Reluctant Romance

by Dobbs, Leighann

  Which brought him to the question that was keeping him up at night. If Dunn International bought Healthy-Pet, would he be forced to fire Risa Kennedy?

  Chapter Eight

  Risa smiled to herself when she noticed the dirt parking lot at the dog park was nearly empty. She liked it best when no one else was there.

  She parked at the south end of the lot, near the trail, and slid out of the car. The heat of the late summer afternoon wrapped around her like a blanket, a sharp contrast to the air conditioning she’d been blasting inside the car. She mentally congratulated herself for being smart enough to change into shorts and a tank top before leaving work.

  Even though she had a built-in fur coat, Bailey never seemed to mind the heat and squirmed her way out of the back before Risa could even flip the seat up.

  “What do you say we walk the trail first, then I’ll let you run around in the field?”

  Bailey wagged her whole body in response. Risa picked up the leash, heading in the direction of the woods.

  The trail ran through a section of tall pine trees, which kept it shady and a few degrees cooler than the open fields. The fallen pine needles and other leaves cushioned the path. Risa walked at a quick pace, Bailey trotting along contentedly at her side.

  Late afternoon was Risa’s favorite time of day. She loved the way the sun filtered through the trees, the chirping of the birds as they finished their daily business before nightfall, and the scurrying sounds of squirrels and chipmunks on the forest floor always made her feel like she was in a fairy-tale land far away from her real-life problems.

  She found herself relaxing as she walked the path. It was a big loop that started at one side of the parking lot and ended at the other. When she came out the other side, she’d take Bailey across the lot and let her have free rein to run in the fields. On the trails, though, a leash was required.

  Risa was so engrossed in nature that she barely paid attention when Bailey started acting antsy. One minute the dog was walking calmly beside her, the next she was tugging on the leash trying to run ahead. Before Risa had time to react, the leash snapped out of her hand and Bailey took off, disappearing around a bend in the trail.

  “Bailey, come back!” Risa felt her heart hammer in her chest as she sprinted to try to catch up with the dog.

  The trees were thick on this part of the path and Risa couldn’t see around the sharp corner. She came careening around it at full speed, almost tripping over Bailey, who was stopped in the middle of the path playing with another dog. At the last minute, Risa shifted left and barreled headlong into the last person she expected to see there.

  “Connor?” She looked at him in wide-eyed incredulity.

  “Risa?”

  She gazed up into Connor’s sapphire-blue eyes. He had put his hand on her arm to steady her when she had plowed into him. Risa noticed it was still there. Alarm bells started going off in her head when she realized it didn’t feel all that unpleasant either.

  She looked down, clearing her throat, and Connor released her.

  “You have a dog?” she asked him.

  Connor nodded. Risa noticed that the sheepish look on his face made him boyishly appealing. She took a step back, away from him.

  Risa looked down at the dogs who were enjoying each other’s company like old pals.

  “Your dog sure is a beauty.” She reached out her hand to the Great Dane, who was so tall that she could pat his head without having to bend over.

  “Thanks. His name is Picasso." Connor beamed like a proud parent.

  “Picasso?” Risa’s brow furrowed. “Like the artist?”

  “Yes, exactly. I have an affinity for art.”

  Risa looked back up, studying Connor’s face, almost as startled to discover they shared an interest in art as she was to discover he had a dog.

  “This is a nice dog park you guys have here. I just stumbled across it while I was driving by.” Connor spread his hands wide.

  “It is. I take Bailey here all the time. There’s a ton of trails to walk on and a field on the other side of the parking lot where you can let the dogs run off the leash." Risa pointed back toward the way Connor had come.

  “There is? Picasso would love that. He’s been cooped up in the Residence Inn since we got to town.”

  “Well, I was just headed there with Bailey…we could go together. Looks like the two of them would love to run around with each other.” Risa regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. She was still mad at the way he’d canceled their meeting and she certainly didn’t want to spend any more time with him than she had to. So why had she invited them to tag along? Risa looked down at the two dogs and decided it was for Bailey’s sake. Bailey rarely got a chance to play with other dogs.

  “That would be great.” Connor’s dimple-chinned smile made Risa’s heart stutter. Must be indigestion, she thought and quickly turned away, pointing down the path.

  “Okay, it’s this way." She tugged on Baileys leash and headed down the path.

  Connor walked on the other side of the path, and Picasso and Bailey trotted along next to each other in between them.

  “How long have you had Picasso?” Risa asked.

  “Going on four years now. I got him when he was a puppy. I know I shouldn’t have such a big dog in the city, but I found him cowering under a dumpster and when no one claimed him, I’d already been smitten and couldn’t give him up."

  Glancing sideways at him, Risa noticed the adoring look he gave to the big dog. She felt her heart melting a little toward him. Someone who loved their dog as much as he obviously did, couldn’t be that bad, could they?

  “I know big dogs need a lot of room and I do travel a lot, but I plan to remedy all that and give Picasso a proper home very soon,” Connor added.

  Risa raised an eyebrow, wondering what he meant by “proper home” but didn’t ask. Instead she reached into her pocket and pulled out a rubber band. The heat was getting to her, and her mass of curly hair was like a wool hat on her head. She slipped the loop of Bailey’s leash onto her wrist and bunched her hair into a ponytail, piling it on top of her head and securing it with the rubber band. The cool air on her neck was a welcome reprieve in the sweltering heat.

  “How long have you had Bailey?” Connor asked.

  “Five years. I got her as a pup too. Someone left her on the door-step of my veterinary practice and I fell in love with her right away." Risa felt her heart clench remembering finding the scared little puppy swaddled in blankets inside a cardboard box.

  Looking over at Connor she noticed how different he seemed from what she’d read in the papers. Sure, he was confident but not arrogant. Just a regular guy. Even his clothing was nothing extraordinary. Khaki-colored knee-length cargo shorts and a simple moss green T-shirt.

  She noticed the humidity was causing the T-shirt to stick to him just a bit revealing a well-developed chest. Glancing at his biceps, she noted they were muscular but not too muscular. In fact, they were just perfect.

  Fanning herself, Risa did a mental head-shake, remembering the reason Connor was in Gardner’s Grove. The acquisition. Risa felt a hopeful flutter in her belly as she realized this chance meeting at the dog park offered her the perfect opportunity to put in a good word for the clinic.

  “Picasso and Bailey were lucky they found owners who can afford them the best care. Not everyone can, but their pets are still just as deserving." Risa slid her eyes sideways to see his reaction.

  Connor slowed the pace, a frown creasing his brow. “That’s true. I never thought much about it. I guess I just thought that if you couldn’t afford the expense of a dog, then you shouldn’t have one.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean, but sometimes unexpected expenses crop up like major operations or people lose their jobs.”

  Connor looked over at Risa. “Gosh, I never thought of that.”

  “Yeah, imagine how crushed you’d be if you suddenly didn’t have any money and Picasso needed a life-saving oper
ation. What would you do?”

  A look of alarm crossed Connor’s face. He looked over at Picasso, then back at Risa.

  “That’s what the clinic at Healthy-Pet offers, Connor. People who can’t afford to save their pet can come to us and we’ll do it at a lower cost. Sometimes no cost, depending on the situation. Think of how grateful you’d be to a company that saved your pet.”

  Connor nodded.

  “And those grateful customers sure are good for company PR,” Risa added.

  Connor rubbed his chin with his thumb. “You do have a point there. I hadn’t thought about the collateral benefits of the clinic.”

  Risa raised her eyebrows at him. “Maybe next time you come to the office, we can go take another look at the clinic. Perhaps meet some of the customers and see for yourself.”

  “Okay, you’ve got yourself a deal.” Connor smiled his boyish grin at her.

  The path dumped them out into the parking lot, and Risa started toward the open field at the north end of the lot. Once in the grassy area, she walked over to a granite bench situated under the shade of a big oak tree.

  “Here it is.” She spread her arms, indicating the field. Bailey squirmed at her side and she bent to release the leash. “There you go, have a good time.”

  Bailey was off like a shot before Risa had the words out of her mouth. Connor followed her lead and unhooked Picasso, who took off after Bailey.

  Risa sat down on the bench, laughing at the two dogs’ antics as they raced each other across the field.

  “I think Picasso has a new friend,” she said, motioning for Connor to sit on the bench.

  He sat next to her. Not close enough to be touching her, but she could feel the heat radiating from his body, and it caused her heartbeat to speed up a few notches.

  “That’s good. He doesn’t get to hang around much with other dogs at home.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes watching the dogs tear around the field and then turn to run full speed back in their direction.

  The dogs reached them in a bundle of tail-wagging energy. Risa and Connor matched their enthusiasm by rubbing their ears and petting their backs. Risa pulled her head back and laughed as Picasso tried to lick her face with his large, sloppy tongue.

  “Yech,” she said, wiping at her face.

  Connor looked up from rubbing Bailey’s belly and laughed with her.

  With shock Risa realized she felt completely at ease with Connor and was actually having fun.

  “Oh, I almost forgot. I brought his favorite toy." Connor stood up and pulled a green tennis ball out of the leg pocket of his cargo shorts.

  At the sight of it Picasso started jumping around, glancing out to the field then back at Connor. Connor threw the ball quite a distance into the field, and the dogs took off after it.

  He sat back down. His knee brushed against hers for a split second, causing a flurry of tingles to run up Risa’s spine. She kept her eyes on the dogs, afraid of what she might see if she looked over at Connor.

  “Look, they’re throwing the ball to each other!" In his excitement, Connor put his hand on Risa’s arm. Another tingly jolt shot through her. She couldn’t help but laugh with him though; the dogs did seem to be throwing the ball to each other, one tossing it up in the air and then both of them fighting to catch it.

  A few seconds later, Risa realized his hand was still on her arm. She turned toward him. His deep-blue eyes were looking directly into hers. Butterflies fluttered uncomfortably in her stomach. Her eyes narrowed, brows dipping toward each other in a slight question.

  She unconsciously held her breath, afraid of what she was feeling and wondering if he was feeling the same thing.

  ###

  Connor looked at Risa, momentarily mesmerized by the flecks of gold, green, and brown that danced in her eyes. He’d never seen eyes so beautiful. With her hair pulled back she looked so young, like when they were kids-when he had that burning crush on her. His hand tingled with the feel of her silky skin beneath it. His own feelings echoed the questioning look in her eyes. What was happening here?

  Then he remembered the inconsistencies in her behavior: the drinking and the way she seemed to be putting up roadblocks in the evaluation process and he dropped his hand like it was pressed against a burning stove. Looking back at the dogs, he took a deep breath. Risa Kennedy was trouble with a capital “T”. He reminded himself he’d do best to keep things strictly business.

  The dogs came bounding back, saving him from having to think up something to say to fill the awkward moment.

  Connor jumped up to greet Picasso, taking the ball from his mouth and giving the dog a hug.

  Risa was still seated, her attention fixed on Bailey, whose head was in her lap as she stared adoringly at her owner.

  Picasso flopped down at Connor’s feet, and he attached the leash to his collar.

  “Had enough already, boy?” Connor asked him. He glanced over at Risa, who was putting Bailey’s leash on as well.

  “Yeah, I think Baileys had enough too. I better get going,” she said, standing up from the bench.

  They walked the short distance to the parking lot. Bailey and Picasso walked side by side like old friends, but Connor kept a friendly distance between him and Risa.

  “This is your car?” Connor said when she stopped in front of the Toyota.

  “Yep. I could probably get something fancier, but this is practical. I don’t see any sense in overspending just to impress people with my car,” she said. Connor glanced over at his own expensive SUV.

  At their feet, the dogs were giving each other a few “good-bye” sniffs. Risa opened the door and ushered Bailey in the back. Sliding into the driver’s seat, she looked back out through the open door at Connor, her hand on the door rest, ready to pull it closed.

  “Well, it was nice seeing you here. I know Bailey liked the company…" She let her voice trail off as if she didn’t know what else to say.

  “Yes, same here.” Connor cleared his throat. “Umm… I guess I’ll be back into the office first thing on Monday?” He framed the statement as a question.

  Risa’s eyebrows went up. “Okay, yes. That will work for me. Would you like to see the clinic again then?”

  His heart clenched at the innocent, hopeful look in her eyes.

  “Yes, let’s plan on that.” Connor was rewarded with a smile from Risa, who held his gaze as she closed the car door. He watched her through the window as she cranked the engine to life, then blasted the air-conditioning, aiming the vents at her face, -the breeze from the air blowing back the wisps that had escaped her pony-tail.

  He stepped back from the side of the car as she put it in gear and backed out. Giving a little wave, she put the car into drive and headed out of the parking lot.

  Connor and Picasso stared after the car. The back window framed Bailey’s face as she looked back at them. Connor almost expected the dogs to lift their paws and wave good-bye to each other.

  Connor watched the dust settle as Risa’s brake lights disappeared down the road. His mind whirled in confusion. Risa had seemed nice; he had actually enjoyed being with her. But the down-to-earth girl she was today didn’t fit with the image of the devious corporate manipulator who was trying to hide something from him that he had been forming in his head.

  Maybe he had been wrong about her?

  Connor had noted that she hadn’t been drinking this afternoon. He had to admit to himself that he might have been a little hasty in judging her on that. After all, lots of people had a drink after work to wind down, himself included. If he had been wrong about that, what else had he been wrong about?

  She did seem truly dedicated to the clinic, and his research had shown she had plenty of money, so she wasn’t desperate for the money the buy out would bring. Unless there was some reason he had yet to discover. Her choice of car was curious though; with her money and status she could afford something much newer and nicer. Connor wondered if she really was frugal and practical or if t
he choice of car was an indication of money problems yet to be uncovered.

  He rubbed his forehead. Thinking about Risa was giving him a headache. He didn’t know what to make of her, but one thing was for sure: Risa Kennedy was a puzzle that he couldn’t quite figure out. The question was, did he dare even try?

  Chapter Nine

  Risa squirmed in her desk chair. Glancing at the clock, her shoulders sagged when she realized it was only 10:30. Would this day never be over?

  She didn’t know what it was - the heat, the fact it was Friday or the feeling of doom at the impending acquisition - but she just didn’t feel like working.

  Staring at her computer, she let her thoughts drift to the previous night. She had been surprised to discover that Connor was a loving dog owner. Surprised and delighted because it meant she had a chance to win him over as far as the clinic was concerned. But there was something else too. Risa didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she was attracted to him.

  “That’s ridiculous!" Her cheeks grew warm as she realized she had blurted it out loud even though she was alone in the room.

  Drawing in a deep breath, she turned her attention back to the earnings report she had been going over. Healthy-Pet had record earnings this quarter. When Connor’s accountant came back next week and found that out, it wouldn’t take long for the final decision to be made. She just hoped she had enough time to persuade Connor to see things her way before that happened.

  “Knock, knock." Risa looked up to find Dana standing in her doorway holding up two cups of coffee.

  “Come in.” Risa smiled at her friend. She swiveled her chair away from the monitor and reached out to accept one of the coffees.

  Dana perched herself on the edge of the guest chair, taking a sip from her cup. “How’s it going?”

  Risa made a face. “So-so.”

  “Did I do okay on the big tour?” Dana asked, referring to her presentation to Connor in the lab.