###
The gallon of chocolate ice cream she’d consoled herself with roiled in her stomach as Risa stood at the admitting desk in the lobby of the clinic. She fought back tears, realizing this was one of the last days she’d be working there.
Behind her, she heard the door swing open. Her brow furrowed when she heard the familiar voice.
“Can you help us?”
Risa turned. Her eyes grew wide at what she saw. Her body tensed and anger threatened to bubble over when she recognized the owner of the voice. Connor Dunn. How dare he show his face in here!
But then she noticed he was holding Picasso in his arms, his muscles bulging under the weight of the big dog. Her mouth went dry when she saw the blood. Picasso had been hurt!
Her instincts to help the dog took over. Rushing to them, she pushed down the anger she felt for Connor.
“What happened?”
“He was hit by a car.” The pained look on Connor’s face made Risa’s heart clench. Just for a second.
“Let’s get him into an exam room so I can take a look.”
She led the way to the closest room. Connor followed, still holding the dog. She helped him gently put the dog on the table-no easy task, considering he weighed over one hundred pounds.
“Will he be okay?” Connor’s eyes pleaded with hers and for a moment she almost reached out to comfort him. Then she remembered how he had betrayed her, and her emotions snapped off like a steel trap.
“I don’t know. I’ll have to do some x-rays to see if there is internal bleeding. He got hit pretty bad.”
Connor shifted on his feet, rubbing his hand through his hair.
“It will be better if you wait out in the waiting room. There’s paperwork you need to fill out. Someone will let you know what I find when I’m done.” She turned her attention back to the dog.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw him hesitate at the door.
“Risa…”
She looked over at him. “Go,” she said, pointing to the door. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say.
Bailey stood at the table near Picasso’s head and let out a little whimper. Risa saw Picasso’s eyelids flutter open, and the two dogs touched noses. Bailey turned her liquid-brown eyes on Risa.
“Don’t worry, girl, your friend will be okay.”
Risa shooed the dog out of the room, then hurried to get things ready. Picasso was in bad shape, and she needed to do x-rays and get him into surgery right away. She pushed all thoughts of Connor Dunn and the acquisition out of her mind and focused solely on the dog, determined to do everything in her power to make sure the Great Dane had a full recovery-no matter what her feelings were toward his owner.
###
Connor shifted his weight in the small plastic chair. His gut churned with anxiety. He didn’t know what he’d do if he lost Picasso; the dog’s unconditional love had gotten him through a lot of tough times.
He jumped when his cell phone beeped in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the display, a sigh rushing from his lips. It was his father. Connor realized he was probably calling to update him on the Healthy-Pet buyout. It was the last thing he wanted to talk about, but if he didn’t answer, his father would probably call every ten minutes.
He snapped open the phone. “Hi, Dad.”
“Son, I think you made a big mistake.”
“What?” Connor wrinkled his brow. What was his father talking about?
“About Risa Kennedy.”
Connor ’s pulse quickened. He glanced at the door to the examining room where Risa had Picasso. Seeing Risa tonight had been like rubbing salt in his wounds. Even though the evidence that she was a manipulative liar had been right in front of him, he couldn’t deny the feelings he had for her. And he knew she couldn’t be all bad-she was a good veterinarian, good enough for him to trust with Picasso’s life.
“Dad, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“We had our meeting this morning. It turns out all those things your investigator turned up had a reasonable explanation. Risa explained everything. Boy, was she mad. I wouldn’t be surprised if she turned in her resignation.”
“A reasonable explanation?” Connor felt his throat go dry, his stomach flipping over.
“Yes. Turns out Risa was actually helping an employee as well as sponsoring an artist. You totally misjudged her, Connor. And to think Dan and I had hopes the two of you might get together.” Connor heard a sigh over the phone. “But I don’t think that’s going to happen. She was fit to be tied. Especially after we told her that we were closing down the clinic.”
Connor felt a tightening in his chest. The clinic was being closed down on his recommendation. The very same clinic he sat in right now, where he had rushed Picasso when he needed help.
He swallowed the acid that was forming in the back of his throat. Why had he been so quick to judge Risa? Sure, he’d been burnt by Francesca and would do whatever he could to avoid that again, but he knew Risa was different.
He should have given her a chance to explain. He didn’t blame her for hating him. In his effort to protect himself against being hurt, he’d been the one who had hurt her and lost a chance at something that might have turned out to be the best thing he ever had.
“Connor, are you there?”
“Sorry, Dad. I’m a bit preoccupied. I’m actually at the clinic right now with Picasso. He got hit by a car.”
Connor heard his father suck in a breath. “Oh, I’m sorry. Will he be okay?”
“I’m not sure. Risa’s working on him now.”
“Oh, well, I’d better leave you to that then.” He paused then continued. “Son, I hope you make amends with Risa. She’s an asset to our company and I don’t want to lose her over this.”
Connor clicked the phone shut, realizing that he didn’t want to lose Risa over this either. He buried his face in his hands, wondering what to do. It was pretty clear Risa didn’t want to talk to him. In fact, he was surprised she’d rushed over to help Picasso. Just goes to show she was a better person than him, putting her own personal feelings aside to help the dog.
Connor felt something warm and wet nudge his elbow. Looking down, he saw Bailey sitting beside him staring up at him. He reached down to pet her.
“I’ve been a total ass, haven’t I?” he asked the dog. Was it his imagination, or did Bailey nod her head?
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to figure out a way to make her talk to me, right?” Bailey wagged her tail and licked his hand.
Connor felt like he had been there for hours when Risa finally appeared through a door that opened from the back of the clinic.
His heart pounded as she walked toward him, a somber look on her face.
“Picasso is doing okay. His leg was broken pretty bad, but thankfully there were no internal injuries. We’re going to keep him for a couple of days to watch him, but he should recover just fine.”
Connor let out a deep breath, closing his eyes in a silent prayer. When he opened them, Risa was walking away back toward the door, Bailey at her heels.
“Risa, wait!”
She hesitated, and he was up out of his chair, closing the gap between them in a second. Grabbing her elbow, he spun her around to face him.
“I know I’ve been an idiot, but I want to thank you and to-”
Risa jerked her elbow away from him. “I don’t care to hear anything you have to say.”
Connor stood there helplessly as she spun on her heels and disappeared through the door to the back, slamming it firmly shut in his face.
Chapter Fifteen
Risa’s hand felt clammy as she reached for the door to the restaurant. Why did this guy insist on meeting with her here anyway?
Sure, she was grateful for the big donation that would help keep the clinic open for a year, but the truth was, she probably wasn’t even going to be working there. At least not if she had anything to say about it, even though her father and Tristan Dunn had been practical
ly falling over themselves trying to smooth her ruffled feathers.
Her stomach clenched as she thought about how they’d been harping on her, trying to convince her that Connor was only doing his job and trying to protect Dunn International. She could see their point, but it still stung that the whole time she’d thought she and Connor had been getting closer, he had been secretly investigating her behind her back.
Anyway, what did it matter now? As far as she knew, Connor had collected Picasso from the clinic and was long gone by now.
Risa took a deep breath and shook her head, pushing her thoughts away. That was in the past. Time to move forward.
She grasped the cool metal of the brass doorknob and swung the door open, entering into the coolness of the restaurant. Her heartbeat picked up notch as she wondered what she was getting herself into. It seemed a little unusual to meet a benefactor here. She hoped he wasn’t some weirdo stalker. More than likely he was just some rich old guy who wanted a little attention.
“Risa Kennedy?” The hostess at the station cocked her head to the side, eyebrows raised at Risa.
“Yes.”
“Follow me. The room is all setup.”
Room?
Alarm bells starting going off in Risa’s head as she followed the hostess to one of the private rooms setup for functions and meetings.
They stopped in front of a solid oak door. The hostess turned the knob, opened the door and motioned for Risa to step inside.
The room was dimly lit and Risa stepped in on shaky legs. She could see the room was filled with flowers. On the table, the sideboard, and just about every other surface. Her favorite: white roses.
A table was setup in the center with a white tablecloth under white and gold china flanked by silverware that gleamed in the candlelight. She looked over at the man standing in the shadows and a jolt of electricity surged through her. Connor Dunn.
She stood there frozen for what seemed like ages. Seeing him unleashed all kinds of emotions in her, and she was torn between throwing herself into his arms and fleeing. Fleeing won out.
“Risa, please wait.”
She didn’t know if it was the pleading tone in his voice, or if she was just following what her heart really wanted, but she stopped just short of the door.
Connor crossed the room and was standing in front of her in an instant, the heat of his body so close to hers made her feel dizzy.
“Please hear me out.” Connor’s eyes pleaded with hers. “I’ve been a total fool.”
Risa’s eyes narrowed as she wondered what, exactly, he was trying to say.
“I came to Healthy-Pet with the job of evaluating the company. In order to do a thorough job, I needed to look into everything. Especially if something seemed off or inconsistent.”
Risa nodded, thinking back to the way she’d acted that first day. She could hardly blame him for thinking something was off.
“At first, well…you did act a little strange,” Connor continued, looking down at the floor. He paused, then brought his head up, gazing directly into her eyes. “But that was before I got to know you.”
Risa was captivated by the sincerity in his blue eyes. She felt her anger at him fading.
“I wasn’t even going to read the report from the private investigator, but then Jim called about the accounting discrepancy and I started to get nervous. I figured I’d better look at the report and when I did, I thought the worst. I guess I went a little crazy. I thought you were trying to pull something funny and for that I sincerely apologize.” Connor rubbed his face with his hands. “I guess I let my past experiences get in the way of my better judgment. I didn’t want to get hurt again and I was still gun-shy from everything Francesca did to me. I acted like a jerk because I was too scared to admit to myself that I was falling in love with you.”
Risa’s heart jerked wildly in her chest. Did he say “love”?
Connor put his hands on her arms, his blue eyes studying her face intently. “Can you ever forgive me?”
Risa’s mouth went dry, her tongue stuck to the roof like she’d just eaten a cup of peanut butter. It seemed like an eternity before she finally squeaked out one word.
“Yes.”
The look of relief on Connor’s face melted Risa’s heart. “But I don’t understand,” she said. “You’re the one who donated the money for the clinic?”
Connor nodded. “After what happened with Picasso, I couldn’t stand by and let the clinic close. I was wrong to recommend we close it in the first place-it was a knee-jerk reaction to everything that was going on. So, as long as Dunn International owns Healthy-Pet, the clinic will stay open-even if I have to donate my own money to make it happen.”
Risa’s stomach flip-flopped as he reached out and traced a line on her cheek with his finger. “I’m hoping you’ll stay on and work in the clinic.”
Risa smiled. “I’d like that.”
Connor let out a heavy breath and pulled her to him. “And I also think we have some unfinished business to tend to.”
He gave her a look that started a warm tug in her lower belly. She tilted her face up, and his lips took hers in a toe-curling kiss that made her forget they were standing in a restaurant in front of a table set for lunch. When her arms found their way around his neck, the last thing on her mind was eating that lunch.
Epilogue
Risa dangled her feet from the tall stool at the breakfast bar as she sipped her beer. The smell of homemade pasta and seafood made her mouth water almost as much as watching Connor cook it did.
“I finally broke 80 at the Derryfield course,” Risa’s father announced proudly.
“Oh, that’s a par 72, isn’t it?” Tristan Dunn responded.
Risa’s eyes started to cross from the golf talk, but not before she saw Connor sneak a wink in her direction, causing her stomach to go all gooey inside.
Their fathers had become obsessed with golfing and talked about it continually, especially since the Healthy-Pet buyout had afforded Risa’s father the means to travel to different courses.
As if reading her thoughts, Dan Kennedy said, “You kids have done a great job with Healthy-Pet. Selling it was the best decision I ever made.”
“It was a smart move to put Connor in charge of the division. I’ve never seen him happier,” Tristan said. The knowing look he gave Risa caused her cheeks to burn.
“I agree wholeheartedly,” Connor said, coming over to Risa and putting his arm around her shoulders. “It allows me to spend all my time in Gardner’s Grove with my favorite people.”
“And I get to focus on the clinic, which is all I really wanted to do anyway,” Risa added.
“Thanks to Dana, we have a few new product lines coming out and we’ve expanded the clinic operations. This year should be a record year for us.” Connor moved back behind the counter and grabbed two large bowls of food, then brought them over to the kitchen table.
“Okay, well soups on. Let’s eat!”
Risa moved to the table and took her place among the three men. Her father raised his glass. “To acquisitions and new friends. Who knows where they may lead!”
Risa clinked with her father, Tristan, and Connor. She felt happier than she had in years. Her job was so much better now that she’d handed over the reins of the company to Connor. Her father was happier than she’d seen him in years and Tristan was becoming one of her favorite people.
Connor slid his hand over hers, and she smiled at him, her heart skipping a beat.
Who knows where it may lead, indeed?
###
Picasso and Bailey sat underneath the kitchen table keeping their eyes peeled for falling crumbs.
“I do believe it’s your turn,” Bailey signaled to Picasso when a chunk of roll fell from Risa’s hand to the floor. Like most dogs, Picasso and Bailey used telepathic communication to get their points across, so they didn’t actually need to speak (or bark, as the case may be).
Picasso craned his neck, sticking his long tongue out to
scoop up the crumbs.
“Not much of a reward for what we had to go through to get these two together,” Picasso growled to Bailey, his gaze trained upward in case more crumbs fell.
“I know,” she replied. “How is your leg, by the way?”
“Not too bad.” He shifted his position sticking the leg out. It was still in a cast, and Bailey looked at it sympathetically.
“Boy, the sacrifices us dogs have to make in order to get humans to see they are made for each other,” Bailey snorted.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Picasso answered, then slid his eyes sideways toward Bailey. “Sometimes it takes a little push for some of us to see that our perfect soulmate is standing right in front of us,” he added sliding his paw lovingly on top of hers.
The End.
A Note From The Author
Thanks so much for reading my humorous, contemporary romance “Reluctant Romance”. I sure did love writing it (especially the parts about the dogs) and I hope you liked reading it. If you did, and feel inclined to leave a review over at Amazon, I really would appreciate it.
Also, if you like contemporary humorous romance, you might like my Lexy Baker cozy mystery series which has lots of baking, a hint of romance and plenty of mystery (and, yes, it also has a dog!). I have an excerpt from book 1 of the series at the end of this book
This book has been through many edits with several people and even some software programs, but since nothing is infallible (even the software programs) you might catch a spelling error or mistake and, if you do, I sure would appreciate it if you let me know - you can contact me at [email protected].
Oh, and I love to connect with my readers so please do visit me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/leighanndobbsbooks or at my website http://www.leighanndobbs.com.
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