Luke kept on rubbing Chance’s ears. Easier to do that than to discuss the kind of character the dog was judging. If Olivia knew the truth about Luke, about what kind of man he’d been when people needed him most, neither she nor Chance would come within ten feet of him. The golden groaned and leaned into the touch, unconditional love. The damned dog was growing on him. “I think he’s just buttering me up for another walk.”
“He loves those walks. Soon as he sees the leash, he gets all excited.”
The two of them exchanged a heated look, the memory of their moonlit walk and where it almost led charging the air. Olivia blushed and glanced away.
“Tell me you’re talking about leashing the dog, not Luke. There are certain things that are definitely TMI in my world.” Mike laid the platter of chicken in the center of the table, then took a seat beside Luke. “From what I hear, that leashing thing is all the rage in literature these days.”
Diana grinned and settled onto the bench beside Olivia. “Oh really? Is that where your reading tastes lie?”
A sexy grin slid across Mike’s face. “Any time you want to see my library, I’d be glad to show it to you.”
Diana shook her head. “Men. Always looking for sex.”
“And what exactly is wrong with that?” Mike asked. “Sex is a healthy expression of one’s body.”
Luke snorted. “Now there’s a pickup line that’s sure to win over the ladies.”
“Oh, are we talking winning over ladies?” Mike asked. He leaned across the table. “Because if so, I have a tale to tell.”
“Don’t.”
Olivia glanced at Luke, then at Mike. “What tale?”
“Don’t do it,” Luke said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll stick to the PG version for the kids.”
“I’m not a kid,” Jackson said.
“No, you’re not,” Mike said, his voice lowering into common respect, “but there are ladies here, so a gentleman keeps the story clean.”
Jackson shrugged, appeased. “I get that.”
“Did Luke ever tell you the story about the time he rescued a cat in a tree?” Mike said to Olivia.
“Nope.”
“I don’t think—”
Mike waved off Luke’s objection. “We’re up in Kodiak, waiting around for the next call. Some days are so busy, you think you’re going to turn into a human tornado; other days are so slow, you’re watching soap operas in between playing cards.”
“A closet Days of Our Lives fan?” Olivia asked Luke.
“Not me. Mike was the one who got weepy watching Days.”
“I plead the fifth.” Mike put up his hands. “Anyway, while we’re out on a regular patrol, this call comes in from this lady who docked her boat on one of the little islands off the coast. Doing some bird-watching or something like that. Anyway, her cat got loose, climbed a tree, and wouldn’t come back. Weather’s on its way, and the lady’s sister, who was along for the ride, can’t talk the woman into leaving until she’s got the cat back.”
“She brought her cat along when she went bird– watching?”
“Probably made the whole thing more interesting,” Luke said.
“Luke and I decide what the hell, we’re not doing anything, so we head on over there. It’s not far from the base, and the weather’s good. Visibility’s four miles, low clouds in the sky, but the forecasters say there’s a storm coming in fast from the east. Before we can get to the lady, the weather kicks into overdrive. Ops is on the radio, saying there’s a boater in distress a few miles away, so we abort the cat mission and the patrol to head for the Mayday call. It’s a sailboat, caught in some rough water out on the east side of Kalsin Island. Whitecaps everywhere, twenty-five-knot winds. The captain’s inexperienced—”
“And a little drunk—”
“And trying to impress these two cute brunettes who are with him by pretending he knows what he’s doing, but he’s in over his head. One of the girls was smart enough to call the Coast Guard soon as the boat started taking on water. The wind is getting vicious, the ocean is snarling, and the danger quotient goes from one to a thousand in seconds. Luke’s the PIC—pilot in command, his first day in the chair—but he’s cool as a cucumber, holding the helo steady. We lower down the swimmer and pluck all three people off the boat just before it went down. A few hairy moments at the end there because the boat started listing bad, but Luke kept calm, got us in and out fast.”
“Quit making me sound like Superman and General Schwarzkopf all rolled into one.”
“Just telling it like it happened.” Mike grinned. “But I left out the best part. Once we got the helo on deck, the two girls wanted to thank the man who saved their lives. They climbed right over the crew and up into the cockpit to give Luke-boy here a Doublemint-twin hug.”
“Damned near suffocated me. It was your job to keep them in the back.”
Mike shrugged. “What can I say? I was blinded by beauty.”
Luke scoffed.
“Oh, I forgot the best part. On the way back to base, we buzzed the island and scared the hell out of the woman’s cat, which leapt out of the tree and right into her arms. You couldn’t have written that ending if you’d been in Hollywood.”
Olivia and Diana laughed. Jackson gave Luke a look of guarded respect.
“That’s incredible,” Olivia said. “Quite impressive, too. Saving multiple lives in one swoop.”
“Just doing my job.” Luke shrugged, pretending he didn’t care that Olivia was impressed.
“But what really made Luke a legend was what happened the next day,” Mike said.
“Mike—”
Mike ignored Luke’s interruption. “The sailboat folks had a touch of hypothermia from being out in the wet and cold for so long. We took them to the hospital after we got them off that boat, and that night, the boat’s owner had a heart attack. Because he was in the hospital when it happened, they were able to save him, get him into surgery and put in a stent. If he’d been out on the water, he wouldn’t have been that lucky.”
Luke shrugged it off. “Coincidence, nothing more.”
“We started calling him Double after that. Not just for the Doublemint twins—”
Luke scowled, and shifted in his seat. He wished Mike would just shut the hell up, but both Olivia and Diana were hanging on his every word. Even the kid had his attention glued to Mike.
“But for the double save, too. Remember what Joe used to say? That Joe, had a saying for everything.” Mike shook his head and smiled. “He said you—”
The mention of Joe’s name was tinder to a simmering flame. Luke jerked to his feet. What had he been thinking, agreeing to this insane barbecue? He didn’t need people around, reminding him of what used to be and how he had screwed that all up, not just for himself, but for Joe, too. A man who’d killed his best friend was no hero, and Luke wished Mike would understand that.
“Quit telling these bullshit stories,” Luke said. “The man who did all that doesn’t exist anymore. So let him go once and for all.”
* * *
No one said a word for a good thirty seconds after Luke stalked into the house and slammed the door. Miss Sadie jumped up into Olivia’s lap, as unnerved as the humans at the table.
“I thought maybe he was getting better,” Mike said. “But I guess I was wrong.”
Olivia had seen this same wall in patients. Their anger, frustration, from the hand that fate had dealt them, made them put up a stack of emotional bricks and lash out at those who loved them.
“I asked him about what happened, but he won’t talk about it.”
“He should,” Mike said. “It’s a story I think he needs to tell. He hasn’t talked to anyone about that day, and I’m no psychiatrist, but I think just getting it out there will help him a hell of a lot.”
In Mike’s deep blue eyes, she could read concern for his friend, as well as an unbreakable bond of loyalty. Luke was lucky to have such friends. She glanced at the closed, dark house and wondered if he realized t
hat, too.
The three of them cleaned up while Jackson tossed a tennis ball with Chance and Miss Sadie in the yard. Miss Sadie, who had little interest in fetch and more interest in catch, ran after the golden, who did all the hard work of retrieving the ball. Jackson kept the distances short, which allowed Chance to trot after the ball without too much effort.
Olivia came up to Diana, the two of them loaded with dishes and condiments. They were standing by the back door, watching the boy and the dogs. From time to time, Jackson’s annoyed-with-the-world expression would flicker into a smile. “He’s a good kid,” Olivia said.
“He’s a challenge, that’s what he is.” Then a smile, much like Jackson’s, curved across Diana’s face. “But yeah, at his heart, Jackson is a good kid.”
“He loves animals. Does he work with you?”
Diana let out a laugh and turned to open the door, waving Olivia in first. “God, no. We’d probably kill each other. He’s your typical teenage boy who is going through a very long I-hate-my-mother phase.”
Olivia opened the fridge and stowed the ketchup and mustard inside. She found plastic wrap in one of the drawers and started stowing the leftovers. Mike headed down the hall to find Luke. Deep inside the house, Olivia could hear the low murmur of the television.
Diana and Olivia worked together well, dividing up the kitchen duty without a word, making something as simple as cleaning up from dinner a quick and easy task. It wouldn’t seem like a big deal to most people, but to Olivia, who had never shared anything with a sibling, the event was a giant step forward.
“Once the renovations are done, I was thinking of getting the shelter back up and running,” Olivia said. “Maybe Jackson would like to help with that. It would give him something to do, and a sense of accomplishment. There’s plenty he can help do until then, just clearing out the place and getting it ready to be fixed up.”
Diana wrapped up the chicken and tucked it in the fridge. “I think he’d like that. And it would keep him out of trouble.”
Olivia plucked a brownie from the platter and took a bite. She leaned against the counter while behind her, warm water filled the sink. “I went through a difficult phase when I was a teenager. My mom talked me into volunteering at an animal shelter, partly to keep me out of her hair and partly to teach me about caring for something other than myself. I worked there on weekends, walking the dogs, feeding the animals, all the way through high school and college, and even after I graduated and was working in a horrible retail job. I would go there, and whatever stress I was feeling from work or my marriage would disappear.”
“Is that what led you to what you do now?”
“Yep. I met a woman who did animal-assisted therapy when she came in to adopt a rescue mutt one day and she told me about how rewarding it was, not just for the patients, but for the dog and the handler, too. Then someone dropped off Miss Sadie and the rest, they say, is history. I started going to night school to get my therapist’s license, joined a group that did animal-assisted therapy so I could get licensed as a handler, and got the job here.”
“I’d love to know more about what you do,” Diana said. “Maybe someday you could come in and talk to me and my staff, and let us get to know Miss Sadie. See her in action.”
Olivia met her sister’s gaze and nodded. “I’d like that. A lot.”
Diana ran a hand over the edge of the counter and let out a long breath. “I’m sorry that I’ve been so . . . standoffish and cold. This whole thing is really difficult for me. It’s a lot to absorb all at once.”
“I feel the same way.” Olivia folded the dish towel, then folded it again. “I’ve never had a sister, so I don’t even know where to go, how to build this . . . relationship.”
“Me neither.” Diana bit her lip. “Please understand that I’m still grieving the loss of my mother, and you being here is a reminder of how much she kept from me and how little I knew her. I’m not blaming you, Olivia, but I’m saying I need time. A lot of it.” Diana gathered her purse off the counter and fished out her keys. “I better get Jackson home. Thanks for the invite.”
After Diana was gone, Olivia wiped down the counters, then pulled the drain plug. She watched the soapy water drain and wondered for the hundredth time why she had thought this process would be so easy. Just pack up and go, and it’ll all work out. Yeah, so much for that plan.
“Looks like I came in at the right time because all the hard work is done,” Mike said as he entered the kitchen. “Hey, where’s Diana?”
“She had to get Jackson home. Speaking of hard work, do you mind taking out the trash for me?”
“Is that all? What, no shelves to hang or floors to sand?” He tugged the white plastic bag out of the trash can and tied the top. “Give me a real challenge.”
“If you want a challenge, I’ve got one next door,” Olivia said. “One that would make Bob Vila drool. It’s not just the shelter that’s about ready to fall down, it’s the house too.”
“Let me take this out, then we can head over there and I’ll give you my two cents.”
“I’d appreciate that. I’m pretty much flying blind over there. All I’ve got is a Renovations for Dummies book and a big balance on my Home Depot card.” Olivia laughed. “I’m definitely in way over my head.”
“Most folks are when they take on a project house. Give me a minute and I’ll head over there with you.”
“Sure. I was going to talk to Luke before I left.” She thumbed toward the back of the house. “Unless you don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I think it’s a great idea.” Mike’s face softened. “I know Luke can come off as a total jerk sometimes, but trust me, there’s one hell of a guy under that gruff exterior.” He hefted the trash, then headed out the back door.
Olivia dried her hands on a towel, folded it and hung it on the hook, then paused by the hall mirror to fix her hair, even as she told herself she didn’t care what she looked like, that she wasn’t interested in Luke. Except she was, in complicated ways that scared the hell out of her. She’d wanted him for just a one-night stand, a quick, hot tryst with the hot neighbor, but the more she got to know him, the more she cared—
And that created the tangled web she’d intended to avoid. Hadn’t she learned her lesson with her divorce? Closed-off men offered nothing but hurt in the end, and she’d had enough of that for a lifetime. For two lifetimes.
Yet she was drawn to him all the same, to the man who appeared in flashes, like peeking behind the wizard’s curtain and finding the real man hidden behind all the flash and roar. The problem? Luke had made it clear he had no intentions of letting that protective curtain fall.
She found Luke in the living room. The shades were drawn, the TV on low, the image flickering in the shadowed space. Luke sat on the sofa, elbows on his knees, fingers steepled over his face.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He straightened up, but his shoulders remained hunched.
She sat on the edge of the coffee table and faced him. “Want to talk about it?”
“No.” His sharp retort sliced the air like a razor.
She bit her lip. “Okay. Well, I’m going to go home. The food’s put away and the kitchen is cleaned up. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything before I left.” She got to her feet. Luke reached out a hand and caught hers.
“Thank you.”
She shrugged. “It was nothing. Just a few dishes and—”
“I didn’t mean for cleaning up the kitchen. I meant for . . .” He shook his head and let out a breath. “Listen, I know I’ve been a jerk lately. I’m trying to act like a human, and it’s like I forgot how to do that.”
“I think we all do, once in a while.” She told herself not to care, not to get wrapped up in this man, but she could see the pain etched in every inch of him. She’d seen it enough in patients who had lost their ability to do the simplest of tasks, who were angry that fate had stolen their freedom.
The tw
o dogs had followed her into the room. Chance had lain by Luke’s feet, while Miss Sadie stayed close to Olivia. Chance raised his head and pressed his cheek against Luke’s calf. Luke reached down and rubbed the dog’s ears. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face.
She thought of all those angry patients whose mood lifted when Miss Sadie walked into the room. Who found something as simple as giving a dog a biscuit a rewarding experience. The dog loved them, just because, and they returned the emotion. Even in the few weeks she had been working at Golden Years, she had seen so many patients make remarkable progress, simply because they wanted to connect with the dog. Miss Sadie’s presence, her willing and eager face, and her friendly acceptance of all, regardless of their abilities or age, encouraged people to walk a few steps farther, to toss the ball a few more times, just to receive a furry hug or damp kiss in return. The dog worked miracles.
Maybe another dog, one who had a little experience with hurt and pain, could do the same for Luke.
“You know, I don’t have time to take care of Chance properly,” she said, keeping her tone casual. “Maybe I should bring him to Diana’s practice. See if someone wants to adopt him.”
Luke didn’t say anything for a long moment. He scratched the dog’s ear and Chance returned the favor by slapping the couch with his tail and pressing harder against Luke’s leg. “I could watch him for a few days. Give you some time to find him a home or something.”
“That would be great,” Olivia said. “I can send some food and bowls back with Mike tonight.”
On the television, some inane commercial with dancing French fries filled the screen. Tinny music blurted from the speakers. Luke hit mute, then turned to Olivia. “Send it back with Mike?”
“Yeah, he’s coming over to my house for a little bit. Give me an opinion on the remodel. He really knows his stuff.”
Luke scoffed. “He also knows a pretty woman when he sees one.”
She cocked her head and studied him, but his expression betrayed nothing. Maybe Luke should have been a professional poker player. “Are you jealous? Because I assure you, there is nothing going on between Mike and me. And even if there were, it wouldn’t be any of your business.”
The Sweetheart Bargain (A Sweetheart Sisters Novel) Page 19