Making him no different than the other men she’d met in her life. Jenny was right to walk away.
The hole in his chest grew larger. A strange desperate sensation nagged at him, as if there was a thought he couldn’t quite form or an object he couldn’t quite hold on to. Like sand slipping through his fingers. She wanted you, the voice whispered in his head. And he wanted her. Worse, he had the sneaking suspicion that beneath the wanting lay the potential for more. For a great deal more.
Puh-lease, who could love you? Megan’s ghost taunted.
Who indeed?
“Jenny deserves a lot better than a guy who lives in the shadows, that’s for sure,” he said to Charlie. Not to mention a man so insensitive, he continued to contemplate sleeping with her after hearing her confession. “Right, Charlie?”
The terrier barked. Nick pretended they were in agreement.
…
Lulu didn’t like her whelping bed. Jenny followed the recommendations to the letter. She found a quiet, warm corner and filled the space soft blankets. Still, Lulu wanted nothing to do with the thing.
“Lots of dogs ignore the bed until they actually go into labor,” Gideon said when she called him Friday night. “I wouldn’t worry too much. “
“I suppose,” Jenny replied. “Just that’s she’s been listless all week as well.”
“You’d be, too, if you had a bunch of near-term babies in your stomach. Lulu will be fine. Dogs have been having puppies on their own for centuries.”
He had a point, although Jenny couldn’t shake the feeling Lulu’s malaise involved more than pregnancy. The spaniel’s lethargy seemed to increase the longer she was separated from Charlie.
Or maybe she was simply projecting her own misery onto the canine. Lord knows, she’d been in a funk since saying good-bye to Nick a week ago.
Stupid thing was that a part of her kept hoping he’d call or come by. Anything. Nick, not Charlie. She really hadn’t learned a thing, had she? One kiss and here she was hung up on the guy.
“My guess is she’s getting near delivery time,” Gideon was saying. “Keep an eye on her, and if she’s been in labor for more than twenty-four hours without a pup or if she starts vomiting or releasing a discharge, give me a call. Have Mia track me down if you can’t reach me.”
Jenny smiled at the last part. “Thanks, Gideon. I appreciate the personal service.”
“A friend of Mia’s is a friend of mine, you know that.” He disappeared while whispers sounded on the other side of the phone. A second later, Mia popped on the line. “Hey Jenny, don’t forget margaritas and karaoke tomorrow night. I’m making Gideon join me on ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’.”
“Can’t wait.” Jenny hoped her enthusiasm sounded real. She loved her friends more than anything. but she wasn’t looking forward to playing seventh wheel at the moment. Just thinking about it left her with a lonely, heavy feeling.
“Great. Hold on, Gideon needs you again.”
The vet’s deep voice returned. “I forgot to mention about your bill…”
“Gid!” Mia could be heard admonishing him in the distance.
“It’s not what you think,” he shot back. Returning to Jenny, he continued, “I meant to say something at your appointment the other day but forgot. Bonaparte called and said to send the bills to him. Said it was the least he could do. Then he made an appointment to have Charlie fixed. Turns out I was wrong about him ignoring my suggestion—he thought the dog had been neutered a long time ago.”
Nick had led her to believe he simply didn’t care but once again, she discovered that when it came to Nick Bonaparte, the story wasn’t as it first appeared. He seemed determined to be viewed as cold and callous when, in fact, those two words couldn’t be further from the truth. Another way to keep people at a distance. If only the opposite were true; if only he were a cold-hearted bastard. Every sympathetic facet she saw in him made her miss him a little more.
She thanked Gideon for the information and hung up, feeling more alone than ever.
Was she being overly dramatic, refusing to have anything to do with him? Six days and she could still remember his touch on her skin. If she licked her lips, she could almost taste his kiss. Worse was the nagging whisper in the back of her mind telling her this time might be the real thing.
Then Jenny remembered all the times growing up she’d listened to that same whisper, only to find herself tossed aside in favor of someone better, and those had been men nowhere near Nick’s class.
Lulu heaved a squeaky sigh and stretched her chin on the sofa. If she intended the move to make Jenny feel guilty, it worked. “Sorry you got caught in the middle, girl,” she said, patting the dog’s swollen belly. “Looks like we’re both paying the price for meeting the Bonaparte men. We’ll get over them eventually though, and things will be fine. We’ll be fine. I promise.”
The last words weren’t louder than a whisper. That was all right. Jenny meant them for herself anyway. Lulu gave another whimper and went to sleep.
“We’ll be fine,” Jenny whispered again.
…
The next morning was Saturday, her day off. Jenny slept in. When she woke, Lulu wasn’t on the sofa. She wasn’t on Jenny’s bed, the overstuffed easy chair, or any of her other haunts. Nor was she using the whelping bed. Jenny tore the house apart trying to find the animal—looking in closets, under beds—but Lulu was nowhere to be found. A walk into the kitchen confirmed her worst nightmare. The back door had blown open during the night. In her distracted state, Jenny had forgotten to shut it tightly. Again. Idiot.
Ignoring the growing sense of dread in the pit of her stomach, she headed into the backyard, calling Lulu’s name and hoping the dog was simply relieving herself in the bushes. She wasn’t. The bushes, the garage, and every potential birthing location were untouched.
Jenny felt sick. She’d done enough research to know pregnant dogs sometimes dragged themselves off somewhere to give birth. Fine if you were talking summer, but it was October and the weather reports were forecasting a killer frost as well as possible snow flurries. She could already feel the cold blowing off the lakes. Even if Lulu did manage to find a sheltered location for her puppies, there was no telling if the little ones would survive the cold. And what if there were complications?
She knew something wasn’t right last night. Who cared if dogs had been giving birth for a million years; her dog hadn’t. And why hadn’t she double-checked the doorway? Now Lulu was God knows where, alone, pregnant, and missing her mate.
Charlie. Jenny tugged her cardigan tighter. Wasn’t possible, was it? She’d just finished worrying the dog wasn’t bright enough to protect her puppies from the cold and now she was wondering if Lulu went searching for the puppies’ father? How would the spaniel know which way to go?
Again, Charlie. The terrier had been in the process of taking her to his house when she found him last week. The night she kissed Nick.
Oh God, she so wasn’t ready to talk with him yet. She needed time to shake free of whatever spell he had over her.
On the other hand, if Lulu had dragged her pregnant self to his house, or wandered some place with Charlie, she needed to know.
Nick’s business card, the one he gave her the day they’d met, lay on the desk. Jenny grabbed her phone and began punching the numbers before she could have second thoughts. Please let the butler answer, please let the butler answer..
“Hello?”
As usual, her wish wasn’t granted. Nick’s greeting rolled through her, making her knees weak.
“Hey.”
“Jenny?”
His note of expectancy made the reaction worse. Swallowing her fluttering nerves, she forced herself to sound casual. “I wasn’t expecting you to answer the phone,” she said.
“This is my private line.”
Of course it was. Because a house line would have made things easier for her.
“What can I do for you?”
“Lulu’s not there by a
ny chance, is she?”
“Why would your dog be here?”
“I can’t find her, and I thought maybe she and Charlie…” Hearing her thoughts out loud made Jenny realize how idiotic they truly were. “Never mind.”
“No, wait. Lulu’s not home?”
“No. I woke up this morning, and she’d disappeared.”
“Isn’t she supposed to have her puppies any day now? Gideon told me,” he added.
When he’d called about her bill. “That’s what has me concerned. I’m afraid she might have gone looking for somewhere to have her puppies. And to be with Charlie. Do you know where he is?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I let him out earlier this morning, but he returned about an hour ago. He’s been curled up in his chair ever since.”
“So much for that theory. I guess I’ll have to come up with another.” Jenny gripped the phone tighter. Having heard Nick’s voice again, she found it difficult to say good-bye. “If she does show up, will you let me know?”
“Of course. I hope you find her soon.”
“Me, too.”
“Will you call me when you do? So I know?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you. And Jenny?” He called through the receiver, catching her before she could hang up. More than anything, Jenny hated how her heart sped up soon as he said her name.
“Yes?” she asked.
The line was quiet. If not for the sound of his breathing, Jenny might have thought he’d ended the call. Instead, she imagined him gathering his words. To make the most of regaining her attention.
“Good luck,” he said finally.
Jenny’s heart sunk a little. They weren’t the words she’d hoped to hear, but they were the words she expected. “Thank you,” she whispered in reply. She disconnected.
…
Since Lulu wasn’t anywhere around the house, nor in any of her neighbor’s yards, Jenny headed out on foot to search. Given the spaniel’s swollen belly, the little gal couldn’t have gotten too far. That is, unless she went out at dawn, Jenny amended, an unsettling thought since foxes and coyotes also roamed around at that hour. She could only imagine how tasty a slow, fat spaniel would look to one of them. To that end, her first instinct was to cover the path Lulu and Charlie had taken last week.
Did all roads have to lead back to Nick Bonaparte? she asked herself as she entered the woods boarding his property. Why was it that every blessed thing she did this week brought back memories of their one evening together? Her longest, most pathetic relationships hadn’t affected her as much. Johnny Woods had strung her along all through high school, and she got over him the day after graduation. But one kiss in the woods with Nick had given her an ache in her chest the size of the Grand Canyon for more than a week. Granted, Johnny didn’t kiss like Nick. No one kissed like Nick. Nor had she met anyone with whom she felt so drawn to in so short a time. She didn’t just mean sexually, either. She was drawn to the emotions hiding behind his blue stare.
And then there was that voice inside of her, still whispering how she might be passing by on “the one.” She was beginning to really hate that voice.
Up ahead, right before a turn in the path, she noticed a small clump of branches curled in on one another to form a small hollow. The perfect place for an animal to crawl under? “Lulu?” she called, hoping the spaniel might bark in reply. “You there?”
There was a rustle of leaves and Jenny knelt down, hoping to see beneath the clump.
“Lulu?”
A bundle of white and brown burst around the corner, barking excitedly. There was only one problem: it was the wrong bundle.
Charlie danced about on hind legs trying to lick her face hello. “What on earth are you doing here?” she asked him.
More importantly, if Charlie was roaming here in the woods, did that mean…?
“Looks like we had the same idea.”
Nick came around the corner. Jenny tried not to react to how rustically handsome he looked in his jeans and barn coat. She failed. Even the floppy brimmed cowboy hat looked good. It was going to take another six days before he was out of her system. Probably more, she realized, awareness pooling in the pit of her stomach.
“After you hung up, I realized Lulu might be en route,” he said. Lord, his voice still sounded like honeyed gravel, even in the daylight. “Figured of anybody, Charlie had the best chance of sniffing her out. So far, we haven’t had any luck.” While he spoke, he moved around the brush.
“You’re limping,” Jenny said.
“It’s nothing.”
No, it was very much something. She hadn’t forgotten that when she called him, Nick mentioned having let Charlie out for a walk. He told her he only did that when he was in pain. That he would then turn around and go hiking in the woods to help her look for a lost dog… Her awareness shifted, changing from something intensely female into a fullness lodged in her heart.
“I didn’t mean to make you walk all this distance. If you want to turn around—”
He cut her off. “I wanted to.”
He did?
“Afraid you’ll have paid all those vet bills in vain?” The sharp comment was unfair, but she said it anyway, needing something to combat the shift in her feelings, not to mention drown out that damn voice.
“Because I know how important Lulu is to you.”
Oh dear Lord, how was she supposed to resist statements like that? She turned away before her expression could betray her thoughts.
She heard the sound of leaves crunching beneath Nick’s feet, and suddenly he was behind her, his hands settling on her shoulders. The proximity, after days apart, felt too good. “I’ve missed you,” he murmured.
Yeah, right. “Then why didn’t you—?” She caught herself, but the damage was done.
“You made it abundantly clear you didn’t want me to contact you. And, truth be told,” the back of his hand skimmed her cheek so tenderly she had to close her eyes to the sensation, “I couldn’t help but think your decision made sense. That is, once you realized…”
Realized what? Jenny didn’t find out because at that moment, her cell phone rang cutting him off. It was Gabby. “I should take this. I called her earlier about Lulu.” With her eyes, she tried to convey her regret.
“You need to get down to the studio right away,” Gabby said when she answered.
“Is something wrong?” It wasn’t like Gabby to issue blunt commands. “I’m still looking for Lulu.”
“I know. She’s here.”
“She is? Where did you find her? Is she all right?”
“I really think you need to come to the studio,” Gabby repeated.
Any relief she might have felt faded at Gabby’s cryptic response. “All right, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
She could feel Nick watching her as she hung up the phone. “Everything all right?” he asked.
“I don’t know. She said she had Lulu and I needed to come down to the studio. Do you think it’s bad news?” Gabby’s studio was near a busy intersection. Chances were very real that an early morning driver might not see a small dog darting into traffic. Charlie had always made it down there safely, but her dog wasn’t used to escape the way Nick’s independent terrier was. The thought of her little Lulu…
Jenny started to feel sick. Eyes watering, she looked to Nick for an answer.
“Wouldn’t she have told you if something was wrong?”
“Not necessarily. Not if it were really bad.”
“I’m sorry.” Nick’s hand settled on her shoulder. Jenny leaned into the touch.
Just being close to Nick made her feel better. What would she do when she had to tear herself away from him?
For the moment, however, she burrowed a little closer, sighing when Nick’s other arm wrapped her close. “Thank you,” she whispered against his jacket.
“For what?”
He truly didn’t know, which made the moment that much…more. To be held by a man without expectations. There
were no words.
“You know there’s a chance you’re overreacting, right?” he offered.
Her face buried in his jacket, Jenny couldn’t help but smile. “I definitely seem to get emotional around you, don’t I?”
“Yeah, you do,” he replied in a faraway voice. He pulled her closer and they stood there, quiet. For a brief moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the world, the only noise being the sound of Charlie stalking chipmunks in the leaves.
…
Nick breathed in her scent. He’d spent the last six days telling himself that he wasn’t right for a woman like Jenny—that he wasn’t right for any woman, for that matter—and that his decision to let her drive off was a good thing. Holding her close, however, sent all those arguments flying out the window. Hell, they flew out the window soon as she telephoned him and he heard her voice. So what if they’d only known each other a few days? Instinct told him there was something between them. Call it a connection, a bond, whatever, but it was real, and this moment proved it. Holding Jenny close, he felt complete for the first time in days. Years really, if he was truly honest with himself. Only a fool would let such an opportunity go. And since when was he a fool?
The time had come for him to make a choice. He could let this wonderful opportunity slip through his fingers or he could step out of the shadows he’d been hiding in and for the first time since the accident, act like a man who’d been given a second chance.
“Come on,” he said breaking their embrace. The matching reluctance in her eyes sealed his resolve. “Standing in the middle of the woods worrying isn’t helping anything. Only way we’re going to know what’s going on is if we go to Gabby’s.”
“We? You’re coming with me? To the studio?”
Nick couldn’t blame her for looking confused. There was so much he needed to explain when they had time. Right now, he settled for reassurance.
Cradling her face between his hands, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Yes,” he told her. “I’m coming with you.”
The Billionaire's Matchmaker: An Indulgence Anthology (Entangled Indulgence) Page 22