Silver Spoon (6 page)

Another hour passed with the team chitchatting, harassing Spoon for more details on his budding relationship, and calls to home before they heard back about the vet visit.

"We're in luck." Loco poked the end button and lowered his cell phone. "Oakley said the vet will take the dog, just drop him off at the office. They will do the surgery, a full workup, bathe him, vaccinate him, and even tie a big red bow around his neck when you pick him up."

"That's perfect," Lark commented from the second row as she glanced behind her at the sleeping dog. "Trust me. A bow always seals the deal."

He sure hoped she was right.

Riley had briefly mentioned the loss of her old cat a while back and never again had the topic of pets come up again. He knew she would love the gigantic canine presently occupying the entire rear of the vehicle. That wasn't an issue. Her landlord could be. If so, they would have to figure something out and quick, for he wasn't about to look into those dark, sad eyes of the animal and walk away.

Chapter 8

"Come on. Let's go." Oakley, complete with purse slung over her shoulder, met them at the door.

"We just got home." They'd made a quick pit stop by the vet's office, dropped off the mastiff, filled out paperwork, then headed directly to Loco's residence in hopes of catching some sleep after a long, tiring assignment.

Her green eyes flashed at Loco. "Yeah, I know. I figure I have about two hours to take you guys shopping for dog supplies before you wear down and want to crash. So, let's get a move on."

Spoon and Loco shared a look, neither one bothering to argue. Instead, they trailed along, hopping into Loco's black SUV.

Oakley hit the nail on the head with Spoon's fatigue level. He remained wired up after a mission for a few hours, even after a long drive. Normally, he went to the gym, or plopped down to play video games until the adrenaline left his body, allowing him to finally sleep.

"I figure we need dog food and another leash and collar. What else?" he tossed out from the backseat, grinning at the two lovebirds holding hands in the front.

She twisted to look at him while waving a piece of paper. "All kinds of things. He needs a bed, toys, puppy pads for housetraining, treats, nail clippers, brushes…"

He blinked in amazement at the long rambling list. "Are you sure that's for a dog and not a newborn baby?"

They both chuckled at him. "Yeah, I was shocked too," Loco admitted as he clicked the blinker on for a turn.

"It seems like a lot, but they're all necessary items. Besides, from what little you've told us about Riley—" she frowned at him—"she probably can't afford everything she needs on her limited budget."

"Good point." He nodded, having forgotten that Riley, for all intents and purposes, lived off the income from working at the gym. Her writing brought in extra, but not enough yet to boost her into a higher tax bracket.

A few minutes later they entered the huge store dedicated to pets of all varieties, a warehouse full of every toy, food, and knick-knack a person could want for their animal. The sheer number of items and endless variety amazed him.

Like a typical woman focused on a shopping spree, Oakley led them around the large pet supply store, picking up items and placing them in the overflowing cart as they meandered down aisle after aisle. With a basket crammed full of stuff for one oversized canine the size of a pony, they finally entered the checkout line.

Spoon flinched at the sum of the purchases, but handed over the payment without a single complaint. After all, he fully expected the vet bill to exceed the amount by at least double. In all honesty, he could spare the money without feeling a budget crunch. Besides, he did it for the welfare of a friendly dog and the happiness of a woman he cared for. He could and would shell out much more for such worthy causes.

Loading up the vehicle, Loco drove them back to the duplex he and Oakley shared, where they transferred everything into Spoon's truck in order for him to arrive at Riley's apartment the following day with her new pet and everything she would need in order to care for him.

By the time Spoon arrived home, his energy levels ran near empty. He jumped in the shower, got cleaned up, then called Riley. When he learned she was off work the next day and intended to stay home and write, he promised to drop by, but kept the dog a surprise. Exhausted, he ended the call, crawled into bed, promptly falling asleep.

Chapter 9

Sure enough, the vet bill came in just under his estimate. A large chunk of change to get one huge tan mutt with a black mask and feet the size of horse hooves in shape to be a lifelong companion to his girlfriend. Yet, when the beast greeted him with a wagging tail and a slobbery kiss, he forgot about the tidy sum invested in the animal. He did the right thing in rescuing him from the drug factory, granting him a chance at a life of leisure with a woman who would spoil him rotten with love.

Girlfriend. The word struck him as odd. He hadn't bothered to try to classify Riley before and somehow the common label didn't quite fit. Friend, sure. Girl, definitely. Girlfriend, though, fell short of his feelings for the little redheaded author.

Before he could debate it too deeply, he arrived in the parking lot of Riley's apartment building. Finding a space, he parked before wrangling a dog that nearly outweighed him out of the backseat and onto the ground. The bright red bow, which Lark insisted the vet apply, hung around the big guy's neck, wrinkled and squashed from a one hundred and seventy-five pound mastiff laying on it. One dangling leg of the bow sported a darker hue, wet from drool.

"I don't think that ribbon will make the deal sealing impression Lark promised." Spoon couldn't help but grin at the curious tilt of the dog's head. The black-eyed beast with the huge build and structure wouldn't present as perfectly as he'd imagined. Yet, the more he thought about it, the ragged appearance fit them both. A bit beat up and worse of wear from living in the danger zone, yet they cleaned up fairly well. While no champion show poodle, the mastiff held his own in looks, personality, and sheer charisma.

"Come on, boy. Let's meet your new owner." He gave the dog a pat on the head, collected the leash, and led him up a flight of stairs. Finding her apartment, he rapped on her door.

Riley answered quickly, wearing jeans and a light blue short-sleeved shirt. "Spoon! You're back. I wasn't expecting you so early. How was…" A curious expression turned to surprised delight when she spied the pony-sized dog beside him. "Oh, my. Is he yours?"

Sniffing her hand, the dog obviously decided she fell into the category of friend as he laid his big head against her thigh. She reached down to scratch behind his ears, her gaze never leaving the animal.

"Actually, I was hoping he would be yours."

He met her look, easily reading the confusion. "I just returned from… my business trip. He'd been abandoned and needed some care. I couldn't leave him behind, so I took him to a vet to get him all taken care of. But, I'm away so much for my job that I'd have to board him all the time, which isn't fair to him. So, I was sort of hoping you might be in the market for a new pet?"

Holding his breath, Spoon waited for her to make a decision, praying she would accept the dog with open arms. As he watched, she kneeled down to look the canine in the face, her hands braced on the wide neck.

"You're quite handsome. And look at this bow!" A long pink tongue flicked out to lap across her face. Riley giggled and hugged him tight. "Okay. You can stay." A worrisome frown appeared on her face as she ran her hand over the animal's prominent ribs. "Poor guy. We're definitely going to have to fatten you up."

"Already in progress. I have a car full of supplies and the vet recommended a certain dog food to get him back in shape."

She stood back up with a large smile on her face. "Thank you. I don't know what I'll do with him, but I'll figure out something. At least I live close to work so I can run home during lunch to let him outside."

He matched her grin, thrilled with her easy acceptance of the animal and the situation.
She'd make a good mother.
The thought startled him as he hadn't really had occasion or reason to consider children before. Not willing to delve into such deep thoughts, he focused his attention back on Riley and her new pet.

The dog shifted closer, lining up his upper body at an angle then pressing solidly against the front of her legs.

Spoon grabbed her before she toppled over. "Careful, I think he has this thing for leaning."

"It seems so. He's wonderful. Thank you." She leaned in to kiss Spoon, a chaste meeting of lips before she pulled back. "Do you want to come in? I can fix you something to eat."

The dog whined, looking up at Spoon with a pleading expression.

"Oh, I bet he needs to go outside."

"Probably. I just picked him up from the vet and have no clue the last time he went."

Riley dashed inside, then returned a second later, to shut and lock her door. "There's a nearby walking trail. We can use it. They have a little doggie poop station with bags and a place to throw away the waste."

He arched his eyebrow at the idea, but dutifully followed along. Another part of pet ownership he never considered. Waste removal.

Soon, they found the spot Riley spoke of, gathered a couple of bags, and let the dog lead the way with his nose to the ground, obviously tracking other dogs while searching for the perfect spot to do his duty. Large shade trees cast shadows across the trail intermixed with bright morning sunlight in the more open areas. Benches dotted the walkway, situated under larger trees in order to offer a cool resting area for those who wanted to linger a bit longer or simply sit and watch others while lazily soaking in the great outdoors. The area encouraged one and all to slow down, step back from the rat race, and take the time to notice nature's beauty while getting a bit of exercise at the same time.

"How was your business trip?" She walked beside him, easily keeping up despite his and the dog's long strides.

"Successful." He didn't want to spend his time reflecting on the mission. Once completed, he preferred to push all those memories to the back and seal them in. If he dwelled too much on the violent nature of his Wind Warrior position, it would begin to eat on him, and consequently, he could lose his edge. That would lead to mistakes, which more than likely would result in death. With definite plans for the future and a potential relationship with Riley, he had every reason to stick around for the next five or six decades at least.

His cell phone rang. Pulling it from the holder, he checked the caller ID. "Damn him." Punching the silence button, he quickly replaced the device.

Riley looked up at him in bewilderment. "Damn who?"

He sighed, debating about revealing something so personal about himself at this stage in their relationship. To date, the only ones who knew of his family situation were the other Wind Warriors.

Noting the concern in her emerald eyes, he began to explain. "My father."

"You mentioned him briefly before with a definite negative cast," she pointed out.

"Yeah. He's a perfectionist and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do anything to please him."

The canine found a tree and hiked his leg. Both he and Riley paused to give him time to empty his bladder.

"Sounds like a tough childhood." She returned to the topic at hand.

Spoon shrugged.

"I take it he calls you often now. Why are you avoiding him?"

He blew out a breath. "He works in the diamond industry. With a limited amount of newly mined gems being found, he's throwing all his substantial money and power to garner the lion's share of what's available."

The dog finished and they began walking once more.

"I don't understand what that has to do with you."

"He wants me to come to work for him as a go-between with the mine owners. Butter them up, offer them deals, do anything within my power to ensure they will give him first choice of their goods."

"And you don't want to?"

"Not in the least. I have no interest in the diamond industry or in gems in general. I love what I do now and intend to do that job until I retire."

"Have you told him that?"

"I try, but he doesn't listen. I figure I'm going to have to suck it up, drive down there one day, and tell him face to face. My kid brother has always wanted to work in the company. He just finished his MBA, yet my father refuses to hire him, telling him that I'm the only one he wants doing the job. No matter what Matt does to prepare himself for the position, good old boss man never notices."

"Ouch." Riley cringed. "Poor guy."

"That's our father. Pissy old bastard."

"Your mother?"

"She goes to her parties, plays the perfect hostess, lives the good life, and follows along like a sheep. I think she loves us, but has no backbone to speak her own mind, if she even has one."

"I'm sorry. It sounds like a royal mess."

Their brief conversation about their fathers replayed in his mind. "You mentioned your father wasn't a saint either."

She glanced ahead then watched the ground as they moved along. "My father is a long time politician, a big name in the state. My mother passed when he was working hard to achieve a state senate position, leaving him little time to raise a young teenage girl in the midst of traveling all over, giving campaign speeches, and attending debates. He hired a nanny who took care of me until I turned eighteen."

"Abandonment." His heart went out to her. A young girl who just lost her mother shouldn't have lost the remaining parent to something as trivial as an election at the same time.

"Somewhat. I didn't lack for anything, except a father's love and attention." She shrugged. "Anyway, when I turned eighteen, he started pressing me to date certain men, telling me they would make a great match."

"For him?"

"Exactly. He thought he could barter me off like a prize broodmare, in order to seal a strong political alliance. It took me a bit to figure it all out, but when I did, I put my foot down, moved here to attend college, and never looked back."