Love To The Rescue

by Brenda Sinclair

  “In that case, I’d hate for you to compromise your gentlemanly principles.” Amy strode over to the back door and unhooked the dog’s leash from the wooden peg on the wall. “I’ll hold Rover on his leash until he’s convinced you’re a friend. That steak will serve nicely in our efforts to accomplish that.”

  Kevin opened the doggie bag and pulled out the first of three pieces of grilled top sirloin he’d stuck inside. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Amy opened the crate a crack and clipped Rover’s leash onto his collar. “Remember, Rover, Kevin is a friend.” The dog’s tail wagged furiously and he licked her fingers when she stuck her hand into the crate, but she also felt his body vibrating. Was the dog’s reaction generated by excitement or fear? “Friend, Rover, friend,” she reiterated.

  “Let him out, but hold him at arm’s length while I talk to him.”

  Amy did as he suggested. The big dog strained on the leash, attempting to sneak back into the crate. Definitely fear, she decided. “Friend, Rover, friend.”

  “Okay, Rover. Do you smell that steak? It’s mighty tasty. I can attest to that, since I ate most of it. You sit like a good boy, and this piece is all yours.” Kevin took a step closer and held up the tasty tidbit. “Sit, Rover, sit.”

  The dog glanced over his shoulder at her, with a do-I-have-to-listen-to-this-guy expression on his face. “It is okay, Rover.” After another few seconds of contemplation, he planted his butt on the floor.

  “Good boy, Rover!” Kevin tossed the piece of meat into the air and Rover caught it, chomped twice and swallowed it down. “Want another one?”

  The dog’s tail wagged and the vibrating lessened significantly. Amy interpreted that as a positive sign.

  Kevin took another step forward. An almost indiscernible growl rumbled from the dog. He rose to his feet, and his body language indicated renewed wariness.

  “Friend, Rover, friend,” repeated Amy.

  “You’re a good boy, aren’t you, Rover?” Kevin dug the second chunk of meat out of the Styrofoam container. “Walk him across the floor and then I’ll ask him to s-i-t again. We’ll see if he obeys.”

  “Okay.” Amy tugged Rover’s leash and guided him in a circle around the kitchen area before halting three feet away from Kevin. She inched closer until less than two feet separated them.

  “Sit, Rover.” Kevin held up the second piece of meat.

  Rover sat immediately, no growling or nasty looks in Kevin’s direction.

  Kevin tossed the steak in the air. Rover caught it, chomped twice, and down it went.

  “Good dog, Rover. You’re a good catcher and a very good boy.” Kevin glanced up at Amy, standing beside her pet. “I may regret this when I’m getting stitches at the hospital. But here goes.” Being right-handed, Kevin offered his left hand to the dog.

  He’s not being a total idiot, just in case, Amy reasoned. And then she felt remorseful for having so little faith in her new pet. The folks at the Humane Society assured her that Rover had never even given anyone a warning nip while he’d been held there. She’d only owned Rover for a few days, but she’d spent every waking hour at his side. She had to admit that a retaliatory move like biting someone just didn’t seem likely for such a loving although fearful dog. She hoped her assessment held water.

  Kevin slowly moved closer to the set of sharp teeth that were mere inches from his fingers.

  Chapter 6

  Rover leapt to his feet and took a step back.

  Kevin froze in place.

  Rover peeked up at Amy.

  “Friend, Rover, friend. That’s a good boy. Kevin won’t hurt you.” She bent over and stroked the dog’s head. Surprisingly, he wasn’t trembling at all.

  Kevin extended his hand a few inches closer. “Good boy, Rover. You’re a very good dog.”

  Gradually, Rover leaned forward, sniffed Kevin’s hand, and then quickly licked it before backpedaling and hiding behind Amy. He peeked out from behind the skirt of her dress.

  “Good dog, Rover!” Amy crouched down and wrapped her arms around his neck. “That’s a very good dog. The lady at the Humane Society hoped Rover would continue making progress. I believe he is.”

  “Good boy,” repeated Kevin, jokingly counting the fingers on his left hand. He dug out the third piece of steak and tossed the Styrofoam container onto the kitchen table before squatting down a few feet away from the dog. “Come here, boy. Come and get this. It’s all yours.” Kevin held out the piece of meat, waiting for the dog to step closer.

  Rover licked his chops in anticipation and whined impatiently.

  “You know you want it.” Kevin encouraged the indecisive animal. “Just come here and it’s all yours.”

  Rover whined again. Amy stood up and Rover peeked up at her.

  “Go get it if you want it. Kevin won’t hurt you”.

  Rover took a tentative step forward, then another, then leaned his nose toward the meat.

  “Good dog, Rover.” Kevin tossed the meat in the air and Rover caught it, chewed and swallowed. And then his tail wagged enthusiastically. “Good boy, Rover.” Kevin tentatively reached out his hand. Rover remained on the same spot. Kevin ruffled one ear. “See, you and I can be friends, Rover. All I need to do is show up with prime sirloin every time and we’ll be buddies forever.”

  Amy laughed. “Prime sirloin every time? This friendship could be quite damaging to your wallet.”

  “Well, maybe not every time. Pretty soon you’ll trust me completely, won’t you?”

  “The vet put him on some special dog food that he sells, so no more sirloin for him. I’m praying that those three small pieces agree with him.”

  Kevin stood and the dog dipped his head and retreated to Amy’s side again.

  “Yeah, Rover, he’s pretty tall when he stands up, isn’t he? But he won’t hurt you.” Amy knelt down, wrapped her arms around the furry red neck again and kissed the top of his head. “I promised Kevin a cup of coffee, so I should put a pot on to brew. You should go outside anyway.” Amy led the dog to the back door, unclipped his leash, and sent him outside to the back yard.

  Amy wandered over to the sink, filled the coffee pot with water, measured out the coffee, and turned on the maker. “In case I forget to mention it later, I really enjoyed dinner. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ve enjoyed it, too.”

  Just then, the dog scratched at the back door, whining to be let inside.

  Amy brought the dog back in. “If I leave the leash off do you promise to not hide under the bed?”

  She guided Rover into the kitchen, dropped her grasp on his collar, and took a step back. “Stay.”

  Rover stayed put.

  She glanced over at Kevin. “So far, so good.”

  Kevin motioned toward the family room. “Should we watch the eleven o’clock news?”

  “Sounds like a good idea.” Amy called, “Come, Rover. Let’s go watch some TV.”

  The dog loped along at her side while she walked into the adjoining room. She settled herself on the sofa, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV set. Rover crawled onto the sofa and laid his head on her lap.

  “Okay. Here goes nothing.” Kevin grimaced, appearing to expect the worst. “You do have 9-1-1 on your speed dial if he attempts to eat me, right?”

  “He won’t eat you. Maybe just nibble on one leg,” she teased.

  Kevin stood beside the sofa on Amy’s other side for a minute.

  “Good dog, Rover.” Kevin slowly settled in beside Amy.

  Rover raised his head, eyed Kevin suspiciously for a moment, and laid his head back on Amy’s lap.

  “Well, now, who’d have thought a bit of steak would win him over?” Kevin reached out and let the dog sniff his hand.

  Rover glanced up and met Kevin’s eyes. He licked the proffered hand.

  “Good boy, Rover.” Amy played with his silky ears. “What a good dog you are. I doubt it was the steak alone. He sensed you were a good person. Hopefully, we won’t be tempting him
out from under the bed again.”

  “I don’t know. Luring dogs out from under beds has its merits.” Kevin grinned and raised one eyebrow. “Do you suppose the coffee’s ready? Who’s going to pour?”

  “I’ll go. Let’s see what he does when I leave him alone with you.” Amy wiggled out from under her dog. As soon as she stood, Rover leapt off the sofa and followed her out to the kitchen.

  “He doesn’t appear concerned that I’ll rob you blind while you’re out of sight,” shouted Kevin from the family room.

  “But he’s not brave enough to stay in the room alone with you either.” Amy returned with two plain white china mugs filled with coffee and a bottle of Baileys on a silver tray. “Baby steps, I guess.”

  “Considering he took off running the second I walked in, I’d say we’ve taken a giant leap.”

  Amy set the tray with the mugs and liqueur on the coffee table and then settled herself on the sofa. Rover leapt up and sat beside her. “Want me to doctor your coffee?”

  “Sure,” answered Kevin. “Just a small splash since I’m driving.”

  The second Amy opened the bottle of Baileys Rover leaned against the back of the sofa and started to growl. Amy’s head whipped up and she met the dog’s terrified eyes. “What’s wrong, Rover?”

  “He smelled the booze. I bet the guy who abused this dog was probably an alcoholic.” Kevin peeked over at the dog and spoke soothingly, “Don’t worry, Rover. Nobody is going to hurt you.”

  “My poor baby. Did the bad man smell like this stuff? Did he hurt you when he got drunk?” Amy stroked Rover’s long nose. “Kevin, maybe we shouldn’t...”

  “No. Add a little to our coffee. Rover has to learn not to associate the scent of alcohol with harm.” Kevin stood, walked around the coffee table and sat beside Rover. He stroked the dog’s back. “Good boy.” Unexpectedly, Rover flopped down beside Kevin and rested his head on his leg.

  Amy handed over his mug of coffee and raised her own mug in a toast. “To small miracles.”

  “Hear, hear, to that.”

  “If he gets any friendlier with you, I’m breaking up this relationship. He’s going to love you more than he loves me.” Amy smiled while wagging a finger at her dog. “Fickle hound.”

  “A few bites of steak won’t undo all the walks and hours of play he’ll enjoy with you. He’ll remember who feeds him and who he sleeps with at night.” Kevin glanced at Amy. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t assume he sleeps with you.”

  If Amy didn’t know better, she’d interpret Kevin’s expression as jealousy. Did her date wish he was the one sleeping in her bed? Despite their encounter in her bedroom earlier tonight, she considered it way too early to consider such things, but it confirmed that he was definitely attracted to her.

  “I guess you didn’t notice Rover’s doggie bed in my room. He snuck onto my bed the first night, but he’s remained on his own bed ever since.” Amy clasped the dog’s head in her hands and planted a kiss on top. “We discussed bed ownership and he knows the rules now.”

  Amy sipped her coffee and a lump formed in her throat watching the dog relax and almost doze off on Kevin’s lap. Talk about man’s best friend. The moment of jealousy she’d experienced seemed petty, but she’d fallen in love with this dog and she hoped he felt some sense of loyalty toward her. She’d rescued his furry butt from the Humane Society after all. Spent hours reassuring him that his new home was safe, and she’d met all his creature comforts and then some. No pun intended. Perhaps Rover just sensed Kevin was a good man.

  Her mind wandered into her own fantasy world for a few seconds, and she imagined sitting here every night, being happily married to such a wonderful guy. She envisioned two adorable little children, clad in footed animal-patterned pajamas, playing on the carpet surrounded by a dozen toys while Rover sprawled on the floor nearby watching over ‘his kids’. The whole scenario was pure fiction. She’d only just met Kevin, after all. But she considered the possibility of being happy again, with a husband and a couple of children, too. Was it really too much to ask? Especially after the devastating loss she’d survived?

  And then the thought of losing someone she loved dearly again hit her like a ton weight slamming into her chest. Sure, the picture was perfect, but she would never survive the pain of such a loss. She simply couldn’t do it. And the only way to ensure it wouldn’t happen was never putting herself in that situation again. No husband, no family. Pure and simple. Just her. It would be hard enough losing Rover some day. Another husband? Children? No way.

  “What are you thinking about so intensely?” Kevin reached across the dog and clasped her hand. “Would you like me to come over there? Leave His Royal Highness here by himself?”

  His question pulled Amy out of her daydream and back to reality. “That would be nice, if he’ll go for it. He’s becoming quite fond of you by all appearances.”

  Kevin slid out from under the dog lying half on top of him. He stepped back around the coffee table and settled on the sofa beside Amy, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her against his side.

  The dog didn’t move.

  “Rover realizes my intentions toward you are honorable.” Kevin laughed and sipped his coffee.

  “He’s making great strides toward trusting you. And he romped around the backyard with Leslie's boyfriend, Rick, last night. The two of them played with a cloth tug toy and a tennis ball for over an hour while Leslie cut and styled my hair. I swear that dog was smiling the entire time. We’ve only been to the first Fearful Fido class, but it seemed to help. We have five more classes to go. Perhaps he’ll overcome his fears sooner than we anticipated.”

  “I hope so. He’s a great dog.” Kevin dragged his hand through his hair. “With my crazy work schedule, if Leslie makes house calls, maybe I should arrange for her to come over to my place and cut mine. Nothing purple though. Brown suits me just fine.”

  Amy laughed and then shook her head. “Leslie has a young clientele, and she loves experimenting with color. Her hair is fuchsia-colored this week, if you’re interested.”

  “Purple looked good on her, but on me... My superiors might go into cardiac arrest.” Kevin ruffled Rover’s ear with his hand.

  “I’m going to call Mrs. Swainson at the Humane Society tomorrow and report Rover’s progress. She’ll never believe how well this dog is doing.”

  “Let’s test him a little further,” suggested Kevin, taking Amy’s mug from her hand and setting it on the coffee table.

  “Okay,” said Amy, somewhat hesitantly. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Just this...” Kevin reached out with his left hand and gently lifted her chin. He leaned forward and kissed her lips.

  Amy heard herself sigh aloud.

  “So far, so good. Or else Rover hasn’t noticed,” he mumbled, barely removing his lips from hers.

  Amy chuckled at his comment. “Keep testing him,” she whispered.

  “Excellent suggestion.” Kevin wrapped his arms around her and continued where he’d left off.

  In no time, their kisses intensified. He reached out and cupped her breast. It had been so long that, even through her dress, the sensation muddled her wits. Thank goodness for clingy dress material, she thought. She slipped her hand inside his suit jacket and ran her fingers up his back. His body heat on her hand caused a small shiver to run up her spine. Soon, they were both breathing heavily.

  Oh, God, she thought, what if he doesn’t want to stop.

  Oh, God, what if he does.

  As if he’d heard her thoughts, Kevin broke contact with her mouth and removed his hand from her breast.

  “Whoa! I’d better head home or there’s no telling where this could lead. Actually, I know exactly where it will lead, and I realize you’re not ready for that.”

  Amy touched her lips with her fingers. She could still feel his lips plundering her own. “Thank you for the insight. You’re right. I enjoyed our date immensely, but...”

  “I know. Besides, it�
�s almost midnight, and I’ve got the morning shift, testifying at a court case.” Kevin stood and pulled Amy to her feet. Rover leapt up and followed them to the front door where the dog sat quietly beside his new owner.

  “Have you heard anything more about the guy who broke in here? I’m hoping his parents put him in rehab.”

  Kevin stood there, appearing stunned for a moment. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the case. Sorry.”

  Amy sighed. “Despite the fact he almost frightened me to death, I hope the teen gets some help.”

  “Me, too.” Kevin wrapped his arms around her. “Good night. I really enjoyed our date, and meeting the furry guy, too.”

  “I had a great time. Thank you for inviting me.”

  Kevin kissed Amy goodnight with the same intensity as before. Her feelings for this wonderful man were deepening every time she encountered him. Was he feeling something equally strong for her? When he ended the kiss, she felt slightly dizzy and thoroughly breathless. She’d never understood the term ‘knock your socks off’ before tonight. Kissing this guy could become a very pleasant habit.

  Kevin bent over and petted the dog. “Good night, Rover. Pleasure meeting you.”

  Rover tipped his head back and peeked up into Kevin’s eyes. And then he stuck out his right paw.

  “Oh my God, he’s never done that before,” exclaimed Amy, and her eyes filled with tears. “Kevin, he wants you to ‘shake a paw’.”

  Kevin clasped the dog’s paw and dutifully shook it. “Goodnight, Rover. I’ll see you again real soon.”

  And then he met Amy’s eyes. “I’ll be calling on you again, too.”

  “I’d like that. Very much.” Amy felt herself beaming while she brushed the tears away. Rover had made enormous strides with Kevin tonight, and she couldn’t contain her happiness. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this date. Thank you again.”

  “You’re welcome.” Kevin wiped away one remaining tear with his thumb. “Happy tears I assume.”