by Sable Hunter
While Apple was doing this, Benjen took a handkerchief from his back pocket and wrapped the cloth around his injured hand. “Do you want the dog on the table?” he asked as he led the German shepherd into the examining room.
“No. Let’s put her in a kennel until she calms down,” Apple said as she pointed farther down the hall.
“Okay, good idea.” As they moved toward the back room, Benjen could hear barking coming from an adjacent area where he saw several large cages holding various dogs and cats.
“This way, she’ll be more comfortable away from the others.” Apple led him to another area where a large wire enclosure waited. “I’ll get her some food, water, and a treat.”
Benjen opened the kennel and released the Shepherd. He’d kept a tight rein on the dog and it bothered him to see she was visibly shaking. “What’s going to happen to her?” Putting her down was something he couldn’t even imagine doing.
“She’ll go to a good home. I promise.”
Benjen watched as Apple carefully placed food and water in the cage, along with a chew bone. The shepherd cowered at the back of the cage and growled. “Be careful,” he warned her.
Apple closed the enclosure’s door and stood up. “I’ll spend some time with her and try to earn her trust.”
A chorus of little whimpers drew both of their attentions. “Puppies?” Benjen followed the Pied Piper sound.
“Yes.” Apple trailed him into a nearby storage room where she’d made the tiny dogs a bed in a child’s wading pool. “They were left on the front porch of the clinic last night. That’s why I left the pub so quickly.” Just in case he’d noticed. “I came here to find them and feed them, to keep them safe.”
Benjen bent to inspect the four wiggling black puppies. “Labs, I think.” He picked each one up. “Two boys. Two girls.”
“I can’t believe someone threw them away,” she spoke softly, her tender heart aching.
“At least they fell into your hands.” He glanced at her small, dainty hands, wondering how they’d feel on his skin. “What will you do?”
“Same as with the Shepherd. Find them a home.” Or keep them herself, if need be. As she turned to face Benjen, she caught sight of his injured hand. “You’re bleeding!”
“It’s nothing.” He looked down at the blood-stained handkerchief. “I’ll clean it up when I get home.”
“We’ll clean it now.” She took him by the arm and guided him back to the examining room, stopping when she came to a set of cabinets. “Get up on the table and I’ll take care of you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, hiding a grin. He wasn’t about to argue with any excuse that would lead to her touching him.
After gathering some antiseptic, bandages, and a healing ointment, Apple went to work. She tried to keep her mind on the task, but once she took his broad, strong hand in hers, she found herself trembling as bad as the traumatized German Shepherd. “Does it hurt?”
Benjen thought about milking the situation, but he found he couldn’t lie to her. As he reveled in her nearness and her tender touch, he closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of her light perfume. “No, not too much. The bite isn’t deep.” He held his breath as she cleaned the wound and spread on the soothing medicine. “You’re good at this. You should be a nurse.”
Apple smiled and shrugged. “I’d rather work with animals.” There were other factors in her decision, one being that she hadn’t attended college.
“You’re certainly good with them. Dr. Cleveland is lucky to have you.” This close, he could study her beautiful face. Every feature was a delicate study in sweet femininity.
“Thanks, I try.” She wrapped a bandage around his hand, then reluctantly let him go. “There, all fixed up.”
“Thank you.” He flexed his hand and made a fist. “Feels great.” As he stood to his feet, he couldn’t help but ask a question that was bothering him. “Do you think you’ll have trouble finding the dogs a home?”
Apple shook her head, glancing up at him. “I’ll take the Shepherd home with me. She won’t be the first. If I can rehome her, I will…” With a smile, she shrugged. “Unless I decide to keep her for myself. And the others?” She stopped to listen at their whimpering. “I can assure you they’ll be taken care of. I’m a soft touch.”
“I can vouch for that,” Benjen murmured as Hope began to bark. The memory of her soft hands on his would stay with him for a long time.
“I think your girl is getting impatient.” Apple stuck her head into the main office, making sure no other clients had arrived. “I appreciate your help.”
Trying to buy a little time, he nodded his head toward the back. “Could I check on the Shepherd again?”
“Sure.”
Knowing she would be going home with Apple made it different somehow. He felt a connection. Of course, he could never walk away from an animal in need. Going to the kennel, he found the dog sitting on her haunches in the far corner of the cage. When her eyes met his, he could sense her panic and confusion. “I’m sorry you’re having to go through this, girl.” When she whined, Benjen put his hand up to the wire. “What did they do to you?” As the dog moved from her spot, taking a few steps closer to him, he kept crooning soft words. “You’re going to be okay. Lucky you. You’ve fallen into the hands of a beautiful angel of mercy and she’s going to take you home with her.”
A beautiful angel of mercy? As Apple leaned on the door jamb, she placed a hand on her chest to keep her heart in place. She was totally enchanted by the handsome cowboy speaking tenderly to the frightened German Shepherd. When the dog ventured forward and licked his hand, tears came to her eyes. “I think you have an admirer.”
“She’s a pretty girl, easy to love.” As much as he appreciated the affection, there was someone else whose adoration he craved even more.
“Poor thing, I wonder what they did to her to make her so afraid?” She came closer, going to her knees next to Benjen. Slowly, she lifted her hand and placed it next to his on the cage. “Hey, beautiful. Do you want to go home with me tonight?” To her delight, the dog gave her fingers a tentative lick also. “That’s right. You have nothing to fear from me. I’ll take care of you.”
The sound of a door opening and a woof from the front brought Benjen to his feet. “I guess that’s my cue to leave.”
“Thanks for your help. It was nice to meet you.” She offered him her hand. “I look forward to seeing you again.”
He accepted her greeting, sliding his palm against hers. The contact made them both shiver. Benjen cleared his throat and smiled. “I don’t think I can wait until I need your official services. Would you consider going out with me? On a date?”
An immediate blush of color pinkened her cheeks as Apple stared at their joined hands. Emotion roiled in her breast. She almost couldn’t speak for the knot in her throat. “Oh, you don’t want to do that. I’m a mess.” She paused, letting out a couple of breaths. “Thank you for asking, though. It was very kind of you.”
Her answer both surprised and confused Benjen. “I don’t understand. I think you’re amazing. Do you belong to someone else?”
“No. I belong to no one.” The ringing of the bell on the counter caused Apple to pull away from him. “Excuse me, I have a customer.”
Benjen stood still for a moment, trying to decide what just happened. Why did she turn him down? “Oh, well. Win some, lose some.” His casual words were in direct contrast to the disappointment making his chest ache. After his inexplicable awareness of her at the pub, he’d been so sure they’d shared a connection.
When he moved into the waiting room to untie Hope, she began to bounce up and down enthusiastically. Despite the letdown over Apple’s rejection, he had to smile. No matter if he was away from the dog an hour or a day, she still greeted him with the same degree of ecstasy. “Ready to go?”
When he raised up, he saw Apple handing a woman a bottle of medicated dog shampoo. The older lady looked familiar, so he doffed his hat.
Instead of responding, she narrowed her eyes at him and leaned in to speak to Apple. She didn’t attempt to lower her voice. “You’re smart not to go out with this one. He and his brothers, they don’t know how to stay in their place.”
A wave of shame shot over Benjen like a splash of boiling water. Sometimes he forgot prejudice was alive and well…until someone reminded him.
With eyes down, he started for the door.
“What are you talking about, Ms. Potter?” Apple asked, seeing Benjen’s fallen countenance. She didn’t think her passing on his kind invitation would affect him to this degree. No, it must be the woman’s comment.
Cutting a glance toward Benjen as he opened the door to leave, she stage-whispered, “He’s a half-breed redskin. A drunken Indian.”
Anger flashed over Apple like a firestorm. “That’s horrible of you to say.” She laid down the woman’s change and took off after Benjen. She had to make triple sure he didn’t think she’d been so cruel as to turn him down over something so heartless as the color of his skin. “Benjen, wait!”
She caught up to him before he made it to his pickup.
He didn’t turn to face her. He just waited, his eyes downcast.
“Benjen.” She touched his arm. “You’ve got to know something. What that woman said was stupid. She’s a small, vicious, prejudiced idiot.” Apple didn’t care if Ms. Potter heard her or not.
Raising his head, Benjen’s gaze found hers. “So, my being Apache isn’t why you turned me down?”
She shook her head. “Of course not. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s not you, it’s me.” When he rolled his eyes, she plunged on with her explanation. “No, really. I just came out of a…relationship. Honestly, I’m just not ready to date anyone right now.” When she felt the muscles of his forearm tense beneath her fingers, she caressed his warm skin with a soft touch. “I would like for us to be friends.”
“Friends?” Benjen couldn’t help but sneer at the thought. Friendship wasn’t what he’d been after with this woman. “Why me?”
“Because we have so much in common.” Her eyes pleaded with his. “And because I could use a friend.”
“Really?” He opened his truck door and picked up Hope, placing her in the seat.
“Yes, I would love to have someone to talk with who loves animals as much as I do.” Apple placed her hand on his chest. “Please?”
Benjen wondered if she could feel how his heart was pounding beneath her palm. Honestly, he didn’t know if he could be friends with this woman. He wanted her too much. She had no idea what she was doing to him. “Sure. Why not?”
“Great.”
The relief on her face confused him. She really seemed to care.
“Well, I’ll be seeing you, I guess.”
“I hope so.” She watched as he climbed into the truck and started the engine, reaching over to fasten the passenger side seatbelt around Hope. Apple’s heart contracted at the sight. Asking him for friendship probably wasn’t the wisest thing. She’d end up getting her heart broken. God, if she thought she had a chance of making it work with this man, she’d grab onto him with both hands. He seemed to be a gentle giant. A gorgeous guy with a heart of gold. A very rare combination indeed.
When Benjen began to pull out of the parking lot, he had to slam on his brakes as Ms. Potter cut him off and gunned out ahead. “Well, that’s one customer who’ll probably never come back,” Apple muttered. If the lady complained to Dr. Cleveland, she might get into trouble. “It’ll be worth it.”
She stood still as Benjen Blackhawk’s truck drove out of sight, a sense of loss sweeping over her. Regret. Loneliness. Apple couldn’t help but imagine how different her days would be if she had someone like him in her life.
But she couldn’t risk it. Losing Alan, learning of his infidelity, and how he viewed her had shattered Apple’s soul into pieces too small to put back together again. She’d lost her confidence. “Face it, you’re a coward, Apollonia Cates.” She no longer trusted her judgment when it came to men. “I’m better off sticking with dogs.”
CHAPTER THREE
Benjen was so focused on getting out of town that he passed the Dairy Queen in a daze.
Woof!
Hope’s bark made him blink and he had to grin. “You have the memory of an elephant when it comes to food.” He put on his blinker and headed in the drive-thru.
As he came even with the window, a perky teenager opened the glass. “What can I get for you today?” she asked automatically, then when she spotted Hope, she let out an, “Awww, look at the cute dog!”
“Thanks, we’ll take a small cone. She’s been to the vet and I promised her ice cream if she’d be a good girl.” Benjen beamed as the young girl made over his pup.
“Oh, I bet she was good. She can’t be anything else, can you, girl? Did you see Dr. Cleveland? I’m best friends with her daughter. She’s a nice lady.”
“Actually, we saw her assistant, Miss Cates.”
“Oh, she’s nice too.” The expression on the girl’s face sobered. “It’s so sad. She’s a widow, you know.”
The girl stepped a few feet to her left and filled up a sugar cone with soft serve. When she returned, she handed the treat through the window.
“How much?” Benjen asked as he pulled out a couple of bills.
“It’s on the house.” The teen waved away his money.
“Thanks.” He returned the dollars to his wallet. “A widow, you say?”
“Yea, her husband was a marine. I’m not familiar with the details. I just know she keeps to herself most of the time.”
When a car horn blew behind him, Benjen realized he needed to move on. “Thanks for the cone.”
“Have a nice day!”
As the girl waved them on, Benjen’s mind was busy reflecting on his interaction with Apple Cates. He’d been quick to discount the explanation she’d offered, thinking her rejection was about him. Instead, she’d suffered a loss, she was grieving. “Dammit!” He understood, he’d gone through the same thing himself when he lost Kelli.
A whine from his canine companion reminded Benjen that Hope was still waiting for her cone. He was holding it, absent-mindedly, and the ice cream was beginning to melt. “Sorry, girl.” He held it out to her and she proceeded to open her mouth wide and gulp it down in one big bite. “Whoa!” He laughed. “You almost took a couple of my fingers, greedy-Gus.”
His protest earned him a whine and Benjen gave her a pet. “Ready to go home?” Without waiting for Hope’s approval, he set a course for Packsaddle Mountain.
The familiar drive soothed him. When he crossed the river, he felt a sense of peace envelope him. The beauty of the rocky hills and flowing water was something he never failed to appreciate. As he passed over the cattleguard and through the gate, Benjen was glad to see his brothers’ trucks all parked in their places.
Once he pulled into his spot, he opened the door and Hope bounded out, happy to be home again. Benjen could hear laughter, so he was smiling when he stepped up on the porch. “What are you hooligans up to?”
Sam and Easy were sitting on the front porch, their boots propped up on the bannisters.
“Oh, we’re taking a break and having a laugh at the newlyweds.” Easy reached into an ice bucket next to his rocker and handed his youngest brother a beer. “You know how Daniel always kept house.”
“Yea, by assigning the three of us all the chores.” Benjen hooked a foot around the leg of a chair and pulled it forward while he unscrewed the cap from the bottle and took a drink.
“Right. Well, Sara is trying to change his ways and she’s been after him not to leave toothpaste in the sink,” Sam said with a chuckle.
“Is it working?” Benjen asked as he let his eyes wander over the nearby pasture.
“Well, she’s not sure. This morning she went to the bathroom and guess what she found?” Easy tipped his Stetson back on his head.
“I can’t imagine.” Knowing what a cut-up their eldest br
other could be, Benjen wouldn’t hazard a guess.
Sam held out his hand for another beer as he relayed their brother’s antics. “Daniel had left her a message in the sink. Daniel Loves Sara. Written in a thick line of blue toothpaste.”
Benjen threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, Lord. Those two are a mess together, aren’t they?”
“Did you get Hope all fixed up at the vet?” Easy asked as he checked the messages on his phone.
“Yea, did you two know Dr. Wahlberg has retired?”
“I did hear something about that,” Sam answered Benjen. “I think he’s turning all of his business over to this lady vet.”
“Right. Dr. Cleveland. Hope and I ended up at her office.”
“How was she? Pretty?”
Benjen shook his head. “The doctor wasn’t in, but I hear she has a teenage daughter. So, she’s probably married. Her beautiful assistant, however, is another matter.”
“Oh, really?”
Seeing the predatory gleam in Easy’s eye, Benjen put his Justin boot down hard on the floor. “Just put that idea right out of your head. This time, I’m calling dibs.”
“Dibs?” Sam grabbed onto the porch railing with both hands. “Did you feel that jolt? Hell just froze over!”
Benjen grimaced at his brother’s theatrics. “Stop it. I found a girl I want to date. No big deal.”
“Au contraire,” Easy said in jovial response. “This is a fuckin’ big deal.”
“It’s the girl from the bar.” He met his brother’s gaze.
“Wow! Great!” Easy clapped him on the shoulder. “What’s her name and when do we meet her?”
Benjen rubbed his eyes. “Well, her name is Apple Cates and I haven’t exactly convinced her to go out with me yet.”
Samuel cast Benjen a surveying look. “Why?”
“She lost her husband not too long ago. I’m going to have to tread carefully. For now, we’re going to be friends.”
“Oh, no.” Easy moaned, “Poor lady. The friend zone, that’s a hard place to come back from, Bub.”
“We’ll see.” Benjen finished his beer and stood. “Well, I’m going to head down and check the herd. We’ve got a few mama cows nearing their time.”