Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
brIELLE
M y fingers gripped the hell out of the wheel of my truck. I couldn’t believe I had really invited a customer to stay at my house. Was I crazy? Just because I had been lusting after him for the past year and a half wasn’t an excuse to throw my doors wide open. For all I knew, he could be some sort of psychopath.
I wasn’t normally thrown for a loop by a pretty face. Most pretty boys were dicks anyway, but there was something about this one that told me he was different. It could be the way his green eyes softened when he said hello, or how he always seemed to smile when he reached my line.
It wasn’t only that he stood a good half a foot over me or that he had such a strong frame. I wasn’t what anyone would call skinny. I had one guy that actually had the nerve to call me fat. Little bastard couldn’t even use the word curvy or voluptuous. He said it like I didn’t know I had a few more pounds than the stick figures he was staring at as they walked past our table. But the guy sitting next to me looked as if he could handle every curve. His hands looked like they could grab hold of my waist and keep me steady as I rode him all night long.
“Are you okay?” His strong voice vibrated through my skin, pulling me away from my thoughts and reminding me that I didn’t know him well enough to be having said thoughts. Yet his voice made me want to forget all about any concerns I might have.
“Yes, but just out of curiosity, you’ve never murdered anyone in their sleep, right?” I guess not every concern disappeared.
“In their sleep?” I could hear a bit of humor in the timber of his voice. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“Okay. Good.” I let out a breath as if that made everything alright.
“If you’re nervous about me staying at your house, you can take me back, and I’ll wait with my car.” He offered.
“Don’t be silly.” I forced out a laugh. “Besides the snow is coming down way too heavy to leave you out in a cold car. Everything will be alright.”
“Thanks.” He put his hand on my arm. “This means a lot. If you aren’t on the nice list, then this will definitely earn you a spot, and this is only until I can get a hold of my friend. I’m sure he will come pick me up as soon as he’s free.”
“In this weather?” I did my best to ignore the feeling of him touching me. It was hard to explain, but for the first time, I understood what all those trashy romance novels were talking about.
“Is your friend a fireman or something?” I worked hard to keep my voice normal.
“No, but he has a way with snow.” He dropped his hand and a part of me wished he had placed it on my leg instead of back in his lap.
What did that mean? “Does he own a snow plow?”
“Not that either.”
I wanted to glance over at him, but I didn’t want to take my eyes off the road. It wouldn’t help either of us if we ended up in a snow bank or fell off the side of the mountain.
“What’s your name?” He asked. “I heard the guy at the store call you Elle.”
“It’s Brielle, actually.” I corrected. “The guy at the store is my stepbrother. My stepfather actually owns Mountain Peak Feed.”
“So it’s a family business?”
I almost snorted. If he only knew. The only reason I worked there was because my corporate job was downsized four months after I was hired, and I couldn’t find another one before I was going to have to sell a kidney to pay my rent. I would have ended up at my stepfather’s house if my grandmother hadn’t passed down her house when she died. Thankfully, I had been smart enough not to sell it.
“I’m between opportunities right now.” That sounded good.
“Oh.” He didn’t ask anything else. “My name is Rudolph, but most everyone calls me Rudy or Grey.”
“Like the fifty shades thing?” Why did that conjure up all sorts of fantasies?
His deep laugh bounced off the windows of the car. “I like to think I don’t have that many issues.”
“But you admit you have issues?” That wasn’t good.
“Everyone has issues.” He replied. “I’m not certifiable if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Neither was the guy in the book.”
I could see him shrug his shoulder. “I don’t know. I never read it.”
I had, and I could picture him in a business suit just as easily as the dark wash jeans and checkered flannel shirt he had on now.
“What do you do?” I tried to clear my mind. “I assume it has to do with animals.”
“I’m actually a corporate assistant in charge of human relations for a friend of mine’s company.” He surprised me by saying. “On the side, I also manage his farm and work with the animals, which is my first love.”
“Wow, you must be really good at time management.” I ran late for hitting my snooze button.
“I’m pretty good, but I’ve always believed that you make the time for what’s important to you.”
Smart and gorgeous. “I feel the same way.” It was one of the things my mother and I didn’t see eye to eye on.
“So if you work on a farm, then you aren’t going to mind the four dogs, two cats, and two horses I have at home.” I figured I should prepare him.
“That’s quite a few animals for someone that lives alone.” His voice got quieter. “Unless you don’t live alone.”
“No, it’s just me., and it can be a lot, but I love all of them.” I smiled. “Well, Cupid is newer, but I’m sure I’m going to love him just as much as the others.”
“That’s sort of how it goes right.” I felt his eyes on me. “They work their way into our hearts and make them bigger.”
“Exactly.” He was the first guy I’d ever told about my love of animals that got it.
We spent the rest of the ride home talking about animals and laughing. It was good to know I had been right. The insanely hot guy wasn’t crazy. Now I just had to remember to keep my hands to myself until he left, and we would be fine.
The roads all the way to my house were slippery, and there were a couple times I had to maneuver to keep us from hydroplaning, but we made it.
“Do you want help bringing your things in?” I had to practically yell the words.
“Not now.” Rudy put his arm around my shoulders to bring me in close. “Sorry, but I think we should get inside.”
I nodded, and the two of us slipped and slid our way to the front porch. I could hear my babies whining through the door. I didn’t know if it was out of excitement that I was home early or because of the weather. I pushed the door open and got an answer.
Dasher and Dancer were hovering right in the way of me getting inside. Both of them barked and jumped as I pushed the door further open so we could walk in. Dancer growled at Rudy in warning when he crossed the threshold.
“Sorry about that.” I pulled at the dog’s collar. “They are a little protective.”
“They should be. You live out here alone.” He held his hand out to Dancer. “He also probably can smell the other animals from my farm on me.” He knelt down. “I’m not a threat, boy.” He lowered his head. “Your momma is safe with me.” The tone of his voice was different than in the car. There was a soft, almost lazy quality to it. He moved his lips, and I didn’t hear any sound, but Dancer lowered his head and moved closer. His tongue came out, and he lapped at the side of Rudy’s face.
“That’s a good boy.” Rudy rubbed down his back. “Yes, you did a very good job.” I had to be imagining things because, for a second, it looked like my dog nodded his head.
Dasher struggled against me as if he wanted his shot at Rudy. “Whoa.” I tried to calm him down, but he kept pulling at my hold.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Rudy stood and came over to kneel in front of my other dog. “Yes, you are a very good boy too.” He patted him on the head, and Dasher stopped moving.
What?
“No wonder you work with animals.” I shook my head. “You obviously have a way with them.”
“They just require a little more work to understand.” He kept patting Dasher’s head. Dancer was sitting right beside him as if they were old friends.
“These are amazing shepherds.” Rudy kept up loving on both dogs. “Australian, right?”
“How did you know?”
He shrugged. “Just a hunch.” I had a feeling it was more than that, but I let it go.
I knelt beside them all. “This is Dasher.” I introduced the dog still in my hand first. “I named him that because I thought the black dots in his gray fur looked like little dash marks.” Rudy and I smiled.
“Hello, Dasher.” He patted him twice on the head.
“And this little troublemaker is Dancer.” I reached over to stroke the back of the dog relaxing next to Rudy. “If you hold a treat for him you can get him to do all kinds of moves.”
“I look forward to seeing that.”
I looked around. “I don’t know where Prancer and Cupid are.”
Rudy tilted his head. “Your dogs are named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Cupid?”
“Yeah.” I could feel the heat of my cheeks. “And my cats are Vixen and Blitzen.” I started to stop there, but I figured it made the most sense to get it all out in the open.
“The horses are also reindeer names.” I filled him in. “They are Donner and Comet.”
His lips twitched before he broke out in a huge smile. “I like it.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “If you only knew how fitting it was.”
“What does that mean?”
He shook his head. His eyes went to Dancer, who was looking up at him. The smile fell. “We should find Cupid.”
He stood and removed his coat. I did the same and led him around the house, calling out for my missing dog. Rudy seemed to know his way around better than me. Of course, he was being led by my pups. Both of them kept looking back to make sure we were right behind them.
We walked into my guest room and found Prancer standing guard at the front door. I made a step toward him, but Rudy held me back.
“We’re here to help.” At first, I thought he was talking to me, but when I looked at him, his eyes were on the dog in front of us. “I know you’re scared, but she’s going to be alright if you let us help.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Cupid.” He told me. “She’s in labor, and it isn’t going well.”
My eyes widened. “Cupid is so not in labor. First of all, Cupid is a boy.”
Prancer barked and shook his head. Was I losing it, or was something going on here that I wasn’t privy to?
“I can’t promise that, but I can promise to do everything I can to help her and save your litter.” Again he was talking as if the dog could understand him.
Prancer turned and walked to the half-open closet. Rudy followed and got down on his knees to look in.
“Hey there, girl.” Again his voice had that soft quality to it. “I know.” He touched her underside and tilted his head again. A slow breath left his lips. “I don’t think it’s as bad as we thought. It’s going to be uncomfortable, but you’re going to be just fine.” A small smile parted his lips.
“I don’t know what is going on here, but Cupid is not pregnant.” I stood behind him with my hands on my rather wide hips. “I think I would know if my dog was a girl and ready to deliver a litter of puppies.”
As if to refute everything I just said, Cupid let out a long whine followed by a little yap. Prancer’s answering bark startled me. I looked to see Rudy doing something with his hands and a tiny little head peeking out at me.
“What the holy hell?” I went to my knees beside him. “Cupid is a girl?”
He laughed. “So it would seem.” He kept helping her to deliver the little pup. “Can you get us a box or basket and fill it with a pillow and some towels?”
“Um, yeah.” I stood still in shock that not only was one of my dogs a girl, but apparently had been getting busy with one of the other ones. Just what was going on in my house while I was at work or asleep?
I searched around until I found an old basket that had to have been my grandma’s. I went to the linen closet and pulled out some towels. I came back to find Dasher and Dancer sitting in the hallway by the door. Prancer was sitting by the closet with a puppy in his paws and licking at the top of its head.
I pulled one of the pillows off the bed and put it in the bottom of the basket before adding the towels to the top. I sat down beside Prancer and rubbed at his back while he cared for his baby.
By the end of the night, I had four new puppies, and both mother and babies were all fine. All the dogs were gathered around as if the litter belonged to everyone.
“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “I would have been so confused, and who knows what would have happened in this snowstorm if you hadn’t been here.”
“No problem.” Rudy sat beside me. “I’m sure you would have done fine.”
The two of us stayed quiet, watching the new litter sleep curled up beside their parents.
“Would you like some tea or hot chocolate?”
“Hot chocolate sounds wonderful.”
We stood and left the puppies to care for their own.