Her Kind of Cowboy

by Dylann Crush

  Lacey laughed off the attempt at shutting her up. “Don’t be silly. I’m fine. Besides, you’re not supposed to argue with a hospital patient.”

  Before Zina could respond, a nurse came into the room. “You’re free to go, Ms. Cherish. I’d suggest making sure you eat breakfast from now on. You’ve got to keep your blood sugar more consistent with a baby on the way.”

  “Looks like you’re not going to end up a hospital patient after all,” Zina said.

  Alex stifled a laugh.

  “Wait. Did you say ‘baby on the way’?” Zina asked.

  Lacey’s eyes went wide. “I was going to tell you.”

  “When?” Zina crossed her arms over her chest, all of a sudden feeling the need to put a bit of a barrier between herself and Lacey. Although, it wasn’t like getting knocked up was contagious. “When exactly did you plan on telling me you had a baby on board?”

  “I just found out about it a couple of weeks ago.” Lacey shifted to hang her legs over the side of the bed.

  “Weeks? You’ve known for weeks and you haven’t said a word?”

  “Most couples don’t share the news until after the first trimester.” Lacey’s voice dropped a notch. “In case things go wrong.”

  Guilt rolled over her and Zina put a hand on Lacey’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. Let me give you a ride home.”

  Lacey slid off the edge of the bed. “I’m not going home. I still have work to get done today. But I’ll tell you what you can do.”

  “What’s that?” Zina asked, already dreading whatever plan Lacey might concoct. There was a 99 percent chance it would involve her and Alex.

  “Alex needs to take a look at the warehouse. Why don’t you let me take your truck, then he can drop you at the shelter, and you can show him the warehouse on the way?”

  Zina wasn’t going to let herself be manipulated that easily. Not when Lacey’s plan had a whole lot more to do with matchmaking than it did with being efficient. “That seems unnecessary. Why doesn’t Alex drop you off back at your office and you can stop at the warehouse on the way?”

  “Because I don’t have time to traipse around while there’s a Munyon wedding to plan. I’m already way behind.” Lacey held out her hand.

  “Fine.” Zina huffed out a breath as she handed over her keys. “I don’t know why I let you boss me around like that.”

  “Because you love me.” Lacey flung an arm around Zina as she stood. “Now the two of you get going. I’m going to get dressed and then I’ve got a wedding planner to call.”

  Zina didn’t have the energy to argue. Giving in to Lacey was always the path of least resistance. Besides, she was still reeling with the news that her best friend had managed to keep a secret of epic proportions from her for weeks. She shot a glance toward Alex, who’d been a silent witness to their entire exchange.

  “Come on, Sanders, let’s go.” So much for him not sticking around. She tamped down any lingering sparks of interest. Now that Lacey was pregnant, she’d probably double down on her efforts to get Zina matched up with one of the few single men in town.

  Zina might let Lacey get her way when it came to insignificant struggles like where to order takeout and whose turn it was to drive. But if she tried messing around with Zina’s love life, she’d be in for a rude awakening. Whether Alex Sanders was lickable or not, Zina decided there was no way in hell she’d be another bell for him to ring.

  five

  A few minutes later Alex held the door for Zina as she climbed into the front seat of his brother-in-law’s truck. Since Dave obviously wasn’t using it, Char told Alex he could borrow it while he was in town.

  He gave the door a gentle push to close it as Zina got settled. She didn’t seem too thrilled at the idea of showing him around the warehouse, but if he wanted to get started on constructing a temporary habitat for those birds, he needed to get a move on. At least Lacey seemed to be on board. Hopefully the wedding wouldn’t get too out of hand. They’d started by requesting penguins. How much crazier could it get?

  “Thanks for being willing to show me around.” He glanced to Zina, who stared straight ahead. “How long have you been living in Ido?”

  “Too damn long.” She clipped her seat belt and gave him a smile. “Sorry if I came across as being a little difficult. Lacey has a way of taking over and expecting the rest of us to fall into line.”

  He chuckled as he turned the key in the ignition. “My sister’s kind of like that.”

  “Does she live around here?”

  “Yeah we grew up over in Swynton. Although, I spent plenty of time under the lights at the stadium here in Ido.”

  Zina nodded. “And you’re back in town now to take care of some penguins?”

  “Seems that way.” He couldn’t hold back his smile. He liked the curvy, dark-haired woman in the seat next to him. She had attitude. And based on the way she talked to Lacey, she didn’t take a bunch of shit from people. Reminded him of some of the badass women he’d met in Antarctica. “How did you get involved in the dog shelter?”

  She gave a brief history of her experience in the military as a dog handler. “And then I came home and decided to take over For Pitties’ Sake. Now we seem to be a hot spot for people to dump their unwanted pit bulls.”

  “My sister said something about a local dog-fighting ring?”

  “Bodie thinks he’s closing in on them, but they keep moving their operation, and I get stuck with the leftovers. I don’t understand how people can be so cruel to an animal.” She shifted her gaze to straight ahead, but not before he caught a hint of hurt in her eyes.

  “That sounds kind of dangerous. You ever think about a different line of work?”

  “Running away only makes them think they’ve won.”

  Spoken like a true warrior. His opinion of Zina rose by a few notches. “Sometimes the best bet is to retreat for a bit and come up with a game plan.”

  “You’ve never been in the military, have you?”

  He shook his head as he navigated the truck down the drive to the Phillips House.

  “If I don’t stand my ground, people will think it’s okay to walk all over me.”

  “I see.” He said the words but he didn’t see. Not at all. To him, there were few things in life worth risking everything for.

  The truck stopped in front of the warehouse and before he could make his way around to open Zina’s door, she’d hopped out. By the time he met her on the concrete pad by the door, she’d leaned down and removed a key from underneath a potted plant.

  “That doesn’t seem so secure.” If he planned on housing the penguins here, he’d have to talk to Lacey about beefing up her security.

  “There’s not much in here that anyone would want.” Zina unlocked the door and pushed it open.

  Alex followed her into the front office space, where several desks had been stacked and piled against the wall. “I take it she’s not using the space for anything but storage right now?”

  “That’s right.” Zina moved toward a door at the back of the office and then stepped through.

  Alex followed, his eyes adjusting to the dim interior. Tall ceilings rose above them. The warehouse was a blank slate, just waiting for someone to create something useful out of it. Immediately his thoughts went to how best to utilize the room. There was plenty of space for a water feature, which would be vital for the penguins. They wouldn’t need anything too spectacular since they’d only be there for a while, but a saltwater pool and some ice were going to be required.

  “What do you think?” Zina asked. “Do you think you and your birds could be happy here?”

  He let his gaze float around the room before settling on her and matching her smile with one of his own. “Yeah, I think we will.”

  * * *

  * * *

  Zina tried to squelch the nervous jitters coursing th
rough her as soon as Alex smiled at her. He had a nice smile. The kind that used to work its way into her core and made her want to turn on the charm. But that was a long time ago. She hadn’t acted slaphappy over a man in years and she wouldn’t start again now. No matter how being around him made her stomach churn.

  And thanks to Lacey she was riding shotgun in his brother-in-law’s truck while he drove her back to the shelter.

  “Turn right up here,” she directed. With him at the wheel next to her, she was almost reminded of being on a date. But the last time she’d been on a real date, she’d still believed in happily-ever-afters. Which meant that was a hell of a long time ago, before reality had given her a giant kick in the ass.

  The shelter came into view. Her heart expanded, opened up like a freaking blooming flower seeking the sun every time she saw it. The shelter was the one good thing she’d managed to do with her life. Keeping it afloat took more than a full-time effort but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “You can just let me off in front.” She unclipped her seat belt as the truck slowed.

  “Don’t I get to come in?” Alex asked.

  “You want to?” He didn’t strike her as the type who’d want to chill out with the dogs. He seemed like he had much more important things to do, especially if he was going to get started on creating a penguin habitat out of nothing.

  “I’ve got a little time to spare. I’d love to meet some of your dogs.” He killed the engine. It was settled. He was coming inside.

  Zina led the way.

  “So are you open to the public?” He stood behind her as she unlocked the front door.

  “Yeah. That’s the only way we get dogs adopted out. But I’m short staffed so if there’s no one around to work the desk, we have to lock up.” She pushed the door open, and he put an arm out to catch it, insisting she go first.

  They entered the foyer and she immediately went to the pile of wet towels on the floor. The ceiling was still leaking and she’d been waiting for two days now for someone to come take a look.

  “You got a leak?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah. Whole roof really needs to be replaced. I’m supposed to be getting an estimate soon. The guy’s canceled on me two days in a row.” She shook her head as she set her purse down behind the counter.

  “I take it that’s not exactly in the operating budget?”

  “You got it.”

  “I know how that goes. I used to do some work for a nonprofit and we were always having our funding pulled.”

  Neither said a word as the reality of that statement sank in. It was rough being at the mercy of donations and sponsors. Maybe Alex did know a thing or two about her situation.

  “You want to meet some of the dogs?” she asked.

  He nodded, his eyes lighting up a bit.

  “Okay, but it’s about to get really loud.” She pushed into the back area where the kennels were. The dogs began to bark just like they did every single time she entered the back room. “You’d think they’d get used to me coming back here.”

  “What?” He leaned closer, unable to hear her due to the noise.

  “I said, you’d think they wouldn’t bark every single time I come back here.”

  “One good thing about penguins”—he nudged his chin upward—“no barking.”

  She couldn’t help but smile as she reached Buster’s cage. The dog’s head rested on top of his paws. He wasn’t one to bark; he barely lifted his chin as they stopped in front of his kennel.

  “This is Buster.” She wrapped her hand around the bar on his cage. His tongue slowly lapped at her fingers. “He likes belly rubs, watching reality TV, and hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows.”

  “Really?” Alex let out a laugh. “How do you know that, exactly?”

  “I take a different dog home with me each night so they get some time out of the shelter. It’s good for them to be exposed to what it’s like to be in a house instead of a cage. Some of them have spent their whole lives in kennels like this.”

  “Why?” Alex stuck a finger through the squares of the cage. “Why get a dog if you’re only going to keep it locked up?”

  Zina used to wonder the same thing. But then she learned about dog fighting. “A lot of these pups came from dog-fighting rings. They’re raised for the sole purpose of competing for their owners.”

  “Isn’t that illegal?” Alex’s brow furrowed.

  Zina’s heart squeezed at the show of concern. “Yep. But it doesn’t stop them. Sometimes one escapes or gets dumped somewhere and we find them. Then they get rehabilitated and have a chance at a good life with a family and a real home.”

  “Wow. What made you want to run a dog rescue?”

  “I’ve always loved animals”—she unlatched Buster’s cage—“and when I found myself back in Texas I wanted to do something that would make a difference.” If she didn’t turn the conversation soon, they’d be trekking over some sensitive territory and she wasn’t ready for that yet, maybe not ever. “You want to pet him?”

  At Alex’s nod, she swung the door of Buster’s crate open. The dog, who could have passed for comatose a moment before, jumped to his feet and sprang out of the crate. He attacked Zina first in a flurry of slobbery kisses. Then he turned his affection on Alex. By the time Zina caught Buster’s attention and got him into a sit-stay, Alex had been knocked onto his back by the overzealous pup.

  “He must like you.”

  “Really?” Alex got to his feet, wiping slobber off his chin. “I’d hate to see what he’d do to someone he didn’t like.”

  “Buster, come.” She held out her hand, and Buster moved forward a few feet, then sat in front of her. “That’s better.”

  “Are they all so . . . enthusiastic?” Alex asked.

  “No. Buster’s one of my ambassadors. He usually makes a good impression on people.”

  “What’s his story?”

  Zina shrugged. “I don’t really know. He showed up one day undernourished with a bunch of scars on his nose and one ear ripped to shreds. I’m not sure if he was part of a dog-fighting ring or if he was just a stray. We got some weight on him and taught him some manners. He’s been available for adoption for a few months but hasn’t had any takers.”

  Alex ruffled the short hair behind Buster’s good ear. “Seems like a lovable guy.”

  “He is. If we can teach him how to behave himself, he might qualify for a program I’m putting together that helps veterans get acclimated to life after the military.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yep.” It was still in the planning stages but Zina was hopeful her partnership with the nonprofit would pan out. Helping the dogs was one thing, but if she could manage to help the dogs and some of her fellow military men and women—then she might feel like she hadn’t been wasting her time in the middle of nowhere while life seemed to pass her by.

  “What’s going on over there?” Alex pointed to the bucket sitting in the middle of the floor.

  “Another leak. Hopefully I’ll get the guy out here to take a look at it before we have another storm.”

  “I’d be happy to check out your roof,” Alex offered. “Do you have a ladder around?”

  “You know about roofs?”

  “Yeah. I worked for a roofing crew for a few months to make enough cash to travel. Can’t be anything too difficult.”

  Zina shrugged. “All right then. That would be great if you could take a look.”

  “Where’s that ladder?”

  “Let me get it for you.” Zina led the way outside and around the back of the building to where a tall extension ladder lay sideways on the ground.

  He grabbed it and propped it up next to the building. “Where’s the leak coming from?”

  She pointed to the roof. “I’ve got two of them. One in the front office area and another one that�
�s getting worse over in that corner.”

  “I’ll take a look.” He checked to make sure the ladder was level and then started up to the roof. Once he reached the top, he turned around and his eyes grew wide as she climbed up after him.

  He offered a hand as she cleared the roofline. She took it, sliding her hand into his. The feel of his skin on hers ricocheted through her. He may have felt a little flicker of something, too. The way his mouth parted as their fingers twined made her think he might not be so immune to her touch, either.

  “You didn’t have to come up here. I could have filled you in.” He stood next to her, not letting go of her hand.

  “It’s better for me to see for myself.” She didn’t mind. In fact, she enjoyed the way his palm felt against hers. It led her to imagine how the rest of him might feel pressed against her.

  “You said it’s leaking from this corner?”

  She nodded and reluctantly let her hand slide out of his as he stepped to the edge of the roof.

  “Feels spongy over here. Has it leaked in this spot before?” As he leaned over, placing his hand near the darkened circle to get a better look, the roof shifted underneath him.

  One moment he was there, the next he was gone.

  Zina screamed, her pulse thundering through her ears as she rushed to the edge of the gaping hole he’d left in the roof.

  Alex sprawled across the ground below, covered in debris.

  “Don’t move, I’m coming.” She almost lost her footing as she rushed to the edge and scrambled down the ladder. She never should have let him go up on the roof. How many times had she told herself it wasn’t safe? Especially not with a known leak. She’d be lucky if he didn’t sue her.

  As she flung the door open and raced through the office to the back of the building, her heart pumped so fast she thought it might explode right out of her chest. He had to be okay.