“I think I’m falling in love with you, Mr. Sheppard.”
God, he hoped that was true and not just an in-the-moment, emotional response because he was definitely falling in love with her. In fact, he already had.
The words were right there, burning his tongue, but he held them back. He had a very specific idea of how and when he wanted to say those words to her for the first time.
“Good,” he said instead. “That means my plan is working.”
She laughed. “I can confirm.”
“Get some rest, Kate. I’ll be down in the morning to pick up the dogs.”
“Thank you. It’ll be a huge relief to know they’re being taken care of. Good night, Chris.”
“Good night, baby.”
“Chris?”
“Yeah?”
“I like when you call me baby,” she said softly and then disconnected the call.
~ * ~
The next morning, Mad Dog told everyone what had happened. As expected, they were very supportive and insisted on setting up a special place in the main building for the dogs.
He drove down into town and backed his truck into Kate’s driveway to make it easier to load, and then made his way across the street to the hardware store. The need to see her, to know that she was okay, was a tangible thing.
He spotted Kate on a ladder, changing a lightbulb. She turned when the bell sounded, announcing his arrival. Her tired, bloodshot eyes lit up when she saw him.
“Chris!”
The guy who emerged from the back wasn’t nearly as stoked to see him, and Mad Dog knew he was looking at Kate’s ex, Luther Renninger. It took all of a second, maybe less, for him to decide he didn’t like the guy. Not just because he was Kate’s ex, but also because one look was all it took to know Renninger was a shifty fucker.
Renninger’s eyes narrowed, and his features hardened as they sized each other up. He was five-ten, five-eleven, about one eighty, and looked to be in relatively good shape, which meant he did more than sit in an office, doing accounting all day. He was no match for a trained SEAL though. Mad Dog wondered if the guy’s hands were as smooth and polished as the rest of him.
Mad Dog turned his attention to Kate. “How’s your father?”
She stepped down the ladder and right into his arms. Pretty Boy didn’t like that. He glared at Mad Dog. Mad Dog glared right back over the top of Kate’s head.
“Resting comfortably,” Kate said, pulling away. “They’re still running tests. My mom’s with him. They’re waiting for the doctor to come around.”
Pretty Boy crossed the store and stood next to Kate in a clear message. “Do you need something?”
Kate sighed. “Chris, this is Luther Renninger. Luther, Chris Sheppard.”
Neither one of them extended a hand. Kate shifted uncomfortably.
“Right, well, let me get my keys, and I’ll help you get the dogs loaded. Luther, handle the register for a few, will you?”
“You watch the register. I’ll help with the dogs,” Pretty Boy said.
Mad Dog didn’t care for the way he’d spoken to Kate. She didn’t care for it much either, based on the way her lips turned downward.
“Luther—”
He reached out and grabbed Kate by the arm.
“Get off!” Kate said, trying to shrug out of his grasp.
Mad Dog was in his face a moment later. “You heard the woman. Get your fucking hand off her.”
He did, proving that he did have a working brain cell or two. Perhaps it was time to have a one-on-one convo with the guy.
“It’s all right, Kate.” Mad Dog leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. He could practically hear Renninger’s teeth grinding at the possessive gesture. Good.
Kate didn’t look happy about staying behind, but the sooner Mad Dog dealt with Pretty Boy, the better.
“They’ll be fine,” he reassured her, pretending he misunderstood her reluctance.
Her eyes softened.
There’s my girl.
“Thanks again for doing this.”
“Anything for you, Kate. You know that.”
Kate handed Mad Dog her house keys.
“After you,” he said to Renninger.
As Renninger stalked to the door, she said murmured, “Don’t kill him, okay?”
Mad Dog grinned and kissed her again—this time, on the lips—but made no promises.
He followed Renninger across the street and up Kate’s driveway.
When they got around to the back and out of sight of the store, Renninger said, “You need to back off before someone gets hurt.”
Oh, someone was going to get hurt all right, if he kept this shit up. The guy was no skinny number cruncher, but he was no match for a six-four, two-hundred-and-fifty-pounder with SEAL training.
Mad Dog’s upper lip curled in a snarl. “Care to elaborate on that?”
“You guys come into town, think you’re so fucking better than everyone else, take our women—”
Mad Dog barked out a laugh. Straight-up laughed because the guy was so ridiculous. “Really? Take your women?”
Renninger widened his stance, as if to make himself appear bigger. “Your methods might have worked with some, but it won’t with Kate. She’s got people who aren’t going to let her go so easily.”
Mad Dog wondered what Sam and Sandy would think of that statement. “Like you?”
“Damn right.”
“What Kate wants is the only thing I care about, and it looks to me like she’s made her choice.”
Renninger’s face turned beet red at the direct hit, but he rallied. “Kate’s confused; she doesn’t know what she wants. But her roots are strong. She’ll never turn her back on her family and friends.”
“No one’s asking her to.”
“Eventually, Kate will come to her senses, and when she does, it’ll be me she comes back to.”
“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” he said because what else was there to say?
Renninger was a class-A douche with a warped sense of entitlement, and the guy was deliberately provoking him. As much as Mad Dog wanted to show him just how inadvisable that was, he really didn’t give a shit what Renninger thought. Plus, laying him out at this point would only exacerbate the situation between the town and Sanctuary.
“And if you ever lay another hand on Kate, I’ll make sure you never use yours again. Now, get the fuck out of my way.”
Renninger clamped his lips shut but didn’t make a move to leave. He couldn’t leave before Mad Dog without looking like a pussy, and he knew it.
Mad Dog used the keys Kate had given him to open the back door and took great pleasure in the enthusiastic greeting he received from Duke. He was even happier when Renninger moved toward Mama Dog and Duke growled out a low rumble of warning.
“Better let me handle the dogs.” He smirked. “You can carry those boxes outside and set them in the backseat.”
They managed to get the dogs and enough of their supplies loaded without Duke or Mad Dog doing bodily damage to douche boy. After he locked up, he opened the passenger door, so Duke could ride shotgun, and he went across the street to return Kate’s keys.
“Everything okay?” Kate asked, her eyes briefly following Renninger as he stormed in behind Mad Dog and went right into the back.