Love Gone to the Dogs (9 page)

Shane groaned. "My doggie door is locked, but he's probably in my backyard trying to figure out how to get into my house."

Shane's hands slipped from her shoulders, leaving her feeling somewhat bereft. While he was gone she watched the neighbors finally grow bored with the unexpected entertainment the Taylor family had provided and drift toward their homes. Just when she thought she would have some peace, Shane walked across the street holding Princess in his arms with Arnold trotting along behind him. The scowl on Shane's face said it all.

"I don't think I want to know. What did he do this time?"

"Somehow Princess must have unlocked the doggie door to let this hound in. She's gone crazy." He shook his head. "And worse, he wouldn't let me pick him up. I had to coax Princess off the bed, which wasn't an easy task, and carry her over here in order to get him to follow me."

Leah scooped Arnold into her arms. "I'll keep him indoors from now on. He won't like it, but I don't know what else to do."

"I've never seen a dog so obsessed."

There was a part of Leah that wished her life were as simple as Arnold's. He knew what he wanted, and he went after it with a vengeance, trusting everything would work out to his advantage. "Maybe to make our lives simpler I could buy Princess from you."

"No."

Shane said it so quickly and so fervently that Leah took a step back. Suddenly she saw Princess as a symbol of Shane's dead wife. If Leah had had any doubt about a relationship with him, his reply to her suggestion cemented her determination to stay away from the man. He was as good at building walls around his emotions as she was. He didn't want a commitment, and she had experienced too many men in her life who hadn't.

"Surely we can outsmart two dogs," Shane said as though his earlier refusal hadn't twisted her heart.

"Speak for yourself." She backed away another step from him. "Well, I hate to run, but I have—socks to sort. See you around." She pivoted and hurried into her house, feeling Shane's gaze on her back—hot, electric. It bored a hole into her that went straight for her heart, which was still contracted in a tight knot. Somehow she would find a way to keep Arnold away from Princess, and at the same time she would stay away from the
bichon's
master. He didn't want to get involved; she didn't want to get involved. What could be simpler than that?

* * *

Shane felt weariness in every bone as he left his office late for the fifth night in a row. He knew he was working long hours because he didn't want to face his empty house. He had spent several nights standing in the dark, staring out his front window at the place across the street. After the second night he swore he wouldn't do that anymore, but the only way he had found to keep the temptation in check was to work—long and hard—until all he wanted to do was fall into bed at night.

He pulled into the driveway and glanced back at Leah's. Only one light was on. He wondered if she were already asleep. He wondered what she looked like while she slept, what she looked like aroused from a deep slumber by—

He struck the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. Pain shot up his arm, and he welcomed the sensation, praying it diverted him from the path his thoughts always wanted to take lately.

Trudging toward his house, he didn't see Leah sitting in the dark on his steps until he was almost on top of her. With some agile maneuvering, he stopped short of falling over her. The strong urge to shake her for scaring him warred with the equally strong urge to draw her into his arms and kiss her soundly until all his doubts and misgivings were wiped away.

"Why are you here?" he asked, noting the frustrated rough edge to his question—put there from exhaustion he told himself. It had nothing to do with passion denied.

She bolted to her feet and stood on the top stair, towering over him. "I'm here to admit defeat. I can't take this any longer."

His heart paused in its beating. Neither could he. He clenched his black bag to keep from dropping it and dragging her to him. He barely got "What?" past his lips.

"Arnold."

"Oh." Disappointment invaded him like an insidious virus as he moved up the steps. "What has he done now?"

"He's inside your house again. I've tried everything except barbed wire and bars on the doors and windows. My house will not become an armed prison camp because of a dog." Leah combed her fingers through her auburn strands. "I don't know what else to do."

Her scent permeated the wall he was trying so desperately to erect. He watched the movement of her hand as she again raked it through her hair, and imagined its feel of silky fire. He stepped closer, picturing in his mind what she would do when he drew her to him. "What do you want me to do?"

"Can we just accept the fact that they're a couple? After all, she is pregnant and carrying his children. In doggie years I'm sure they have satisfied the statute concerning common law marriage in this state."

He wished he didn't have to breathe. Her particular feminine aroma did lustful things to his insides. He had to grip his bag even tighter, which kept one hand from caressing her. The other couldn't resist. He lifted it to touch her arm. "Come inside and let's talk about this before you take your hound home."

"You make him sound like a criminal. He does have his papers."

"Breaking and entering is a criminal offense."

"Princess let him in, so there was no breaking, just entering. You need to control your dog, too."

"Have you considered what these children, as you put it, will look like? Part
bichon
, part beagle. I don't relish trying to give those puppies away."

"Look at you—Brutus wouldn't win any beauty contests. There are other people like you who'll take the puppies. Maybe we should give Ned and Madge one. It'd give them something to do other than spying and stirring up trouble."

"You heard about the petition." Shane unlocked his front door and allowed Leah to enter his house ahead of him, taking another deep breath of her scent as she passed him.

"Some kid told Sam, who told me."

Shane placed his black bag on the table by the door. "Have a seat in the living room. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you."

She turned then, and he saw her for the first time in the full light. His chest expanded with a deep breath. She was beautiful. There was a fragile quality about her that was emphasized tonight, and he had to fight to keep himself from walking to her. A haunting look in her blue eyes tore at him. None of what had been happening was easy for her, but he knew she would never ask for help or admit she needed someone. She was determined to stand alone, her emotions behind a high barrier. He recognized that in her, because he was like that. It was easier to rely on only yourself, not to give another the power to hurt you.

She didn't sit. "What can we do about Princess and Arnold?"

"Please." He waved his hand toward the couch. After she had a seat, he sank down beside her. She tensed and inched toward the arm of the couch. "What do you want to do?"

"If you won't let me have Princess, I'll give you Arnold. You told me you love dogs."

He swallowed past the tightness in his throat. "You'd give up Arnold?"

Tears swam in her eyes. "At this point I'll give him away if I have to."

Tender, protective emotions swelled inside his chest, making each draw of air difficult. He wanted to hold her so much that it hurt. "You won't have to. As you said earlier, Princess is just as bad as Arnold. It wouldn't have been too much longer, and I would have had to admit defeat"

She sagged back against the couch. "Good. I didn't relish the idea of telling my sons that Arnold had to go. They love the dog."

"And you don't?"

"Ask me that this afternoon when I discovered he had slipped out the door when Joey went out and I would have said no. Now, in truth, I would have to say yes. He's Freddie Filmore. My books about him have made it possible for me to stay home with my children, to provide a roof over their heads after my husband walked out. And he's—well, he's my dog. I have to love him."

Shane tried to ignore the mention of her ex-husband. Something akin to jealousy festered inside him if he thought too long about the man who had Leah and let her go. "You know what amazes me is that Brutus lets him into the backyard every time. Some watchdog he is. He's four times Arnold's size, yet your dog intimidates him. What would a burglar do?"

"Let's hope you never have to find out"

"Well, there isn't much of that kind of activity in Shady Oaks. That's one of the things I love about this town. We have problems, but they're more on the order of Ned Shiplock's nosiness, not murder and mayhem."

"That's one of the reasons I moved here. That, and the excellent school system. Shady Oaks is close enough to a big city to enjoy what a city can offer, but far enough away to have the peacefulness of a small town."

"Yeah, I can't imagine living anywhere else. This has been my home all my life, except when I went to college and medical school. I couldn't wait to get back here to go into practice. My father was the pediatrician before me. He died while I was an intern. The town was without one for a while, and it put quite a burden on everyone until I finished up."

"It must be wonderful to be needed so much."

"The townspeople helped me work through my wife's death. I don't know what I would have done without them."

"I've never been able to put down roots. I've moved so much in the past ten years that movers give me a discount."

He laughed. "I hope you'll be staying here a while."

"As long as we're welcome."

He took her hands within his and drew her closer. "As town mayor I officially welcome you and your family to Shady Oaks."

He cupped her face and leaned closer, brushing his lips across hers once, then twice. He started to pull back, but desire sizzled along his nerve endings, causing every inch of him to want her. Before he could dampen the lustful feelings, he locked his arms about her and slanted his mouth across hers in a deep, soul-searching kiss.

He shoved the logical part of himself into the background and put everything he had into the mating of their lips. He felt her length along his and savored her softness, which perfectly complimented his hard contours. Heat surged through him, overwhelming, searing.

He should stop soon, he told himself as he pushed her back on the couch and lay half across her. But something drove him that went beyond anything he had ever known. He needed her. He liked feeling her against him as though they were a perfect match.

As his tongue delved into her mouth, exploring the sweetness within, she moaned, and his desire heightened. Her hands roamed restlessly over his back, pressing him into her, and that was all the encouragement he needed. While nibbling a path to her ear, he loosened the top button on her blouse.

Suddenly he felt something yank his pant leg, heard a growl sounding behind him. He jerked up and glanced down. Arnold had a bunch of his pants leg in his mouth, and he was shaking his head as though he would be able to rip off a chunk of material any second.

The moment of passion evaporated as Shane struggled to pull his pants leg from Arnold's mouth. Leah was trying to button her blouse and straighten her hair. A blush stained her cheeks, her lips red and swollen from his kisses.

Shane slid to the side of her, knowing from the dazed expression on her face they wouldn't be returning to where they had left off before Arnold interrupted. "Obviously your hound is ready to go home," he muttered, realizing he would have to put up with this dog in his house from now on.

"He's protective of me."

"He's just jealous because he isn't getting any attention. Princess must be tired of him. At last she's finally thinking straight"

"I'm offended. Arnold is a wonderful dog."

Shane noticed that Leah had pulled herself totally together. She rose to leave. He didn't want her to. He didn't want to be alone just yet. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back down on the couch beside him.

"I don't think—"

"Shh." He placed his fingers over her mouth while Arnold growled again. "I just want to talk to you. That's all. What else could we do with our little chaperone sitting here?"

Her blush actually deepened to a pretty shade of pink. "I've always said Arnold has impeccable timing."

"Depends on your point of view." The impulse to touch her was strong, but Shane kept his hands at his sides, clenched in frustration. "We should discuss what just happened here tonight."

"Let's chalk it up to a lapse in judgment."

"It wasn't and you know it. This very thing has been brewing for several weeks. We are attracted to each other."

She blew out a breath of air. "You are blunt. Do you always greet the newcomers to Shady Oaks like this?"

"No, but I'm thinking it definitely has its advantages. I'm not going to let you get away with avoiding the subject we were discussing."

"I wasn't avoiding, just postponing."

"I know neither one of us wants a long-term relationship, so what are we going to do about this?"