Blue Blooded by Shelly Bell Page B

bowed his head. Instead he was looking up at her with curiosity on his wrinkled face. She bent to rub his ears, loving it when the dog nudged her hand for more. He wasn’t the most attractive dog she’d ever seen, but he was full of personality. With wet jowls and big brown eyes, he was wider than what seemed normal for a dog his size. She peeked underneath him, confirming his gender. “You can’t discipline a dog for his nature. If you were stupid enough to leave food unattended around him, you should’ve expected it would get eaten. You’re the one who needed the lesson not to do it again.”
    â€œBitch, I don’t know who you think you are acting all high and mighty, but this here dog’s my property. I can train him however I want. Now, why don’t you go run along before I train you like I train my dog?”
    She stepped in front of the animal, her hands on her hips. “I’m not leaving until you promise you won’t harm him.”
    â€œFuck you.” His face screwed up in a sneer and he spit some tobacco chew on the ground, just barely missing her foot. “I ain’t making no promises to an uptight cunt who sticks her nose into other people’s business.”
    He tromped forward, clipping her with his shoulder on his way to snatch back his dog. She twirled around, intending to scoop the animal into her arms, but before she had the chance, the asshole grabbed the dog’s collar and twisted it, yanking him hard and eliciting a yelp.
    â€œThat’s it.” She pushed the dog’s owner in an attempt to get him to release the strangling hold he had on the poor thing. “Give me the dog and I won’t call the cops on you for animal cruelty.”
    The man turned, the unmitigated anger in his eyes now focused entirely on her. She took a step backward, but she wasn’t quick enough. Forgoing the dog, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook hard enough to snap her head back and to elicit tears. Then he raised one hand, readying to strike. She winced, preparing herself for the painful blow.
    It never came.
    â€œTake your hands off the lady,” ordered Logan, his hand wrapped around the man’s wrist midstrike. “Now.”
    She let go of the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Damn it, she wasn’t the type of woman who needed a man to save her, but since last night, she’d been all too grateful to have Logan at her back.
    The man released her with a shove and faced Logan. “This your bitch? You need to teach her a lesson about showing some respect.”
    While she crouched and reassuringly rubbed the dog’s neck, Logan stood eerily still with his jaw locked with tension, somehow seeming much taller and formidable than he had a few minutes ago. “Seems like you’re the one who needs to learn respect.”
    His gaze falling to the ground, the dog’s owner took off his hat and rubbed the back of his neck. “You know what? This dog ain’t worth it. Just took him to fuck with my ex in the divorce.” He threw up his hands and took a step backward. “He’s all yours now.” He stomped away before getting into his truck and speeding away.
    Typical bully. He could pick on something or someone smaller and weaker than himself but when confronted by a man equally his size, he ran with his tail between his legs.
    â€œWhat happened to not drawing any attention?” Logan asked dryly.
    She scratched the dog one final time behind his ears and stood with the leash in her hands. Yeah, she could admit she hadn’t exactly stayed off the grid with her actions, but ever since she’d watched her friend suffer abuse in silence as a teenager, whenever she saw an injustice, she had a hard time keeping her mouth shut. That was one of the reasons she became an investigative reporter. It certainly wasn’t for the low pay or the lousy hours. “I couldn’t just let him