Paige smiled and touched his arm. "It'll be worth it. And by the time you finish, it won't just be your sister you love."
He stared at her, shocked by her words. "Who else will I love?"
Her eyes widened. "The dog. I was talking about the dog."
"Oh. Right. The dog." He sighed, realizing that he'd thought, for a split second, that she'd been talking about him falling in love with her. He didn't know why his mind had gone there, or why he felt oddly disappointed that he'd been wrong.
Paige cleared her throat. "Who did you think I meant?"
Suddenly, the tension was palpable in the room as they stared at each other. He was so tempted to tell her the truth, to see what she would say, to see if all her attempts to keep him at a distance were a façade, if she was feeling a fraction of what he was feeling…
"Luke?"
"Training," he said finally. "I thought you meant I'd love training."
"Oh." Her face fell, which gave him hope. Had she been wishing that his answer was different, that he'd meant her? Hell, yeah. "Yes, that too. It's very satisfying to learn to connect with your dog. Working with him will bond you guys in ways you can't imagine. He'll become such a part of your life, you'll never be able to leave him behind when you go back to Boston. You'll have to stay here, where he can be happy."
"Stay here?" He hadn't been expecting that. "You think I should stay in New Hampshire? Not move back to Boston?" He'd never even thought of that possibility, he was so consumed with getting back to his life. "Why on earth would you suggest I do that?" Did she want him to stay? The idea absolutely floored him. He didn't even know what to think.
Paige's cheeks flushed appealingly. "I didn't suggest it, and I don't care where you live. You can move to Alaska for all I care. I was only predicting that you'll love Muffin as much as Becky does and you'll want to keep him, even when you go back."
Luke cocked his head at her. She was staring intently out the window, but her eyes were glazed as if she wasn't focusing on anything. He couldn't read her expression at all, but maybe that was good. She was hiding her thoughts from him. Son of a bitch. Had she meant it? Did she want him to stay? Did she like him?
Suddenly, his entire world seemed to plunge into chaos. He stared at her. He'd left his home because of a woman, because the woman he'd loved had thought he wasn't enough as he was. He could barely even conceive of the possibility that Paige would want him if he stayed.
But he couldn't. He just…hell. He'd worked his entire life to be where he was. "I'm not going to stay here, Paige. And I can't take the dog when I leave."
She whirled toward him. "Why are you so unwilling to take a chance on your dog?"
"I said I'd keep him for now. But I can't take him back with me." And he was going back. He had to. "I can't just give him away to a stranger when I leave. Becky would be devastated."
"So..."
"So, will you keep him after I move back?"
She folded her arms across her chest. "You can't dodge your familial responsibilities by dumping them on me. I'm sure you'd never consider pawning your work off onto someone else, would you? No, you'd stay all night to get it done, no matter who was counting on you."
"Why are you so upset? It isn't as if I'm abandoning you."
"No, it isn't. Because I would never let myself depend on you, no matter how good you look in a bathing suit. You'd let me down, and I have to remember that."
He grinned. "You think I look good in a bathing suit? That's the first nice thing you've said about me."
"You're still an autocratic jerk."
"Well, that's fine that you feel that way, because I'm not interested in you either." A blatant lie, but it felt good to at least try to resist her.
"Gee, that's a surprise. I really thought you'd fall for a dog trainer when you have rich, sophisticated women falling for your stubborn, egoistic ways."
Luke gritted his teeth. "It isn't like that. I just like my life the way it is. I don't want to live this life."
"Or date someone from this life. That's fine because I don't want your life or anyone who likes it. So I guess we're a good match, then, huh?"
"I guess." Oh, they were quite a match, no doubt about that.
"If you're going to get rid of Muffin, I guess there's no point in training him, then."
Luke felt a flash of panic at her words. It was what he wanted, to keep her away from him, but now that he'd done it, he wasn't ready to let her go.
"Plus, you don't have time anyway." She looked at him. "I guess I'll see you around then. I know you don't care, but you did disappoint me. I thought there was more to you than there apparently is."
She started to walk away, and his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. "Wait."
"What?"
His mind was blank. "Um..."
"Let me go, Luke."
His mind raced, trying to find a solution. He didn't have time to train, and if he was going to rehome the dog when he moved back to Boston, there wasn't a point…unless…unless he spent so much time training with Paige that she fell in love with the dog. And then she would adopt him when he moved back to Boston. Becky would be happy because Muffin would have a good home and live nearby, and he wouldn't have to feel guilty. Yes, he could justify spending time training if it was for a bigger purpose, like getting Paige to fall in love with Muffin. There we go. He was doing it for his sister, not because he wanted to spend time with Paige. "I still want to train him."
She raised her eyebrows. "Why?"
"Because he needs to be trained. I'm going to keep him for as long as I'm here, and that could be for a year. I can't manage him like this. It's a worthwhile investment for my sanity."
Paige narrowed her eyes. "You really want to train your dog?"
"Yes. And I need your help." He realized he was still holding her arm, but he didn't feel like letting go. Instead, he loosened his grip until it was almost a caress. "I know you think I'm a jerk, but Muffin doesn't deserve to suffer just because of me. You wouldn't abandon a dog in need, would you?"
She didn't pull her arm away. "You know I wouldn't."
"So we're still on? For dog training?"
"You have to be committed," she warned. "You have to train every day."
"I will."
"And you can't beat him if he bites you."
"I didn't beat him," he protested, before he saw the twinkle in her eye. She was teasing him again. "You're trouble, aren't you?" He loved it when she gave him a hard time. If he married her, she'd keep his life interesting for the next seventy years.
Whoa.
Married her? Where the hell had that thought come from?
She grinned. "No more than you are." Paige tossed the leash at Luke, forcing him to let go of her arm to catch it. "For the next few days, continue with the training we started this morning. Once Muffin is so good that you can't catch him with the leash on the corners, give me a ring, and we'll set up our next training session."
"Okay." Luke followed her to the front door, opening it for her. "Thanks for bringing the dog by."
"I'm glad you're keeping him." Suddenly, she leaned forward and gave him a light kiss that made his blood surge south. "That was for restoring my faith in people, particularly men. I'm really glad you changed your mind about the dog."
She was partway down the porch steps when she looked over her shoulder at him. "You should probably get some protection for your next session of dog training. Maybe some ice hockey pads, or a Kevlar jock strap."
"Funny." But he couldn't stop himself from responding to her twinkling eyes with a grin of his own. The woman was perhaps more difficult to figure out than his dog. Certainly, more difficult to maneuver. She was a challenge, and he liked it.
Yeah, he liked her way too damn much.
How the hell was he going to sort this out?
Chapter 14
Two weeks later, Paige had to admit that Luke had impressed the heck out of her.
Apparently, when he dedicated himself
to something, he succeeded. Muffin and Luke had been training relentlessly, appearing almost daily for the next lesson. She and Bandit were getting quite accustomed to welcoming the two of them to the kitchen for a drink after training. Despite a few flirtatious touches and looks, however, nothing romantic had happened between Luke and her, which both pleased and disappointed Paige. Pleased her mind, disappointed her body. Her heart? Undecided, but no doubt longing for more, more, more, and more.
Unfortunately, the more she saw Luke relating to his dog, the more attractive he became, and the less she could remember that he was a lawyer from Boston. Especially when he was so patient with his dog. The man was becoming a complete dog person, even though he'd probably never admit it.
She'd also been having recurring nightmares about law, only in her dreams, Howard wasn't present. Instead, it was Luke who was standing there looking disgusted and irritated when she was loaded onto the stretcher. Not once, not in a single dream did Luke run after her, making sure she was okay. It was always her mom who was with her in the hospital. Never her dad, never Luke. It used to be Howard standing over her, letting her be wheeled away, but now it was Luke. Why? Because he had now become the man her heart wanted to trust? The one she was so afraid would let her down?
"Paige? Are you all right?"
Paige shot a smile at Luke, who was sitting in the passenger seat of her truck, the dogs in the back. "Yeah. Fine."
"You sure?" He searched her face. "You seemed sad for a minute."
Sad. He'd noticed her emotions, and they hadn't even been talking. Damn him. She was so going to fall in love with him if he didn't stop doing those kinds of thoughtful, caring things. "Thanks for asking."
He smiled. "My pleasure."
She smiled back, her entire body warming, before she cleared her throat and tried to focus. "We're here." She slowed her pickup truck and pulled into a parking lot. "Today is distraction training."
"Distraction training?"
"Thanks to your hard work, you and Muffin have managed to master the basics, but you've trained only in my yard and yours. Muffin needs to learn that he has to listen to you, even when there are distractions. Today, we'll use people as a distraction."
She hooked both dogs to their leashes, then handed Muffin's leash to Luke. "Let's go."
Paige led the way from the gravel parking lot to the sidewalk in front of the main row of stores in town. There were a number of people strolling about, many of whom were tourists with gaudy hats and t-shirts.
"Okay, do the same heeling drill we do at my house. If he gets too far ahead of you, turn around. If he drifts to the right, turn left and vice versa. Never pull on him or call him. Just let him get caught by the leash if he doesn't turn with you."
The doubtful look on Luke's face made her laugh. "He'll figure it out, I promise."
"If he bites me, I'm turning him over to you for rehab."
"Oh, come on. He hasn't bitten you since that first day. I think you're past that."
Luke just rolled his eyes, then turned his attention to Muffin. "Muffin, sit."
Paige grinned when the dog sat, looking expectantly up at Luke. "You've done good work with him, Luke."
"You're wishing he was yours, aren't you?" He grinned. "Well, you can't have him. He's still a work-in-progress." With a satisfied smirk, he turned his attention to the dog. "Muffin, heel."
Paige pursed her lips, watching him lead off with the left foot, as she'd taught him. He'd made that same comment a couple times in the last few days, about her wishing Muffin was hers. Why was he trying to convince her that Muffin was such a great dog? He's the one who needed convincing, not her. She'd seen the growing affection between them, moments when Luke gave Muffin extra love, or sat with his arm around him on the couch, or laughed with genuine warmth when Muffin licked his face.
She knew Luke was falling in love with the dog, and yet he was so stubbornly refusing to acknowledge it. Why? Why was he resisting something that could bring such joy into his life? "Why can't he love, Bandit?"
Her dog licked her cheek and whined, making her smile. "I know, baby. Give him time." She squatted next to Bandit, draping her arm over him while she watched Luke and Muffin change direction with the rapidity of machine gun fire.
Muffin was not paying any attention to Luke at all, much too interested in all the action going on around him. She wondered whether Luke would become frustrated. He hadn't yet, except for that first day when he'd been bitten, but Muffin had been pretty good since then.
After about fifteen minutes, in which Muffin's attention didn't improve very much, Luke headed back to Paige. She stood up, preparing herself to lecture him on not giving up on his dog.
She wasn't prepared for his grin. "He did pretty well, didn't he?"
Slowly, she smiled. "Yes, you both were great."
Luke scratched Muffin's head, receiving a tail wag in return. "I can see what you mean about the distraction training. It's a lot harder than in your yard."
"He got better by the end, though," Paige said. "It shouldn't take that long. You have a good foundation."
"Can we set up a training session for tomorrow? I'd like you to be with us until we get a little better at it."
She studied him as he patted his dog. "What's your agenda, Luke? Why do you want me to help tomorrow? You've been awfully needy with the training. And what's your deal with trying to convince me that Muffin's a great dog? What are you up to?"
Luke looked at her with an utterly innocent expression that she didn't believe. "No agenda. Just want to train the dog."
"How come I don't believe you?"
He shrugged. "Because you're still biased against me for being a lawyer." He cocked his head. "Why do you hate lawyers so much? Did one screw you over in a divorce?"
"A divorce? I've never been married."
"Huh. That isn't it then." He scratched Muffin's ear and looked thoughtful.
"What isn't it?"
"Your secret."
She felt her throat close up. "What secret?"
"Well, if you'd tell me, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?"
"I'm not hiding anything."
"Nope. Don't believe you."
Must stay calm. He doesn't know. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He leaned forward and tugged on a lock of her hair. "You, my dear, aren't from this town. I bet you haven't lived here more than a couple years."
"Of course I have."
He twirled her hair around his finger. "Nope. I know when someone is purebred small town, and you aren't it."
"How would you know? Are you from a small town?" Anything to get him off this dangerous subject.
Luke tucked her hair behind her ear. "How about I buy you dinner?"
"Why? So you can grill me?"
"For convincing me to give Muffin another chance. He's not a bad dog, after all. If it weren't for you, I would have broken my sister's heart. I won't ask you any questions about your big secret. Dinner?"
She pursed her lips. "You aren't trying to seduce me, are you? I thought we'd settled that we weren't right for each other."
Luke raised his hands in an expression of innocence. "If I were trying to seduce you, you would know it. And yes, we agreed nothing would happen between us, even though you look quite interesting in your little bikini."
"Luke!"
"Sorry. That slipped out. Didn't mean it. You actually look quite awful in it."
She tried to suppress a smile. "Luke..."
"How about dinner?"
"This doesn't get you out of the two thousand dollars you still owe me. Incidentally, I haven't seen that check yet. I assume it's in the mail?"
Luke tucked his hand under her elbow and propelled her back toward the truck. "If you have dinner with me, I'll give you the check tonight."
"How can I turn that down? I need the money to pay my mortgage." Paige chuckled at the look of chagrin on his face, realizing that he truly believed she was some poor dog trainer who
lived check to check. It was a total lie. She'd paid cash for her cottage, knowing that with her new lifestyle, she wouldn't want to worry about a monthly mortgage payment.
"Sorry about not paying you," he said seriously. "I didn't think about that."
She immediately felt guilty for making him feel bad. "No problem. If I'd really needed it, I'd have said something. Let me pick the place for dinner?"
"You're the local. Pick away." He put a shade too much emphasis on the word "local," but just grinned when Paige scowled at him.
The two people and two canines piled into the truck, and Paige started the engine. There was only one option for dinner, given her increasingly irritating affection for the man. She needed to be reminded that he wasn't the funny, down-to-earth man she saw during dog training. And there was one place that would do it, one place that would show his true colors.
Chapter 15
Seven minutes later, she pulled up in front of a brown, wooden building, sitting alone on the side of the road. A dirt parking lot surrounded it, and a faded sign rested slightly askew on its roof.
"You brought me to The Mug? I thought you didn't want me coming here," Luke said.
Ah…so he hadn't forgotten about the restaurant she'd told him about the day they'd met, where the locals all had their own mug. "I was in the mood for one of their burgers." Which was partially true, she reasoned. She did like their burgers. "If we sit outside, we can bring the dogs."
Luke shook his head. "I'd like to go inside and get a feel for the ambiance of the place. I don't get invited to local watering holes very often."
"Starting already," she muttered. See? This was why she'd brought him. So she could see him trolling for business, and remind her of who he was, including a man who was going to leave town as soon as he had the chance. She had to remember that. He was leaving.
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