Well, then. Izzy knew where she stood with Brad’s friend. It was a good thing Brad was the front man for the shelter and not Gabe. The vet would send customers and donors running.
She trotted after him and grabbed the door to hold it open for him and Vi. He grunted what she assumed was a thanks. When he made it to the exam room, he lowered the dog down on the stainless steel table.
“Is she going to be okay?” She thought about what Lydia had said. “Do you have something like a doggy Imodium?”
“Something like that.” Gabe straightened and plucked Jasmine from her arms. “She’s going to be here awhile. Why don’t you call later this afternoon to see when you can pick them up? And set up a time with Brad for Vi to get spayed.”
“All right.” Chewing the inside of her cheek, Izzy checked her watch. She should go back to work. “Do you know when Brad is getting back?”
“No.”
His dark eyes didn’t blink. He didn’t smile; he didn’t frown. Just stared at her like she was nothing. She shifted on her pumps. “All right then. I’ll just be going.” Giving Vi one last pet, she hurried from the room. But she didn’t stop at her car. It was a lovely morning.
Perfect weather for a walk.
* * * *
Shoving his Leatherman multitool in his back pocket, Brad gave the French bulldog a scratch and stood. “Okay, Hercule. Let’s see if your wheels roll straight now.”
He took a step ahead, and the pudgy older dog moved his front paws forward. The dog wheelchair rolled behind him, carrying his paralyzed lower half. The axle stayed straight, but the right wheel squeaked with each revolution.
“I’ll take care of that when we get back,” he told the dog. “Just a little bit of oil and you’ll be right as rain.”
“Um, I’m not an expert on dogs, but I don’t think you’re supposed to feed them oil,” Izzy said from behind him. “I think your vet will have some choice words if he catches you.”
He spun. “Izzy! What are you doing here?” She wore a tan pantsuit today, her blouse tucked into her slacks and stretching over her breasts deliciously. Her large purse was slung over her shoulder, and she blinked against the bright sun as she slid her sunglasses up onto her head.
He stepped close, resting his hand on her lower back and giving her a kiss on the cheek. She stiffened for a moment before relaxing and giving him a tentative kiss back.
“I dropped off Vi and Jasmine for their checkup, and Gabe said you were out walking. Can I join you?”
“Do you even have to ask?” He turned, keeping one hand at her waist, and she saw Hercule for the first time.
“Oh! That’s what you’re going to oil. Poor baby.” Bending over, she gave the dog a good back rub, cooing softly. Her jacket rose, and her slacks stretched tight across her ass. Brad groaned.
She looked over her shoulder. “Did you say something?”
“Nothing appropriate for a little dog’s ears.”
Her forehead creased. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a plastic baggie full of small Milk-Bones. She fed one to Hercule before straightening. “I don’t understand.”
“It was nothing.” Wrapping his arm back around her, he squeezed her hip and turned her onto his path. His fingers itched to untuck her blouse and feel skin, but as they were in public, he behaved. She had curves that didn’t quit, and the need to explore was growing excruciating.
“Where did you get that wheelchair thing?” she asked.
“I made it.”
She looked up at him and shaded her eyes with her hand. “You did?”
He laughed. “Don’t sound so surprised. I am an engineer. Building things is what I do.”
“That’s amazing.”
It was actually fairly basic, but if she wanted to think him amazing, who was he to argue? “Fitting out the special-needs dogs with chairs or prosthetics is the easy part. Getting them adopted is more difficult. People want dogs they can play catch with and take for jogs. Great dogs like Hercule get overlooked.”
Her deep brown eyes went soft, like melting chocolate, and he felt it in his gut. She was the perfect combination of tough and sweet. They strolled in front of Newgate Apartments, and Brad paused. “The scene of the crime,” he teased. “Just think, if you hadn’t been going to Bert’s at the exact right time to hear Vi, we’d never have met.”
“And I wouldn’t have two more mouths to feed.” She knocked into his shoulder and smiled. Then her face fell. “I hope Vi will be all right. This morning she ate all the cupcakes I made for Ana’s bake sale.”
“Ooh, that will be messy for you later tonight.” He chuckled at her look of horror. “Don’t worry. Gabe will take care of her. He’s a great vet.”
“A good vet, maybe, but he could work on his people skills.” She rubbed a hand up and down her opposite arm. “That man doesn’t like me.”
“He’s an asshole with everyone.” Brad tucked her closer to his side. “But what did he say to you? Do I need to talk to him?”
“No.” She patted his arm. “He’s just a little gruff. I don’t think he feels I’m a very good dog owner. And who could blame him?” She kicked at a pebble. “I didn’t keep Vi away from the cupcakes like I should have.”
He definitely needed to have a talk with Gabe. Being a grumpy asshole was one thing; making Izzy feel bad about her dog parenting took his grumpiness to a new, unacceptable level. “Gabe is overly zealous when it comes to protecting animals. He’s seen a lot of crap that people do to their pets, and he takes it very personally. But he’ll lighten up when he gets to know you better.”
Hercule rocked back and forth on his wheelchair, getting impatient, and Brad turned toward the shelter. They reached the corner of the sidewalk, and he picked the dog up and put him in the street. When they reached the other side, he lifted him onto the curb.
“Can’t you design a scooter with a stair climber on it? I thought you were supposed to be smart.” Izzy raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching.
He stopped, and turned to face her. “Were you teasing me, Isabelle Lopez? I do believe I’m starting to be a good influence on you.” Although now that she mentioned it, a more robust chair that could take curbs sounded like a doable idea. It would have to be motorized and have two axles…
She lifted one of his fingers at her hip and let it snap back. “The way you’re always touching me, I guess it was inevitable that a little bit of you would rub off on me.”
Skimming his palms under her blazer and up her sides, he asked, “Do you want me to keep my hands off?” His thumbs grazed the underside of her breasts, and her lips parted in a swift inhale of breath.
She blinked rapidly, and Brad waited. Her tongue darted out, moistening her bottom lip, and he still waited. This answer was important. The chase was fun. With Izzy, the chase had been a lot of fun. But he couldn’t keep pursuing a woman if she didn’t want it as much as he did. If she didn’t ache for his touch as much as he wanted hers. So he waited.
Without taking her eyes off his, she slowly shook her head.
Heat settled low in his groin as relief relaxed the muscles of his back. He wasn’t sure what he’d have done if she’d denied the attraction. Lifting a lock of hair from her shoulder, he wound the silky strands around his index finger and tugged. “What are you doing this weekend?” He needed to see her, touch her, and he needed it to be soon.
Izzy turned, and they started walking again. “Ana has a soccer game Saturday morning that I’ll actually get to attend since I lost a listing. And I need to finalize the details for your banquet.”
“After the game, let me take you and Ana out for a picnic. I know a great spot by Blue Haven River. You can bring the dogs, I’ll bring the food…”
“After the game Ana is going to a friend’s house for a birthday party. She’ll—” Izzy pulled to a stop and turned her head to look at him. Her caram
el skin was tinged the prettiest shade of dusty rose. “She’ll be gone all night.”
Their gazes locked. The air between them grew charged. Brad liked Ana, but that was the best news he’d heard in a month. He inched forward, the toes of his shoes nudging hers. “I’ll meet you at the game?” He held his breath while he waited for her answer. This might still be going too fast for her; if so, he’d understand that and rein it in. The wait might kill him, but he’d do it. She’d be worth it.
She nodded, slowly, and the slim column of her neck rolled as she swallowed. “I’ll see you at the game.”
Sunlight glinted off something shiny, blinding him, and Brad turned his head, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glare. A woman was taking pictures of the street, the man next to her pointing something out. The lens of the camera caught the sun again, and Brad squinted.
“Hey, doesn’t that man work for your company? His picture used to be on the bus before yours took over.” He smiled down at Izzy. “A definite improvement, by the way.”
She looked and cursed. “Yes, that’s Tariq and Bitsy, other agents for Goldstar.” She clenched her fists. “Will you excuse me for a minute? I need to talk to him.” Without waiting for an answer, she stomped across the street, her back one rigid line.
Whatever words the trio were having didn’t look friendly. There were lots of hand gestures, mainly on Izzy’s part, some pointed fingers, again Izzy, and one dropped jaw, Bitsy. Brad crouched and rubbed Hercule’s wide chest, watching the show.
Why would real estate agents be taking pictures of his street? Did they want neighborhood shots to try to sell the Newgate Apartments? A flicker of unease unfurled in his chest.
The man, Tariq, shoved his hands in his pockets and bent his head close to Izzy’s. His gaze flicked around the street as he spoke, landing on Brad and darting off just as quickly. Scalp prickling, Brad slowly stood as Izzy jogged back across the street.
“Sorry about that,” she said, her smile tight. “Just had to set up a meeting.” Tucking her hand in his elbow, she guided him down the street and past the car dealership.
“It looked like more than that.”
She chewed on her thumbnail. “Tariq and I have had our issues in the past. But it’s not a big deal.”
“Why is he here taking pictures? Is someone selling?” They reached the driveway entrance into the Forever Friends parking lot, and Hercule’s wheelchair got stuck on a patch of buckled macadam. He strained at the harness and woofed. Brad lifted the tail end of the device up and over the lip.
“No properties around here are listed that I know of,” she said, flapping her hand. “I should get back to the office. My car’s right over there.” She pointed a couple of spots away. “I’ll see you this afternoon when I pick the dogs up?”
Brad tilted his head, examining her. She seemed off, her words a little too flip, and it was very un-Izzy-ish.
But then, she’d been acting un-Izzy-ish this entire walk. For the first time she seemed excited at the prospect of a date with him. A date without the filial supervision of a nine-year-old girl. It was probably for the best that he not question her change in attitude.
“I’ll be here.” He lowered his head, hoping for a decent goodbye kiss.
She slipped to the side and pecked his jaw. “Bye!” She waved over her shoulder as she hurried off.
What the hell? Now she was starting to confuse him. And she’d made him forget a question he’d been meaning to ask. “Wait!” He took a step after her, and she turned. “Did you get in touch with the plumbers you told me about? I need to start getting bids so I can have the pipe repaired.”
“I’ll call them today.” And she slipped around her SUV and climbed into the driver’s seat. With a waggle of her fingers, she started her car and drove off the lot.
Brad looked down at Hercule. “You’re a detective. One of the best. Maybe you can help me figure that woman out.”
The French bulldog gave a woof and cocked his head one way, then the other, looking as clueless as Brad felt. He headed for the shelter, the dog rolling behind him. “I should have known better than to ask you.” Brad shook his head. “You might have been world class at catching criminals, but as a lifelong bachelor, you didn’t know jack about women.”
Chapter Fourteen
Izzy tugged at the hem of her buttercup-yellow shorts, thinking that maybe they rode just an inch too high. She’d spent way too much time getting dressed that morning, almost making Ana late for her soccer game, but she’d wanted to get it right. She wasn’t quite sure what to wear on a picnic date or what to expect with Brad. Would they be hiking to his favorite spot? Kayaking? Eating at a picnic table or lounging on a rocky bank? She hoped the shorts, gauzy V-neck T-shirt, and canvas sneakers would cover a multitude of possibilities.
Her stomach tightened. She couldn’t believe she’d told Brad she was available. All night. With no daughter around. There was only one way he could interpret that.
Ana stole a pass from the other team’s forward, and Izzy cheered, jumping up and down, her wardrobe choices forgotten. Lydia swung her forearm in a circle and made a sound like a bullfrog searching for its mate. She turned, and the two of them slapped a high five.
“Ana’s getting better.” Picking a bottle of water up off the ground, Lydia unscrewed the cap and took a swig.
“Considering where she started, it wasn’t possible for her to get worse.”
Lydia grinned. “I thought moms were supposed to think everything their kids did was perfect.”
Sinking down into a low beach chair her friend had brought, Izzy found her own bottle of water. She poured some into the dogs’ bowl. “Ana had a hard time kicking the ball when it was stationary. There’s no amount of motherly devotion that could blind me to that.” She looked fondly across the field to her daughter, whose enthusiasm for the game was unmatched by her talent. But her skills were growing. And if she went to soccer camp, who knew how much better she’d be?
Izzy shifted in the chair, the wood frame creaking. It was a good thing they had a front-row seat to the field, with no one in ahead of them. The canvas seat was so low her butt scraped the ground.
Lydia plopped down next to her, the wood frame on her chair protesting. Stephanie put her paws on Lydia’s thigh and tried to crawl onto her lap.
“I swear this dog was reincarnated from a Yorkie. She wants nothing more than to be a lapdog.” Placing her dog’s paws back on the ground, she ruffled the yellow Lab’s fur.
“Where’d my lapdog end up?” Izzy searched the crowd for whoever was currently holding Jasmine. The puppy was the belle of the ball, and he was eating it up. She saw him curled up under the chin of Jerome Davis, a cop for Pineville PD and the father of the birthday girl. Ana had been talking nonstop about his daughter’s party for three days. As a single dad, he was showing extreme bravery in having a horde of adolescent girls sleep over at his house. But he was a police officer. He probably thrived on danger.
Jasmine licked the cop’s chin, and the man held the puppy up to his face for some seriously unhygienic kisses. Izzy snorted. “I swear, put a puppy in front of the toughest of men and they turn into little boys.”
“Since I’m surrounded by puppies most days, how old does that make me?”
Izzy jerked her chin around and looked up, past firm thighs and a flat stomach, up over hard pecs and wide shoulders, until she hit the broad smile lighting up Brad’s face.
Her stomach twirled in a spiral. “Hi,” she said, her voice altogether too breathy for her liking. She cleared her throat. “I’m glad you could come.”
His smile widened.
“Make it! I’m glad you could make it,” Izzy corrected. She closed her eyes and bit down on her tongue. It was getting worse. Every time she was around Brad, he somehow knocked her off balance. Made her do and say things she normally wouldn’t. Made her tongue-twiste
d and reckless. It was that damn smile of his. She read everything in his smile. Not just that he found her amusing and liked being in her company, which, she had to face it, was unusual in itself. Most men found her uptight and controlling, not funny.
But it was more than that. Brad’s smile flashed at the smallest things. Like when he saw her and Ana together, just doing normal mother-daughter stuff, the smile telling her he found those everyday occasions precious. It sparkled when he took care of his dogs, with both pride and joy at the work he was doing. It flared when he seemed to understand something about Izzy that she didn’t even know yet herself. And it was always something he liked.
He wore his heart in his smile, and it was beautiful and sweet. Knowing how rare that was, his smile drew her to him like a bee to a flower.
Their eyes locked. Brad’s smile faded, his expression growing intense with just a little bit of dark. A tingling sensation gathered in her breasts before arrowing down between her legs. Jesus, he was even sexier without his smile. The last of Izzy’s hesitation about the night dropped away. The game couldn’t end fast enough.
Lydia knocked Izzy with her elbow, and their connection broke. “If I’d known you were coming to the game, I would have brought another chair. I might have a blanket in my car…”
“Don’t worry about it.” Brad flopped onto the ground by Izzy’s side and stretched out his long legs. Stephanie pounced on him only to be blocked by Vi, who curled up with her back pressed against his thigh. Lucky girl.
Brad gently caressed her side, and Izzy shivered. She was jealous of a damn dog. “See?” Brad asked. “All she needed was a little time to start to trust those around her. Now she’ll be your most loyal friend.”
“It looks like she’s your loyal friend.” But Izzy stroked Vi’s head.
Brad raised an eyebrow. “Maybe she sees us as a package deal.”
Forever Home Page 18