by Lyz Kelley
“Thad. There’s too much baggage between us.”
“Okay. Let’s have a garage sale and get rid of it all. No more baggage.”
“This isn’t something to joke about.”
He took a step closer.
She held up her hands. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Don’t remind you of what it’s like to get wet and slippery together? We’re good together, you and I.”
Her breath skipped with stolen memories of a hot summer’s day at the lake. Take that memory, minus the teenage jitters, and she had a feeling she might enjoy sex more. A lot more. Yet their relationship couldn’t go anywhere. On that fateful day, she promised herself never, ever, ever to take him back, because he didn’t love her enough to stay. Fight for her. Love her. The crippled emptiness inside her womb pushed back.
“I won’t start anything which can’t have a good outcome. I need to concentrate on my business. It’s what I love. The only thing I love. I don’t have time to do anything else.”
A stunned look crossed his face, then his expression sobered. “Tell me you don’t want me. Want this.”
“I don’t. Well, I do. But what I’m trying to tell you is that I just need a friend right now. Nothing more.”
Thad’s frustrated groan practically vibrated the kennel fence when the front door chime sounded. “You had better go get that.” He stepped back and gripped the wire fence.
“Thad, I... We still need to talk about what’s going on.”
He held up a hand. “I’m good. I just need a pack for Custer. I saw a couple of harnesses when I was here the other day. If Custer is required to carry oxygen tanks, he’ll need to get used to carrying some weight.”
Her mom’s shrill voice sent tingles crawling down her spine. “My mom’s here. Go out the back.”
“Some things never change.” His voice landed on the lighter side of menacing. “You had better jump, or are you waiting for your mom to tell you how high?” He hung his head. “I’m sorry. I…I shouldn’t have said that.” With a carefully blank face, he pushed through the back door.
You’re right. Some things never change. We’re good together, you and I. Too good.
“There you are. I heard voices. Whom were you talking to?”
“Just the dogs, Mom.”
The door behind her swung shut, and she swore Thad had started barking, mimicking Custer. That idiotic feeling of emptiness sneaked back inside. “What can I help you with? I need to finish picking up after the dogs.”
“I don’t know why you insist doing such disgusting work. You’re the business owner. The least you can do is hire someone to help do the less-than-pleasant chores.”
“I’ll think about it. Is there a reason you stopped by?”
Karen Krane smoothed the hair off her face. “I was speaking with Vivian Newhall yesterday.” Her lips pursed with pleasure. “She was telling me about this mobile fashion boutique. It’s the rage.” She ran her fingers lightly down Karly’s arm. “With my selling ability, and your common sense, we could start a business together. Sounds like fun. Don’t you think?”
Fun?
Shock kidnapped her air and held it hostage. The woman clearly had no idea. No idea she was ripping Karly’s heart out and stomping all over her dreams.
“Tell you what, Mom. Why don’t you go home and do some research? Find out how much it will cost to purchase a good used truck and commercial insurance, and the cost of merchandise, business cards, and signs. Once you have the information, we can discuss where to park the truck.”
“It would be fun to work on it together.”
“Have you discussed this with your accountant?”
“He’ll just tell me I don’t have the funds. I’m sure it’s because he likes to keep the money in the account to earn his commission.”
No, it’s because you don’t have the money to waste. “Maybe we should pass on this one. It sounds like a lot of work, and I’m busy here.”
“Okay. I wish you would work in an environment that wasn’t so…wasn’t so, so dirty.” Her mother retrieved her travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer and squirted a mound in the center of her palm, then kissed Karly on the cheek. “You still need a haircut. How about I make an appointment at my salon? I’m sure there’s an opening.”
And, drive for an hour to get there? No, thanks. “Mother.” Her frustration pushed its way out.
“No need to raise your voice, hun. I was just trying to help.” She turned, wiggled her fingers over her shoulder. “See you tomorrow night for dinner.”
Karly’s stomach rumbled, and she crossed her arms over her waist to ease the nauseated churning. Thad’s spoken words came back. We were good together, you and I.
That’s because you’re the only one who gets me.
But she couldn’t go there. Thad had always wanted a big family. He joked about raising a soccer team. After what he went through, Thad deserved to find happiness. He deserved to have a wife who could give him what he wanted—that soccer team—something she couldn’t provide.
Chapter Nine
Karly’s rejection stung. But Thad wasn’t pouting. He wasn’t. Well, maybe he was.
He’d stayed away from town for almost a week to train Custer. The progress they made astounded him. Custer’s mulishness had given way on day two, and he took to following directions. The hard work and patience paid off, and gave him something to feel good about.
Today were the dog’s preliminary trials. Thad couldn’t tell who was more nervous, him or Custer.
He stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.
Failure. A non-passing grade would be just one more failure. Hell, he’d done everything possible to ensure his father’s fists landed on him, not his mother or sister. When that hadn’t worked, he’d figured he’d intercept some flying bullets, and when that hadn’t worked, he’d volunteered to look for bombs.
Loser was the nickname his dad had given him.
His mom stuck with inconvenient.
His sister preferred pest.
The titles chiseled away at his self-worth. He’d tried once to end it all—to pull the trigger. Everyone would have been better off. But he couldn’t do it. A little voice kept telling him suicide wasn’t the answer. He figured the Army would see him to the end, yet here he stood, wondering how he still hadn’t managed to move past worthless. He smoothed back his hair, hearing his father’s voice reminding him to keep his hair off his collar.
“Custer, I think I’ll let my hair grow.” He rubbed his chin. “Maybe grow a beard.” The dog tipped his head to the side, as if trying to piece together what Thad had said. “Come on, boy.” He moved his hand to get the dog’s attention. “Let’s get your trial over with. Karly needs her money. Fetch your leash.”
On hearing Thad’s command, Custer padded to the door to retrieve his halter. “Good boy. How about being an overachiever today, and getting a passing grade on all your elements? A little girl is counting on you.”
Thad secured Custer’s halter, grabbed his wallet, several bottles of water, a gear bag, then met Custer at the truck. He lowered the tailgate. “Up.” Custer entered the oversized kennel and settled in, while Thad shut the wire door. “Good boy.”
He sucked in a slow, refreshing breath of cold, crisp mountain air, and let the early morning mist settle on his skin. The smell of pinesap mixed with the clean, fresh air. Overnight, the grass had turned silver from the moisture clinging to the blades. A mourning dove called a greeting to her nearby mate. The combination calmed the voices in his head and allowed him to function.
He backed out of his gravel drive.
Driving over the bridge into town on his way to Cuppa Joe’s, he couldn’t help but look toward Karly’s business.
That’s odd. His gut tightened.
He took his foot off the accelerator. There are lights on. Where’s Karly’s truck?
Pulling alongside the buildings, he shut off the engine and opened the door to listen. The dogs were
agitated. Something was off. From under the seat, he retrieved the plastic handgun case. Once his firearm was loaded, he moved to the side of the building.
Sweat made the grip slick.
Stay calm. Breathe.
His breathing became shallow as he made his way to the corner to peer around the building’s edge past the fence line. Too exposed. He ran to the opposite building and placed his back against the steel wall.
Time slowed, and his mind flowed back to the Helmand province, near the capital of Lashkar Gah. His unit received orders to help Afghan forces look for a band of rebels. The sounds and smells and tension.
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
Readjusting his grip on the firearm, he inched his way toward the storage area at the back of the adoption center. Agitated dogs and the pounding of his heart in his ears were the only things he could hear.
Rounding the edge of the building, he made his way to the back door.
A bitter smell drew his attention. A hand rolled cigarette butt. He crouched lower to analyze a fresh set of footprints in the soft dirt beside the door. A midsize male, one-eighty, maybe. Size nine or ten shoes.
Fury fueled his protective gene. If anything happened to Karly, he’d hunt the bastard down.
Leaving the evidence intact, he tested the steel door and pushed it open an inch at a time.
Around the counter, the storage area was nothing but a dark hole. He’d give anything for his thermal night vision goggles. He made his way through the kennel slowly, clearing each section, then the office, making a full-circle sweep.
Sounds of footsteps halted his movement. Aware of the space, he slipped behind a supply rack.
The scent of vanilla hit him before the storage lights flickered on. He removed the bullet from the chamber of his gun and stepped forward.
“Jesus, Thad. I saw your truck. How did you get in here? And, what are you doing with that gun?”
Thad gazed toward the back entrance. “The back door was open. I saw your office lights on and decided to check things out.”
Thank God you’re okay.
She stared at the back door like it dripped with blood. “I locked the door last night before I left.” Her eyes widened, and she rubbed her arms, even though the temperature inside was stable and warm.
“Did you call the sheriff?” Her voice quivered.
I was too busy making sure you were safe. “I wanted to be sure there was a need before I made the call. You or someone else could have forgotten to lock the door.” I’ll make sure it’s locked from now on.
“Neither Mara nor I would ever forget to lock the door.” Her eyes ripened into round circles, her tone stiff. She pulled her hair into a fist and started twisting. “We need to call the sheriff. He needs to know about this.”
“I’m not sure what he will be able to do.” Thad engaged the safety on his gun. “But if you call, tell him there’s evidence of a smoker who wraps marijuana in his tobacco.” Her face paled to the color of tapioca pudding. “What just happened?”
“You sure it was marijuana?” The squeaked, fearful question upped the pressure in his chest.
“Positive.” He touched her forearm to get her attention. Her eyes were dilated, although she was doing her best to keep the panic contained. “All kinds of people in the military have vices. Tobacco. Alcohol. Pot. Pills. You name it. You get to know the signs.”
Her muscles trembled beneath his hand. She crossed her arms and started to pace. “Then the sheriff will want to know.”
“Why? I didn’t see anything broken or damaged. It might be some neighborhood kids wanting to see the dogs.” The excuse sounded lame, even to him, but he’d say anything to calm her fears. “You might want to see if anything is missing first.”
“I expect nothing is missing. That’s why we have to call Joe.”
“Who’s Joe?”
“Joe Gaccione. Mara’s husband. He was elected sheriff after his brother was killed. There’s a guy who’s been stalking Mara. He smokes cigarettes laced with marijuana.”
This wasn’t good. He braced a hand on the nearest shelf. “Since when does Elkridge have stalkers?”
“Since a couple of years ago. And things have gotten weirder since.”
“What’s Gaccione been doing about it?”
“He’s made several arrests, but Mara doesn’t believe any of the drug dealers they’ve arrested are the guy who’s been following her around. She’s certain the stalker is linked to her brother-in-law’s murder.” Karly moved toward the door to study the lock. “How did he get in? We’ve been so careful. I was starting to think Mara was wrong, that Joe had arrested the stalker.”
What the hell’s going on? Elkridge has stalkers and murderers?
The hairs on his arms stood to attention. “If that door was locked, a professional picked it. There are no marks on the door or signs of forced entry.”
Her head whipped in his direction. “Oh, God. That’s not good.”
“You’re shaking. Come here.” He engulfed her in his arms, half expecting to hear her teeth chatter. He scanned the room to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. “You need to install better locks and a security alarm.”
She pushed from his arms. “Yeah, and who’ll pay for the extra security equipment? It could cost thousands.”
I would if I could.
“At a minimum, you need to get better locks. I didn’t put my life on the line for this country to have some asshole running around scaring women and killing people in my hometown. Bill Mason might have a better lock lying around. I'll talk to him. We’ll think of something.”
She ran her fingertips under her eyes. “It’s just that…”
“What, Karly?” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms slowly, to get her panicky breathing to slow. “Just because I was stupid all those years ago,” he softened his tone, “doesn’t mean you can’t depend on me, trust me to help when you need it.” He lifted her hand and brushed a kiss across her palm, then curled her fingers inward. “I told you before. I’m not going anywhere. Not again.”
“You’ve said that before.” She tilted her chin back, and he pushed a thread of hair behind her ear. Her eyes searched his. The barking had faded, and his mind quieted. Only two people existed. He leaned in. He closed the distance. He wanted her, wanted this—then she shifted and took a step back. He dropped his head.
“I need to go check on things. Make sure nothing is missing.” She pointed over her shoulder and took a couple of steps backward.
“Yep, check on things.” #RunAway.
“I’ll call Mara. Tell her we might need to cancel her class this afternoon.”
“Why? Don’t you need the income? There will be enough people here to make sure nothing happens.”
“There is that.” The caution in her voice sent up a flare. He’d love to know what was skulking around in that pretty brain of hers. Nibbling on those sexy lips might rattle something loose.
Her eyes darkened like an aged whiskey. He took a step toward her, wanting to touch, caress.
In seconds, she disappeared through the door faster than a dog wanting to play.
Guess the preliminary trials are going to wait.
He stood there a while, contemplating her reaction, before finding something to do, because there was no way in hell he would leave her alone in this place.
A half an hour later, Karly found him checking one of the dog’s paws that looked red and raw, while Custer looked on.
Custer licked and sniffed the other dog with a high-pitched whine. “He’ll be okay.” Thad patted Custer on the back.
Karly knelt and touched the pitbull’s hind leg. “I freaked out the first time I saw Barley’s feet. When he gets bored, he starts licking, and it causes skin irritation. That’s why his pads and feet are red. I need to take him for a run.” She leaned against the kennel door. “Do you think Custer is ready for his prelims?”
“He’s gotten through everything fine the past few days. It’ll be inte
resting to see if he’ll follow someone else’s commands.”
“Let’s get this done. I want to take some of the dogs for a run. I was wondering if you’d be willing to come along. I’m not feeling all that safe since there still might be a stalker out there.”
“Sounds good.”
Karly’s proposal provided relief from the turmoil boiling in his gut. He’d expected her to push him away again...or worse, ignore him, and was glad she finally reached out.
Thad let go of Barley’s paw and ran a hand down Custer’s flank. The dog danced away. “Custer’s agitated and distracted. This should be interesting.”
“Let’s start with the basics.” She leaned down to scratch under Custer’s chin. “See how he does. If we get through the list, we can mix up the testing, see how he does with the unexpected. Since we don’t know what a child will do, let’s push him to see how he’ll react. I’ll go get things set up.” Karly pushed through the back door.
Thad ran his hand down Barley’s back. “It’s okay, buddy. We’ll be back shortly to take you for a run.” The dog’s ears perked up as Thad pushed to a stand. “Ready, Custer?”
When Thad entered the back room, she had indeed prepared. She’d built an obstacle course full of things Custer wouldn’t be familiar with.
“Ready?” Karly lifted a clipboard off the wall and handed it to Thad. “I’ll run him through the checklist. You assess what he’s learned.” She put on her training apron, which she’d filled with treats and whistles and klackers.
“Look.” She got Custer’s attention with a command. “Come.”
For the next twenty minutes, Custer progressed through the checklist—leave it, drop it, sit, lie down, stay, wait…then he moved into the unknown. Jumping up on a box, going under a table, around a pylon, and through a tunnel.
Karly’s work with Custer looked effortless. Her commands and reactions were flawless. She stayed in rhythm with the animal. Each verbal and non-verbal command was timed perfectly to help the dog perform his best. The way she interacted with animals was the same way she interacted with people. She listened, a rarity in this world, and the reason he’d been in love with the woman for all but ten years of his life. He might have fallen in love with her sooner if he’d figured out she was pushing him into mud puddles because she liked him.