Chapter 1

by Ann Whitaker

  I smiled. “Really. It’s not necessary.”

  “But I want to. I wanted to ask you earlier, but I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea. I’d really like to see you again. Do you like steak?”

  I almost laughed out loud. Marlon’s question reminded me how I’d lied about being a vegetarian on my blind date with Internet Joe. What a slimeball. He’d had the gall to e-mail afterwards, offering his services washing my back. I’d fired back a terse reply telling him I had a brush for that. I hoped I’d heard the last of him.

  Was Marlon seriously asking me out? He was.

  “Let me take you out to dinner. There’s a new place called the Prime Rib. It’s really good.”

  Something about Marlon was refreshing. Could it be his interest in me? I did a quick calculation. Five years wasn’t so much. I was graduating from high school about the time he hit puberty. I was entering kindergarten when he was born.

  I studied him more closely. Maybe I’d been conducting my husband search the wrong way. Men certainly didn’t let five years deter them. Even Carmen suggested I go younger to increase my chances.

  “Sure, why not,” I said without further thought.

  “You will? That’s great. That’s wonderful.” For a minute, I thought he was going grab me and whirl me around. He fumbled in his pocket for a pen and something to write on. “Let me get your phone number and address. When would you like to go? I’m off the next three nights. You choose.”

  I was unaccustomed to such unabashed joy. Had I just made a terrible mistake? “I live kind of far from here. Why don’t we meet at the steak place?”

  Marlon drew back. “No ma’am. If we’re going out together, then I’m picking you up and taking you home. I know how to treat a lady.”

  Now of that, my mother would approve. Not a good sign. “Here,” I said, taking the pen from his hand. “Let me write it down for you.” I wrote down the phone number of the apartment and the Casa address and handed it to him, expecting him to ask for directions.

  He surprised me again. “I know where this is. Right off Lakeshore, right?”

  “You must know Waco well.”

  “Lived here all my life. What time should I pick you up?”

  I shrugged. “Whenever.”

  “Tomorrow night at seven then?”

  “I’ll be waiting out front. Circular drive. I’m only here for a few weeks, and I live in the back.”

  “It’s pretty hot to stand outside and wait.”

  “I’ll be fine. See you tomorrow at seven. Give me a call if you change your mind.”

  Marlon grinned as if he’d won the lottery. “No way!”

  I walked off, wondering what I’d done. When I turned around, Marlon was standing where I’d left him. He gave me a little wave and a big smile.

  If I was going to rob the cradle, at least I’d picked a cute baby.

  I thought about Nick all the way home. I should have been thankful for his honesty about Babe. For some reason, I couldn’t take much comfort in that fact. I told myself to think positive. Think about Marlon. But each time I tried to summon Marlon’s face, Nick’s image pushed it away.

  The afternoon had grown even muggier by the time I got back to the house. Sweat pooled under my breasts, but I didn’t care. I told myself I should be happy about having a date with a nice, normal guy, but I couldn’t muster any excitement. Was that my problem? Was I doomed to want what I couldn’t have?

  When I reached the ballroom, Carmen was already walking the dogs in tandem heel position.

  “Very impressive!” I called out. “Just think what they were like a few weeks ago.” I spoke too soon. When Noche heard me, he barked and lunged forward in greeting.

  When Carmen screamed, I thought at first she was trying to correct him. The next thing I knew, she’d let go of the leads and crumpled to the floor. Both dogs bounded toward me.

  “Stop,” I ordered, grabbing the leads. “Sit! Stay!” As I gave the hand command for stay, their big brown eyes looked at me, no doubt anticipating the treat that usually followed my releasing them. I left them and walked toward Carmen, taking a quick backward glance to make sure the dogs didn’t budge.

  Carmen was curled in a fetal position, moaning, holding her left hand in her right. “My fingers, my fingers. I think they’re broken.” She began to sob. “They…got caught…in the leash. Ohhh, it hurts so bad! I feel sick.” Her face was wet with perspiration, and she began gagging.

  “Stay there and don’t move. We need to get you to a doctor.”

  “Berto’s not home. Call Nick,” she said between gasps. “My phone…on the table. Call his cell.”

  I walked over and picked up her phone, but before I could ask her the number, Nick burst in the door with Babe close behind. “We heard someone scream.”

  He was out of breath, his face covered in a sheen of sweat. “What happened? Is Carmen okay?”

  Babe rushed to her mother’s side. “Mamá!”

  I quickly explained what had happened.

  “Please…please don’t tell…Berto,” Carmen pleaded. “He’ll blame Noche. And it…it wasn’t Noche’s fault. I…should have been…holding him more tightly.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, Carmen,” I said. “He’s a strong boy, and you’re a small woman. A dog his size can pack a lot of pull. He leaped toward me, and you weren’t expecting it.”

  “You’ve told me…I should always be in control. Still…I don’t want Berto…to know.”

  Would the secrets in this household never cease?

  “Let’s not worry about Berto now,” Nick said. “We need to get your hand tended to. Julie, you stay here and corral the dogs, and I’ll take Carmen to the doctor.”

  Then he leaned close to me and whispered in my ear. His breath smelled of mint. My body involuntarily leaned closer to his and a surge of electricity shot through me. But my power breaker kicked in at his words. “Keep an eye on Babe.” He tilted his head toward her. “I know Butch is in the hospital, but we can’t take any chances.”

  After they left, Babe promised she’d stay inside and went to her room. I worked with the dogs, hoping they’d keep my mind off Nick.

  With everyone gone, Noche trotted around like the show dog he could have been, while Blanco maintained a down-stay and watched. When I reversed the roles, Noche stayed but barked as if applauding. We went through everything we’d learned—come, down, stay, sit, heel.

  I suppose I couldn’t fault the Espositos too much for their secrets. I now had two of my own, though one was more surprise than secret. For the past few weeks, I’d been teaching the two pooches some special tricks. Before I left, I wanted to astound Carmen and Berto. I’d taught the dogs to give a high five and kiss—more of a nose poke. I’d also taught Blanco to be “sad.” On command, she’d put her head between her paws and look up at me with a mournful face. Her wagging tail made her look anything but sad—it always made me laugh.

  Noche had his own way of doing things, so rather than fight him, I changed his command to “tired.”

  “Are you tired, Noche?” I asked him in a sympathetic voice. I knew I was.

  Noche flopped over on his side.

  “Just like a man,” said a voice from the doorway. I looked up to see Carmen’s cook, Rosa, watching us. “Reminds me of my husband.”

  I made her swear on her chile grinder she wouldn’t tell anyone about the tricks.

  It was late when Nick and Carmen finally returned from the doctor. Two of Carmen’s fingers were in a splint and her arm rested in a sling. “Sprained two fingers, bad,” Nick said.

  Carmen ordered me to tell Berto she’d slammed her fingers in the car door, and I agreed. What was one more lie?

  After a light supper, everyone else retired to their rooms, leaving Nick and me to ourselves. “Come on, I’ll walk you back to the guesthouse, so you don’t fall asleep on the way.” He opened the door and held it for me.

  As soon as I stepped outside, I remembered and punched my forehead wit
h a fist. “Oh, no.”

  “Well, if you really don’t want me to—”

  “No, that’s not it. It’s Philip. He hasn’t had his therapy today.”

  Nick shut the door behind us. “Can’t you skip one?”

  “Not a good idea. I want him walking on that leg, and each day is crucial. Just like working with Noche and Blanco. It has to be consistent.”

  “Then I’ll help,” Nick said.

  I lifted an eyebrow, the one that spelled skepticism with a capital S. “What?”

  He took my arm and steered me to the path. “Come on. I said I’d help you. It can’t be easy, even if he does weigh…what, ten pounds? That’s still heavy for a little thing like you.”

  I stopped. “A little thing like—I’m not a weakling. I’ve lifted groceries heavier than that.”

  He took my arm again to put me in motion. “Now, don’t get upset. I know you’re strong. But you are a small woman, and I am a man, and I am stronger.”

  I was too tired to argue with him. Besides, he was right. He was certainly a man. No way I could forget that. As we walked to my apartment, our bodies occasionally touched, sending a spasm of longing to my very core. Around Nick, my body became a pulsating vibrator set on high heat. And that was with us both fully clothed. No man had ever affected me the way he did. I got the distinct feeling from the way he looked at me, he knew it.

  I tried to rationalize accepting his offer. He’d been clear about his feelings for Babe, so what could it hurt to let him help? I knew the answer to that one, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. Or maybe he was helping in hopes I’d file charges against Butch.

  When we reached my apartment, I laid out some towels. Time for Nick’s doggy-therapy lesson. “What we have to do is hold his front legs up, so he’ll have to put weight on his back legs. Are you sure you’re up for this?”

  When he bent his head to the side, his neck popped. “Let’s do it. Say when.”

  I retrieved Philip from the couch and carried him into the bathroom, shutting the door so he didn’t get any ideas about running away. I turned on the tap, and Nick and I sat watching the tub fill as if it were the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Maybe if I made a wish…

  Reaching down, I shut off the faucet. Shutting off my daydreams about Nick wasn’t quite so easy. “That’s full enough.” I looked down at Nick’s jeans and hesitated. “I should have thought of this before. You may want to put on a swimsuit, since you’ll have to get in the tub with him. It’s either that or stand and bend over, and that’s not really possible with this tub. Besides, it would kill your back. I’ve already tried it.”

  One corner of Nick’s mouth turned up, and his eyes twinkled. Before I realized what was happening, he’d stripped off his jeans and his shirt. I tried to avert my eyes. I really did. I soon gave up. There he stood wearing nothing but his briefs. I counted myself among the fortunate—he was wearing men’s underwear, not women’s. And he filled them out in all the right places. He was what women called “hot.” So was I.

  I remembered the night in Abilene. Evidently, so did Nick. “Nothing you haven’t seen before.” I didn’t remind him he’d managed to keep his pants on that night. He grinned as he lowered himself into the water. “Sure you don’t want to join me?”

  I tried to answer but had lost my voice. I grasped Philip under his front legs and eased him into the water between Nick’s legs. I thought I detected a momentary flash of panic on Nick’s face, but when I looked again it was gone. Philip was already trying to scramble out. “Don’t drop him!” I said.

  “He’s fighting me. I don’t want to hurt him.”

  “You won’t. Just bounce him up and down in the water and make him put weight on his back legs.”

  “Like this?” The muscles in Nick’s arms bulged as he bounced Philip. He made it look effortless. Bulge, bounce, bulge, bounce.

  I turned my head away and spoke into my armpit. “You’re doing great.” I took a deep breath. “About fifteen minutes should do it. We don’t want to tire him out.” Nick was sweating now. I grabbed a hand towel and wiped his forehead. “I hope you know how much I appreciate this.”

  Nick’s face grew serious with concentration. “How am I doing, coach?”

  I looked at my watch. “That’s five minutes. You might want to give him a little break every now and then. Just—”

  Before I could get the words out, Nick relaxed his hold. Philip saw his chance and made a dive for Nick’s chest, climbing onto his shoulder like a cat. I reached over and tried to help, but Philip was determined now that he’d seen an out.

  “Oops, sorry about that. He’s never been too fond of water.”

  “He’s just scared.”

  “Uh-oh. He’s scratching you.” Red streaks crisscrossed Nick’s chest and shoulders, but he held on.

  “It’s okay, little guy. I’ve got you.” Nick used the high sing-songy voice I’d taught him. He cradled Philip to his chest, and Philip hung on to Nick as if he were a life preserver. In a sense, he was. When Nick chuckled, I heard a hint of nervousness. “I think we’re bonding.”

  “What kind of dog did you have growing up?”

  I realized how little I still knew about Nick’s background, but I had only myself to blame. I’d been too busy fending off his attentions to ask. But since he’d declared his love for Babe, I could show interest without his reading anything romantic into it.

  When Nick didn’t answer right away, I thought maybe he hadn’t heard. I was about to ask again when he spoke.

  “I never had a dog. My father wouldn’t allow it. Until Carmen got those two rowdies of hers, I’d never even touched one.” He managed to pull Philip from his chest and resume the bouncing.

  “Never touched one? You’ve got to be kidding!” But I could tell from his face he wasn’t.

  “Nope, now you know my secret. When I was a young boy, my father told me dogs would give me rabies and to stay away from them.”

  “Was that your adoptive father or your Mexican father?”

  He let out a wry laugh. “That, my dear, was my proctologist alcoholic asshole father. He did it because he didn’t like dogs. Said they were filthy creatures. Gave me a phobia I’m still trying to overcome.”

  He continued to bounce Philip. I would have been tired by now, but judging from the way Nick’s biceps bulged, he’d been working out with weights heavier than a ten-pound poodle. “So this is kind of your rehab, too.” I laughed. “Philip’s biting you didn’t exactly help dispel your father’s teachings. Are you sure you’re all right with this? You don’t have to do it.”

  “It won’t hurt me to help. Getting to know Noche and Blanco from the time they were pups and working with them has made me see dogs in a different light. To tell the truth, I’ve actually enjoyed it. Except for the bite, of course. Bad timing.”

  My face began to burn.

  “Seeing how you and Carmen feel about these dogs has made me curious about the human-dog connection. Then, when this little guy bit me, I kept thinking of that movie, Gremlins. They looked so cute at first, then wreaked havoc.”

  I grinned. Now Nick was thinking in terms of movies. “Most people have some kind of fear. Often irrational.”

  “Like you, flying in small planes. I understand why, because of your father’s accident, but you also drive a car, and look how many people are killed and injured in automobile accidents.”

  And my fear of getting involved with the wrong man again. Was that irrational? Evidently not.

  Suddenly, I realized Philip had been bouncing for over fifteen minutes. Better quit before we overdid it.

  I leaned over the edge of the tub. “Here, let me take him from you.” As I reached my arms out for Philip, my cheek brushed Nick’s shoulder, and for a moment our arms intertwined.

  Stop it! He’s off limits.

  I pulled a couple of Carmen’s large, thirsty towels from a rack and wrapped one around Philip, then handed Nick the other as he rose from the tub, his underwear now molded
to his body. I looked away, but I was not well-grounded. Three thousand volts of electricity ran from my brain out the ends of my toes, causing them to sizzle.

  I turned my attention to Philip. “Good boy. You were a good boy.”

  Nick grinned down at me. “Thanks.” He kept his eyes on mine as he reached under the towel wrapped around his waist and slipped off his briefs, tossing them into the draining tub. “I need some music. Got a dollar to stuff in my g-towel?”

  “Ho, ho, ho,” I replied, sarcastically. But he did deserve praise. “Okay, you were a good boy too. I appreciate your help. How’s your dog phobia now?”

  “I’m getting better, don’t you think?”

  I smiled. “You’ve come a long way.”

  “Thanks,” he said, filling me with a warm glow when he smiled back.

  “And maybe some day I’ll get over my fear of small planes.”

  I finished towel-drying Philip’s coat and opened the bathroom door. When I let go of him, he took off through the apartment using both back legs, running circles around the sofa and stopping every so often to shake off. I laughed and called to him. “Shake and bake!”

  When I stood up, Nick caught me by the arms and pulled me to him. His partially bare body and the fresh smell of his skin made me forget for a moment his heart belonged to someone else. When he leaned down and kissed me firmly on the lips, I couldn’t help myself. I molded my body to his and my arms automatically went around him, caressing his back and neck. I moaned.

  “Come with me,” he said, pulling me toward the bedroom, shaking me out of my turbo-charged state.

  “Wait. What? What do you think you’re doing?” I stammered, pushing him away.

  His eyes blazed with anger. “I thought I was kissing you. But I guess I was mistaken.”

  “You think because you’ve helped me with Philip I’m supposed to fall into your arms?” Though that’s exactly what I’d done. “I’m sorry. You don’t know me very well.”

  “Then you tell me, Julie Shields. What am I supposed to think?”