by Kate Kinsley
Dogs have been fighting in wars as long as soldiers have. Dogs fought with Alexander the Great, with Roman soldiers in Caesar’s armies, and have served as scouts, messengers, and companions in just about every war since the Revolution of 1776. Dogs are currently still classified as military equipment, but they are the only military equipment that lives and breathes…and loves.
A suicide epidemic claims the lives of twenty service members and veterans every day. Millions of other combat veterans live lives filled with despair, battling PTSD, anxiety, and depression. The current mental health system, with its reliance on a one-size-fits-all approach of pharmaceuticals and talk therapy, has failed to address the nature and scale of this challenge.
K9s For Warriors is the nation’s largest provider of service dogs to military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury and/or Military Sexual Trauma. Their program is unique, comprehensive, and proven thanks to research by Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. They provide each warrior with a service canine, equipment, training, certification, seminars, legal instruction, vet care, housing, home cooked meals, unconditional love and listening, and a life-time of wrap-around services.
The K9s program is 100% free for the veteran.
In honor of Lisa B. Kamps.
Had she the time, she would have written one hell of a story for this anthology. The author world was a better place for having her in it. We love and miss her, and will celebrate her through her amazing stories.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Girl’s Best Friend
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Also by Anna Blakely
About Anna Blakely
Stay
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Epilogue
Also By Amy Briggs
About Amy Briggs
Patriotic Paws
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Also By Samantha A. Cole
About Samantha A. Cole
Damnit, I Love You
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Also By KaLyn Cooper
About KaLyn Cooper
Liberating Hale
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Also By Carey Decevito
About Carey Decevito
Dog Days Of Christmas
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Also By Elle James
About Elle James
Dog Days
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Also By Cat Johnson
About Cat Johnson
Achilles Heals
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Also By Kate Kinsley
About Kate Kinsley
Snowflake Kisses
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Also By D.D. Lorenzo
About D.D. Lorenzo
Gunnar
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
About Kat Mizera
Max & Milian
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Also By Jen Talty
About Jen Talty
Zook
Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Also By BT Urruela
About BT Urruela
Copyright
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and places portrayed in this book are entirely products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.00.
If you find any eBooks being sold or shared illegally, please contact the author at anna@annablakelycom.
Girl’s Best Friend
The only steady relationship in former Navy SEAL Nick's life is the one he has with Lucky—his adopted military working dog. But when a beautiful brunette rents the house next door, Nick realizes his days of searching may be over.
Paxton Lane has been through a lot in a short amount of time. Deciding to take time and focus on herself, Paxton swears off men for the foreseeable future. But when she meets her new neighbor and his dog, it’s love at first lick.
When Paxton becomes the target of an obsessed psychopath, it’s up to Nick-and Lucky-to save the future they both want.
Prologue
Nine months ago . . .
The box started to slip from Paxton Lane’s hand. Using her right knee, she managed to keep it steady just long enough to regain control and prevent it from falling to the ground.
Brushing some wayward strands away from her face, she glanced back at
the open U-Haul and blew out a breath.
So many boxes, so few arms.
Maybe she should’ve taken her parents up on their offer to help with the move. Of course, the last thing she needed was another lecture on her shitty taste in men. Especially one that would’ve lasted the entire four-hour drive here.
The familiar pain from being humiliated—on both a personal and professional level—still left her stomach queasy and her heart aching. But rather than let it drag her down—again—Paxton did what she’d been doing the past few weeks….
She lifted her chin and pushed through it.
Refusing to give her scumbag ex—or her so-called friend and former co-worker—another second of her time, she started for her new home’s quaint porch. Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention, pulling her to a stop.
Turning her head, Paxton’s lips immediately spread into a wide, toothy grin when she saw the most gorgeous German Shephard she’d ever seen come trotting across the grass toward her.
And when she noticed the tall, dark, and ridiculously handsome man walking beside the dog, she damn near forgot how to breathe.
“Need some help?” The jaw-dropping stranger gave her a kind smile.
Lord Almighty.
She’d heard all about men like him. Ones with deep voices that could turn a woman on with just one word. Men who, with nothing more than a simple glance, immediately made a woman think of sex.
Before now—before him—Paxton thought they were just a myth.
In fact, the only ones she knew about were the fictional characters that had been created for the many romance novels she owned. The same books carefully packed away inside the box she happened to be holding now.
Thank God he can’t see through cardboard.
Or, maybe he could. He did look a little Superman-ish with his dark hair, dark eyes, and muscles made for sin. He was also still waiting for a response to his question.
Crap. “Um…I…uh…” Paxton stuttered embarrassingly, fighting the urge to look for a nearby hole to crawl into.
“Here.”
The walking, talking sex God took the box from her hands as if it weighed nothing. When he began making his way up the porch steps and headed for her front door, Paxton couldn’t help but stare.
The set of well-worn jeans covering his lower half fit him oh-so-nicely. The phrase ‘nice ass’ didn’t even begin to do him justice.
“Just tell me where to put it.” He shot her a smile from over one of his broad shoulders.
Her eyes flew up to his.
Ohmygod. Whatever you do, do not blurt out what you are thinking right now!
“Um…y-you can just sit it down wherever.” Finally, a complete sentence. “And thank you.” She quickly caught up to him. “I’m Paxton, by the way.”
The hunky man entered her new house. Glancing around the modest living room, he set the box down in front of the built-in bookshelf located to their left. Facing her, he held out his hand.
“Nick Hayes. I live next door.”
Holy. Hell. He was her neighbor? She reached out a hand. “Paxton.”
“I know.” Humor flickered behind Nick’s dark eyes as his large, heated grasp engulfed hers. “You said that, already.”
“Oh. Right.” Heat began crawling up the back of her neck. Using everything she had not to react to the electric pulse burning deep into her palm, Paxton managed to keep her smile steady. “Sorry.”
They stood like that—eyes locked, hands clasped together—until something cold and wet brushed up against Paxton’s bare ankle.
“Oh!” She jumped, reflexively pulling her hand free in the process.
“Heel!”
Looking down, Paxton watched in awe as Nick’s dog obediently followed his master’s command. Without hesitation, the beautiful animal went straight to his owner’s side, turned around, and lowered onto his back haunches.
“Wow. That’s impressive.”
“Sorry about that.” Nick’s lips curled into a panty-dropping half-smile. “This is Lucky. He doesn’t usually approach strangers like that.”
“It’s okay.” Paxton gave the adorable animal a heartfelt smile. Squatting down, she held her hand out to be sniffed. “I love dogs.”
“Oh, I should’ve told you…Lucky’s a former MWD. He won’t—”
“Come here, Lucky.” She puckered her lips together and made some kissing sounds.
The dog came right to her.
“What the hell?” Nick looked genuinely surprised.
Lucky rubbed his wet nose against her palm, the ticklish sensation making Paxton giggle. After taking in a few whiffs of her scent, he then stuck his tongue out for a full-blown lick.
“Okay, I have never seen him do that to someone new.”
Digging her fingertips into the dog’s fur, Paxton scratched him behind both ears. Releasing a satisfied whimper, Lucky laid down at her feet and rolled over.
“Yeah, you like that, don’t ya, boy?” She rubbed her fingers back and forth along the dog’s warm belly.
Nick’s brows rose into high arches as he ran a hand over his strong jaw. “Seriously. Lucky’s a highly trained animal. He doesn’t act like this with people we don’t know.”
Continuing to pet the K9’s soft fur, Paxton brought her gaze back up to Nick’s. “You called him an MWD. What’s that stand for?”
“Military working dog. I was Lucky’s handler. I resigned my commission the same time he was retired from the Navy. Thanks to a law passed a couple decades ago, I was able to adopt him and bring him back home with me.”
“They had to pass a law for something like that?”
“Unfortunately.” Nick’s handsome face sobered. “Back in the day, when an MWD had completed their duty to Uncle Sam, they were euthanized.”
Paxton gasped. “That’s horrible.” Her gaze immediately fell on the precious animal lying before her. It broke her heart to think of something like that happening to any animal, especially one as sweet and loving as this one.
“Tell me about it. These guys work their tails off for us…no pun intended. They risk their lives to keep ours safe. I know Lucky saved me and my team more times than I can even remember. I can’t imagine ever having to put him down. Especially after everything he did for us.”
Giving Lucky one final rub, Paxton pushed herself to her feet. Shoving her hands into the pockets of her cut-offs, she studied her new neighbor a little closer.
Gorgeous face aside, the man was seriously built. His strong shoulders and chest, the biceps stretching his short sleeves to their limit, the tattoo sticking out beneath one…
It all screamed special ops.
“You said Navy. Are you an ex-SEAL?”
For some reason, the question made Nick cringe. “Former.”
Paxton’s brows scrunched together. “What?”
With teasing grin, he bent down to pet Lucky, who’d returned to his owner’s side. “We say former in the military. Not ex.”
The embarrassing blush from earlier returned. “Oh. Sorry.”
“No worries.” His wink sent her pulse racing. “How’d you know I used to be a SEAL?”
“Just a guess.” She shrugged, secretly thrilled that her assessment of him had been spot on. “So what do you do, now?”
“I work for a company called Overwatch. We specialize in a specific type of private security.”
Something about the way he said that gave her pause. “Like a bodyguard?”
“Of sorts.”
This guy’s wow factor just flew right off the charts. “Cool.”
Cool?
Paxton resisted the urge to roll her eyes at herself.
“What about you?” he asked, changing the subject to her.
Okay, so he wasn’t ready to share more details about himself. Paxton was actually okay with that. She liked a little mystery.
“I’m a teacher,’ she shared with pride. “Well, I have my certification. I’ve been working at a privately-owned p
reschool for the past year and a half, but now I’m taking over a kindergarten class here, at the elementary school across town. Apparently, the previous teacher’s husband got transferred unexpectedly for his job, so they’re moving in a couple of weeks. I’ll finish out the year as a long-term sub for her, and then as long as my principal likes me, I’ll get to stay on full-time.”