After Love (6 page)

“I've got a long list of supplies that I need to get for Harley. Can I call you later if I have any questions?”

“Of course you can. I'll always be Harley's mom. You know how it is.”

“I wish you hadn't said that.” Nick shook his head. “Now you've ruined the fantasy.”

Jamie laughed but didn't take the bait.

“And on that note…I better run. Same time tomorrow?”

“I'll have the coffee ready. You can bring the doughnuts.”

“You bet.” Nick headed toward his truck.

“Oh, and Nick?” Jamie called to him from the porch.

“Yeah?”

“Your training officially starts tomorrow.”

As she watched his black truck drive away, Jamie heaved a big sigh of relief. Being around Nick had been exhausting. There was something powerful about his personality that put all of her nerve endings on high alert. The testosterone radiated off him. He was exactly the kind of man she was determined to avoid. And yet she had never been so attracted.

Jamie worked with men all the time, mostly veterans needing service dogs and also a few cops from smaller police departments. Most of her clientele was male, so being around Nick shouldn't have been so taxing.

She carried the mugs and carafe into the house, trying hard to ignore the dirty clothes and dirty plates in the living room as she walked through. She had vowed not to clean up after her brother, Jared, who had been living with her since he got out of the hospital a year ago. But she couldn't stand looking at the messy kitchen. It took only a few minutes to unload, then reload the dishwasher, wipe off the counters and table, and sweep the floor.

It was mindless work that left her time to think about things she'd rather not think about. Woof Gang was her whole life since her husband's death. And as much as she loved the dogs and the wounded warriors, the nights alone were brutal. She was still horrified that she had admitted as much to Nick, a total stranger. Jeez, he must have thought she was making a play for him.

But then, he was probably used to women saying suggestive things to get his attention. She hadn't meant it to be suggestive…and she definitely was not trying to get his attention. The one thing Jamie absolutely didn't want in her life was a man.

Actually, she already had one man too many. She hung the dish towel on the towel bar and turned on the dishwasher, then grabbed an apple out of a bowl on the table and headed back to the kennels. As she passed through the living room again, she frowned at the clutter. She had been giving Jared time to adjust to his new life after losing his legs fighting in Afghanistan. But enough time had passed that he was physically healed from the wounds. His emotional recovery was taking a little longer, but at least he was going to VA meetings and hanging out with friends again.

She accidentally kicked a pizza box that was halfway under the couch and a couple of shriveled-up, dried-out pieces slid across the wooden floor. Jamie refused to pick up after him anymore. Tonight she would have a talk with him. He was living in the house rent free, so helping her take care of the place was the least he could do.

Jamie hadn't slept in the house since the day of Mike's funeral. The bed was too big and everything in the room reminded her of him. She couldn't look at the dove gray walls without seeing him on a ladder, painting the edges while she rolled the easy parts. She had tried sleeping on the front porch, but summer nights in Austin are often steamy and buggy, so she had moved into the storeroom in the kennel, where she had a cot for those nights she stayed up with a sick dog or one who was whelping. It was warm and dry and blessedly absent of memories of Mike, since he had seldom helped in the kennels. Then, when Jared moved in, she had hired someone to build her a real bedroom and full bathroom out there.

Of course, she would never kick Jared out, no matter how annoying he was. As her older brother, he had always been her protector and her hero. He had left all that behind on the battlefield. Now he was more of a tattered stray who had wandered to her house and needed a place to hide and lick his wounds. But even her dogs had jobs to do, and it was time Jared did too.

Back in the kennels, she started the process of feeding the dogs. It took about an hour to measure out the food and deliver the bowls to each of them. Three days a week, two college kids helped out on an internship as they worked toward veterinary degrees. But today it was just Jamie and Ralph, who was busy training some of the dogs, and Jose, who did lawn care and maintenance.

Sometimes she felt overwhelmed running the business on her own. It was her dream to be the one working with the dogs, but there was all the administrative work that demanded her time and energy. She woke early in the morning and fell into bed around ten o'clock each night. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen a movie or done anything just for fun. Dating was out of the question. What man would want to play second fiddle to thirty-five dogs?

Not that she wanted to date. Mike's death had crushed her. One minute she had been blissfully happy, married to a kind, gentle, wonderful man who adored her. And the next minute she had been a widow. She had been broken, much like Jared. But her recovery time had had to be brief because she had the responsibility of the kennels. The dogs had become her life, and the mundane task of their feeding and training had been the therapy she needed to pull her through.

Now she could think of Mike and their happy years without crying. She missed him every day, but she had accepted that that part of her life was over forever. And because she had had the best, she couldn't imagine herself ever falling in love again.

Inexplicably, Nick's face pushed into her thoughts. He was totally inappropriate for a long-term relationship and definitely not husband material. But he was the first man she had been around in years who made her wish she had taken time this morning to put on some mascara and comb her hair. He had an animal magnetism that made her skin tingle every time he touched her or when their eyes met. She had even caught herself admiring the width of his shoulders and the way he filled out his jeans in all the right places.

Oh God, she was acting like a horny teenager, checking out a man's crotch. Truth was, she was a horny twenty-eight-year-old. While she missed the companionship most of all, she also missed the sex. She was too young for her sex life to be over. But she didn't want the relationship that went along with it, and a vibrator just didn't do it for her. It was too bad she couldn't find a man who would take care of her sexual needs without any kind of expectations. Men did that all the time. Why couldn't women do it too? Friends with benefits sounded like a pretty sensible solution.

Unfortunately, Jamie didn't know any men she was attracted to in that way. Okay, there was Nick, but he was a little too rough around the edges.

Nick, Nick, Nick…Why did his name keep popping into her head? He was the polar opposite of her dear, sweet Mike. They were both in law enforcement, but that was a major negative. Her husband had been medium height, with short blond hair that was always neatly trimmed and no scruff ever. Nick, on the other hand, looked like he had just rolled out of bed. His dark brown hair was shaggy and a couple weeks past a trim. Five o'clock shadow shaded his square jaws…and it hadn't even been afternoon. He was tall, probably an inch or two over six feet, long and lean. He didn't make her think husband…but he definitely made her think lover.

She stacked the filled dog bowls on a flatbed wagon and wiped her hands. It was ridiculous and totally unlike her to even think about having sex for fun. Besides, Nick didn't strike her as a man who lacked willing partners. Even if she dared bring it up, he'd never agree to such a preposterous proposal. Would he?

Nick was concentrating on all the things he had to do to get ready for his new roommate. Of course, Jamie's tight little ass and long legs got their share of time in his thoughts as he went over the events of the day. It was after four when he pulled into a parking space at the store nearest his townhouse. He picked up his phone from the seat and saw that he had a missed call from Bobbi.

Shit! He'd completely forgotten he was supposed to meet in her office. He didn't bother listening to the voicemail but hit redial. She answered on the first ring.

“Hey, it's me, Bobbi. I just got back into Austin. Sorry I missed the meeting. It was a crazy day.”

“Are you alone?”

Nick's forehead wrinkled. His first thought was to wonder why Bobbi would expect Jamie to be with him. “Alone? Why wouldn't I be?”

“Did you get a partner today?”

Oh, of course, she meant the dog. “I spent six hours looking at dogs.”

“Did you find one that might work out?”

“He kinda picked me.” Nick smiled ruefully. “That's quite an operation. Jamie's really amazing.”

“She knows everything about service dogs.”

Nick refrained from commenting that he'd been impressed by her ease with the dogs but even more impressed by her hotness and unavailability, both of which were powerful turn-ons. He knew Bobbi wouldn't approve, and he wasn't in the mood for a lecture.

“So, did you bring him home with you today?”

“No. Apparently I have to be trained. And she gave me a long list of bowls, food, a bed, and all that stuff that I have to buy for him. Is all this covered in my expense report, by the way?”

“Within reason.”

“Tomorrow she's taking me and Harley to downtown Dripping Springs to work in a crowd. Although I'm not sure where she's going to find a crowd in Dripping Springs.” It was a sleepy little bedroom community with most of its residents driving to jobs in Austin each day.

“Harley? Cool name. Listen, after you're back tomorrow, we need to meet with the U.S. District Attorney. We had another student die last night from those loosie-goosey cigarettes.”

“Fuck. I bought some from a guy, so I've got one of every flavor with me. I'm going to use them to train Harley.” He was torn between his desire to stretch the training out so he could spend more time with Jamie and his desire to speed it up so he could find the lab and shut this whole operation down before another kid died. “How's everything else…there?”

“You mean the congressman? He's still threatening to go over my head and initiate a formal inquiry.”

“Inquiry? About that little incident the other night?”

“No, about you personally. He thinks you're bad for the department. With all the talk about bad cops lately, the timing of this couldn't be worse. He's really pissed, so keep your mouth shut if any reporters contact you, and try to avoid getting served while you're at it. Stay below the radar. Can you do that?”

Nick exhaled and stared at the shoppers entering and leaving Walmart. “Okay, I'll try to be a good boy.”

“See you at three. No later.”

She didn't wait for his answer but hung up. Nick put his phone in his pocket, stuck his pistol in its usual spot in the back of his belt, and headed into the store. He stared at the row of collars, leashes, bowls, and other accessories. There wasn't much Nick hated worse than shopping. He went down the aisle and tossed things into his basket, adding a bag of pigs' ears and another hard rubber toy at the last minute. It wasn't beneath him to offer a bribe to win Harley over.

On his way to the register, he looked around for something that would win Jamie's approval. He wouldn't hesitate to bribe her either.

Nick drove up the long drive to Woof Gang Kennels with a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and the receipt for nearly $150 of dog supplies on the passenger seat. He also brought the collar and short leash for Jamie's approval.

He noticed her as soon as the house came into view. She was sitting on the porch, reading a book. She looked up as he parked and approached the house with the box of doughnuts.

“Oh…Krispy Kreme! My favorite!” she exclaimed and stood up to greet him…or was it just to take the doughnuts out of his hand?

The smile on her face told him he had made the right choice. It had been worth the extra half hour out of his way to pick up something that she appreciated that much.

She placed the box on the table with the reverence usually given to prized possessions, then filled their mugs from the carafe. “I haven't had Krispy Kremes in…I can't remember how long.” She picked up a glazed doughnut and took a bite. A look of pure bliss crossed her face. “Yum…They melt in your mouth.”

Nick blinked, unreasonably aroused by her moans. He wanted to see that blissful expression and hear those sounds when she was under him, having the best orgasm of her life. More than anything, he wanted to be that doughnut in her mouth.

“May I have another one?” she asked, sucking the sugar off her fingers.

“Help yourself. I brought them for you.”
For God's sake, woman, use a napkin.

Nick took a doughnut and ate it, more to distract himself than because he wanted it. She took a third one, offered the box to him, then shut the lid. He appreciated a woman with a good appetite, especially when she appeared to be in excellent shape. Thank goodness she didn't live closer to a Krispy Kreme store. He waited until she was finished and her fingers were clean before handing her the receipt.

“Did I forget anything?”

Jamie laughed. “Looks like you cleaned out the store. This is going to be one spoiled dog. Three different sizes of rubber chew toys?”

Nick shrugged. “Didn't know what kind he'd like.”

The screen door swung open, slamming against the outside wall. A man, about Nick's age and supported by two walking forearm crutches, worked his way to the center of the porch.

“Hey, Jared,” Jamie said. “This is DEA agent Nick. He's the one taking Harley.”

“Hi,” Nick said, but made no effort to shake his hand to avoid an awkward juggle of crutches.

Jared nodded, but his gaze swept up and down Nick critically.

“Where's Bobo?” Jamie asked.

Jared jerked his head back toward the house. “He's eating. Do you need anything in town? Jose and I are heading to McMurray's Feed Store.”

Jamie thought for a moment before asking, “Did you get the list off the fridge?”

Jared balanced on one crutch and lifted the hem of his T-shirt with the other hand to reveal a piece of paper that had been stuffed inside his pocket.

“That should be everything,” Jamie confirmed. “Oh…if you have time, I'd like a couple of bottles of red wine. I'm running low.”