Pawfectly In Love

by Stephanie Rowe

  She never thought a man as tough and masculine as Luke could look so uncomfortable so quickly. "I'll go get my boots. Meet you in the yard?"

  "Okay." She had to shout, because he was already halfway to the dock.

  She stared after him. What had she said to scare him off? Did he have a past he hated as much as she hated hers? Wouldn't that be interesting? It made him more human. That would be bad. The more human he became to her, the more attractive he would become. It had taken all her willpower to break that kiss. If she liked him even a tiny bit more, she would have had no chance.

  She couldn't risk getting involved with him. Even if it turned into something lasting, he'd make her miserable. He'd be her dad and Howard all over again, ignoring her for his work. Assuming it even got that far. He'd dump her anyway as soon as he found out about her past, just like Howard had. Luke would never be able to take her around in his legal circles, not with her reputation.

  It would never work with him. Which is why she had to ignore his biceps, stop thinking about his kisses, and concentrate on his dog. And Walt Jr. She had to think about him. Walt Jr. was the man for her. Not Luke. Definitely, not Luke.

  Chapter 10

  By the time Luke returned from the dock, Paige had stashed Bandit inside the house and had Muffin on the long lead. She handed Luke the leash, and stepped back, averting her eyes from his bare chest. "Aren't you going to put your shirt on?"

  "Hell, no. It's summer and it's a gorgeous day. Unless you have a problem with it?" He knew he was teasing her, but he couldn't resist. There had been no mistaking the intensity of their kiss, and he was absolutely certain she'd been as consumed by it as he had.

  What he didn't understand was why she'd pulled away, and he knew he couldn't walk away from it. He'd been trying to keep a distance, but the moment he'd tasted her lips, he knew he was in.

  He wanted more of her. He didn't give a shit if she was a small-town woman. He wasn't going to think about what happened in a year when he finished his work in town. Right now, he wanted her, and he wanted to break through her shields.

  He wanted the real Paige, secrets and all.

  "No, it's fine. It doesn't bother me if you keep your shirt off."

  "Fantastic. Let's train then." He wanted to know what she'd done before she'd become a dog trainer, how she'd become so feisty or how she came to live in New Hampshire when she didn't quite seem to fit. He'd grown up in a tiny, rural town, and he knew lifers when he saw them. And Paige wasn't one of them.

  "Okay, Luke, lesson number one: you aren't going to force Muffin into doing anything."

  "I know. I've already tried," he said dryly.

  Paige chuckled. "We'll teach Muffin to make the decision, on his own, that it's in his best interest to listen to you, regardless of whether you're next to him, or thirty feet away."

  "How are you going to teach a dog to do that? He's fully committed to making my life hell. He has it written on his pillow."

  She laughed. "Don't underestimate him. He actually really wants to make you happy."

  "Impossible." Don't underestimate him. He imagined she could give him the same lecture about not underestimating her. She had a lot going on, even though she tried to hide it. What exactly was she hiding, and why was she hiding it. He really wanted to know.

  "Luke? You there?" She waved her hand slowly past his face.

  On impulse, he grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. A little gasp popped out of her mouth, but she didn't pull away. She didn't throw her arms around him either. But she definitely didn't pull away, and he saw the flush to her cheeks.

  When he finally released her hand, she cleared her throat, and then continued, as if the moment had never happened. "Okay, Luke. Hold this leash, but don't pull it. Mentally mark out a triangle in the yard, with each side ten to fifteen yards long."

  She hadn't even acknowledged the kiss. He wondered what that meant.

  "Wait until Muffin isn't watching you, then walk quickly to the next corner. If he doesn't notice you've left before the leash runs out, he'll get yanked, but since you aren't pulling him or looking at him, he won't associate it with you doing anything. He'll just start to realize that he has to keep one eye on you."

  Luke liked how her eyes lit up when she talked about training. She hadn't been lying when she'd said how much she cared about the animals. He could see it in her face. She had passion. Too many people in the world had no passion. He understood it, admired it. Admired her.

  "When you get to the next corner, stop and wait until he stops paying attention to you. Then take off again. When we can't catch him with the leash anymore, we move to the next step."

  "Easy enough." Luke faced the yard, picking out a spot to walk toward. He had just lifted his foot, when a soft hand on his arm made him freeze.

  "One more thing, Luke."

  "What?" He stared at her hand, resting on his biceps. It was still damp, and it looked so small against his arm. He really couldn't make himself care at all that she wasn't his type. She seemed to be so much his type, his only type.

  "After a few minutes, Muffin will start to figure out what's going on, and he'll get irritated. He wants to be the boss, and he'll resist having to pay attention to you."

  "Resist how?" He wanted to yank that hair elastic out of her wet hair and let it down, like it had been at the restaurant. It had looked so soft, so touchable. He wanted to run his hand through her hair, nuzzle against the nape of her neck, and—

  "Every dog is different. He might jump on you and try to bite you, or..."

  "Bite me?" That caught Luke's attention. "Did you just say he's going to bite me?"

  Paige laughed. "Relax, Luke. He isn't going to hurt you. He might nip a little. Or he might just lay down and refuse to move."

  Luke looked at Muffin, who was busy sniffing the ferns under Paige's bedroom window. "He'll definitely bite me. He's got a defiant streak that I kind of admire. I'd expect nothing less from him."

  Paige cocked her eyebrow. "You admire his defiant streak?"

  "I do, but don't tell him that. It's our secret. As far as he knows, I think he's a mangy dog that is more trouble than he's worth. Got it?"

  She giggled. "Got it."

  "Anything else?"

  Paige shook her head. "Just don't look at him or talk to him. Force him to make the decision to follow you on his own. And don't look so pained. This is fun."

  He winked at her. "I want dinner with that lawyer. Getting a local contact will be fun."

  She sighed and backed away to give him room. "Can't you stop thinking about work for even an hour? It's Sunday."

  "You're working."

  "That's different," she protested. "I always have to work odd hours. That's the nature of my job."

  "Same with mine. Maybe being a lawyer and a dog trainer aren't that different?"

  She scowled. "Trust me. It's different."

  "I was kidding."

  Paige eyed him. "Yeah, I should have guessed. You'd never compare being a lawyer to dog training. Start walking. I haven't got all day."

  "Why are you mad at me now?"

  She sighed. "It's not you. It's my own baggage." She waved him off. "Go train."

  "A kiss for good luck?" At her raised eyebrows, he decided he'd pushed it too far. "Yeah, okay, I'll go." And with that, he set off across the yard, Muffin still sniffing the flowers by the house.

  The leash jerked in his hand when it reached its maximum length. Muffin looked up sharply, then bounded after him, delighted by the new game.

  Paige nodded. "Did you feel that? He wasn't looking, and the leash caught him."

  "I felt it." Luke felt a tiny glimmer of satisfaction. Perhaps Paige was right. Maybe there was hope for the dog. He reached the next corner and stopped, waiting for Muffin to get distracted by an interesting smell before starting to walk again.

  After six corners, Luke's hope began to fade. Muffin had ignored him every time he'd walked off, coming only when he was yanked b
y the end of the leash. "Isn't he supposed to figure this out?"

  "He'll get it. I'm impressed you aren't getting frustrated. Maybe there's hope for you."

  "For me? You mean my dog." He stopped at the next corner and waited.

  "I know there's hope for Muffin. It's you I'm still uncertain about." She was smiling, though, so he wasn't sure whether she was serious.

  "You're still not buying the fact I'm a good guy?"

  "I'm considering that it's a possibility." She looked at her watch. "We'll do another five minutes. It's best to train about fifteen to twenty minutes a day. No more than that."

  The leash jerked in his hand, and he knew that Muffin had been caught by the leash again, still not paying attention to him. He frowned at Paige. "Each day? I don't have that kind of time to spend training. I need to work." Shit. What was he getting into? Who was he kidding that he had time to be training a dog—

  A heavy weight suddenly slammed into him from behind, knocking him off balance. "What the…?"

  A second impact threw him to the ground, his feet tangling in the leash so he couldn't get his balance, and the leash ripped out of his hand. And then a searing pain exploded in his right buttock and he heard his shorts tear. A series of unlawyer-like curses flew from his lips as he rolled over, lunging for his dog. "Son of a bitch. You bit me!"

  Muffin leapt sideways, dodging Luke and dancing just out of his reach, a piece of red plaid fabric clenched between his teeth. When Luke reached for the leash, shouting oaths worthy of a lumberjack, Muffin realized his intent and bolted across the yard into the woods, the leash trailing after him like a snake in hot pursuit.

  "Muffin!" Luke's voice echoed over the lake, but his dog was gone. It was then that Luke heard a series of high-pitched squeaks, muffled but audible. Rising to his knees, he turned toward the cottage. Paige had slid down the side of the house until she was sitting on the ground. Her hand was over her mouth, but her shoulders were shaking with mirth, and her eyes were crinkling with amusement. Every once in a while, a squeak of laughter squeezed between her fingers.

  "You're laughing at me?"

  She shook her head, and continued to shake with laughter.

  "My dog bit me in the ass, and you're laughing at me," Luke grimaced at the pain. "Laughing at your client."

  Paige didn't trust herself to speak yet. The sight of Muffin taking down Luke had been too funny. But funnier still had been the look of utter shock on Luke's face to find himself on the ground, at the mercy of a canine that he had considered inconsequential.

  He stood up, brushing the dirt off his hands. She watched him carefully probe his right buttock, and grimace in pain. "Did he get you?"

  "You told me he wouldn't actually bite hard." He was clearly not amused. "I'm bleeding. From my ass."

  Paige swallowed her remaining laughter and climbed to her feet. She had to remember to be professional. "I'm sure it's just a nip."

  "He tore my shorts."

  "Turn around." She grabbed his arm and spun him so she could inspect his injury. "Yep. He definitely tore your shorts. And your boxers." She realized that she was still holding onto his arm, so she quickly let go. "I thought lawyers wore briefs."

  "I can speak only for myself."

  Her amusement faded at the stream of blood trickling from the exposed flesh. "Damn. He really did get you." She leaned closer to inspect. "Does it hurt?"

  "What do you think?" Luke peered over his shoulder. "Does it look like I need stitches? I can't believe I just asked that. My dog bit me in the ass."

  She reached out and pushed aside the material. It wasn't exactly how she'd fantasized finally seeing what he had under his shorts, that was certain. "No stitches. It's just a scrape, actually. His teeth just grazed you. I don't think he meant to bite you. He was just going for your pants."

  "Well, isn't that a relief." Luke turned until he was facing her. "How many owners have you gotten bitten?"

  "You're the first," she admitted. "Let's go inside and I'll fix it up." She grinned. "I still have that cream you used on me." Whoa. He'd have to drop his shorts for that to happen. What had she just offered? Her stomach did several flip-flops at the thought.

  He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "You know what? I think I'm done for the day. I'm hitting the road." Luke dug into the front of his shorts, pulled out his keys, and started walking toward his car, not even looking for his dog.

  "Um, Luke? What about Muffin?"

  "Keep him." He opened the car door and slid carefully onto the seat. The look of anguish when his rear end hit the soft leather would have been amusing if it wasn't so genuine.

  "Keep him? What do you mean?"

  He shut the door and rolled down the window. "Who are we kidding, Paige? That dog bit me for a reason. All three of us know that I can't own a dog. When you said fifteen minutes a day, I realized I can't do that. That dog is a pain in the ass, but he deserves more than that." He met her gaze. "You judge me for my work, for the hours I spend, but you know what? You're right. I do work my ass off. I like it. I don't want to change. And I can't do it for you, or that dog."

  Paige's heart fell. "Luke, don't give up—"

  "You can find him, right? Get him back? Make sure he's safe?"

  "Yes, but—"

  "I'll talk to my sister. I'll find another solution. Unless you want him?"

  "No, he's your dog—"

  "I can't do it, Paige. We both know it." His gaze fell to her lips. "You stopped the kiss because you know that I won't fit you, I won't fit this town, and I won't be what you need. You're right, and I was wrong to pretend to be something else, something that would be enough for you or Muffin."

  "Luke—"

  "I'll call you." He paused. "I still want the name of that lawyer, Paige."

  "Don't give up on him—"

  "I'll be in touch." Luke slammed the gearshift into reverse, and then he was gone, a cloud of dust from his tires the only evidence of his presence. That and a piece of plaid cotton on the grass.

  Paige stared after him, too stunned to move. The man had abandoned his dog because of one little nip. She'd known that he was inflexible, and she'd guessed that he would have trouble adjusting to the fact that he had to work with his dog rather than boss him around, but she hadn't guessed he would just abandon him. Good thing she hadn't let herself fall in love with him or anything. First time she made him mad, he'd go off and leave her, just like her dad.

  But she couldn’t muster any anger toward him. He'd looked so anguished when he'd left, like he'd walked away from something he wanted, something that mattered to him, even if he didn't understand it.

  She just felt empty, like they'd both come so close to something good, and it had slipped through their fingers. With a sigh, she walked across the lawn and picked up the red plaid off the grass. She tucked it in her front pocket.

  "Bandit! We have to go hunting!" She went to the back door to retrieve the one male who would never disappoint her, neglect her or be cruel to her.

  She had just pulled open the glass door when she heard tires crunch in the driveway. She smiled. Luke had come back.

  The man wasn't hopeless after all.

  Chapter 11

  Paige jogged around to the front of the house, unable to keep the smile off her face…until she saw the familiar SUV belonging to her mom. Sigh. "Hey, Mom."

  Louise jumped out of the truck, followed by her three shaggy canines. Feeling like a lost soul after her divorce, Louise had needed dogs to give her the love she'd been without for so long. She'd insisted on finding her new soulmates at the shelter, knowing that Paige would be able to train them into wonderful companions. Paige figured she was smarter than her mom; instead of spending thirty years with an emotionally vacant workaholic and then getting dogs, she'd go right to the dogs and save herself years of pain. And no matter how attractive Luke was, she wasn't going to make the same mistake her mother did.

  "Who was that peeling out of here in that Mercedes? F
or a moment, I thought you'd bought your old car back, but you're here, so it obviously wasn't you," Louise asked.

  "It was Luke."

  "The lawyer? Doing a little dog training in your bikini? I like it." Louise grinned, wearing a tank top that showed off her own muscular figure.

  "I was swimming when he arrived. He was early."

  "Of course. That makes sense. Why would you pause to put on clothes for dog training when there was a perfectly good man there to inspect your curves? Excellent decision." Louise looked much too amused. "Where'd he go?"

  Despite her dismay over Luke abandoning his dog and the training, Paige couldn't help but grin. She dug the piece of his boxers out of her pocket and held it up. "Muffin bit him in the butt and tore his shorts. He wasn't happy."

  "You're kidding." Louise slipped the material from Paige's fingers and examined it. "A boxer man, huh? Bet you were guessing briefs."

  "Doesn't matter. He abandoned his dog and stormed off. I knew he wasn't a nice guy."

  Louise handed the material back to Paige, raising an eyebrow when Paige carefully tucked it safely away. "Aren't you being a little harsh? He did get bitten by his own dog. For someone who isn't a dog person, that can be a little daunting."

  Paige closed her heart to the tug of doubt. "No. He's a jerk. Arrogant, domineering, and a workaholic. When he can't control the situation, he can't deal. After Dad, I'd think you'd be warning me to stay away from someone like that."

  "And I would, but I'm not convinced that he's like your father. It's possible for a man to be a hard worker with a strong personality, yet still be a good person. He did adopt the dog for his sister, after all."

  "Yeah, and then he dumped it when it didn't fit into his narrow definition of acceptability."

  "You keep saying he abandoned his dog? He took him to the shelter?"

  "No, he left him here." She shifted. "He did ask me to make sure he was safe, but he said he was going to call his sister and figure out a new situation for him. That's an exact quote, by the way."

  Louise grinned. "Better than telling you to roast Muffin for dinner. I'd be a little more concerned if he'd said that. He knows you'll take care of the animal."