Leashed

by Zoe Dawson

  #

  Callie ran up her parents' steps as the porch light came on, Jack close behind her. Just seeing her mother’s face through the glass and she burst into tears again. In seconds her mother was holding her tight. Jack paced back and forth, whining in distress for his mistress.

  Her mother ushered her into the house, and all the while Callie spilled out what had happened. The sympathy in her mother’s eyes made fresh tears fall.

  “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. You’re talking about Owen, the guy who has the pregnant dog? I thought you were just neighbors.”

  “We were, and then it turned into something else.” She sat on the overstuffed sofa as Lila trundled up and sniffed her. Callie reached out and gave her a quick pat.

  Her father popped his head in the room. “What’s wrong?”

  “Callie is having man issues and she needs to talk to her mother.”

  “Oh, okay,” he said gruffly, backing out of the room. He peeked back in briefly. “Well, if it helps, your mother made her double fudge cupcakes.”

  “Let’s go in the kitchen,” her mother suggested, making shooing motions at her husband.

  Callie sat at the table while her mom poured her a big glass of milk, opened up a plastic container, and put several cupcakes on a plate. She brought both over to the table and sat down. Callie wasn’t sure she could eat anything, but when the delicious chocolate fragrance hit her nose, she reached for one of the delectable goodies. Biting into the moist deliciousness, she took a quick gulp of milk.

  Her mother leaned forward. “Now. You said you caught him with another woman. What happened there?”

  “It was in his office at the club. We came by unexpectedly. I was so devastated I ran.”

  “So you haven’t talked to him?”

  “No. I couldn’t face him and my friends. I felt overwhelmed and heartbroken.”

  “Do you want to stay here tonight?”

  “No, I’ve got to get back. I guess I need to have a discussion with him. It just hurts, Mom. I thought we had this amazing connection. Seems I was wrong.”

  “I know it looks bleak now, sweetheart, but take each day at a time.”

  Callie nodded and reached for another cupcake.

  Two hours later, she let herself back into her loft. She had just set down her keys when she heard a terrible pounding at her door.

  When she opened it, it was Owen. His eyes were frantic. He grabbed her upper arms. “Jill is having her puppies.”

  “What? No! It’s too early.”

  “Only by a week. Please help her. She looks like she’s having a hard time.”

  Without hesitation she headed towards Owen’s loft. Jack whimpered when she closed him into her loft. “Sorry, buddy, but you’ll just get in the way.”

  Callie walked up to Jill’s whelping box, where the poor thing was panting and whimpering. Kneeling down inside, she said softly, “How’s my pretty girl?”

  The dog looked up at her with pain-filled eyes and whimpered again. Callie gently put her hand on Jill’s stomach. Owen hovered over her.

  “Owen, go boil water.”

  “Water,” he said dumbfounded, not taking his eyes off Jill.

  “Yes, water. Now! We need hot water and some rags. Give me your cell.”

  After handing her the phone, he disappeared into the kitchen. Callie dialed Poe’s number. Her sleepy voice answered.

  “I need your help. Jill is whelping and she’s in distress.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Owen came back into the room and paced. Callie let him. She tried to put her feelings aside for the sake of the dog. But she couldn’t help caring about Owen.

  “Please help her, Callie. I can’t lose her. I love that dog.”

  Callie’s heart twisted in her chest and she rose and put her arms around him. “I’ll do everything I can. Poe is on her way. Everything will be fine. First time births can be difficult.”

  He pulled her tight against him and said, “Callie—”

  The knock at the door cut him off. “That’s Poe.” Callie raced to the door and pulled it open. Poe, still in her pajamas burst in. “Did you start water?”

  “Done.” Just then the kettle started to whistle. Owen left the room.

  “Keep the water coming,” Callie called after him.

  Poe pushed up her sleeves and quickly and quietly examined the dog. Her face was concerned, but not overly so. Callie was already relieved, because she knew Poe was too expressive to hide it if she was really worried.

  “We were worried about you. Are you okay?” Poe whispered.

  “Yes. I was caught off-guard. Now Brooke can say she told me so.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. Owen was completely upset by the whole—” Poe stopped talking and said, “She’s having contractions, and I think she might need a little bit of help. Could you talk to her and hold her head?”

  Callie got into position as Owen brought in a big bowl of water and some old towels. He set it down within Poe’s reach and stepped back, watching them.

  Poe dislodged the first puppy and as soon as she did, it began to yip. Poe smiled and said, “A feisty little guy. Owen, clean him off with the water and set him near Jill. She’ll be worried if he’s out of her sight, so stay close.”

  He took the wriggling little dark wet bundle of fur and ears and did as he was instructed. Callie met his eyes and the wonder in them was touching. He smiled and held the puppy close to Jill. “Look, Jill, you’re a mom.”

  Poe was pulling out another puppy; this one was almost all white with a tiny pink nose and paw pads. “It’s another male.” Owen set down the first male and took the latest puppy from Poe. Callie stroked Jill’s head and murmured to her. “Good job. Two so far.”

  Over the next fifteen minutes, Poe delivered a brindle male, two more black and white puppies, one a male and one a female, and a fawn female. Poe felt her stomach and frowned. “I think there’s one more.”

  When Callie saw the tiny Harlequin emerge, she smiled, but it soon faded as Poe looked down at it.

  “Callie…” she trailed off.

  “No,” Callie said softly, reaching out. She took the still puppy into her hands and gently massaged. “Come on. You can do it.” Her voice was clogged with tears.

  The puppy gave a jerk and then started yipping. Relief swept through her. “Oh, thank God.”

  Poe sat back and grinned, taking the puppy from Callie and checking its sex. “It’s a female.”

  Owen reached out and grasped her forearm. “Thank you for coming. Thank you so much!”

  Poe nodded and patted his hand absently. “Let’s get them to nurse, and then everything should be fine. I want to make sure the little Harlequin is okay and is nursing well before I leave.”

  All the puppies latched on and began drinking. Jill recovered from her labor and started licking them. At first the little Harlequin had a tough time with it, but once Poe expelled some of the milk, she latched on and started sucking.

  “She looks okay, all pink and white and black. Keep them warm and let Jill take care of them. I see that you have a very nice cozy whelping box.” Poe dislodged a blanket and she peered beneath it. “Callie, isn’t that your Judith Leiber clutch?”

  “It is? Do you suppose that’s the pillow and quilt from the two other tenants?”

  “Yup, and looks like there’s the dinosaur quilt you told me about, Callie. Owen, apparently your dog can open doors,” Poe said. “Clever girl.”

  Owen shook his head. “Jill was the thief?”

  Poe rose and went to clean up. When she came back, she gave Owen instructions. “Now you guys are free to talk. I do think you have more than puppies to discuss.” She squeezed Callie’s shoulder. “Call me if you need me.”

  Callie nodded. She hadn’t moved from Jill’s head. When the door closed behind Poe, Owen turned towards her.

  “Callie,” he stepped forward, and the utter agony on his face made her heart soften. “I don’t want Cele
ste. But she’s a good business manager, so I was trying to let her down gently when you showed up. I would have never hurt you like that.”

  Callie rose and walked over to him. “I thought—”

  “No! Maybe I do have a reputation with women, but what we experienced was extraordinary. I would never do anything to jeopardize it. I care—”

  She cut him off this time with a hard, fast kiss. Which led to another longer, slower kiss. “I’m sorry I overreacted, but I feel exactly the same about you.”

  He took her into his arms. “Well, then we have a dilemma, or actually two.”

  “Oh, and they are?”

  “First, love me, love my dog. And we both know she’s a wanton hussy who gets into trouble when you least expect it.”

  “Well, with Jack in the picture, I would say that guarantees there will be more puppies in the future.”

  “Promise me the births will be easier. Although the fact that you have a vet on call makes that a little easier to handle. And, as long as your parents take the litters, that will be fine with me. In fact, could your parents take this litter? I don’t know what I was thinking. All these Danes in this loft would make it very crowded.”

  “I promise. As soon as they can be moved. And what’s your second dilemma?”

  “I don’t want you across the hall. I want you here, with me.”

  “Is that so?”

  He nodded and kissed her again.

  She smiled then. “Well, isn’t it handy then that my brother had already developed a plan for knocking through that wall over there and making this loft and my loft into one?”

  “This sounds like an even better plan.” He traced his fingers down along her nose, and across her lips. It made her sigh and tingle all at the same time. “We’ll need the space for three Great Danes.”

  “Three?”

  “Yes, I saw the way you looked at that little Harlequin. It was love at first sight. I bet you even have a name for her.”

  “I do, Mr. Smarty.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  “Golden Diamond Girl’s Miracle.”

  “Nice. And her call name?”

  “I was thinking Tilly.”

  He blinked rapidly and she watched as he struggled with his emotions. Finally, he nodded. “That’s freaking perfect.”

  She laughed as he scooped her up and carried her out of the living room, then thrilled at the rascally bad-boy grin on his face as he opened the door with his hip.

  “You know we have responsibilities now,” he said before tossing her lightly onto the bed and landing next to her. He swiftly divested them both of their clothes, took care of protection, and pulled her under him, as they grinned at each other like a couple of silly, out-of-control, lovesick loons or…dogs.

  “Yes, but we can check on them a little later,” she gasped as goose bumps rushed up her arms and pebbled her nipples. Wow. Just from feeling his weight on her.

  He nipped her earlobe and looked down into her eyes, then lifted her hips as he slid deep inside. “Sounds like we have a plan.”

  #

  Six months later Callie was in the stands watching Owen and Jill compete in their very first agility competition. Tilly was thriving and growing into a beautiful, albeit smaller-sized Great Dane, and the construction on their loft was complete. She and her three friends, her parents, and her brother were all yelling their fool heads off.

  Jill moved quickly but surely as Owen ran beside her and gave her the hand signals. The clock on the leader board ticked along. She was so close…yes! She beat the time. As Callie clapped, the leader board changed and for a moment she stared as she saw her name. Callie, will you marry me?

  Harper squealed and hugged her. She watched in stunned amazement as Owen and Jill trotted up to her. He stopped and sent Jill the rest of the way. She had a turquoise bag in her mouth. Inside the bag, Callie found a turquoise ring box. With shaking hands, she opened it to reveal the most beautiful ring. A round cut diamond with little diamonds all around it, the setting a brushed platinum.

  She looked up to find Owen standing there. The audience watched them. “You asked me to marry you at your first competition?”

  “Yes. In front of all these people, your family and friends. I want the whole world to know you’re mine. I love you, Callie.”

  He took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger. “It’s perfect for working with dogs,” she said. “No chance of it snagging on collars.”

  “Exactly. A sporty ring for my girl-next-door.”

  Jill woofed and everyone laughed as Callie threw her arms around Owen.

  She whispered in his ear, “I love you, too, and my answer is yes!”

  Then she kissed him. Right in front of a whole stadium full of very interested and amused people.

  ***********

  Don’t miss the story of Brooke Palmer’s romance and the chaos of Callie’s wedding plans in the next book of the Going to the Dogs Series – Roll-Over – You’re Dead! Coming in December, 2012!

  About the Author

  Zoe Dawson is the alter ego of multi-published, bestselling author Karen Anders. Karen started her career because her grandmother gave her a book to read. That book made her fall in love with romance and started her on the trek to get published. She achieved that goal in 1996 with the publication of Jennifer’s Outlaw for Silhouette. Even with many books under her belt, she can’t wait for that next idea, that next exquisite sentence and, of course, the next hero and heroine who fall in love.

  Connect with Me Online:

  website: www.zoedawson.com/

  twitter: www.twitter.com/ZoeDawsonAuthor

  facebook: www.facebook.com/zoedawsonauthor1

  goodreads: www.goodreads.com/zoedawson

 

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. It’s been fabulous to write this book for your enjoyment.

  Please feel free to message me online through twitter, facebook, or my website. I would love to hear from you. To find out when the next Going to the Dog book releases, check my website.

  Best, Zoe