tomorrow?”
“I’ll have the coffee ready. You can bring the doughnuts.”
“You bet.” Nick headed toward his truck.
“Oh, and Nick?” Jamie called to him from the porch.
“Yeah?”
“Your training officially starts tomorrow.”
Chapter 4
As she watched his black truck drive away, Jamie heaved a big sigh of relief. Being around Nick had been exhausting. There was something powerful about his personality that put all of her nerve endings on high alert. The testosterone radiated off him. He was exactly the kind of man she was determined to avoid. And yet she had never been so attracted.
Jamie worked with men all the time, mostly veterans needing service dogs and also a few cops from smaller police departments. Most of her clientele was male, so being around Nick shouldn’t have been so taxing.
She carried the mugs and carafe into the house, trying hard to ignore the dirty clothes and dirty plates in the living room as she walked through. She had vowed not to clean up after her brother, Jared, who had been living with her since he got out of the hospital a year ago. But she couldn’t stand looking at the messy kitchen. It took only a few minutes to unload, then reload the dishwasher, wipe off the counters and table, and sweep the floor.
It was mindless work that left her time to think about things she’d rather not think about. Woof Gang was her whole life since her husband’s death. And as much as she loved the dogs and the wounded warriors, the nights alone were brutal. She was still horrified that she had admitted as much to Nick, a total stranger. Jeez, he must have thought she was making a play for him.
But then, he was probably used to women saying suggestive things to get his attention. She hadn’t meant it to be suggestive…and she definitely was not trying to get his attention. The one thing Jamie absolutely didn’t want in her life was a man.
Actually, she already had one man too many. She hung the dish towel on the towel bar and turned on the dishwasher, then grabbed an apple out of a bowl on the table and headed back to the kennels. As she passed through the living room again, she frowned at the clutter. She had been giving Jared time to adjust to his new life after losing his legs fighting in Afghanistan. But enough time had passed that he was physically healed from the wounds. His emotional recovery was taking a little longer, but at least he was going to VA meetings and hanging out with friends again.
She accidentally kicked a pizza box that was halfway under the couch and a couple of shriveled-up, dried-out pieces slid across the wooden floor. Jamie refused to pick up after him anymore. Tonight she would have a talk with him. He was living in the house rent free, so helping her take care of the place was the least he could do.
Jamie hadn’t slept in the house since the day of Mike’s funeral. The bed was too big and everything in the room reminded her of him. She couldn’t look at the dove gray walls without seeing him on a ladder, painting the edges while she rolled the easy parts. She had tried sleeping on the front porch, but summer nights in Austin are often steamy and buggy, so she had moved into the storeroom in the kennel, where she had a cot for those nights she stayed up with a sick dog or one who was whelping. It was warm and dry and blessedly absent of memories of Mike, since he had seldom helped in the kennels. Then, when Jared moved in, she had hired someone to build her a real bedroom and full bathroom out there.
Of course, she would never kick Jared out, no matter how annoying he was. As her older brother, he had always been her protector and her hero. He had left all that behind on the battlefield. Now he was more of a tattered stray who had wandered to her house and needed a place to hide and lick his wounds. But even her dogs had jobs to do, and it was time Jared did too.
Back in the kennels, she started the process of feeding the dogs. It took about an hour to
“I’ll have the coffee ready. You can bring the doughnuts.”
“You bet.” Nick headed toward his truck.
“Oh, and Nick?” Jamie called to him from the porch.
“Yeah?”
“Your training officially starts tomorrow.”
Chapter 4
As she watched his black truck drive away, Jamie heaved a big sigh of relief. Being around Nick had been exhausting. There was something powerful about his personality that put all of her nerve endings on high alert. The testosterone radiated off him. He was exactly the kind of man she was determined to avoid. And yet she had never been so attracted.
Jamie worked with men all the time, mostly veterans needing service dogs and also a few cops from smaller police departments. Most of her clientele was male, so being around Nick shouldn’t have been so taxing.
She carried the mugs and carafe into the house, trying hard to ignore the dirty clothes and dirty plates in the living room as she walked through. She had vowed not to clean up after her brother, Jared, who had been living with her since he got out of the hospital a year ago. But she couldn’t stand looking at the messy kitchen. It took only a few minutes to unload, then reload the dishwasher, wipe off the counters and table, and sweep the floor.
It was mindless work that left her time to think about things she’d rather not think about. Woof Gang was her whole life since her husband’s death. And as much as she loved the dogs and the wounded warriors, the nights alone were brutal. She was still horrified that she had admitted as much to Nick, a total stranger. Jeez, he must have thought she was making a play for him.
But then, he was probably used to women saying suggestive things to get his attention. She hadn’t meant it to be suggestive…and she definitely was not trying to get his attention. The one thing Jamie absolutely didn’t want in her life was a man.
Actually, she already had one man too many. She hung the dish towel on the towel bar and turned on the dishwasher, then grabbed an apple out of a bowl on the table and headed back to the kennels. As she passed through the living room again, she frowned at the clutter. She had been giving Jared time to adjust to his new life after losing his legs fighting in Afghanistan. But enough time had passed that he was physically healed from the wounds. His emotional recovery was taking a little longer, but at least he was going to VA meetings and hanging out with friends again.
She accidentally kicked a pizza box that was halfway under the couch and a couple of shriveled-up, dried-out pieces slid across the wooden floor. Jamie refused to pick up after him anymore. Tonight she would have a talk with him. He was living in the house rent free, so helping her take care of the place was the least he could do.
Jamie hadn’t slept in the house since the day of Mike’s funeral. The bed was too big and everything in the room reminded her of him. She couldn’t look at the dove gray walls without seeing him on a ladder, painting the edges while she rolled the easy parts. She had tried sleeping on the front porch, but summer nights in Austin are often steamy and buggy, so she had moved into the storeroom in the kennel, where she had a cot for those nights she stayed up with a sick dog or one who was whelping. It was warm and dry and blessedly absent of memories of Mike, since he had seldom helped in the kennels. Then, when Jared moved in, she had hired someone to build her a real bedroom and full bathroom out there.
Of course, she would never kick Jared out, no matter how annoying he was. As her older brother, he had always been her protector and her hero. He had left all that behind on the battlefield. Now he was more of a tattered stray who had wandered to her house and needed a place to hide and lick his wounds. But even her dogs had jobs to do, and it was time Jared did too.
Back in the kennels, she started the process of feeding the dogs. It took about an hour to
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