Home for a Hero

by Heatherly Bell

  While that was good to hear, this was the man who had mostly raised her talking. If Jill was right, and she was more often than Zoey cared to admit, she was going to have to put herself out there. Buy sexy lingerie. Learn how to flirt. Read Cosmo or a book about sex. After many years of working hard to blend into backgrounds, she was somehow supposed to call attention to herself to get a man. Attention she still didn’t feel comfortable receiving, especially if it was based on her looks. Sometimes that kind of attention could get out of hand. Fast. It could accidentally come from a man you weren’t trying to impress, while the man whose attention you wanted didn’t even notice.

  After dinner and a movie with her folks, Zoey walked home in the soft ebbing light of a long summer evening. The moon was bright and full, fighting for top billing with the slowly setting sun.

  Give it up, sun. The moon is here.

  Zoey loved the moon, which made her the odd one among her closest friends. Her friends preferred the sun. She also liked rainy days instead of the bright, burning heat waves of the summer. They didn’t see rain often enough in Fortune Valley. She loved the rain so much that she’d written I love you on the windowsill of her childhood bedroom, where the raindrops occasionally touched if she opened her window wide enough to let them in.

  But Zoey was different from her friends in another, more disconcerting way. She was the only one of her friends whose mother was a movie star. A distinction she didn’t particular appreciate and one she tried not to think about most days. And after that last visit, when the director had been inappropriate, then suggested Zoey play Veronica’s daughter in a small movie role, Zoey didn’t want to go back. She’d never told her mother about the director’s indiscretion because Veronica would have probably made some flimsy excuse for his behavior.

  Zoey turned at the corner of her street and spied a familiar looking Jeep in her driveway. Ryan sat on the top step of her stoop, long legs splayed out, arms stretched between them. A cardboard box sat next to him. It took everything in her not to stop and simply gawk at his solid body sitting in front of her house as if waiting for her. And on a Friday night. Didn’t he have a date or...something? His dark blond hair caught a glint of the moonlight as he bent toward the box. It was too long, she realized, curling at the neckline as if he didn’t put that much stock in his appearance either.

  A while ago while they were working together at the coffee shop in town, The Drip, Jill had devised a complicated rating scale of good-looking men she referred to as the Chris Scale. It was based on all the famous Chris men: Evans, Hemsworth, Pratt. Zoey didn’t know how to tell Jill, but her brother Ryan blew the scale. He was off the charts, but Zoey imagined Jill couldn’t see that. Ryan shoved a hand through his hair then held up his wristwatch to the porch light. Still, he hadn’t noticed her. She knew she had that way about her. Quiet. She reminded herself that she wouldn’t ask Ryan to be her date so she didn’t have to be nervous. He was going to help her find Boo. She picked up her pace, emerging from the shadows, and he turned toward her with an easy smile.

  Then the box barked.

  Ryan put his hand in it and came out with a puppy. Its tiny pink tongue licked Ryan’s face.

  “Look what I found.”

  Zoey fairly ran the rest of the way. Inside the box were four irresistibly cute black-and-white puppies. One had a black patch over one eye. They looked too young, six to seven weeks, and barely old enough to be separated from their mother.

  “Oh, where did you come from, babies?” She took a puppy, upon closer inspection a girl, and brought it to her face. “You’re adorable, you know that?”

  “Found them on the side of the road three miles out of town. The box had Free to Good Home written on it. Seems someone abandoned them.”

  Her heart seized in the dark way it did whenever she heard of an animal being hurt or abused.

  “Who would abandon you?” She spoke to the third puppy, trying desperately to climb out of the box and join the others.

  “I have no idea, but I knew you could find good homes for them. I couldn’t just leave them there.”

  She rubbed her cheek against the soft fur. “Thank you. I’ll take them to work with me tomorrow. I have a short list of already pre-approved homes waiting for a puppy. I doubt they’ll last till lunchtime.”

  “Unless you decide to keep one.” He winked.

  Oh, wow, he really shouldn’t wink. It gave him a devastatingly boyish look along with that one hundred percent strong alpha male presence. Then there were the dimples. Like a double whammy to the heart.

  She shook her head and forced her mind back to his suggestion. But Zoey had reached a sad truth a few years ago. She alone couldn’t save all the animals. It was why she worked with rescue agencies and did fostering. Her attention was spread thin enough with the animals she had. Heck, she’d lost one possibly due to being spread too thin. Responsible pet ownership was one of her core beliefs.

  “I can’t. A puppy is too much work, and I already have three pets. Four if you count Boo.” She picked up the fourth puppy and snuggled both of the ones in her arms against her chest.

  “Right,” Ryan said, ducking to avoid his puppy’s efforts to make out with him. What a smart little dog. “I would take one, but—”

  “I know. You live in an apartment.”

  “Plus, I still don’t know my kindred animal. Are you ever going to match me up with a pet?” He gave her a lazy smile.

  Oh, geez. Far too embarrassed to reveal his kindred animal, she’d been skillfully avoiding that for years. Plus, his wasn’t a pet. It was a wild animal.

  “No point in doing that until you move from the apartment.” One point and the save for Zoey!

  “Guess you’re right.” He stood and met her gaze. “But someday you’ll tell me.”

  “Y-yes. Sure I will.”

  Someday, when he was safely in a committed relationship. Then she’d tell him that they both had the same kindred animal, and they’d have a good long laugh. She, of course, was a mama bear. No surprise to anyone who knew her. Ryan was a grizzly bear. Large and protective. And she and Ryan were the perfect match, if one were simply talking kindred animals. Which they were not.

  The whole kindred animal thing was silly, she understood, and a good icebreaker. Zoey was simply good at matching people with animals. Her gift. And she and Ryan, far from being a perfect match in real life, were about as different as two people could be. He was comfortable in crowds, talked easily and confidently with people, and had an ease about him that she envied. Everywhere he went, people gave him all their attention. Ryan was a born leader.

  He was a little like the sun.

  “Help you inside with these?” Ryan picked up the box and balanced his wriggling puppy by carrying him like a football.

  Zoey opened the front door and Ryan quirked a brow. “You don’t lock your door?”

  “I just went to my aunt’s house one block down.”

  “Do me a favor and start locking your door. All the time.”

  It sounded like an order. He’d say the same to Jill and Zoey realized that, so why did her heart skip a beat?

  “Um, okay,” she said because, c’mon, he’d brought her puppies.

  Worse, he was right. She had precious property in her home and should be more cautious, even if she was just down the street. The fact that she lived in a safe neighborhood in a small town obviously didn’t mean that a criminal hadn’t taken something valuable from her.

  No sooner had they walked in the door than their greeting committee welcomed them with barks, yips and snorts. They knew she’d brought someone furry into the home and they were naturally curious.

  “Calm down, guys,” Zoey said, trying to keep one puppy from wiggling out of her arms. “We’ve got company.”

  Ryan set the box down and took the second puppy from her. She gathered towels and warmed them in the mi
crowave as Indie, Bella and Corky pressed their noses against the doggy gate. The poor puppies would be lonely and missing the warmth of their mother. She grabbed a large bowl and filled it with water. The puppies went to town, their little tails wagging, each trying to shove the other out of the way.

  “Hey, I’m sorry,” Ryan said.

  “Don’t worry. I can handle this. I’ll keep them in my bathroom tonight so that the others can’t get to them. They’ll be safe.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I mean I’m sorry I didn’t come by the shop on Tuesday.”

  “You probably got tied up.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got a lot going on but I always make room for you. You know that.”

  “Sure. I’m one of Jill’s best friends. She’d probably brain you if you were mean to me.”

  He chuckled. “News flash. She hasn’t brained me in years. And you’re my friend, too.”

  The way he said those gentle words sent a warm tingle down her spine. Yes, they were friends but they had never spent much time together. At least, not alone. They were alone now, and if not for the puppies, Zoey might have freaked out about that. Here was this incredibly handsome, wonderfully built single man, in her home on a Friday night when he could be anywhere else.

  With anyone else.

  “You have that list for me?” He looked up from where he squatted next to the puppies.

  “Yes. I’ll get it.” She went to pull the list out of her backpack. “I thought of everyone.”

  His fingers brushed against hers as he took the list, and just that simple touch elicited a deep pull of longing in her belly.

  Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not going to crush on him again. I used to dream about what it would be like to be kissed by Ryan Davis, but that was years ago and I got over him.

  It’s just that he was being so kind. He could have left when she wasn’t home instead of waiting for her. He should have rushed out after dropping off the puppies. But he was still here and hanging out. Helping her. The much younger Zoey would have taken this and imagined all types of scenarios which in the end all meant he was secretly in love with her.

  “I think I’ll go ahead and set them up now.”

  He picked up all four puppies at once. “Where to, boss?”

  Was there anything more attractive than a handsome man wrangling puppies in his big and capable arms? If there was, Zoey didn’t know about it. She was forced to lead him into her bedroom and the master bathroom adjoining. Thank goodness she still kept her home as clean as Tia had raised her to do. Zoey couldn’t cook anything but sandwiches and macaroni and cheese from a box, but she kept an immaculate house. Lining her tub with the warm towels, she motioned for him to set them down. He did, and then they were both kneeling, elbow to elbow, petting the puppies.

  “You should name this one Patches.” Ryan rubbed the belly of the puppy with a black spot over one eye. He’d rolled over on his back and closed his eyes in puppy bliss.

  “We don’t get to name them.”

  He was so close to her in this tight space that she felt his hot breath fan across her neck. That deep pull in her belly wandered farther south.

  “Just for now, I mean. For fun.”

  Fun? He wanted to have fun. With her.

  “Alright, then I’ll name this one Bear.” She reached for the fluffiest one, bumping Ryan’s shoulder. “He seems to be your favorite.”

  “How did you know?” His brows went up. “He was the one barking the loudest when I found the box. As if he was yelling at me. Daring me to walk away from them.”

  “What were you doing when you found them?”

  “Looking for Boo.”

  “You were?” And here she had imagined him busy every night with whatever it was he did after work. She never imagined he’d still been searching.

  “Sure. I look during the day when I’m around town on business and at night when I’m running.”

  “You run? On purpose?”

  He cocked his head and grinned. “Yeah. With no one chasing me.”

  “You are a sick man, Ryan Davis.” She shook her head, then turned to him to smile and caught him studying her.

  “You have no idea.” As if he’d done something wrong, he rose to his full height quite suddenly, and she followed suit. But Ryan didn’t quite clear the curtain rod over the tub.

  She winced. “Are you okay?”

  He rubbed the top of his head and all that beautiful thick golden hair. She wanted her hands in his hair, checking to make sure if he was okay, naturally. Also, to know if his hair was coarse or soft to the touch. But she didn’t dare.

  “I’m good. Maybe that will knock some sense into me.” He moved toward the door. “I should go. You’re situated.”

  She didn’t want him to leave but couldn’t think of a single reason he should stay. And if she asked him to stay, he’d certainly want to go. Immediately. He wouldn’t want to encourage any more of her silly crushes on him. Ryan was too kind, too good to lead her on. And she was far too smart to fool herself. Far too wise to take what she wanted without considering the consequences. In this case, there would be a broken heart.

  She closed the bathroom door and followed him to the front door. “Thank you again.”

  “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  “Besides finding homes for these puppies? Working at the shop.”

  “I’ll come by the store tomorrow after I call the people on the list you gave me.”

  “What are you going to ask them?” She couldn’t imagine any way that wouldn’t wind up sounding like an outright accusation.

  “You let me handle that.”

  He stepped outside, confidence in every easy move he made. She watched from the window as he strode to his Jeep, climbed inside and drove off.

  She hitched in an uneven breath. It was all going to be okay. She wouldn’t get all caught up in him simply because they were going to spend a little time together. For Ryan, this was all clearly in the pursuit of justice. But she was a little worried because Ryan was such a good guy and he meant safety to her. She knew Ryan would never touch a woman without knowing she wanted him to. He’d never take advantage of Zoey, and even if there were two sides to that coin, she appreciated that.

  The puppies yipped from behind the bathroom door. “I’m coming, babies.”

  She had to calm the puppies down and then reassure Indie, Bella and Corky that they hadn’t been forgotten.

  Chapter 5

  “Please, Mommy? Please?” the little girl whined. She was petting Bear with adoration in her eyes.

  It had been a bit of a mistake to bring the puppies to work, as most were spoken for. But she couldn’t leave them unattended all day. They were babies who required constant care. She’d started alerting everyone on her special puppy list last night. Most were thrilled and excited to finally get their puppy and the first owner had dropped by and made her choice when Zoey opened the doors this morning. The second came shortly after, and now only Patches and Bear remained.

  “No! I told you no more puppies! The last one destroyed our house,” the mother said, yanking her daughter’s arm and pulling her away.

  The child winced and so did Zoey. She wouldn’t have let that woman adopt a puppy if her life depended on it.

  “I’m sorry, honey,” Zoey said softly to the girl. “These already have forever homes.”

  “Then why would you bring them in here to torture the children?” the mother asked, her anger overshadowing everything.

  Zoey blinked. “I... I...had to...”

  When people got ugly and up in her personal space like this, Zoey lost her words. This was her store, and part of her adoption process included outfitting the families with everything they would need to get started. Food, bed, collar, leash, a Pimp Your Pet tee. On her dime. But the words wouldn’t come. Just then the bell ov
er the door chimed and Ryan stepped inside. He saved her from talking, as the woman dropped everything, turned into someone less hostile and flashed him a toothy smile.

  Zoey was going to go out on a limb and guess the woman was a single mom.

  “Hello, Sheriff Davis,” she said with saccharine sweetness. “How are you today?”

  “Good, thanks.” He whipped off his aviator shades and propped them on his head. “And you?”

  She placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Chelsea was impressed with the talk you gave at her school. She wants to go into law enforcement now.”

  “Is that right?” Ryan smiled down at the little girl.

  “You have a big gun. And my mommy is single,” Chelsea said.

  Zoey choked back a laugh and this meant biting her lower lip so hard it hurt.

  The mother laughed and tossed back her long blond hair. “This isn’t the time or place, sweetheart, though it is true.”

  “You all have a good day,” Ryan said, moving past them, clearly unfazed.

  The woman rushed out of the store without buying a thing.

  “How are our puppies today?” He came behind the register and bent low to pet Patches until Bear pushed him out of the way with his heftier size.

  “Two have already been adopted and just Patches and Bear are left. Their owners are coming as soon as they can.”

  “You work fast.”

  “Well, I had a list.” She cleared her throat. “Any luck with Boo?”

  “Not yet.” He rose, cuddling Bear. “But don’t give up.”

  “Of course not.”

  She never would. Not until she at least knew Boo’s fate. She could only hope he’d somehow wound up in a good home. She told herself every night that he had. It was the only way she could sleep.

  “Sheriff Davis.” Mrs. Richardson, a store regular, approached. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Just checking in with all the business owners about the dumpster fire,” he said, putting Bear down. The puppy whined in misery. “It’s important that we get as much information as possible on who may have been in the area.”