Angles With Attitudes: Three Book Collection of Angel Stories!!

by Mimi Barbour

  Liam let her enjoy the quiet while he enjoyed her enjoying the quiet. A splash in the pool caught his attention.

  Susie, the bloodhound, was swimming in a straight line from one end of the pool to the other. Liam watched, and it soon became apparent, the wacky animal was doing laps. He chuckled.

  “It’s how she exercises. Bloodhounds are notoriously lazy dogs, so this is quite unusual. Once Mom realized how much Susie loves the water, she trained her to do laps. Two or three times a day, the dog ends up in the pool. She likes it best to have someone with her. Then she really performs.”

  “This is eye-opening. I’ve always thought people had to walk or run their dogs to give them exercise.”

  “Susie suffers through walks three times a week with a dog walker, who I’m happy to say isn’t due for two days.”

  His quizzical frown must have registered, because before he could even form the question, she answered. “I’m the dog walker.”

  Chapter Seven

  The words didn’t register at first. The quiet had lulled her while she let the pulsating heat and heavenly water work its magic. Even having to share the tub with Liam stopped bothering her once she understood he wasn’t going to try chatting her up.

  Then it hit her. For the first time since the accident, Sadie recognized what a pickle she was in. She realized she had a lot of phone calls to make and some explaining to do if she couldn’t carry on with her regular routine. Wait, she thought, I can still lead the yoga classes, just have to hold off on the extreme moves for a while.

  Walking the dogs, well, that was another matter. Every afternoon during the week, she had six dogs on each of her three runs to exercise.

  The first batch, the smallest group, she picked up at the local SPCA, and that wasn’t a problem because she could take them to the nearby yard and let them run or, if she wasn’t available, there were other volunteers to take over.

  It was the hoity-toitys’ pets that required more of her time and stamina. Eight frisky dogs whose rich owners paid her top dollar to be responsible for their daily workout. To pick them up in her van, get them to the park, walk and run the scheduled two miles and deliver them all back home in an hour and a half required vigilant clock watching and a whole lot of patience.

  Those animals weren’t your run-of-the-mill, happy-go-lucky, glad-to-see-you kind of dogs. Many expected to be carried. Others pulled and tugged on their leashes, stubbornly trying to wield control. Still others, the shit disturbers Sadie called them, purposely ran back and forth getting the leads twisted, acting ornery, growling, biting at each other until separated.

  But over time Sadie knew she’d worked wonders. Most of them had settled into their routines and even looked happy to see her now, rather than running to hide or flatly refusing to move.

  Now what’ll I do? It had taken her many months of hard work to get to this comfortable zone. It could all be undone in a matter of days with the wrong person to replace her. If she only had to walk, it might be doable, but the way she felt right now, managing and controlling those dogs would be impossible. Alone, anyway.

  “Something’s bothering you. I can see by the changing expressions on your face.” Liam’s soft voice interrupted her worrying.

  “No. Nothing’s wrong.”

  “Hell it’s not.”

  Sadie decided, since he asked, she’d hit him with truth. “Here’s the thing. I can’t be laid up right now. I need to work…” She stopped talking when he frowned.

  “Don’t ask if you don’t want to know.” Sarcasm ripped through the words.

  “Hey, settle down, Miss Doomsday. I’ll be happy to reimburse your wages during this time—”

  “I don’t need or want your money, Hotshot.” She lowered her voice once she heard herself yelling. “I need someone reliable to replace me for the days I can’t do the job.” Sarcastically she added, never expecting he might agree, “So if you want to walk my canines, you might be of some help. Otherwise…” She didn’t say the words, but the smirk she glared at him was more than adequate to let him know her thoughts.

  “I’ll do it.” The plus side was that he hadn’t hesitated. The minus was that he’d offered, and she was tempted.

  “Give me a break. I’m serious.”

  “So am I. Look, I might not have a great reputation as a driver, but I assure you, not only can I walk, I’ve been doing it with no problems to speak of since I was a year old.”

  Sadie’s stomach somersaulted. Warnings went off in her head like church bells ringing in the New Year. That man’s smile is lethal, she thought. How can I spend the next few days near this charmer—yet how can I not? On the weekends, she’d have had all kinds of help. But during the week, it would be nigh on impossible to find someone with two days open.

  “What about your own work? How can you take the time off?”

  “I’m between posts right now. I’ve finished my stint in Iraq, and not sure if I want to sign up for another placement. Still have a few weeks to think on it. So, I’m free and all yours.”

  Not even tempted, you cheeky bugger! The thought popped into Sadie’s head and wouldn’t be dismissed.

  “If you don’t want him, can I have him?” Her sister Dora arrived just then. Her voice actually whined with desire. “Pretty please?”

  “Settle down, Sis. He’s not mine to give. But I can introduce you. Liam, this tease is my oldest sister Dora.” Sadie pointed to a large-sized girl who now had her pretty face propped up on her hands as she leaned against the side of the tub, eating up the gorgeous male with her hot gaze. “This is Liam. As long as you never get near his car, he’s probably harmless.”

  Liam shot her a sly grin, and without intending to, she returned it. Don’t go there, girl! He’s too much man for you. There’s that warning voice again. That’s all she needed—to start hearing things.

  Dora looked wickedly curious. “So what did he do to you in his car?”

  Realizing how her sentence had sounded to her sister, she tried to back up, but it was too late. Now she understood the naughty grin. How the hell did she get herself into these fixes?

  Liam cut in before she could answer. “I accidentally hit her with it.”

  Dora jokingly backed away and held up both hands. “He’s all yours, Sadie. I like ‘em rough, but that’s a wee bit mean, even for me.”

  Just then Bea and another female wandered up to stand beside Dora. The three women were all the same size; the two were younger replicas of their mother.

  Sadie often wondered if she was actually related to the other three females in her family. Every one of them was large, happy-go-lucky, and beautiful in her self-confidence. Whereas all Sadie’s life, she’d hated being chubby and, from the moment she’d left home, had worked hard to be the size she’d always dreamed of being.

  She’d planned her meals around a sensible eating plan. And exercise not only became her way of life, it became the means for her to make a living.

  “Liam,” said Bea, pointing at the giantess beside her. “This is Sadie’s sister Maggie, our brilliant financier who manages the family business.”

  Sadie saw him look somewhat bemused by the three strikingly attractive, full-bodied women who surrounded his side of the tub. She knew what a force her family was and how overwhelmed they made one feel by their dramatic presence. Heck, when the Bertolli females actively worked at being overpowering, awesome didn’t even come close to describing their compelling attraction.

  Liam, looking a bit stunned, whispered to her in a voice everyone heard. “I think I need to get in touch with my feminine side.”

  The boisterous laughter fueled by his remark made Sadie flinch. Too loud, too rough, too happy… just too much. Secretly, her family had mortified Sadie for as long as she could remember, and hiding her feelings from them had become a daily Oscar-winning performance.

  Her friend Greta, after one wine-drinking, soul-sharing night of confessions, came to a conclusion that made the most sense. As much as Sadie love
d them, they embarrassed her. To compensate, she gave in to them every time—except for once. She’d moved out and saved her soul.

  Maggie’s smile faded first, and then she leveled him with the old gimlet-eye Maggie-stare that had most people, men even more so, slinking for cover.

  Sadie watched as Liam not only returned the look but had the audacity to wink. Oh-oh! Sadie thought. My friend—you’re a goner.

  Except that Maggie surprised her by winking back and saying. “Wanna join us for a barbecue, Gorgeous? I can promise such good food, you’ll think you’d died and gone to Iron Chef Heaven.”

  Sadie secretly appreciated that Liam first glanced her way, eyebrow raised, silently asking for permission before accepting. Pretty classy for such a speed demon.

  Not wanting to seem too eager for his company, because she wasn’t—really—she shrugged her best “who cares,” turned away, then listened while holding her breath.

  “Might not be a good idea, honey. Sadie is pretty annoyed with me, and with good cause. I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.” With the water sluicing his muscular frame as he rose, he sloshed over to her and knelt closer. “I’m a hungry guy and the smells coming from the house have been driving me nuts, but say the word and I’ll leave.”

  Dora and Maggie’s audible unison sighs let her know where their preferences lay. And the fact that Bea hadn’t yet overridden her even having a choice was perplexing. Given authority in a group who usually never acknowledged that she had a vote, made her feel stunned. This power could be addictive.

  She looked from one to the other and old habits kicked in. “Sure. Stay if you want to.” Then she topped off her capitulation with a big fat lie. “Makes no difference to me.”

  Chapter Eight

  Bea overrode Sadie. “You need to take Liam up on his offer and stop being so bullheaded. Do you have someone else you can hire to walk the dogs at such short notice?”

  Dora cut in. “Sadie, you know those folks expect to get their money’s worth when they pay top dollar for a service. You’ve taken on the responsibility of looking after their animals, and they’ll assume that either you’ll do the job or you’ll have help. I work with them every day, and I know how they think.”

  Liam looked around the food-laden table. The wonderful smell of barbecued ribs was only exceeded by the taste. Corn on the cob, baked potatoes, sweet-and-sour meatballs, salads, and homemade buns had been piled on his plate with never a thought of asking him his preference—which, by the way, wasn’t a problem. Best meal he’d had in ages.

  Listening to the women conversing, he relaxed and decided he didn’t need to be his own advocate when he had Sadie’s family. Whether or not he should have offered, he didn’t really know, especially since he’d clearly heard the shouted “Hang on!” in his head. All he did know was that her dilemma was his fault and, truth to tell, the longer he could put off dealing with his own shit the happier he’d be.

  Once he zoomed back into the heated argument surrounding him, he could see that Sadie had lost the battle. Poor little doll looked whipped, and his conscience kicked in big time.

  “If Sadie would rather work with someone else, that’s not a problem.” He smiled at her to let her see his sincerity. And he liked that she smiled back, a small tug at her pretty lips with their curled-up edges, but nevertheless a smile.

  Bea spoke before the others could. “She has no one else. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but our family own a business called ‘Angels’ and we do home care for the infirm, the elderly, and the rich who can afford to have someone come to their homes and look after them. We employ a number of women who like to look after folks—retired nurses, caregivers, and so on. But early in the program we realized that many of these people had animals they cared about, especially dogs that needed to be exercised every day.

  “Sadie thought up a program where she was in charge of this part of the business. And it’s worked out very well. We’re all happy with her role both as the dogwalker and the fitness trainer. She also does yoga with many of the clients. But this keeps her very busy, and we’ve been telling her for some time to slow down. Except as you might have noticed, she’s as stubborn as her jackass mule-headed father, God bless his soul and keep him smiling.”

  Mama Bertolli tickled his funny bone. He smiled, and then a mushy feeling exploded when she returned it so sweetly. The thought he’d had returned, and he said, “Couldn’t the dogs miss a couple of days? It is an emergency. It’s not like she’s at fault for the accident.”

  “It’s a business, Liam. They would expect us to be prepared. I’ve been after Sadie for some time to take on a partner to train with the animals. We’re talking spoilt canines that many of these people treat like precious babies. They have idiosyncrasies that need to be understood.”

  “The dogs or the owners?” Liam grinned at the thought.

  Bea’s face stayed serious even if her eyes twinkled. “Both. And Sadie has their number.”

  “The dogs or the owners?” He couldn’t help himself.

  “Both.” This time she did laugh.

  Dora piped in as if she’d stayed quiet long enough. “Sadie, take Liam up on his offer. He’s a big guy and those mutts won’t scare him. You know you need someone who can take control.”

  Liam raised his eyebrow at Sadie, wondering what the hell he’d gotten himself into. This time her grin evoked pure mischief.

  Chapter Nine

  Later that day, Liam drove through his familiar childhood neighborhood where he’d ridden his first bike—his father running behind him holding on to the seat. He’d forgotten that memory until his phantom friend all of a sudden appeared as his passenger and mentioned it.

  “How did you know?” Liam was shocked. He pulled over to the curb a few houses before his own and parked the convertible.

  Johnny, Liam’s nickname for the ghost dude, gave him the “what-are-you-stupid?” look, and he felt his bile rising. Man, he wished a guy could punch out an angel.

  Ignoring his celestial stalker, he turned away to watch as his old man, hunched over a little more with age, raked the leaves, and another vision blasted from his memory banks. Him and his dad making a big pile, and then him running and leaping, leaves flying in every direction, his father doubled over with laughter.

  Unfortunately, his thoughts didn’t stop there. He remembered his mother at the window flaying them both, especially her husband—cutting him down, the words vitriolic and hurtful—the old man taking it, saying nothing. Sorrowfully reaching to help him out of the mess, his dad got back to work, head lowered and peace restored.

  Anger seized and tightened his gut to where he had difficulty breathing. He remembered that it had always been that way; his mom berating her husband, and the man allowing her to cut him up in little pieces. Liam had hated it, and as he’d gotten older, he’d begun to hate his father for allowing his wife such wicked control. Sick inside from remembering, he started the car and peeled away, tires squealing.

  Once past the old place, he checked the rearview mirror and watched his father stop what he was doing and examine the passing vehicle. In seconds, Liam saw his shoulders stoop worse than ever, a riveting visual of misery and despondency.

  “You couldn’t cut him some slack, hey? Had to make sure he saw you, dig the knife in a little deeper?” The angel sounded sad.

  “What’s it to you?” Liam had to grate his teeth to stop the sob that almost escaped. He crunched his lips together so they wouldn’t wobble; he was that close to losing it. What the hell was wrong with him? Ever since that last patrol, he’d felt vulnerable and weak. As a man who’d never let himself be anything but strong and cocky, he didn’t have a clue how to handle this bullshit.

  After the last horrific battle, he’d gone through intense debriefing, but it hadn’t worked for him, not this time. Maybe if he’d stayed longer, he’d have dealt with the psychological stress, but his time had run out. He’d been sent home with a Distinguished Service Cross in one hand an
d his broken spirit in the other.

  Now he had two choices for his future. Take on a new career. Or sign up again. With his unique capabilities as an elite member of Special Forces, he had his choice of missions both here and overseas.

  “Aye there, you don’t have to make up your mind just yet, you know. You have time.” The British accent soothed, stroking his anxiety to where it magically disappeared. It felt great.

  “Thanks, dude. I don’t know what you did, but you can do it anytime.”

  “You’re welcome. Where are we off to now?” Johnny settled in, seatbelt tightly in place.

  “Well, I don’t know where you’re going. Off to a cloud to catch some shuteye, maybe? But me, I’m going to check on a little boy.” Liam headed in the direction where the Ruiz family lived. He turned on the radio and let the music soothe. As he pulled up to a corner, he looked in a grocery store’s large window and, with the sun at the perfect angle, saw his car and himself, but the passenger seat was unsurprisingly empty. Gave him goose bumps, since the pirate sprawled in full sight.

  Once he arrived, he slowed down perceptibly, having learnt his lesson. The street was clear, and there was a place to park in front of the house with the rundown façade. He stooped to get out of the car, since he’d put up the convertible top, and hesitated, then turned in the direction of the fellow who rested in the passenger seat. Liam’s one arm held open the door while the other leaned against the frame. “You coming?”

  “For the time being, I’m comfy here. Don’t hurry.”

  “You’re going to trust me alone?”

  “You’ll do splendidly, I have no doubt.”

  Liam slammed the door and walked away muttering. “Sure! I can’t get rid of him when he isn’t wanted, and now when I could use some backup, he’s too comfy to move. Bast…!” He cut himself off before finishing the word. “Guess I can’t even call him names.”

  As he approached the stairs, he heard crying, and the sound of it made him take the steps two at a time. He knocked and then noticed the door hadn’t been closed all the way. He stepped into the room.