Chapter 13
Katie
How the hell was I on another date without even realising it?
My hand went to my forehead, feeling a headache start up almost instantly. How had I missed the signs? I took in Rhett’s freshly combed hair, the very nice blue shirt, and had his eyes always been that blue? I shook my head, trying to dislodge that errant thought. I couldn’t go out to dinner with one of Dave’s workmates. I?—
Couldn’t I?
What loyalty did I owe Dave? My brows jerked down. None. No, less than none.
“Look, we’ve obviously got our wires crossed,” Rhett said, and I felt like I was watching his lips move, but not really taking in what he was saying. “I thought I was being clear about what this was when I asked you out to dinner.”
“I thought you meant a quarter pounder in a McDonalds car park,” I squeaked out. “I’m not dressed properly for…” God, I was jumping the gun here. He’d said dinner, but by the way he was dressed, it looked like somewhere fancy. “Wherever you wanted to go. Like pet shop, then some cheap takeaway?—”
“Hey.” Suddenly he was standing right in front of me and two massive hands came to rest on my shoulders. His palms burned through the thin fabric of my blouse. “If that’s what you want, we can do that.” I looked up and saw exactly how blue Rhett’s eyes were. Deep, cornflower blue, that’s why I had mistaken them for brown. They crinkled around the edges as he smiled down at me. “Whatever you want. I’ll cancel the reservation.”
“Reservation…?”
OK, now I was just being pathetic. I wanted to kick my own arse for being shocked he’d go to that kind of trouble. I was worth dinner reservations, dates, everything, that’s what I’d vowed on New Year’s Eve, right?
He took a step closer, and it felt like the world narrowed down to just the small space between us. His hands gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze before he pulled away.
“We don’t have to go anywhere fancy,” he said in a low rumbly voice that I felt all the way down to my toes. “The restaurant isn’t what’s important. You are.”
My vow to stop dating and work on myself evaporated before my eyes, leaving just this. Rhett was always nice to me when I went to the station to meet up with Dave, but I’d never guessed there was something more there. I wanted to know now what he was thinking, feeling, so perhaps that’s why I nodded.
“Let’s…” Go to dinner, have a good time, I wanted to say. See if there’s anything here. “Go to the pet store and then see how we feel after that.” My eyes narrowed as something occurred to me. “You are actually getting a dog, right? That wasn’t just an attempt to get me to go out on a date with you?”
That smile, those dimples popping, I blinked, suddenly dazzled, but he shook his head.
“I’d never lie to you, Katie.” The mood shifted then, both our smiles fading, but that didn’t stop him from staring into my eyes. “We are getting a dog. My housemate found one he had to have, but… Does he know I’m here, getting supplies for the dog?” He shrugged, his hands shoved into his pockets. “I may have left that part out.”
His boyish expression, the way a fine blush coloured his cheeks, had me laughing despite myself.
“OK, well, do you have the list I gave you? I’ll just lock up the surgery and then we can work out what your ‘dog’ needs.”
He didn’t, but I forgave him when we arrived at the pet store, because there was nothing cuter than a big, tough fireman looking embarrassed.
Actually, there was nothing cuter than this fireman.
I didn’t check out Dave’s colleagues, something that made clear I was not made for situationships, my sister insisted. I should’ve been keeping my options open, just like Dave was. Problem was, it would’ve hurt me if Dave did the same at my workplace, so I kept my eyes to myself when I was at the station.
There was nothing to hold me back now.
Safe, inside my car, I could let my eyes roam, taking in those long, powerful legs as they stepped out of his truck, those broad shoulders that tested the seams of his very nice shirt. Of course, that was the moment he looked up. A small smile made clear he had caught me checking him out, but as he drew closer, he didn’t seem to mind at all. I grabbed for the door handle, but he was already there, opening it before I had a chance.
This was the shit people did in front of a camera. I didn’t know any guy who opened a girl’s door, and yet there he was, standing with his elbow propped against the frame, staring down at me. You know that look guys give when they like what they see? I’d seen it directed at plenty of women, but not me and that left me feeling flustered. I clambered out of the car, almost dropped my phone and then recovered quickly.
“So, do you know what kind of dog you’re getting?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation to a place I felt was safer.
“Um… no?” He shot me a rueful smile. “I know it’s a big one, though. Can’t stand little yappy things.”
“Puppy or dog?” I asked, if only to watch him dig himself deeper into a hole.
“That I do know. Definitely a dog.” He clicked a finger. “A male one.”
“OK, so you don’t know what breed he is?” He shook his head. “Or what he likes?” Another shake. “So did you intend to go to the pet store at all, or…?”
That sheepish expression vanished as he leaned forward. He hadn’t stepped back at all, leaving me pinned between my car and him.
“Or…?” he prompted, waiting for me to finish that sentence.
There were so, so many ways to end it. My ovaries seemed intent on showing me a rapid slideshow of at least some of them, but I shook my head.
“Maybe we’ll just focus on the basics for today,” I said, internally wincing at how prim my voice sounded, right as I ducked under his arm and then started walking towards the pet store.
“We’ll get whatever he needs.” My car door was shut and his suddenly serious tone had me looking back over my shoulder. “He’s had it tough, that much I do know. It was what convinced us to take the dog on in the first place. Look, I totally came by because I needed an excuse to ask you out, but… I gotta do what I can to make this dog’s life easier, y’know?”
Damn, that was the perfect thing to say. Dogs knew people and anyone who liked them, cared for them, was good in my book.
“I do know.” I breathed that out, feeling a pang in my chest. “You’re talking to the right person. I volunteer at a pet shelter and…” Bloody hell, my heart felt like it clenched, able to see each one of their fuzzy little faces right now. “There’s nothing better than helping animals that need it. I’ll talk you through the basics, and some other things that might help your dog adjust. They’re not essential?—”
“Yes, they are.” Whoa, Rhett was intense. He seemed to realise that, frowning slightly before continuing. “I mean… just show me what you’d get if you were adopting a rescue dog. Whatever would be on your wish list, we’re getting.”
“OK, let's see what we can find.”
“A dog needs his own bed?” Rhett looked the display over critically. “He’ll be allowed up on the couch and in our rooms.”
“If he’s had a rough experience growing up,” I explained. “He’ll need somewhere he feels safe. Think like a den. Small, confined?—”
“Like a kennel?” he asked, trailing over to where they were on the shelves.
“I mean, yeah, but they’re mostly for outside only dogs. If he’s going to spend a lot of his time inside with you guys, the dog needs…” I thought of Bronson and the way he snuggled down into his threadbare bed. It was one of the few things we’d given him that he seemed to like. “A space that’s just his,” I said finally. “It doesn’t move, doesn’t change, stays exactly the same, no matter what’s going on in the house.”
“OK.” He turned to inspect the beds, reaching out to grab a particularly plush one. “So soft and squishy? Or something that stays cool in summer?”
“The cool ones are a good idea, particularly if your house runs hot, but traumatised dogs often like these.” I grabbed one of the big fluffy ones we’d found worked well with our dogs. “I’m not sure, but maybe the fur makes them feel like they’re a puppy again. They can be expensive…”
My voice trailed away as he sized the beds up, then grabbed one of the larger ones, before placing it in the shopping trolley.
“Cool, we’ve got a bed. Now what?”
We went down the dog food aisle and I talked him through the range, giving him good options at the cheap, middle and expensive ends of the market. He shouldered a massive bag of primo dog food and placed it in the cart like it was no big thing. I just stared in wonder at how nonchalant he was being. Well, at that and the fact his biceps threatened to pop the seams of his shirt,
“Dog toys are really hit or miss.” I picked up a chunky silicone cone. “Kongs can be good as you stuff treats in here.” I showed him to the hole on one end. “For dogs who need a lot of stimulation, these can be amazing and stop them from digging up your garden…”
A high-pitched giggle had me turning around to see a little girl had come wandering over. She tugged at my pants and beamed at me with a gummy smile.
“Looks like you’ve found a friend.” Rhett smiled as he stepped forward, then crouched down to her level. “OK, sweetheart, where’s your mum and dad?”
“Mum mum!” the girl cried, pointing wildly across the floor to where a harried looking woman was scanning the store.
“Let’s get you to Mum Mum then,” he said. With one hand on the trolley and the other holding the girl’s hand, he walked over to the woman, who looked relieved when we arrived.
“Abigail!” She took the child from Rhett and held her close. “Naughty girl, running off like that.” Abigail started to squirm, making clear how this had happened in the first place. The little girl wanted to run around and explore, not be carried by her mum. Instead, her mother put her in the trolley and then handed her a well-worn doll to play with. “Thank you for bringing her over. I turned around for a minute?—”
“And she was off?” I said.
Abigail had climbed up and over the trolley and landed on her feet expertly before running off again.
“Abby!” Mum looked harried. “Abby!”
She went after her daughter, leaving her trolley behind, but she wasn’t fast enough. The glass doors of the shop slid open and in came a teenage boy and his dog. One look at him and I could see exactly what would happen. The dog was a big mastiff, and the kid had him on one of those bloody extendable leads. They were perfectly fine with dogs with excellent recall and in a space where you didn’t need complete control over your dog and I was fairly sure neither of those things were true.
“Doggy!” Abigail cried and then went running towards the kid and his pup.
“Oh my god…” I hissed, ready to go sprinting across the floor, but Rhett was one step ahead of me. With a few long strides of his powerful legs, he was there the moment the dog saw the little girl.
Looks were deceiving with dogs. Plenty of big scary looking pups were gentle as lambs, but you couldn’t assume that when first meeting them. Abigail was too little to know that.
“Abby!” Mum shouted, running towards her daughter, but the dog had the exact same impulse. His whole body quivered with barely concealed power, the teenager finally aware of what was happening.
“Dozer!” he shouted, hauling back on the lead, but even when he mashed his thumb down on the button, the dog kept coming.
I took off at a sprint. We were always taught to anticipate and ensure situations like this didn’t happen rather than react, because you couldn’t always guarantee a positive result. Frantically, I racked my brain, trying to work out what to do, when a sharp command rang through the air.
“Stop!”
Rhett stood between the dog and the child, and both of them looked up at him in surprise. The child stumbled to a halt, the dog’s haunches planting themselves on the ground. Rhett didn’t take his eyes off the dog for a second, not being aggressive, but rather perfectly in control. He knew exactly what he was doing, and that was clear to the dog.
“Doggy!” Abigail cried as her mother swept her into her arms. “Doggy!”
“Abby, we don’t know if that dog is friendly.” You could hear the war being fought between fear and relief in the woman’s voice. “I’ve told you we can’t go rushing up to strange dogs.”
“And you need to keep yours under control in a store.”
The teenage boy’s mouth fell open as he looked up at Rhett.
“Um, yeah?—”
“And you need a shorter lead.” I barrelled up, not feeling calm or centred, but right now that wasn’t what was important. “You can’t use a long lead like that in a pet store.”
“But he pulls if I don’t,” the kid said with a frown.
“Then you need to lead train him before you can bring him into a space where there are people or other animals.” I pulled out my wallet and flicked through the contents, pulling out a card. “This is a really good trainer. He offers classes to the public at little cost.”
Rhett smiled as I handed the card over, a familiar mulish expression on the teenager’s face. I saw this all the damn time at the vets I worked at, even more at the shelter. Whatever the kid had to say about it was cut off as a staff member approached.
“We’re happy for customers to bring their pets into the store as long as they are well controlled…” they said, emphasising the last bit, as we turned around to check on Abigail.
“Oh my god, your brother was amazing!” the mother gushed.
Brother? Why wouldn’t she assume Rhett was my boyfriend…
Oh.
I looked at him, then me, and realised what she was thinking.
“Date.” He didn’t say much more, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me against his side. “Katie is my date.”
“Oh!” It was her turn to be surprised, and she didn’t cover it very well. Her eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly’s wings before she recovered. “Well, you’ll need to lock him down fast,” she told me, but her focus was still on Rhett. “Guy like that, who’s good with kids and animals?” She stared at him like he was a horse on market day. “You don’t want to let him get away.”
“Like Abby is right now?” I said, pointing to where her daughter had sprinted off.
“That little…” she growled before stomping after the child. “Thanks for your help!”
“So, did you want to rescue more small children?” I asked as I turned back to Rhett. “Maybe pull a cat and her kittens from a burning building?”
“Well, I have done that before.” He stepped closer again, making me feel like a tiny little thing, rather than… well, me. “But no, right now.” I watched his hand move, barely feeling the way his knuckles grazed down the back of my arm. “I want to work out what we need to get for the dog and then go and grab something to eat. Saving small children?” He shot me a lop-sided grin. “Makes a man hungry.”
I watched his lips move, his tongue flick out, and I followed its path as he moistened his mouth. The sheen that was left, I stared at it, watching it slowly dry. What I was actually doing was standing there and staring like a gormless twit, so I turned on my heel and began to move.
“This way.” Scanning a display of the worming tablet helped me get my head together. Talking about hookworms and roundworms was familiar territory, because this? No one had ever taken me on a date to a pet store before, but it was more than that. I felt like I had his complete attention the whole time I talked. He listened to me talk about the different pests that dogs could pick up and their effects on humans, nodding along as those blue eyes stared into mine, and that was a seductive thing. I didn’t need flowers or jewels. I just needed someone who listened to me. In the end, he paid for all his purchases and then escorted me back to my car, a question hanging unsaid between us. I sucked in a breath and then smiled. “So yeah, we can go to the restaurant if you want.”
“I want.” He placed an arm on my car window and leaned in then, my eyes getting bigger the closer he got. “You can ride with me and I’ll bring you back to your car after, or I can meet you there.”
“Meet you there,” I squeaked out.
I was left to watch him saunter away, taking in the way his pants clung to that perfectly formed arse. The man obviously did not skip leg day. Right as I was wondering how the hell I got myself into this situation, a buzz in my pocket broke the spell I was under. When I dragged my phone out, I saw it was Mandie.
“Gym,” she told me in that no nonsense tone of hers. “No excuses. We need to get a routine happening and?—”
“I’ve got a date.”
“What?” It was about the only thing I could say that would shut her up. “I thought you said… Rhys called, didn’t he? So you’re gonna give him a chance?”
“Not Rhys,” I told her as I unlocked the car. “Rhett.”
I put her on speakerphone knowing she’d want to dissect the whole thing as I drove over to the restaurant.