When Love Matters Most. Kate James

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СКАЧАТЬ he watched Madison continue her exam, he felt a peculiar churning in his gut. Yeah, he’d had breakfast at six, grabbed a quick sandwich for lunch and it was almost five now, but he didn’t think the sensation had anything to do with being hungry.

      Rick shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He thrust his hands back into his pants pockets. He didn’t want to dwell on the reason he’d done it—the fact that all of a sudden he was tempted to reach out and discover the texture of Madison’s springy red hair or how smooth her complexion really was. He liked women. Sure. Too much sometimes. But this felt different somehow, and he’d just met her. He considered how gentle she was with his dog.

      That’s it! It was Sniff, he rationalized. Anyone who loved his dog was okay by him. That was all. He cleared his throat, wondering if he was coming down with a bug, and tried to ignore the strange sensation in his stomach.

      Madison cocked her head slightly and shone a light into Sniff’s right ear. “You would’ve initiated the process to retire Zeke, even if I hadn’t bullied you into it,” she said, switching the light to the dog’s other ear.

      Rick laughed. The thought that she’d be able to bully him into anything struck him as ludicrous—but judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t amused. “Yeah,” he said, sobering. “Of course. Zeke’s earned retirement.” Seeing that she was about to give Sniff a cortisone injection for the pain in his leg, he bent down to soothe and distract his dog.

      Rick’s head was only a foot or so from hers, and her scent swirled around him. It was something subtle and musky. It caused an uncomfortable itch at the back of his neck. He reached behind him to scratch at it. “So has Sniff,” he went on. “And I don’t want him getting injured to earn it.”

      Madison looked up at him again, and he noticed that her green eyes were specked with gold, the irises rimmed with it. “Sorry,” he murmured, “what was that?” He’d entirely missed what she’d said.

      She smiled again. “I asked what the SDPD usually does with service dogs when they retire. You told me what’s going to happen with Zeke. Is that typical? And what’ll happen to Sniff once he retires?” she asked while uncapping the hypodermic needle.

      He shrugged. “In most cases, if a dog’s handler is able to, he or she will generally keep the dog. Sniff will live out his life with me.”

      Madison gave Sniff his shot, the dog barely noticing the pinprick sensation. Seeing the look of understanding and concern in her eyes, Rick felt even more drawn to her.

      “Jagger—our captain—he’s having a barbecue for the unit this weekend. On Sunday.” The words tumbled out before he realized he’d said them. Her eyes were questioning. She was no doubt trying to figure out what his declaration had to do with her. Before he could question his own sanity, he barreled on. “You’ve met Jagger and most of the unit already?”

      She nodded, uncertainty still evident on her face.

      “Why don’t you come with me?” he suggested. They both rose, and Sniff danced between them, knowing the routine well enough that he expected a dog treat after an exam. Madison didn’t disappoint him and offered him a biscuit she extracted from a glass jar on the counter, slipping some extras in her pocket.

      “Why?” she asked.

      “Why what?” He must have missed part of the conversation again. He didn’t understand the question.

      “Why are you asking me to go with you?”

      What was she expecting? It was just a spontaneous thing. Did she have to analyze it?

      She must have sensed his confusion and clarified. “Are you inviting me so you can introduce me to the whole unit? To help me fit in?”

      He laughed. “No. I’m asking you as...as my date.” He grinned, hoping it would seal the deal. He really wanted to get to know her better. The more he saw of her, the more he liked her.

      Madison bent down to scratch Sniff behind the ears, pulling out another treat from her pocket and presenting it to him.

      The fact that she seemed to be thinking about his invitation wasn’t a good sign. At least she hadn’t given him an outright no. But the “no” was coming. Rick could feel it. He was seldom wrong about women’s reactions to him. He supposed it would be understandable if she declined. They hadn’t had the smoothest of introductions, and he had to accept responsibility for that. He assumed his customary stance of hands in pockets, anticipating rejection.

      Madison held his gaze for a long moment, until a smile spread across her face. “Sure. Why not?”

      “Great. That’s great. Are we done here with Sniff?” It seemed he’d been wrong this time, and he was glad of it.

      “Yes. Other than the cruciate, he’s in good health and obviously happy, but I agree that you should think about retiring him. His hind legs will only get worse with age and strenuous use. You want him home as a pet, enjoying a well-deserved retirement, before he injures himself and perhaps does permanent damage.”

      “That’s the plan. Can I see Zeke now?”

      Madison nodded and took him to the recovery area.

      Zeke looked good, considering everything he’d been through. Madison explained that he was coming along nicely and could go to Jeff’s family in a few days.

      When they’d finished with Zeke, Rick paused by the door. “I’ll pick you up at five on Sunday. Does that work for you?”

      She nodded. “Yes, that’s fine.”

      “All right.” He was about to exit when he saw her grin. “I guess I’d better get your home address, right?”

      “I guess.” She took a pen out of her pocket, scribbled an address and phone number on a sheet of paper and handed it to him. “See you Sunday.”

      He folded the paper and tucked it in his shirt pocket, then gave her a jaunty little salute. “Yeah. I’m looking forward to it. Grab your leash,” he instructed Sniff. Tapping the side of his thigh, he had Sniff heeling again as he walked through the reception area.

      “Everything okay?” Heather asked when he passed the reception counter.

      Rick raised his eyes to the ceiling, and his expression made Heather giggle.

      “Don’t worry about it. You’re not the first man and you certainly won’t be the last to come in here and react to Madison like that.”

      * * *

      MADISON CLEANED UP the exam room. Since there were no patients waiting for her, she walked over to Heather and leaned on the reception counter.

      “How’d it go with Enrique?” Heather asked with a smirk.

      “Fine. Why do you call him that?”

      “What? Enrique?”

      “Uh-huh.”

      Heather shrugged. “I think Enrique suits him better than Rick—too common. So does Pitbull.”

      “What kind of alias is Pitbull СКАЧАТЬ