Welcome To Redemption: Series Collection (Books 1-6)

by Donna Marie Rogers

  Acute disappointment lanced through his chest. He recognized the flash of emotion in her eyes—fear he’d guessed the truth. No matter how much he liked her, he and Lukas were a package deal. One without the other wasn’t even a consideration, and there was no chance for him and Allie if she couldn’t accept the most important person in his life. He never would’ve guessed it after she’d volunteered to watch Lukas earlier.

  Although, maybe that couple hours was all she’d needed to realize she didn’t want to get involved with a man who had baggage. His jaw tightened in anger, and he took a step back from her. Lukas was not baggage.

  “I guess you’re right,” he said in a low voice. “It is pretty late.”

  She fumbled for her coat with a nod. “Come on, Sugar.”

  Rick heard the shuffle of little feet a moment before Lukas’ voice sounded from the doorway behind him. “Dad? Is it morning?”

  Allie lunged for Sugar’s collar, catching the dog before she could go maul Lukas with slobbery kisses. Rick started to turn toward Lukas.

  “No, not yet, buddy—”

  He did a double take at the expression he caught on Allie’s face as she looked at his son. He’d assumed she wanted nothing to do with Lukas, but now pain and unmistakable longing were etched in her face. The emotions reminded him of her earlier tears.

  As if sensing his gaze, she dropped her chin and focused on the wiggling Great Dane.

  Something isn’t right here, Rick thought. Finally he turned to Lukas, who stood in the doorway engulfed in one of Rick’s tee shirts, just like Allie. “Lukas, go back to bed please.”

  “But, Dad, I’m thirsty.”

  That statement, coupled with experience, told him Lukas wasn’t going anywhere until he had a drink. Biting back a sigh, Rick strode to the sink. He wanted to talk to Allie. While reaching for a glass, he heard Lukas ask Allie hopefully, “Are you gonna sleep over?”

  Oh, Lord, not this again. Not now. Lukas had been begging him for weeks now to have a buddy spend the night, but it just hadn’t worked out with any of his friends from preschool yet.

  “Sugar and I have to go home,” Allie said.

  Rick looked over his shoulder to see Lukas hang his head with a pout as he stood in front of Allie.

  “None of my friends ever sleep over,” Lukas whined. Rick cringed at Allie’s forced smile.

  “I’m sorry, Lukas. It does sound like fun, but where would I sleep? Your bed is made for little guys like you.”

  Lukas looked in the direction of his room. “Oh. Yeah.”

  She ruffled his hair. “But thank you for the invitation.”

  Rick brought over the water and handed it to Lukas. “Drink.”

  Lukas lifted the glass and took small sips. Rick fought his growing impatience, knowing if he urged him to go faster he’d dig in his heels and prolong things further. Innocent brown eyes shifted from him to Allie over the rim, then widened. He lowered the glass with a hopeful grin.

  “You can sleep in Dad’s bed.”

  Rick and Allie’s eyes met for a heat-charged moment. Now that did sound like fun. His gaze dropped to her lips as heat coursed through him. He cleared his throat and reached to take the water glass from Lukas’ hand. Turning him toward the living room, he gave a soft push. “Go to the bathroom and then back to bed, bud.”

  Lukas resisted. “But your bed is huge, Dad. And no one ever sleeps with you.”

  From the mouths of babes. Rick couldn’t hold back a short laugh and was pretty sure he heard Allie smother a chuckle, too. “Thank you, Lukas. I appreciate you pointing that out. Tell you what, get back to bed now, and we’ll see if you can sleep at Grandma’s tomorrow, okay?”

  “Aw, Dad, why can’t Allie stay?”

  “Because she has to work early in the morning.”

  “Like you?”

  “Yes, just like me. Now move it.”

  Lukas lifted his hands. “Then you can wake her up. Please?”

  “Lukas.” Rick used his warning voice.

  Lukas’ shoulders drooped, and he scuffed his bare foot while his lower lip trembled. “The closet door is open.”

  Rick sighed in defeat and went to scoop him up. As Lukas wound his arms tight around his neck, Rick faced Allie. The haunted look that remained in her eyes made her smile look sad.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said.

  He was checking under Lukas’ bed for monsters when he heard the back door close and moments later the rev of Allie’s Bug. He’d figured that was coming but it didn’t stop a swell of disappointment as he blew out a frustrated breath. Pushing up from his hands and knees, because that was the only way to see under every corner of the whole bed, he looked at Lukas with the covers tucked around his chin.

  “All clear.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Think you can give me a break now and go back to sleep?”

  “Yeah.” His little grin tugged at Rick’s heart. He was at the door when Lukas said, “Dad?”

  He drew in a deep breath. Patience. “Yes, Lukas?”

  “I like Allie.”

  “So do I, buddy.” He left the door at half-mast and headed to his own room to sleep alone in his huge bed. “So do I.”

  Chapter 8

  Allie’s Monday flew by and at the same time, it dragged on forever. She dreaded seeing Rick again, but every time she thought about it, her stomach fluttered with excitement. Then she chickened out and called Dana a little after three in the afternoon.

  “You know, you could just bring the kitten with you when you come to get Sugar.”

  “I’m sorry, Al, I can’t. I have an appointment after work. You’ll have to pick up Gray Spot yourself.”

  Allie flopped on the couch next to Bennie. He gave her an irritated look before lowering his head back on his paws. “You’re such a liar.”

  Dana laughed. “Seriously, Charlie’s picking up Sugar today.”

  “Oh, fine,” Allie huffed and hung up. She looked over at the basset hound. “You’re lucky to be a dog.”

  He flicked an ear without opening his eyes, but at least he’d acknowledged her. Sugar pushed her nose under Allie’s arm and then rested her chin on her thigh. Her eyebrows twitched as she shifted her mournful brown eyes from Allie’s face to the TV without moving her head.

  “You want to watch Matthew, don’t you?”

  Sugar backed up and gave an excited bark. Bennie growled. Tags jingled as the other dogs looked up to see what the ruckus was about.

  “You be quiet,” Allie told the ornery hound. “Just because you’re the only guy doesn’t mean you control the remote in this house.”

  She looked at Sugar, thinking she really should fold the two loads of laundry sitting on her dryer, or wash the handful of dishes in her sink from the apple pie she’d baked, or work on the website she’d been designing for an online business idea she’d been outlining for the past two months. And as if that weren’t enough to do, today was also Bennie’s bath day.

  Instead, she got up and put the movie Sahara in her DVD player. She needed the distraction as much as Sugar wanted it, and Bennie could double up with Lady in her bath tomorrow.

  Ten minutes later, she was still looking for the remote control. Copper, Cricket, Gus and Lady all watched from their select choices of rest while Sugar sat off to the side. Standing in the middle of the living room, Allie did a slow turn, stopping with Bennie. Her eyes narrowed. As she walked toward him, he growled again.

  She cocked her head and looked toward the foyer. “What’s that, Bennie? Is Mom and Dad here?”

  Bennie jumped off the couch without hesitation, lifting his head to bay loudly as he loped toward the front door with his ears flopping.

  “Gotcha.” Allie smiled and grabbed the remote off the warm couch cushion. She punched the play button and stretched out on the couch as Sugar lay on the floor in front of her. Bennie lumbered back into the living room, parked his butt in front of both of them and lifted his head toward the ceiling.

/>   Allie pointed the remote at him. “Don’t you dare. I compromised with an action movie, so hush it.”

  He gave a half-hearted bay before turning around to jump onto the couch and curl up against her stomach. Allie stroked his silky ears as the movie started. After a moment of staring at the screen without really seeing anything, she sighed. Besides her dad, brother-in-law, and nephew, Bennie was the only other male she should worry about. If only it were that easy.

  She hadn’t lied to Rick when she said she didn’t want to like him. Even after spending time with Lukas—especially after—it hurt deep in her heart just to watch him with his son.

  Closing her eyes, she thought about that day over two years ago when Dr. Lannoye had squeezed her hand and gently told her that because of her extreme case of endometriosis, her chances of ever having a child of her own were pretty much non-existent.

  She couldn’t escape his office fast enough, with one detour at the store to pick up a half-gallon of chocolate marshmallow ice cream and a bottle of tequila. She wasn’t sure which one she’d end up downing, but one way or another, she was going to drown the death of her dream.

  As she rounded the corner by the frozen foods, a chubby, tear-streaked face resting against a broad, flannel-clad shoulder stopped her in her tracks. The toddler stared at her wide-eyed for a moment, and then buried his face in the man’s neck with a hiccup.

  “Want Mommy.”

  “I know, buddy, I know, but Daddy’s got ya. It’s gonna be okay, I promise.”

  Her heart froze; she couldn’t breathe. That voice. It had deepened to a shiver-inducing, sexy baritone, but she’d recognize Rick Wilde anywhere, any time. She caught a glimpse of his tortured profile as he rocked the little boy in his arms and kept murmuring in that soothing, yet aching tone. Knowing he’d recently lost his wife in a car accident, his expression had haunted her since—and she’d drank the tequila when she got home.

  Rick’s revelation last night put a whole different spin on his anguish back then, but it didn’t make her think any less of him. On the contrary, she’d been more drawn to him than ever in an effort to ease his pain. To rationalize kissing him in her mind, she’d used the excuse of comforting him, but the moment he called her on it, she realized she didn’t want him to think she felt sorry for him. And then again, she couldn’t tell him how much she was attracted to him, so she’d panicked.

  After managing to protect herself for so long, in a matter of two days she’d gotten in way over her head. How was her heart supposed to handle all this when she knew it couldn’t end happily for her?

  The movie was almost over when Sugar raised her head and looked toward the front door. She barked and leapt to her feet. Moments later, the real love of the Great Dane’s life sauntered into the room amidst a chorus of barking. Allie eased up off the couch without disrupting Bennie, who obviously wasn’t falling for that one again until he heard his parent’s car.

  She smiled watching Charlie love Sugar up. When he straightened, his gaze strayed to the TV. He grunted when Matthew McConaughey’s face flashed onscreen. “So you’re the one who’s been brainwashing her. She goes nuts whenever that guy comes on.”

  Allie grinned without remorse. “Guilty as charged.”

  Charlie gave a resigned sigh. “I guess can let it slide, considering you helped out last night. Thanks again for that.”

  “I was happy to help.” Well, mostly. “And since you guys didn’t get your evening out, anytime you want me to take Sugar again, just let me know.”

  “Thanks.” He turned toward the kitchen and sniffed the air. “Do I smell apple pie?”

  Allie darted in front of him, a hand to his chest. “Back off, buddy. You smell one apple pie and it’s not for you.”

  “Aw, man, that’s not fair. Yours are the best.”

  “You got one at Christmas, quit your whining.”

  “Yeah, but this year I had to share with Dana,” he complained.

  “I’m going to tell her you said that,” Allie threatened as she pushed him toward the door.

  Charlie just chuckled as he and Sugar left. The rest of the dogs were picked up by five, leaving Allie nothing left to do but go collect her new kitten. Armed with the pie and Rick’s laundered tee shirt, she entered the clinic only to find the front reception room empty.

  “Hello?” she called.

  “In here.”

  Skimming a hand down over her hip, she took a deep breath and followed Rick’s voice into the back where the animals stayed overnight. He looked up from latching a kennel gate as she entered the room. The smile he gave sent her pulse racing.

  “Hi.”

  One simple word, yet his smooth voice stirred delicious sensations. When his gaze took a lingering dip, she felt heat rise in her cheeks. She scooped her hair behind her ear with her free hand and tried not to stare at his lips.

  “Hey,” she replied.

  “What have you got there?” he asked with more than a little interest.

  Allie glanced down and suddenly felt like an idiot. He’d been looking at the pie in her hands, not her. So much for changing twice before settling on her favorite, square-necked turquoise sweater that clung without being too tight. She lifted her chin slightly. “It’s not for you.”

  “But it’s my shirt.”

  She smiled slightly as she reached to set his tee shirt, the other item in her hand, on the counter to her right. “I meant the pie.”

  “I know,” he replied with a grin. “And I have your stuff from my dryer, too.”

  “Thanks.”

  Her cheeks heated at the thought of him handling her bra and she wished she’d remembered to grab it before she escaped last night. He turned to wash his hands before facing her as he dried them. “So you just carry pies around for the heck of it?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Lukas told me apple’s his favorite.”

  A look of surprise was quickly replaced by one of contemplation that made her nervous again. Then he smiled and walked toward her, his gaze fixed on hers. “You know, it’s my favorite, too.”

  “Then you’ll have to ask Lukas if he’ll share.”

  He laughed, halting less than an arm’s length away. “In that case, I’ll be lucky to get one bite.”

  “That’s between you and Lukas.” Her hair hadn’t moved, but she smoothed it behind her ear again while leaning to look past him at the kennels. “So…how’s Spot doing?”

  “Great. She’s in the back, follow me,” he said. Then, as he sauntered past, close enough for his shoulder to brush hers, he turned his head just the slightest bit. “Nice sweater, by the way.”

  Thank God his back was to her, because Allie turned so fast she nearly ran into the doorframe. “You, ah, you kept her in the house?”

  “Lukas insisted on taking care of her. Said it was his job.”

  “Good thing I brought the pie, then.”

  Rick led the way through the breezeway that connected the clinic to his residence. Allie smiled at the sight of Lukas sitting on the couch with Spot curled up into a white ball of fuzz on his lap.

  “How’s the patient, Doctor Wilde?”

  Lukas looked up. “Allie!” he exclaimed with a big smile. The sudden noise and jostling of his body woke the kitten. Her spotted head jerked as she eked out a startled meow. Allie set the pie on the coffee table and knelt alongside the couch while Rick sat next to Lukas.

  “She’s doing really good,” Lukas said earnestly. “Dad gave her more medicine this morning and then Dana helped me give her a bath. She didn’t like it, but look how pretty she is now.”

  “She’s beautiful.” Allie stroked the kitten’s snowy-white fur, amazed how different she looked and sounded in just one day.

  “I combed her under a heat lamp until she dried so she wouldn’t get more sicker.”

  “Good idea. Lukas, I’m very impressed. You’ve done a great job.”

  He beamed at her.

  “I have a bag packed for her,” Rick said. “It’s got th
e rest of the antibiotics and some kitten food to get you started. Now, when it comes to the dogs, you’ll want to introduce her to them slowly and keep an eye on them all for the first week or so.”

  Lukas dropped his chin to his chest. When he pulled Spot closer to his stomach and hunched his small chest over her, Allie glanced up to see Rick’s look of resignation.

  “Lukas, you know it’s time for her to go home now.”

  “I know.” His lower lip quivered. “But I love her so much.”

  Allie’s heart melted. “Well, doctor, you’re welcome to come visit her at my house, check out how I’m doing taking care of her.”

  “Really?” This from both Lukas and Rick; one excited, one surprised.

  Allie flicked a glance at Rick, but then focused on Lukas. “Really. In fact, as soon as you’re done with this apple pie, I’m going to need my dish back.”

  Lukas’s eyes went wide when he saw the pie on the coffee table. “You made us an apple pie? That’s my favorite!”

  “I remembered. Although, I made it for Spot’s doctor, so it’s up to you if you want to share it.”

  Lukas looked at Allie, his expression serious. “Dad gave her the medicine, so he should get some, too.”

  She nodded and finally allowed herself to look at Rick. “Looks like your lucky day.”

  His slow smile sent her pulse tripping. “In more ways than one.”

  Chapter 9

  By the end of the week, Spot had stood her ground with each of the dogs and now enjoyed free reign of the house, twenty-four, seven. Allie found she liked having the little scrapper curl up on the pillow next to her at night, with the exception of the three a.m. hair-attacking episodes. Seeing as she lay in bed each night thinking about Rick longer than was welcome, lack of sleep was becoming an issue.

  Friday night, out of desperation, she switched to a dark pillow case, hoping her auburn hair would blend enough not to attract Spot’s claws in the middle of the night.

  “Stupid idea anyway,” she muttered Saturday morning, hunching her shoulders against the swirling snowflakes as she walked the couple blocks to Coffee to Chai For. Spot had pounced on her head even earlier than usual, then refused to go back to sleep. Allie finally put her in a box in the bathroom.