Stray Hearts (21 page)
“No,” Matt said. “I don’t believe I do.”
Robert got right up in Matt’s face, spitting fire. “But that was our deal! You can’t just back out now!”
“Back out of what, Mr. Hollinger?”
Robert spun around, his eyes wide. As he continued to search for his tongue, Mr. Breckenridge glared at him with unconcealed disgust.
“I’ve never been particularly fond of you, Mr. Hollinger. I never could put my finger on the reason for that, until you lied to me about Ms. Ramsey’s suitability as an employee.”
“I didn’t lie! She was a lousy assistant. She—”
“Impossible. She’s the best assistant I’ve ever had.” Then he turned to Kay. “I intend to get to the bottom of this eventually. But right now, I just need to know one thing. To your knowledge, did Mr. Hollinger attempt to redirect the funds of this organization in an underhanded manner?”
Kay had to tell the truth. “Yes, sir. He did.”
“I see.”
Robert’s mouth fell open. “You’re taking
her
word for it?”
“Of course I am. You see, we’ve already established the value of
your
word.”
Robert just stood, speechless once again. Twice in one night. This had to be a record.
“I’m going to recommend to the board that your firm be expelled from this organization. And rest assured that I’ll make it clear to the membership why that decision was made.”
“But he agreed to take the money!” Robert said, pointing at Matt “He’s just as much at fault as I am!”
“So you
did
try to give Dr. Forester the grant in exchange for some kind of personal gain?”
Robert paused a moment, shell-shocked. “Well...
no!"
“Yes,” Kay said quietly.
“You shut up!” Robert said, pointing an angry finger, then turning the same finger on Matt “If I go down, you’re going down with me!”
“Excuse me,” Mr. Breckenridge said, “but I believe Dr. Forester just turned down the money. You, on the other hand, had every intention of seeing this deception through to the very end.”
Robert opened his mouth to speak, then snapped it shut again.
“There’ll be more discussion on this matter, I assure you,” Mr. Breckenridge said to Robert. “But right now, I believe it would be in your best interest to leave the premises.”
All at once Kay realized a crowd had gathered behind them, a crowd of people clearly wondering why the man Robert had pushed so hard to receive this honor had just tossed it right back in his face. When Robert saw he had an audience, he swallowed hard and started to back away.
“You can’t do this, Breckenridge.”
“Watch me, Mr. Hollinger.”
Robert spun around and strode angrily out the front door of the hotel. Matt looped his arm around Kay’s waist, and she leaned into him with a silent sigh of relief. Just when she thought this evening couldn’t get any better, it had.
Mr. Breckenridge turned to Kay. “There’s one more thing I’d like to talk to you about before you go.”
“Yes?”
“You told me you have several dogs at the shelter that might be suitable for a pet. Would it be possible for me to drop by tomorrow to have a look?”
“Oh, yes!” Kay said. “Absolutely!”
“Excellent. I’ll see you in the morning.”
As Mr. Breckenridge walked off, Matt whispered in Kay’s ear. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
Home.
Home to a monstrosity of a house with a pretty little storybook room where dreams come true. Home to a Frisbee-catching mutt and a feline sex goddess. Home to a ratty old sofa the size of a doomed ocean liner that might as well have been the size of Becky’s love seat, because curled up in Matt’s arms that was about all the space she figured they’d occupy. Home with the man she loved. And she couldn’t wait to get there.
True to his word, Mr. Breckenridge showed up at the shelter the next morning promptly at nine o’clock. But before surveying the canine population for a pet, he had news for Kay and Matt.
“After you left last night,” he said, “I held an emergency meeting of the board of directors and the selection committee. A poll of the committee members indicated that the shelter was a few votes shy of the number needed to receive the grant, which means that after Mr. Hollinger tallied the votes, he misreported the outcome. When the board heard about this, he was unanimously voted out of the Dorland Group.”
“So another organization actually won the grant?” Kay said.
“Yes. And that organization will receive twenty-five thousand dollars.” He pulled an envelope from his pocket and held it out to Matt. “And this is for the Westwood Animal Shelter."
"What's this?" Matt asked, as he opened the envelope.
"A personal donation."
Matt stared down at the check with a look of total disbelief. Kay took a peek and was equally dumbfounded. Five thousand dollars?
“Take it, Dr. Forester," Mr. Breckenridge said. "With my blessing.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Your actions last night spoke louder than words, as did Mr. Hollinger’s. He’s getting what he deserves. And so are you.”
Kay felt as if she were flying. They could make up the back payments on the mortgage, buy a new air unit, maybe even expand a little to take in more animals. The shelter was going to survive. And she and Matt still had each other.
They escorted Mr. Breckenridge to the Dog Room, where he did a thorough evaluation of every dog in the shelter, but it wasn’t an easy choice. One was too big, the next one too small. One was too hairy, another too loud. And a puppy was out of the question—he couldn’t possibly deal with all that
activity.
Who would have thought a three-legged bulldog would be just right?
Kay sniffed a little when she filled out the paperwork, got tears in her eyes when she handed Mr. Breckenridge the leash and cried like a fool when she hugged Chester goodbye. And Matt couldn’t stop smiling.
An hour later Mr. Breckenridge phoned back to say that his niece had expressed interest in getting a dog, too, but she was afraid that the average dog might have trouble maintaining his sanity around her four wild, uncivilized sons. Since Rambo had no sanity to lose and could clearly hold his own in any uncivilized situation, another match was made.
“Those were the tough ones,” Kay told Matt later, as they lay in bed, bathed in moonlight. “The rest will be a piece of cake, particularly since Clyde’s living with us now.”
Matt closed his eyes. “Heaven help us.”
“No. Heaven help
you.
You’re the one who neutered him.”
Matt teased a fingertip along Kay’s cheek. “You’re not afraid of the animals anymore, are you?”
“Afraid?”
“You don’t hate animals, Kay. You’re afraid of them. I’ve known that for a long time.”
That surprised her, but only for a moment. There wasn’t much about her that Matt
didn’t
know, when it came to important stuff, anyway. He still didn’t know she ate the middles out of Oreos and was obsessed with Angry Birds. She smiled. All in good time.
“You’re right. I was afraid. But you know what? I don’t think I am anymore.”
“I don’t think you are, either. You’re crazy about every one of those animals. And they’re crazy about you.”
She felt so lucky, so happy, so loved that she almost couldn’t stand it. She’d finally found a place where her family’s opinion didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she and Matt were there together. “You’re right. I want all of them to get homes. And I’m not going to stop until that happens.”
“God help the next poor soul who comes in. You’ll send him home with a whole menagerie.”
“That’s right. If one animal is good, five must be better.”
All at once the bedroom door squeaked open. Buddy nosed his way in and jumped up on the bed. Kay looked at Matt pointedly.
“Buddy,” Matt said admonishingly. “Go on. Get out of here.”
Buddy scooted toward them on his stomach, probably thinking that if he did it really slowly they wouldn’t notice. He reached Kay and stuck his nose under her hand, his tail thumping against the sheets. She looked at Matt as if it was the most disgusting thing she’d ever seen, then rolled her eyes and petted him anyway.
“This dog is spoiled rotten.”
“Nah. He’s just trying to stay on your good side. See, he never knows when you might pick up a pair of dog clippers, flip those suckers on—”
Kay grabbed a pillow and smacked Matt across the face. Laughing, he yanked it out of her hand, tossed it aside, then pinned her against the bed and kissed her—a deep, delicious, kiss that knocked the fight right out of her. When she came to her senses again, Matt was staring down at her.
“I want it to be like this forever,” he whispered.
The man she loved was offering her forever. Did it get any better than that?
Matt pulled her close, tucking the antique quilt around them. She melted against him, enclosed in a cocoon of warmth and caring and love. As she drifted off to sleep, her last thought was that sometimes the oddest things happen.
How was she to know she’d come there for a hundred hours and end up staying a lifetime?
The End
Join Jane’s mailing list to receive news of her new books!
Click here to join Jane’s mailing list
More Books by Jane Graves
(click to order)
Contemporary Romance
Cowboy Take Me Away
Contemporary Romantic Comedy
I Got You, Babe
Hot Wheels and High Heels
Tall Tales and Wedding Veils
Black Ties and Lullabies
Heartstrings and Diamond Rings
Romantic Suspense
Wild at Heart
Flirting With Disaster
Light My Fire
* * * * *
Connect with Jane Online
Visit Jane’s Website
Like Jane’s Facebook Page
Follow Jane on Twitter
Jane is a member of the Indie Voice, a group of ten
New York Times
bestselling authors who love recommending indie books and notifying readers of great books at bargain prices. And by becoming a mailing list member, you’re automatically entered in a monthly raffle to win gift cards, e-readers, and other valuable prizes!
Sign up for the Indie Voice newsletter
About the Author
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author Jane Graves is a nine-time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Rita Award, the romance industry’s highest honor, and is the recipient of two National Readers’ Choice Awards, the Booksellers’ Best Award, and the Golden Quill, among others. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
Jane lives in the Dallas area with her husband and a very sweet kitty who kindly keeps her lap warm while she writes.
Table of Contents
