Touched by Lightning [Dreams of You] (Romantic Suspense) (6 page)

“Crackers,” Nikki quickly corrected, though she didn’t know why. Other than her name for him, the dog was a Rover Doe.

“Crackers sustained a broken right leg. It was a simple break. Do you own this dog?”

“No,” she answered quietly.” I think he’s a stray.”

“Oh.” The doctor’s expression looked grave. “In that case, I’ll call the Humane Society. He’s going to need some care before he’s healed.”

“I’ll take care of him,” she found herself volunteering, immediately wanting to take those words back. How would she be able to take care of a dog when she lived in a van? Even as a puppy, Crackers would take up half the floor space. Still, she couldn’t bear the thought of his absence at the Laundromat, or the thought that he’d be put to sleep.

“I’m going to have to give him his vaccines. If he’s a stray, I’m sure he hasn’t had them. The anesthesia should wear off soon, and then I can release him. Keep a close eye on him and check his excretions for blood. That would indicate internal injuries, though the x-rays didn’t show any. Don’t let him play or jump around. He’ll be in a cast for about four to six weeks, depending on how fast it heals. Bring him back in two weeks for a follow-up.”

When he handed the paperwork to the woman behind the counter, Nikki suddenly realized there would be a bill to pay. From her recent sale, she had enough to live on for a few months, even with Crackers’s extra food added on. One vet bill could deplete the whole thing, and most homeless shelters didn’t give extra food for pets.

“How much do I owe you?” she asked, cringing in anticipation.

The woman asked, “The dog isn’t yours, is he?”

“No, he’s a stray. But I brought him here.”

“We always allow a certain amount each month to take care of strays. Luckily, we haven’t used this month’s kitty yet, so you’re covered.”

An hour later, the doctor reappeared with Crackers in his arms. The dog’s head lolled to the side, and his tongue stuck out between his teeth.

“He’s still groggy, but I think he’s fine to go home now.”

Adrian took the dog. Nikki walked up to Crackers and stroked his head. “Thank you,” she said to both the doctor and the woman.

As they left the veterinarian’s office, Adrian said, “I think this dog has gained five pounds since we brought him in.”

With a cold chill, she realized she had a problem: how to get the dog home without revealing to Adrian where she lived.

“I, uh, don’t—the shelter. Let’s take him to the Lord’s Shelter.” Her mind was working frantically as she walked beside him. When they reached the shelter, she said, “Wait here while I talk to Dave. I know he’s not going to like this, but it’s only for a short time.”

Lunch was being served, and the smell of vegetable soup reminded her stomach that it hadn’t been fed yet today. She found Dave behind the long, stainless-steel counter dishing up soup to a line of cold, hungry people.

He noticed her frantic expression and motioned for her to come around behind him. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to ask you a big favor. I saw a dog get hit by a car today—he’s okay,” she added quickly at Dave’s expression of worry. “But I’ve got to take care of him until his leg heals.”

“You know we can’t allow pets in here, Nikki,” he said in that kind but authoritarian tone of his.

“I wouldn’t ask you that. I just need to leave him here until I can pick him up. It’s too far to carry him to where I live.”

“You’ll be back today?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Take him into my office and use the entrance outside. He doesn’t have fleas, does he?”

She twisted her lips, not wanting to lie to the man who was studying for the ministry. “If any get in your office, I’ll hunt them down and remove them from the premises.”

He laughed, dishing another bowl of soup. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

Dave’s office looked dim and orangey from the sparse light filtering through the curtains. Nikki grabbed some towels from the back room and made a bed in the corner. Adrian knelt down and settled Crackers on the pile of old towels. The dog whimpered, but his eyes remained closed. Adrian felt a stab of guilt again, wishing for the umpteenth time that he’d taken another route to his secret parking spot.

Nikki knelt down beside him, stroking the pup’s paw with her slender fingers. Adrian turned, finding her closer than he thought. The sleeve of her coat touched his sleeve, though he was sure she didn’t know. Even bundled in her drab coat with her hair pulled back, the orange glow of sunlight streaming down over her made her look like an angel. For an unguarded moment, as she gazed at the sleeping puppy, her green eyes were filled with emotion. Her lower lip trembled so slightly that if he hadn’t been crouched only inches from her face, he would have missed it.

“He’ll be all right,” he assured her, feeling a strange urge to take her in his arms and comfort her. Instead, he placed his hand over hers as it rested on the dog’s paw.

She didn’t move away, as he expected, but he heard her slight intake of breath. The warmth between their hands intensified, and she looked up at him. There was such question in her eyes, and he wished he could answer whatever it was that she wondered. She removed her hand from beneath his, but he couldn’t pull his eyes from hers.

“Thanks for your help.” She stood quickly and turned around. “I have to go now, but I’ll be back later.” She glanced at the puppy, then back to him. “Goodbye.”

Adrian knew she meant that word in more than a casual sense. It would be easier for him to bid her the same and return to his life. This woman of mystery, his BlueFire, did not seem to want his help, or his friendship. She avoided his gaze every time he looked at her, crossed her arms in front of herself—everything to tell him to keep his distance. He closed the door behind them, stepping out into the afternoon sun. She headed down the sidewalk and turned right, probably heading back to the Laundromat to get her clothes.

In the sun, her hair had a strawberry hue beneath the webbed strands of shawl still covering it. She didn’t look back at him, but cautiously glanced behind her before disappearing around the building.

He couldn’t leave her, not until he found out why she was in danger. Maybe he could help, once he gained her trust. He followed the direction she had taken, taking his time so she would pass where his rental car was hidden.

Nikki closed her eyes briefly as she walked, enjoying the sun on her face. She held her hand to her cheek, her fingers still tingling from Adrian’s touch. Then she shook it, chastising herself for the silly notion. He was a handsome man who cared about animals as she did. Soon he would be gone, and, judging from the way her heart’s rhythm had shot up when he touched her, the sooner the better. In any case, she couldn’t afford to befriend him.

When she glanced behind her, she saw him following a block behind. That cold fear crawled through her veins. She had long ago learned not to show dread to the young men who hung on the street corners looking for customers, like the man on her left. They had stopped bothering her shortly after her arrival. But the handsome man who had come out of nowhere, who was following her, struck real fear into her. She glanced back again—he was still there.

“Want some crack, pretty lady?” The man called to her as she approached.

Nikki wasn’t worried about Adrian seeing her going to the Laundromat to retrieve her laundry, if it hadn’t been stolen. Her next stop, though, was her van, parked in an alley nearby. She had to get Crackers, and she couldn’t let anybody see her get into that van.

As she passed the drug dealer, she whispered, “Ask that man back there. He was looking for some.” That should hold Adrian up for a minute or two.

CHAPTER 4

When Adrian saw the sleazy man speak to Nikki, his protective instinct urged him to rush up and guard her. His common sense stopped him as his muscles tensed for action. After all, she had lived there for however long and seemed capable of taking care of herself. She actually looked more concerned about him, evidenced by her worried glances backward. Sure, he wanted to know where she slept at night, to make sure it was someplace safe, but right now his concern was getting to his car before she saw him anywhere near it. His plan was to take off as she disappeared around the corner. Then he would drive in the opposite direction, keeping a careful look out for dogs.

The man ambled up, purposely intersecting Adrian’s path on the cracked sidewalk. Adrian glanced at the storefronts to his right, considering walking into a store before reaching trouble. The entire strip was vacated, the only sign of life being the piles of newspapers the homeless used when they slept in the alcoves at night. Rearing up to his full height of six foot two, much taller than the man, he charged ahead.

“You want crack,” the man stated. “I got the best, the purest. Come ‘round back with me.”

The man was close enough for his week-old sweat to taint the air. He started to touch Adrian’s arm, as though to escort him around back of the building he’d indicated with a nod of his head.

Adrian lifted his arm, giving the man a look that made him back away. “Don’t touch me. I’m not interested.”

He raised his arms. “Sorry, man. The girl said you wanted something.”

Adrian glanced up at Nikki, who was now reaching the alley where his car was parked. He nodded in her direction. “That girl?”

“Uh-huh. You a cop or something?” The man backed further away, tensed to run.

Adrian was too baffled to care. He looked at Nikki again, who was staring into the alleyway, her posture stiff. Damn, she’d seen his car. Why had she even bothered to look, especially if she was telling drug dealers he was interested so she could get away from him? Glancing back at him, she looked startled, then continued across the street.

It bothered Adrian that she was that afraid of him. What had he done to produce that kind of distrust? The second she rounded the corner, he shot into action, turning down the alley and jumping into his car. The van was still parked there, but he scarcely took note except to assure himself he hadn’t blocked it in.

He quickly combed his hair into a ponytail and slipped on his sunglasses before pulling out. Instead of staying on the main street, he went a block west, into a lower-class neighborhood, and then south. Most of the houses in the area where tiny, smaller than his studio back home. The bars on the windows and patched wooden fences attested to the safety of the area. It was with great relief that he drove over the bridge leading to prestigious Palm Beach a few minutes later. Freshly painted plazas were filled with shops and people carrying designer shopping bags.

This is crazy, Wilde. She obviously doesn’t want you around. It’s a god-awful place to be. Go home. Forget about her.

As he drove down the street of perfectly trimmed hedges and swaying palm trees, he muttered, “I wish I could.” The decision was already beyond his control.

The bells tinkled as Nikki slipped into the Garcia Gallery later that day. Ulyssis was studying something on the counter but looked up and smiled when he saw her.

“I didn’t expect to see you so soon, Nicolina. You didn’t spend all that money already, did you?”

“No, I…I don’t know, I’m just restless, I guess.”

She walked over to inspect the next collection of photographs by the mysterious Nicolina. Ulyssis had framed them beautifully, as always, using an understated gray with white matting. They always sold for reasonable prices, and Ulyssis only deducted the cost of the frame. That was something she insisted on, otherwise he would have given her all the money. She always took Maudine out to dinner at the Seashell Diner with the first of the profits, sort of a tithe. But Maudine hadn’t been around lately.

“They came out nice, yes?”

“Yes.” She turned to him. “Has that man been back? The one who bought the last collection.”

“No sign of him. It was probably nothing more than my suspicions, as you said.”

“I have a pet,” she said, wanting to change the subject. “A puppy. Crackers.”

He raised a thin, dark eyebrow. “How can you keep a pet in your van? Especially a dog.”

“A big dog, or he will be. I’m not keeping him, just nursing him back to health.” She told him about the accident. “A man helped me. He came to our rescue, carrying Crackers all the way to the animal hospital.”

Ulyssis eyed her strangely. “A man?”

“Yes, a man. He’s very nice, and I could tell he cared about the puppy’s welfare.”

“Who is this man?”

“His name is Adrian Nash. He came from New Jersey for a job his friend had told him about, but they were both gone when he got here. I guess he sleeps at the shelter.”

He seemed to study her. “I haven’t seen you smile that way in a long time.”

Nikki tried to wipe any expression from her face, not even realizing she had been smiling. “It’s not like that. Yes, he’s handsome. I guess I haven’t seen a man like that in a long time. He’ll be gone soon.”

“What does this man look like?”

“He’s tall, with dark, curly hair to his shoulders and brown eyes.” She realized then that she was smiling and stopped. Ridiculous. Dangerous. “Are you thinking of the guy who bought my photographs”

“He was tall, though his hair was straight and shorter, I believe.”

“Did he have a beard?”

“No, but a man can grow a beard.” Ulyssis rubbed his own long chin. “Well, some men can. They’re close, Nicolina. Stay away from him. Isn’t it strange that a man comes in asking about a woman who looks like you, buys your photographs, and then soon after a man with similar features shows up on the streets?”

“Maybe.” She took a deep breath, feeling a tremor inside. “Don’t worry. He may be handsome, but I’m not in love with him or anything like that.”

“Then stop smiling every time you speak about him.”

“I’m only smiling because I’m glad you worry about me. At least someone does.” She squeezed his hands. “I don’t plan to see him again, okay? I’m going to avoid that area for the next day or so, and he’ll probably be gone when I return.”