When Love Matters Most

  Rick instructed the dog to sit-stay. With quiet, soothing words, he allowed Nitro to sniff his hand, then slowly reached from below his head and around to unclip the leash. He hung it up near the entry gate and let the dogs run around to blow off some steam. Ordering Sniff to down-stay, he motioned for Nitro to follow him.

  Rick had set up a training cylinder containing trace amounts of explosive residue in a wooden storage box, and he’d placed several decoy cylinders and various other scented decoys around the yard while the dogs had been in the kennels.

  When he gave the order for Nitro to search, he observed him carefully. Rick purposely didn’t direct or encourage the dog, yet Nitro quickly found the training cylinder. He did the appropriate passive indication, sitting and staring at the storage box containing the cylinder. The dog was a perfect detection dog—if properly handled. Rick followed the training exercise with some basic agility and environmental drills, then released Sniff and allowed the dogs to play for a few more minutes.

  When he reached over to affix Nitro’s leash to his collar, he watched the dog carefully—and was revolted to see him flinch again.

  He’d have to speak to Jagger about this, no question. He checked his watch. He was anxious to do it, but it would have to wait, or he’d be late for his and Sniff’s drug-abuse awareness session with the teens at La Valencia High School. It was the session he’d had to cancel the day of the shooting. He’d rescheduled and didn’t want to be late.

  On his way he’d give Madison a call.

  But when he got into his SDPD Explorer, his personal cell phone rang. He glanced at the display and saw it was Sophie. He knew that if he answered, he’d be on the phone with her until he got to the school. But he loved his sister and couldn’t ignore her call.

  Sure enough, he finally had to force her to let him go when he arrived.

  Rick parked his SUV in the lot at La Valencia High and ordered Sniff to hop out. In addition to his collar and police badge, he put the SDPD jacket he’d had specially made for Sniff on him. Sniff preened and did a little dance, despite his sore hind legs. Sniff loved the kids, always had, and was eager to get started.

  Rick stopped at the administrative office to check in. The office manager greeted him warmly. Rick liked Nina, had even taken her out a couple of times. Nothing serious, but they’d had fun. He’d realized she was more interested in him than he was in her; it had never been much of an issue for him. But today, seeing her lean toward him in a suggestive manner, he thought of Madison.

  One date with Madison and he felt it was wrong to flirt with someone else? That was new for him, too. Not that he’d ever cheated on a woman he was dating. He’d never do that. But most of his relationships had been casual, and harmless flirting with an attractive woman had never been out of question. Until now.

  He gave Nina a quick wave and backed out before she could engage him, and maybe suggest getting together.

  With Sniff at his side, he hurried to the auditorium, where he knew the kids would be gathered. The murmurs died down when they entered. It never failed. Whatever other issues these kids might have, it was good to see that at this age they still had a healthy respect for the law. Rick regretted that would change for too many of them. He knew the sobering statistics about the percentage of kids in the room who’d become involved with drugs—whether dealing or using—and then there were those who’d be drawn into other illegal activities.

  He waited for the teacher to make the usual introductory remarks, then he and Sniff took over. They did their normal presentation. At its conclusion, the kids giggled while Sniff did a search for drugs, snuffling each of them in the process. Watching Sniff, Rick let his mind wander to Madison again. He needed to find the time to give her a call when he was done and ask her out to dinner. He really wanted to see her.

  * * *

  MADISON TIGHTENED OWEN’S leash when she approached the front doors of Ocean Crest Hospital. Not because Owen needed it, but more to reassure anyone who might feel intimidated by the large silver-and-white dog. Owen wore his snappy red therapy-dog jacket, which helped with the intimidation factor, but also made clear why there was a dog in the hospital.

  Owen loved to interact with people and enjoyed their visits to Ocean Crest. His tail was wagging as they entered the building.

  “How are you, Lydia?” Madison called to the brunette behind the reception counter when she and Owen walked by.

  “Good. Wait, wait!” Lydia scooted out of her chair and rushed around the counter to see Owen. “You’re such a sweet boy. Yes, you are,” she cooed to the dog.

  Owen simply sat and accepted the attention as if it was his due.

  “Do you know where they’d like us today?” Madison asked.

  “Oh, I think they have you scheduled for the palliative-care ward.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you later.”

  Madison made her way to the elevators. She and Owen entered last, and she had him sit while the elevator stopped at various floors, and people got on and off. On the sixth floor, they exited and turned right. Her cell phone vibrated with an incoming call just as she entered the ward’s recreation room. She let it go to voice mail.

  She was always gratified to observe the look of joy on patients’ faces when they spotted Owen. A few rose and came to greet them, while others waited expectantly, knowing that she and Owen would walk around to see everyone. Many of the patients had been there for some time. Over the months she and Owen had been visiting, she’d come to recognize their preferences—the ones who liked to hug Owen and thrived on the physical contact, the ones who preferred to have him sit patiently while they talked and the ones who liked to watch him do tricks for them. The few patients who seemed uneasy, she approached slowly and asked if they’d like to say hello to him.

  When Stanley, an elderly gentleman with advanced Alzheimer’s, hesitantly said he thought he was ready to pet Owen, she smiled. It wasn’t the first time, but he didn’t always remember. They’d done it often enough that she knew it would bring him pleasure.

  She told Owen to lie down. That way he was less imposing. She instructed him to inch toward Stanley. The large dog crawling forward on his belly caused Stanley and a few of the other patients to laugh, something that didn’t happen often enough in this ward. When Stanley leaned down to pat Owen’s head and chuckled with delight, that made the trip completely worth it for Madison. She spent another hour with the patients, and then said her goodbyes with a promise to see them again the following week.

  In the parking lot, while Owen jumped in the back of her Porsche SUV, she checked her iPhone for the call she’d missed. There was a message. She prompted her voice mail and felt warmth spread through her when she heard Rick’s deep, sexy voice. She called the number he’d left and smiled when he picked up on the third ring.

  They exchanged pleasantries and talked about their days while she climbed into her vehicle and activated her Bluetooth. He apologized for not having called her sooner, and she was comforted knowing it wasn’t from lack of interest.

  She drove out of the parking lot and tapped her fingers lightly on the steering wheel as she listened.

  “I want to see you again, Madison. Would you have dinner with me?” he asked.

  “I’d like that. Very much,” she added. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I thought I’d leave that to you.”

  Madison hadn’t gone out much since she’d moved to San Diego. She’d spent most of her time at the clinic, the rehab center or with Owen at the hospital. She didn’t consider any of the restaurants she’d gone to with Heather or one of her other colleagues as suitable for a dinner date with Rick. “I don’t really know too many places here.”

  “Okay, then how about you tell me what kind of food you enjoy and I’ll pick.”

  She laughed. “It would probably be easier to tell you what I don?
??t enjoy! I have a pretty healthy appetite. I’m sure you concluded that from Logan’s barbecue.”

  “You’re not being very helpful,” he teased.

  She considered the elegant, candlelit restaurants most guys had taken her to on early dates, and decided that wasn’t what she wanted with Rick. Not because she didn’t want the romance of it. She loved romance. But she didn’t want something predictable, either. Something she’d done many times. Suddenly she realized that she wanted it to be different with Rick. So she said what was on her mind. “Different. I’d like something fun and different. Show me what you’re made of, Vasquez,” she said with a laugh.

  “All right. If that’s what you want. How’s Thursday?”

  Madison did a quick mental check of her work schedule and was fairly certain that she wasn’t at the clinic or the rehab center that evening. “Sounds good.”

  “What if I pick you up at seven?”

  “Sure.”

  “Oh, Madison?” he said, just as she was about to hang up. “Wear something casual.”

  They said their goodbyes, and she disconnected. She recalled how she’d missed the mark in proper attire for his captain’s barbecue and was glad he’d offered the clarification. She hadn’t considered casual, but she probably should have with Rick. He didn’t seem the suit-and-tie type she was accustomed to. But hadn’t she asked for something different?

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  BY THE TIME Thursday came around, Rick was impatient to see Madison. He couldn’t get the woman out of his mind. At work, his primary focus had been the preparation for taking down the Los Zetas Cartel. Fortunately, his preoccupation with it made the days pass quickly and kept him from picking up the phone to call Madison a hundred times. But every spare moment he had, and in the evenings when he was at home and alone, he found his thoughts repeatedly drifting back to her.

  He liked the place he’d come up with for dinner and figured it might be a true test of their compatibility, not unlike the ride on his Harley had been. There was a part of him that worried she wouldn’t enjoy it and that would be the end. That thought made him realize he very much wanted this to be a beginning.

  He considered changing the reservation to a more traditional restaurant. Less risky. Something with white linen, silver and crystal, subdued lighting and muted classical music. That was probably more her style, he mused, knowing what he did about her background. He was reaching for the phone to make another reservation, then decided the heck with it. O Touro was one of his favorite restaurants, so he’d better find out now if she liked that sort of thing. Besides, she’d wanted something different. She was going to get what she’d asked for. He’d gone with his instincts and now he’d just have to see...

  He shook his head. He was behaving like a high-school kid going on his first date. Madison was having an effect on him. He’d begun second-guessing himself. And when had he felt nervous about going out with a woman? Never in his recollection. Sitting at his desk, he checked his watch for the hundredth time that morning. Just a few more hours now.

  He watched Brody walk past his work space, holding Nitro’s leash choked up too much for comfort, and remembered he was going to speak to Logan about what he suspected. He waited until Brody had left, then rose and grabbed a couple of coffees from the pot in the unit’s small kitchenette on his way to the captain’s office. The coffee was always vile, but it was better than none at all.

  “Jagger, got a minute?” Rick asked from the doorway of Logan’s office.

  Logan glanced up. “Yeah, sure.”

  Rick closed the door behind him, eliciting a raised-eyebrow look from his captain. He handed him one of the coffees and sat in the visitor chair.

  “What’s this about?” Logan asked.

  “Brody,” Rick replied.

  Logan exhaled. “He’s not on your team. What about him?”

  “Other than that the guy needs to get some exercise?” His tone grew serious. “I suspect he’s hitting his dog.”

  “What makes you say that?” Logan had straightened in his seat and his eyes had an intense gleam to them.

  Rick never brought issues forward that weren’t substantiated, and Logan would know that. He wasn’t a whiner, nor did he like to tattle on his colleagues. So Rick wasn’t surprised at Logan’s immediate and serious reaction to his statement. Logan wasn’t questioning what he’d said. He simply wanted to understand the circumstances, in case he needed to act.

  Rick outlined the reasons for his suspicion.

  Logan slammed his fist on the desk. “Damn it! I don’t condone that and everyone knows it!”

  “Yeah. That’s why I told you.”

  “Appreciate it” was Logan’s curt response.

  “Any update on getting a replacement for Sniff?” Rick asked, changing the subject.

  “Nothing yet, but I’m working on it.”

  Rick left Logan’s office shortly after. The discussion had put him in a foul mood. He was angry at Brody; he was no happier with himself for having to snitch on another cop. But Brody’d had it coming. His dog couldn’t speak up for himself. Rick had also hoped there’d been some progress with Sniff’s retirement.

  “Didn’t go well?” Shannon asked when he walked past her desk on his way to his own.

  “Huh?”

  She motioned with her head toward Logan’s office. “The meeting. It didn’t go well?”

  Rick glanced over his shoulder, noted that Logan was on his phone, and the captain didn’t look any happier than Rick felt. “Nah. It’ll get worked out.”

  “The woman you brought to the captain’s barbecue. How’s your relationship with her going?” Shannon asked as Rick was about to leave again.

  He must have given her a “what business is it of yours?” look, because she shrugged and smiled. “Just asking. I like her.”

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Brody walk back in, minus Nitro, and some of his anger fled. He was doing the right thing. He was sure Brody was mistreating his dog, and he couldn’t allow that to happen. “Sorry. What?” he said to Shannon.

  “I said I like Madison.”

  Rick felt his mood lighten. “Yeah, so do I. In fact, I’m having dinner with her tonight.”

  “Glad to hear it!” Shannon nodded to Brody as he walked by, but her smile dimmed, and Rick wondered if anyone liked Brody. Brody, for his part, ignored Shannon but gave Rick a hostile stare. He shrugged it off, although he suspected Brody knew he’d spoken to the captain about him. So be it. This wasn’t a popularity contest. Apart from how Brody treated his dog, Rick had a generally bad feeling about the guy.

  Shannon’s phone rang and he looked back at her. “Have a nice dinner, and say hi to Madison for me,” she said as she reached to answer it.

  Rick remained in the office for the rest of his shift, and for once he left on time. At home he changed his shirt twice before deciding on the one he wanted to wear. Foolish, he thought with amusement.

  He couldn’t remember looking forward to seeing a woman this much in a while, if ever. Now, if only his choice of restaurant didn’t backfire on him.

  * * *

  MADISON GLANCED AROUND her as the hostess escorted her and Rick to a corner table in the restaurant. Rick had brought her to a genuine Brazilian churrascaria. She hadn’t known what a churrascaria was until he’d explained it on their way to the restaurant. It was an all-you-can-eat place with Brazilian meat served tableside from huge skewers. He’d given her the option of going somewhere else, if she preferred, but she’d told him she was game. When he’d explained the concept to her, she’d expected something more...rustic. Less refined. They walked by an ample salad bar, and through a couple of busy rooms to the section where they were seated.

  Madison smiled, seeing the waiters dressed in traditional Brazilian gaucho attire circulating around the
room with their huge skewers of meat and sharp knives.

  When she’d told their waitress that it was her first time in a churrascaria, the woman described the use of the colored disks on their table that, depending on which side was up, meant either that she was still hungry and the gauchos should keep the meat coming or that she was full and they should bypass her as they moved around the room.

  She watched Rick as he ordered their wine and gave the waitress a pleasant smile. That smile alone, the even white teeth contrasting with his dark complexion, could have accounted for the little thrill she felt, but it was the whole package that attracted her.

  If she hadn’t known he was a cop, she might have assumed he was an athlete. Perhaps a mixed martial arts fighter, she thought as he handed the wine list back to the waitress and the sleeve of his golf shirt tightened across his biceps. Yes, an MMA fighter. He had the shoulders and the arms for it.

  She’d found him physically attractive from the moment she’d seen him, but what appealed to her even more was evident in his interaction with the waitress.

  He was friendly but respectful. The easy smile and the words of appreciation. Engaging yet not flirtatious. She knew how often people dismissed servers, but Rick wasn’t the type. That mattered to her.

  When the waitress left, Rick turned that smile on her, but now there was a hint of flirtatiousness. That and the slight crinkles around his eyes when he smiled were very sexy, and she felt a flutter in her belly.

  “What do you think?” he asked. “Does it meet with your approval?”

  “I asked for fun and different, and you delivered!”

  “I think you’ll approve of the food, too.”

  Madison couldn’t help laughing when server after server, all dressed like gauchos, brought huge hunks of meat to their table. They would slice it to her preference right there and she would grab the slices with small tongs. “You’re right! The meat is delicious,” she said after sampling another tender piece of beef.