Wild About Her Wingman

by Robin Bielman

  Fido barked.

  She pulled back, the puppy’s yap breaking their connection. “I’m keeping him.”

  “Awesome.” Darn dog for interrupting Erin’s gratitude. But then another few seconds and Troy wouldn’t have been able to stop.

  “We need to go to the pet store.” She looked over her shoulder. “He might be hungry. And he needs a collar. And a leash. And toys. A puppy needs lots of toys or he’ll start chewing up everything on the floor.”

  A puppy apparently trumped a paramedic when it came to attention at the moment.

  Troy glanced at the floor. Socks, tennis shoes, boots, and Hello Kitty—he knew this because of Amelia—slippers littered the room.

  Her head whipped back around. “Wait. Do we know if he’s a boy or a girl?” She climbed off his lap and picked Fido up so she could check out his underside. “Boy.” She snuggled him close and rubbed her nose in his short fur. “What should we name him?”

  “We?” Troy took a second before he stood. His own boy needed to settle down after the thank-you she’d just planted on him.

  “Yes,” she half whispered, and for the first time since he’d met her, she sounded almost shy. “No one has done anything this nice for me before and I want you to help me pick what we call him.”

  “Okay.”

  “Here.” She handed him the puppy. “Give him some love while I change and then we’ll go.” She bounded down the hallway without waiting for an answer.

  He put Fido on the floor and got on his hands and knees. The puppy stayed close, moving in circles around his arms before venturing farther away. Troy picked up a pink sock and slithered it like a snake on the hardwood floor. Fido tried to paw it and soon they were playing a game.

  After a few minutes, Troy sat back on his haunches. Erin stood in the kitchen entryway, her arms crossed over her chest, watching him. Their eyes locked.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  Her long, dark lashes slowly touched the tops of her cheeks in silent agreement. He scooped Fido up and got to his feet.

  “I didn’t even think to ask if you had somewhere to be this morning.” She grabbed her keys off the kitchen counter.

  “Nowhere that can’t wait.” He’d only planned on a long nap in his quiet, empty guesthouse.

  “How about some coffee to go? You look a little tired.”

  “Sounds great.”

  She tossed the keys back down and tipped the contents of the glass pot into a silver travel mug. “Cream and sugar, right?”

  “Right,” he said, ridiculously pleased she knew that about him.

  “Here you go. Trade ya.” She swapped Fido for the coffee. “Do you mind driving? I was too tired last night to stop at the gas station on my way home and I’m running on fumes.”

  “Sure.” They walked to the front door, the puppy in her arms.

  She shot him a cheerful, tender glance as they stepped down the walkway. He’d definitely made the right decision bringing her the puppy. He opened the passenger door to his truck and steadied her while she sat so Fido wouldn’t wiggle out of her grasp. Then he helped with her seat belt, leaning across her lap to lock the clip into place. Her breath hitched. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  “Polly’s okay with you?” she asked as he climbed into his seat and put his coffee in the cup holder.

  “Absolutely.” He hadn’t been to Polly’s Pets in forever but knew exactly where it was.

  On the drive there, Erin told him all about the first time she’d held Rover as a kitten. She’d just moved back home from college and decided to visit the animal shelter on a whim. Her parents and Teague were delighted when she’d brought him home, even though from day one he’d gotten into mischief. She shared a few stories and the happy, sexy cadence of her voice did nothing short of launch warm tremors through his veins. Home meant something to her. Family, too. And while she held tight to her independent and self-sufficient disposition, he heard signs of caution cracking.

  The small, single building with white-painted wood shingles nestled in a quiet spot along the coast highway had served Cascade for more than forty years. According to Erin, Polly still woke up with the sun every day to “talk” to the animals.

  Troy parked in front of the pet store without a problem. He hurried around the hood of the car to open the passenger door.

  “Fido,” he said.

  Erin made a face—a cross between disgust and seriously?

  “It was the first name to pop into my head when I found him and I’ve been thinking it ever since.”

  She shifted Fido so his little face was nose-to-nose with hers. “Are you a Fido?” she said in the singsongy voice adults used when they talked to babies. “Are you? I’m not so sure. I think maybe Frito, though.” She cast a questioning look at Troy.

  “I like it.” He scratched the top of the dog’s head.

  “Me, too.” Her eyes fastened on his again and Troy couldn’t help himself. He captured her mouth with a quick kiss she didn’t seem to mind at all.

  “I’ve been thinking.” A little breathless, she bit into her lower lip.

  “About?”

  She started toward the pet store, the pebbled walkway kicking up some dust. “I need to get laid.”

  His mouth filled with saliva. He choked on it when he tried to swallow.

  “You know about Scott now, and well, I haven’t been with anyone since. Not that intimately anyway. Maybe that’s how I fix this messed-up head of mine that’s kept me from wanting another boyfriend. Let loose, have a little fun, and move on from there.”

  Was she asking him to do the honors? Because he considered himself up to the task, no questions asked. In fact, her words had already stirred a little up action.

  “I was thinking that— Oh crap!”

  “What is it?” Troy jumped in front of her.

  Arms outstretched, she dangled Frito away from her body. “He just started to pee on me.”

  Troy stepped back.

  Too late. Frito got a spot on his pants. He heard Erin’s beautiful laughter before he lifted his head and caught the delight on her face.

  A second later he was laughing too.

  “I forgot puppies aren’t potty trained,” she said, shaking Frito gently before she tucked him back under her arm. “How about we hurry and grab a leash so he can start christening the grass?”

  “Great idea.” He wanted to ask her to continue with what she was thinking, but if it wasn’t him she wanted to let loose with, then he didn’t want to know. “Come on.”

  Bells chimed on the door announcing their arrival at the quaint store. Polly shouted, “Be right with you!” from somewhere near the back.

  “I think the dog stuff is on the same aisle as the cat supplies. Follow me.” Erin led him down the small main aisle, made a left, and took the second right. “Yep.”

  Glass enclosures lined the rear wall a few feet away and Polly dropped a mouse into one of them. “Don’t eat him all in one swallow,” she said with a chuckle. Wiping her hands on her denim overalls, she turned and smiled.

  “Erin Watters, you get that tush over here right now and show me what you’ve got in your hands.”

  “Hi, Polly.” Erin did as told. “This is Frito. My new puppy.”

  Polly took Frito and the little guy bombarded her wrinkled chin with kisses. “He’s a love bug, this one.”

  “I think so, too.” Erin tossed Troy a quick glance over her shoulder. Her grin hit him like the second-best thanks he’d ever gotten. The kiss she’d given him still took top honors.

  “And you.” Polly’s hawklike eyes met his. “You must be Troy. Your momma told me you were back in town. It’s been a long time but I’d recognize that handsome face nonetheless.”

  “Hey, Polly. It’s good to see you.” He took a few steps closer. “I think the last time I was in here I had to be what, twelve, thirteen?”

  “Sounds about right. After the bat incident.”

  “I’d forgotten ab
out that.” He rubbed his jawline. “Frito’s a cute dog, huh?”

  “Hold on.” Erin raised her hand, palm flat. “I want to hear about the bat incident.”

  Polly handed Frito back to Erin, brushed by Troy, and started pulling dog supplies off the shelf. “Troy had been fooling around with some friends near Wildwood Cave and one of them dared him to go in.”

  “The haunted cave?” Erin asked. Her light, soft strokes on Frito’s back were making the puppy’s eyes close.

  “It was nothing. I went in. I went out.”

  “And brought something back with you,” Polly said. “Grab me that there, would you?” She pointed to a bag of food on the top shelf. Troy pulled it down and put it on the thin brown carpet.

  “Was it a bat?” Erin asked, a little breathless.

  “Sure was. It had gotten stuck inside the hood of his sweatshirt and when he’d gotten home and tossed the sweatshirt off, the bat got loose and flew around your room, right?” She glanced at him.

  He nodded. The thing had scared the shit out of him and he’d run out of his room like a wimp. He’d gotten his act together when his sister asked what was going on.

  “Bree and I were able to trap it in a plastic bowl”—all his ingenuity—“and when our mom got home we had her drive us here so we could give it to Polly. I was worried it had broken a wing or something because it flew sort of crooked.”

  “Aww,” Erin said. Frito appeared to be completely passed out now.

  “Most boys would’ve used a BB or rubber band gun to kill it or set it free without a second thought to its survival. But not our Troy. His protective instincts and desire to help were evident even back then.”

  “Whatever happened to it?” he asked. Polly gave him too much credit. At that age he might not have wanted the thing to die, but he hadn’t given it a second thought after they’d left the store.

  “I took care of him for a couple of days and released him back into the cave.”

  Troy smiled and slid a braided rope toy off the silver bar, imagining a little tug-of-war with Frito.

  “You did a good thing.” Polly grabbed a small silver water dish.

  “Always the Boy Scout,” Erin said.

  And for the first time since he’d known her, he sensed she thought that a good thing. He’d like to come to her rescue as soon as possible. Because he wanted her. Bad. If all she wanted was a quick roll in the hay, he was her guy, given the obvious attraction between them.

  “Let’s get this stuff up to the register,” Polly said.

  “Sure.” Troy made the couple of trips back and forth while Erin and Polly chatted at the front counter. Polly had pulled a lot of supplies. He hoped Erin knew what she was getting into.

  Once he had everything set to go, Polly went through Puppy 101 with them. She recommended Erin crate Frito, and explained how that worked. Polly picked up the phone and called Dr. Carlyle, the local veterinarian. She made an appointment for Erin and Frito the next morning. Satisfied she’d imparted all her knowledge, Polly finally totaled the purchases.

  Troy pulled out his credit card. “I’ve got this.”

  “What? No.” Erin shook her head, looked down at herself, and then realized… “Crap. I left with only my keys.”

  He’d noticed. But it wouldn’t have mattered. “A guy doesn’t give a girl a puppy without all the necessary provisions. I’m happy to do this.”

  Erin sighed. Her mouth formed that tight smile he’d come to recognize as reluctant but appreciative thanks. She hated not being in charge. He inwardly smiled.

  Polly took his card and ran it through. “You two make beautiful parents,” she said, handing the card back, her eyes ping-ponging between him and Erin. “Now get that little one home.”

  A reply got stuck in Troy’s throat. Erin refused to look at him and mumbled something sounding like “thanks.” She grabbed one of their shopping bags and hurried out of the store.

  He followed, his hands full, and damn if he couldn’t get the image of a young precocious girl with brown hair like his and bright-blue eyes like hers out of his head.

  Chapter Ten

  Narrow rays of sunshine glistened off the murky horizon as Troy walked down the deserted beach toward Erin’s parents’ house. Above him seagulls squawked and gray clouds floated across patches of blue sky. The smell of brine mixed with fresh air and he inhaled. He tossed his football above his head and caught it. He hadn’t held a ball in a long time and the leather beneath his fingertips brought back happy memories.

  Up ahead, orange cones lined the sand and Erin, dressed in black leggings and a Patriots jersey, eyeballed their position. Luke playfully tugged on her hair before moving a cone over about a foot. She swatted at him and rubbed her neck.

  As if she sensed his arrival, she swung around and watched him approach. When he got close enough that the sound of the waves crashing onto shore wouldn’t overtake his greeting he said, “Hey there.”

  “Hi. You ready for some football?” She sounded like the Sunday morning NFL announcer, and he grinned.

  “Absolutely.” He tore his attention from Erin. “Luke.” He put out a hand and they shook.

  “Troy. Glad you could make it. Erin tells me you’re going to kick my ass.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  Luke laughed. “Yeah, well, watch your own.”

  He’d rather watch Erin’s but he kept that thought to himself. “Game’s on.”

  “You bet it is.” Luke pulled on Erin’s hair again. “I’ll let you guys do some strategizing. You’re going to need all the prep time you can get.” He smiled at his sister and took off.

  Despite Luke’s ribbing, he recognized adoration for Erin. Troy gave Bree crap all the time, but he’d move a mountain if she needed him to.

  “You’ve got a strategy planned, right?” Erin said.

  He toyed with the soft strands of hair at her shoulder, unable to keep his hands to himself.

  She didn’t shrug away his arm like she had her brother’s. Instead she stilled and added, “Because he’s been bragging all morning about his team and we have to beat them.”

  “We’ll beat them, Ms. Competitive.” He dropped his hand and palmed the football back and forth.

  “Don’t pretend you’re not just as eager to win as I am, mister.” She poked him in the chest.

  “Hey, all I’m saying is since we’re on the same team, we’ll be unstoppable.”

  “You sure? We’ve got Bash, but Luke’s got Shane and Hayden.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “Yeah?” Her smile just about had him tackling her. This is flag football, dude. She snaked the ball out of his hands.

  He stole the ball back. “How about I throw a few passes. See what you’ve got.” Her eyes lit with a kittenish quality.

  “Mad skills. That’s what.”

  “Go long.” He lifted his chin downwind and clapped the ball. Erin turned. She took off down the beach, zigzagging through cones before twisting and going wide, eyes on the prize.

  The ball sailed through the air like he’d thrown touchdown passes just yesterday. He chased after it, wanting to be close when Erin caught it.

  It slipped right through her fingers.

  Okay, so maybe he should’ve started with something easier. Or maybe he’d just hand off to her.

  She picked up the ball and tossed it to him. “Again.” Then she ran back down their “field,” kicking up sand as she wove around the cones.

  A second completion eluded her.

  A third.

  A fourth.

  But on the fifth try, she nabbed it. She hugged the ball to her chest, turned, and ran until she’d cleared the last two cones.

  He caught up to her and swatted her on the butt. “Nice catch, Watters.”

  She let out a breath. “That felt good.”

  “Touchdowns rank pretty high up there.”

  A heart-stopping grin spread across her face. “That’s not what I meant.” She flicked him the ball a
nd swatted his ass. “I think we’ve got time for one more.”

  One more? He’d like a million more with her. It took him a second to get in position and get the ball in the air before she raced out of range. Another catch yielded a football spike in their makeshift end zone. “We own this,” she called out and lifted her palm.

  He slapped her hand and snaked his other arm around her waist. She fell against him, her hands landing on his chest. “Just so we’re clear, Watters. As quarterback I own your ass. Got it?”

  She sucked in her bottom lip and stared at his mouth before resuming eye contact. “Win me this game and it’s yours whenever you want it.”

  Holy shit. If that wasn’t an invitation he didn’t know what was.

  “Erin!” Ben shouted as he trudged through the sand.

  “He on our team?” Troy asked, reluctantly letting her go.

  “Sure is.” She waved to Ben. “Think he’ll do?”

  “Absolutely.” The mayor’s grandson had played some college ball and while smaller and leaner than Luke, Shane, or Hayden, he’d work. Troy threw him the football. He caught it with ease.

  Following right behind Ben was the whole Watters clan, Kagan and Shane, Bash, and Charlotte. Looked like it was game time.

  Hellos and conversation followed until Mr. Watters blew the whistle around his neck and handed out the flags. Vanessa, looking quite pregnant now, and Charlotte hung back with pom-poms. Mrs. Watters—Paula—did a coin toss to see who’d get the ball first. Troy chuckled.

  Erin elbowed him. “We take this very seriously.” Much more than importance sparkled in her eyes, though. The tiny flecks of darker blue twinkled with joy. She called out “tails.” They won the toss and she gathered their group.

  “Hey, remember to keep it safe out there. No one gets hurt,” Paula shouted.

  “You know I’m always careful out here,” Erin called back, seriousness in her tone.

  His heart stuttered.

  Teague rounded out their five-person team in the huddle. He and Bash were quickly on the same wavelength and decided to play it safe for the first few plays.