Maybe. Jessie angled her head in concession, but irritation crawled all over her skin. Her story seemed feasible, if careless, and it was obvious that, even on her best day, Lola had never been this happy. She practically mowed the woman down with affection, her tail whipping from side to side with joy, her tongue out, her smile in place.
This was definitely Lola’s person, whether Jessie liked it or not. And she most certainly did not.
While she tried to come to terms with that, Garrett explained that there was a proper procedure they had to go through. Sherry walked next to him, Lola matching every step, while Jessie hung back a few steps, stewing.
Who doesn’t register their dog? What had this woman done to deserve Lola’s love? Why hadn’t she sent someone to Waterford while she was in Paris? This was her dog, for crying out loud. Didn’t she love Lola? What kind of mother was she?
One that placed something or someone over the precious gift she’d been given.
One like her very own mother.
“How did she get lost?” Jessie asked, hustling to catch up with them as they headed to Garrett’s office.
The woman barely looked at her. “She was stolen from my yard. It was fenced, but someone took her.”
“What?” Jessie’s jaw dropped. “Why?”
“Because she’s beautiful,” the woman replied, as if that explained it. “It happens, you know. I mean, working here, you must know.”
Except…no. This didn’t fit. “So, if someone stole Lola because she is so utterly irresistible that they had to break into your yard and take her, why leave her at an interstate rest stop?”
The woman glared at her. “How would I know?” she said, an edge in her voice.
A great interview technique, answering a question with a question. The oldest in the book when a person didn’t want to outright lie.
“Is Lola a particularly valuable dog?” Jessie asked. “She’s fixed, so…”
“Why don’t you ask someone who breeds them?” Sherry fired back, walking past her into Garrett’s office.
“Did you contact the local authorities?”
“Did you not hear me explain this to your boss?” she asked, her every word burrowing under Jessie’s skin.
“Okay,” Garrett said, cutting into the exchange as he pulled out some files from a drawer. “I need you to fill this out, and let me make copies of any paperwork you have that proves Lola, er, Trisket is your dog.”
“Lola?” She sniffed. “That’s what you call her?”
“We didn’t have a name,” Jessie said through gritted teeth.
The woman had the courtesy to nod in understanding. “I’m just grateful to my vet.”
Who she didn’t even call back. “But it was Garrett who put the call out to all his contacts in Rhode Island,” Jessie said. “You didn’t post it on social media. Do you have a FriendGroup account?”
Sherry ignored the question, looking at the papers Garrett slid across the table.
“I’m not filling this out,” she said simply. “I’ll pay you, of course. For every day she boarded here and whatever expenses were incurred. But no papers. I don’t want to. Trisket is my dog, and if the way she acted when she saw me doesn’t prove that, then you’re not very impressive dog people here at this facility.”
Garrett narrowed his eyes. “I’m not giving her to anyone off the street. We follow state laws for this procedure, and you’ll have to prove she’s yours with paper, not a wagging tail.”
She swallowed visibly and looked down, fighting tears.
On instinct, Jessie reached over and put her hand over the woman’s. “How about you tell us why you won’t fill it out?” She slid a look at Garrett, who gave an imperceptible nod of approval.
She shifted in her seat, then huffed a breath. “Because my ex took her to make my life hell, okay? And I’ve moved. Well, I’m going to stay with a friend in Florida because I have to get away from this guy, and I don’t want him to know where I am. Okay? Is that enough reason for me not to file anything with anyone anywhere or call my vet, who he knows? So I’m safe? Of course she’s registered, but I don’t want him to know I have her. I don’t have a FriendGroup account because he stalks me. I don’t want him to know where I’ve been or where I’m going.” Her voice wavered and cracked. “I need to be safe.”
“Oh, so sorry.” Jessie added some pressure to her touch, a rush of sympathy washing away any irritation. “That’s a tough situation.”
“Trisket is…my world now.”
As if she knew she was being talked about, Lola sat up and got closer, placing her chin on the lady’s leg. Sherry leaned over and planted a kiss on her head. “Good girl, Trissie.”
Lola’s tail flipped left and right with pure joy.
Garrett blew out a breath. “Fill out what you can without leaving a trail and give me a phone number where I can reach you. I’ll verify with Dr. Stowe in Rhode Island and file the paperwork under our corporate name. We want you to be as safe as your dog.”
She smiled at him, then Jessie. “Thank you. I promise you I would never hurt her.”
As Sherry leaned over to fill out the form, Jessie reached her hand to the dog.
“Hey, Lola. You forget about me, baby?”
She turned and wagged, but clearly her interest had waned.
“Jessie kept your dog from starving herself to death,” Garrett said, making Sherry look up from the form.
“Really?”
“Oh, it was…” No, it was not nothing, Jessie thought. It was a tiny bit life-changing. “My pleasure,” she added. “I fell hard for her.”
That made Sherry smile. “She’s special like that. I appreciate you loving her for me.”
“I did. I do.” A lump formed in her throat, unexpected but real. “Hey, Lola. Do you want to show your new trick to your mom? Let’s go outside and practice while they finish this business.” Jessie stood, anxious to get out of the room so this stranger didn’t see her emotions. “Do you mind?” she asked Sherry.
“No, of course. I’ll be right out.”
“Come, Lola.” She snapped her fingers, but Lola looked at her owner for permission first.
Outside, Jessie blinked back some tears and walked Lola to the grass for the last time, hugging her with both arms around her neck. “I’m going to miss you, you know that?”
A wave of emotion rolled up and threatened more tears, so Jessie closed her eyes and let Lola lick her face. “It was fun being your number one,” she whispered. “Even if it was only for a little bit.”
Lola barked and pulled away, instantly darting toward her real number one as Sherry and Garrett came closer.
“Let’s see this trick,” Sherry said, much friendlier now than when she arrived.
“All right. Lola, come.” Jessie got on one knee. “High five!”
Lola lifted her paw and tapped Jessie’s.
“That’s awesome,” Sherry said, leaning over to pet the dog. “Now tell me you love me, Trisket.”
Lola barked three times.
“I love you, too,” Sherry said.
Three more barks.
“That’s…I love you?” Jessie asked on a whisper.
“Her first trick,” Sherry said. “Three times, always, when she sees me. I-love-you.”
Lola did it again, as if to agree with her owner.
Jessie sighed and looked up at Garrett. “All this time, she’s been saying I love you, and I didn’t even know.”
“She showed you,” he whispered. “You didn’t have to know she was thinking it.”
The words rolled over her, easing the pain in her chest.
“I’m so happy she was here,” Sherry said as she started to walk away and Lola went with her. “Come on, Trissie. We have a long ride ahead.” She reached out and shook Garrett’s hand and added a quick hug to Jessie. “Thank you so much.”
They walked out of the training area, around the fence, and headed to an SUV parked in the driveway.
“Bye, Lola,” Jessie c
alled, tears rolling now.
Lola stopped, turned, and barked three times.
“I love you, too,” she whispered, turning to Garrett, who pulled her closer. Everything in her wanted to say the same thing to him, but something stopped her. Probably the great big black hole of hurt in her chest.
Chapter Twenty-one
He could bark three times.
Chopping some vegetables for the romantic dinner at home he’d planned while he waited for Jessie that night, Garrett mulled over how to tell Jessie how he felt about her. And that he wanted her to stay, but if she didn’t, he understood and could do long distance if he had to.
Because she wasn’t going to give up that anchor job, and he’d known that from the beginning. So how had he let himself fall so damn hard for her?
He didn’t know, but it happened. All the walls were gone—with her, at least—and all he wanted was to keep her as close to him as possible. How did you tell a woman she should change her life, leave her big-time job, and work on a dog farm?
You don’t, fool.
So he’d have to make the most of their few nights left. He shouldn’t muddy the waters by telling her he loved her. Maybe someday. Maybe things would change. But not tonight.
A few minutes later, a light tap on the door had him smiling before he even opened it. When he did, his whole heart melted, and every other organ did the opposite.
Who was he kidding? He’d never last the night without confessing his true feelings.
“Wow,” he whispered, checking out the waves she’d added to her hair, giving it a tousled, sexy look. She wore something sparkly on her eyes, her mouth glistened with lip gloss he couldn’t wait to taste, and she’d dressed in a slinky black top over skin-tight white jeans and high heels that should be sold with condoms in the shoe box.
“Wow yourself.” She tapped his chin with one finger, letting her gaze drop over his not nearly as nice shirt and khakis, but her eyes widened in appreciation anyway.
He closed his hand over that finger and kissed the tip of it. “You look sexy.”
“I feel—”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and cut her off with a solid, hard kiss. He held her there, long enough to melt together in what was now a familiar feeling.
“Sad,” she finished.
“Not what I was going for, but I understand when you say goodbye to a dog.” He skimmed his fingers over her bare shoulder, marveling at the creaminess of her skin, slipping under the tank top strap because he needed more of that skin. And less of these clothes. “I’ll let you wear the doggone hat, if you want.” He kissed her shoulder. “And nothing else.”
She gave a rueful laugh. “I’ll never forget Lola, Garrett.”
“Forget that she’s not in your life, don’t forget her. Don’t forget the way she made you feel or the fact that you saved her.”
She let her forehead lean against his chin. “That does make me happy. But, Garrett, that’s not what I’m most unhappy about.” When she looked up, he saw the shadow in her eyes. A different kind of sadness, but as real as he’d seen when she said goodbye to Lola.
And he knew what she was going to say before she said it.
“I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”
Knowing it didn’t make the kick in the gut any less painful.
“I’ve been summoned by my boss. No delay.”
“Tomorrow is Saturday, Jess. Can’t you stay the weekend?”
“They actually wanted me tonight, but I begged for twelve more hours.”
Hours. Not days. “Shit,” he murmured, then let his arms drop in resignation. “Okay. That’s…okay.”
As he turned back to the kitchen, Jessie caught his arm to stop him. “No, it’s not okay. At least, not based on that reaction.”
He tried for a casual shrug, but nothing felt casual. Not with her. “I hate to see you go,” he said softly. “I was just starting to…”
“Get used to me?” she offered when he couldn’t finish.
“Fall really hard for you,” he said. “Which is dumb, unless long-distance relationships are better than I imagine. But something tells me they’re not.”
She answered with a sigh that told him everything.
“Look, Jessie.” He took her hands in his. “I don’t want to get all drippy and emotional, especially now that it’s our last night, but I want you to know that…”
Once again, he couldn’t get the words out and stood there like a fool. She stepped closer, sliding her arms around him. “I know,” she whispered.
“You do?”
Tipping back, she looked up at him. “I think I do, and I’m just as conflicted.”
Conflicted? He wasn’t conflicted at all. He was certain. “What are you conflicted about?”
After a moment, she said, “I have a question I never asked you.”
“I thought we were done with all those questions.”
“One more. Was there ever a time in that storied career of yours when you thought that maybe the thing you wanted all along wasn’t what you really wanted?”
He didn’t answer, but not because he didn’t know what to say. Was this her way of telling him she wasn’t sure about leaving? He tamped down the hope that rose up, nodding. “After I started working at FriendGroup.”
“But that situation was…clouded.”
He couldn’t argue with that. “But I wasn’t happy working for a corporation. All the money meant nothing because I missed the spirit we had at PetPic.” He brushed back a lock of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “Why are you asking?”
“Because I felt a little like that today. Like…maybe this job isn’t what I thought it’s going to be. I didn’t really enjoy that process today, not as much as I should have. What if I hate broadcast?”
Then life would be good. Perfect. Awesome, in fact. “Call me and I’ll come get you, move you, and bring you back to a place that gives you a sense of belonging and security.”
“Waterford?”
“And here.” He put his hand over his chest. “I’ll keep you right here.”
Her jaw loosened. “Do you mean that?”
“How can you even ask that, Jessie? I don’t have any walls left. I don’t have any self-preservation techniques with you. You took them all away and made me…”
“Open and different?”
He laughed softly. “Yeah, but that’s not what I was going to say. You made me love you, Jessica Jane. I love you.”
She tried to breathe, but he could tell the words had strangled her. Or maybe it was the response, the expected, hoped-for response, that strangled her. She stared at him, something unreadable in her eyes.
Fear? Was she still afraid?
“Do you love me?” he asked.
She stood perfectly silent, that vein in her temple pulsing rapidly. “I think I do,” she finally whispered.
“And that scares you.”
“More than I can say. What if…why does…how can…”
He stopped the half-formed questions with a kiss. “The answer to all your questions is simple. Just say it.”
“But I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I don’t care, Jessie. I still love you.”
She sighed into him, kissing back with tenderness and tenacity at first, then she gave in to a real kiss. A full-bodied, openmouthed kiss that might be the only way she was capable of saying she loved him now.
He’d take it. He’d take everything. He’d take anything she’d give him.
With his hands already roaming up and down her back, he walked her to the hall and into his room, not bothering to close the door as they kissed their way to the bed.
They fell on it together, touching, rolling, loving each other in a frenzy of unzipping and tugging and sliding things off.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow.
It barked in his ear with Lola’s old rhythm. To-mor-row.
He shoved the word aside, drowning out the sound of it with other words. Sexy words. Promises. A
dmiration. Sighs of pleasure and groans of sheer delight. Shoes dropped. Buttons popped. Her silky top whispered its way to the floor.
When he slid off her bra and took a moment to look down at her half-naked body, the blood in his head hammered so hard he couldn’t think about tomorrow.
There was now. This was Jessie and this bed and their bodies and heat. She touched him, making him hiss with satisfaction. He did the same to her, sliding his fingers into the sweet center of her, earning a long, low, helpless moan.
He peeled her jeans over her hips and backside, inching down to the sexy thong that beckoned him. “That thing’s not going to last long.” He rubbed his fingers over the lace, making her hips undulate.
“Don’t need it.” She writhed at his touch. “Don’t want it.” Pushed his head down. “Don’t care about anything but you.”
He kissed her belly and got those jeans down her legs. He straddled her, taking in the sight of her in nothing but lace and lust. Her hair in curls on his pillow. Her lips parted and wet. Her eyes dark with need.
“I love you, Jessie,” he said again. “I love—”
“Someone’s at your door.” She planted her hands on his chest and pushed him up. “Don’t you hear that?”
He shook off the sudden intrusion from the outside world, almost not believing her words.
But there it was—three, four, five slamming bangs on his front door.
“I don’t care. It’s locked. I’m not leaving this bed, and neither are you.”
She smiled and reached up to his neck to yank him closer. “Then come back down here.”
He kissed her, but the pounding didn’t stop. It got louder. Harder. Relentless. What the hell?
“Could it be an emergency at Waterford?” she asked.
He shook his head and went south again, lingering on the sweet buds of her breasts to—
“Goddammit, Garrett Kilcannon!” The man’s voice boomed from the other side of the front door, making Garrett shoot straight up in shock. “Open this door, or I’ll kick it in, you scum-sucking bastard, traitor, wife-stealing prick!”
Jessie’s eyes flashed wide in horror, but Garrett sat absolutely frozen as the impossible suddenly became real. That couldn’t be… That wasn’t…