There was a knock at the door. Bucky started growling in a menacing manner, or as menacing as this baby bundle of bones could manage.
“It’s okay. It’s just your nanny.”
On opening the door, his heart hitched while his brain immediately set up a counter-argument: why? She didn’t look any different. Same chin-length blonde hair with that rebellious pink streak, same sly grin that seemed to know all his secrets, same bulky coat that had seen better days. She rolled a suitcase in behind her.
“Hey, roomie!”
“You’re only here for two days. And we’re not roommates.”
“Ah, wasn’t talking to you.” She fished in her pocket, hunkered down, and opened her hand to reveal a bone-shaped biscuit. Those actually existed? Reid had always thought they were fake, for cartoons and commercials. He had a lot to learn about this dog-raising business.
Bucky tentatively approached, sniffed the biscuit, and looked up at him for approval. Reid’s heart burst.
“Go ahead. It’s a treat for you.”
The dog licked the biscuit, decided it was safe, and took the whole thing in his mouth, crunching away and spilling crumbs on the hardwood floor. Reid threw a furtive glance at the closet where the Dustbuster was located. It would take just a minute to clean up …
“Good fella!” Kennedy stood and smiled. “What time do you have to leave?”
“Twelve minutes ago. You’re late.”
“Okay, let’s chat,” she said blithely. “I assume I can call you on the regular number. Would it help to have your hotel’s as well in case I can’t get a hold of you?”
Good. She was asking the right things and focused on the dog. “I have a list here with numbers of the hotel, the team management, and the team’s travel staff. I also have the vet’s information.”
“Got it. And his food and any meds?”
He led her into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. “This is what the man at the pet store recommended. I also have shit bags and his leash.” He refused to say the word “poop,” though that’s what the pet store guy had said, like they were all children. He opened another cupboard door. “This is the ringworm medication and vitamins.”
“Hold on, let’s look at the food again.” She laughed, her silver eyes shining with amusement. “You leave anything at the store?”
So it was a lot, but he wasn’t sure how much dogs ate. If he could buy in bulk to save time, why not?
“I’m new to this.”
She grasped his arm. “Hey, I’m just kidding. This is great. Really. So is there anything else I can do while I’m here? Clean the bathroom, do laundry—”
“You’re here for the dog. You don’t have to do anything else. Just look after the dog.”
She grinned and his heart blundered around his chest again. What was wrong with him?
She was pretty, but not exceptionally so.
She had a nice smile, but nothing special. (So he had thought it gorgeous before but that was when he had just emerged from a frigid, wet lake and any flash of warmth was welcome.)
There was something indefinable about her, a joie-de-vivre that was very attractive. She was the kind of girl who flitted about, in and out of people’s lives, leaving … impressions. She likely lacked the stability Bucky needed but he had no choice.
“There are a few toys in that box over there.” The pet store had some very cute ones. Reid had tested them by squeezing them near the dog’s face and the rubber bee was a winner. To be honest, he had yelped excitedly about 90% of them. Clearly, this dog hadn’t seen much in the way of simple pleasures.
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll reach the hotel in Philadelphia at about 5 p.m. Chicago time. I’ll call then so make sure you’re available.”
“Yes, sir!” She gave him a cheeky salute.
Her levity put his back up. “I’m serious.”
“Oh, I know.”
“Don’t leave him alone, if you have to go to the store or something. What about your other dogs?”
“I’ll bring him on my rounds tomorrow and see how he does with others. Dog gossiping is important. Lots of butts to sniff.” She chuckled, a husky sound that hit him in the balls. “Could you imagine if that’s how we let people know we were interested? Wouldn’t that be wild?”
Sure. Wild.
She laughed again, clearly finding herself supremely entertaining. “You probably should get going. You’re running late.” She added a wink so they all knew this was her fault. Ha ha, hilarious.
He headed into the living room, sat on the sofa, and gestured for Bucky to approach. Bending close to keep it between the boys, he murmured his goodbyes.
“Be good, Bucky. Don’t make any trouble for Kennedy, okay?”
The dog licked his face.
It shocked some. Delighted more. He looked up to find Kennedy watching him, a soft look in those silver-gray eyes.
Moving toward his luggage, something occurred to him. “You’ll have to take him out late. So he can pee.”
“Not my first dog-sitting rodeo.”
“Don’t go too far at night. Stay close to the apartment.” The last thing he needed was to be worried about the dog and the sitter. “Also, his collar has a GPS tracker. I left instructions about the app you can download and the login information. Not that you should let him off the leash.”
Or lose him. Please don’t fucking lose him.
She smiled. “We’ll be careful, I promise. This guy will take care of me.”
Reid doubted that—Bucky was a little pathetic—but it was late and he couldn’t give it any more of his mind’s capacity. “Call me if anything comes up.”
“Will do. Oh, and bring me back a cheese steak from Philly.” She held up a hand. “Never mind. Just a slice of cheesecake. Or a whole pie. Whatever you can carry.”
Was she serious? He thought she might be.
More laughter. It echoed in his ears and settled in his chest long after the door closed behind him.
9
With the door closed and the mean man gone, Kennedy turned back to her canine charge.
“Party time!”
She did a little jig while the dog watched with head cocked. When she didn’t stop, he moved away to observe from a safe distance. Wise decision.
“Okay, I’m going to unpack, take a shower, make lunch, and then we can go for a walk.”
Bucky barked, perhaps recognizing the word walk—clever boy—then milled about doing a little jig of his own. Very cool.
When she said unpack, she meant dump her suitcase in the guest room and unzip it, so it looked like a drawer. On second thought, maybe not the best plan given the uncertainty with the housetrained situation. No way did she want to emerge from the shower to find her stuff marked with puppy pee.
The queen-sized bed looked like the best thing to happen to her in four days. The bed linens were a pearl-gray bordering on blue and felt soft to the touch. She got her nose in there.
Just laundered. Hmm. She tried to imagine Reid getting this organized since they spoke yesterday evening. Perhaps he had a housekeeper-laundress on call. She lay on the bed, just for a moment, thankful that she’d managed to live to fight another day.