’d be just fine, even if small. She’d called Ross’s mother before he left for work, and his mother, not realizing Elisabeth had spent the night with Ross, called him a few minutes later to gush about how nice it was of her to call. Tonight Emily was meeting with Elisabeth about the kitchen renovations. They’d gotten along so well at his mother’s that he had visions of Emily becoming a staple in Elisabeth’s house. He was thinking about his mother’s phone call when his phone rang Tuesday afternoon.

  Every time he got a call from Walt Norton, the director for the Pup Partners program in Denton, he hoped that nothing had happened to one of the dogs. Luckily, they’d had only one situation where an inmate had to be removed from the program. He’d used the dog to manipulate visitors to bring things to him. What those things were, Ross wasn’t privy to, and the dog had been unharmed. While Ross believed in the program and had been thrilled with the results for both the inmates and the dogs, the worry lingered in the back of his mind.

  “Hi, Walt.”

  “Hey, Ross. I hope I caught you before you headed this way.”

  “Is there an issue?” He leaned back in his chair and glanced at the clock.

  “I don’t think I’d call it an issue. More of a miracle, I think. I got a request earlier today from Trout. He’d like to know if he can get a stuffed animal for Storm. He seems to think the dog is lonely.”

  Ross leaned back in his chair and thought about Trout and how close he must feel to Storm to be requesting something to make him feel more comfortable. Beneath that hulking exterior was a caring heart—even if he had killed a man. It made Ross wonder even more about the man Trout had been before he’d made the choice to kill.

  “It’s actually not such a crazy idea. Sure, I can pick one up on my way there. Walt, can you tell me any more about Trout than what I read in his file?”

  “Have you Googled him yet?” Walt’s voice grew serious.

  “Yeah, I did. But what’s your take on him?”

  “He’s either brilliant or an idiot. I’m not one to judge.”

  Two and a half hours later Ross and Trout were finishing Storm’s training and Ross was doing a quick exam on Storm. He opened Storm’s mouth and checked his teeth, buying time, and hoping to get Trout talking. Ever since he and Elisabeth made love, he’d been thinking about the future. He’d always wanted to have children, and Trout was a reminder of how wrong things could go for a kid. Ross wanted to understand Trout and the decisions he’d made.

  Trout sat with his elbows on his knees, neck bowed, one hand fisted inside the other.

  “I brought you the toy you requested for Storm.”

  Trout turned his head and his hands stilled. “Thanks, Doc.”

  Ross ran his hands down each of Storm’s legs. Touching was good for Storm. Getting used to being handled was key to service-dog training.

  “What made you think of a toy? Oh, and I got a toy he couldn’t chew through. He can choke on stuffed animals, so you want to be careful with the items you allow in his crate.”

  “Choke.” He nodded.

  “There’s a button on it that makes a heartbeat sound, too. It should calm him.”

  “A heartbeat.” He nodded, and his eyes filled with worry. “I don’t want him to choke, Doc. You’re sure this one is safe?”

  He was amazed that Trout was talking to him, but the dog seemed to be a safe subject. “Positive. You had a dog as a kid, right?”

  Trout turned his head the other way. He rubbed his palm over his fisted hand. Ross checked Storm’s ears, realizing that he’d struck a chord with Trout.

  “How’d you come to the decision that Storm was lonely at night?”

  Trout’s head shifted back in his direction again, his stare cold and vacant. Ross waited him out and held his stare for a full minute before Trout’s enormous shoulders rose in a shrug.

  “Television show.”

  Ross nodded. “Good call. My gir—” He caught himself. One rule of thumb was never to talk about your personal acquaintances with the inmates. “My friend mentioned that moving the crate closer to your bed at night might help, too.”

  Trout nodded.

  “What kind of dog did you have as a kid?”

  Trout clenched his jaw, remaining silent.

  Trying to talk to Trout about his past was proving to be jus
t as difficult as Ross thought it might be. He finished checking each of Storm’s paws, then took the toy from his bag and handed it to Trout.

  Trout smiled, momentarily flashing those dimples Ross had caught a glimpse of last week. “Thanks, Doc.”

  “Did you ever give your dog a toy when you were a kid?”

  Trout drew his brows together again. His jaw clenched tight, and when he lifted his eyes to Ross again, they were full of rage.

  Ross drew his shoulders back and held his stare once again. Instinct told him to treat Trout like a grizzly, look away, walk silently away, but the man in him held him in position.

  “Trout?” He didn’t know why he felt compelled to try to figure out what had made Trout go from being valedictorian to a murderer, but he needed to understand it. He wanted to understand him.

  Trout looked down at Storm. “My dog cried at night. My m—” He looked away, narrowed those angry eyes, and stared down at the floor as he spoke. “Someone said he was lonely. Gave him a toy and he slept fine. Dogs get lonely just like people.”

  Ross caught the stifled mention of his mother, and in that second, Ross saw Trout not as a murderer, an inmate, or a dog handler, but as a son. A boy who for eight years had a mother who probably loved him, who cared for him, took care of his skinned knees and washed the dirt from his face. The records he’d seen hadn’t indicated abuse from Trout’s mother. She wasn’t a drinker. She didn’t do drugs. She was a mother, and this three-hundred-pound man had been her little boy—and she’d been murdered right before his eyes.

  A guard came through the door and Trout clenched his jaw tight again.

  “We done?” Trout grumbled.

  “Trout. What happened to your dog?”

  “Carver happened to him.” He looked down at Storm. “Let’s go.” The dog fell into step beside him.

  Thomas Carver was the man who’d murdered Trout’s mother.

  ELISABETH WAS MAKING cookies for Ross’s dogs and cookies in anticipation of Emily’s visit to discuss the kitchen renovations when her cell phone rang. She hadn’t spoken to Ross this afternoon, and she hoped it was him. She tried to ignore the disappointment that washed over her when she didn’t recognize the number.