Chapter Twelve
“Come on, Hunter. Let’s go.”
Eva called the dog from his spot on the back patio of the Coffey Creek Café. Her boss, Phoebe, came rushing outside.
“Wait!” She called, waving a small bag. “He forgot his new present.”
Eva suppressed a smile as her employer knelt down beside the dog, and whipped out a large chew bone with an enthusiastic “Surprise!”
Eva laughed. “Thanks, Phoebe. I’m sure he’s going to love it as much as all the other gifts you’ve spoiled him with.”
Phoebe cradled Hunter’s big block head in both hands. “Oh, I know I’m guilty as charged. I can’t help it, though. Animals are so much more trustworthy than people.”
It was a strange comment to make, and Eva felt certain there was a story behind it. However, she didn’t feel it was appropriate to pry. She would wait until Phoebe decided to confide in her. Until then, she had no problem letting Hunter work his therapeutic magic.
Satisfied, Phoebe finally stood and waved them both goodbye. Eva opened the back door so Hunter could jump in and glanced around. She had the strange feeling of someone watching her. However, there was nothing to indicate anything amiss. Aside from the usual passerby – tourists and townsfolk who frequented the lakeside café – Eva and Hunter were alone. She chalked up the feeling to nervousness, placed the chew bone in front of the dog, and then climbed into her own seat. After buckling her seat belt, she looked at her rescue in the rearview mirror.
“All right, boy. Ready to go make some new friends?”
Hunter yawned as if bored by the idea, then laid his head down on top of the bone. Eva wished she could feel as calm and relaxed as the dog looked. Unfortunately, she was about to sail some uncharted waters.
She started the rental and drove the twenty minutes to where she and Cathy had agreed to meet. After pulling into the parking lot and finding a space, she climbed out and opened the door for Hunter.
“Ready, boy?”
The dog jumped out of the car and calmly sat as Eva attached his leash. Once he became fully trained, she might not need it as much. Until then, it didn’t bode well for a therapy dog to jump on people – especially those veterans who were still recovering from injuries. She looked up at the building for Veterans of Foreign Wars and questioned if she could even go in there. Would being in a place full of veterans – some of them that had been injured in combat – remind her too much of Tanner? There was only one way to find out.
Eva grabbed hold of the door handle and stepped inside.
***
“They serve beer here?”
The question elicited a loud laugh from Joshua Barrett – the man who had not only invited Tanner to the VFW, but also drove him the five odd miles to the canteen… without pay. And while that was pretty cool and all, the thing that really impressed Tanner was how everyone treated him the same as some average Joe off the streets. On first arrival, two other veterans offered to buy him his first drink. Then another joined their group to share war stories. Tanner didn’t feel quite up to the task of sharing all the gory details of what had happened while he was in Afghanistan, but just listening to everyone else talk really put him at ease. It was the kind of place where a guy like him could be comfortable wearing a pair of shorts… despite the fact that he had a prosthetic limb. In fact, being around other veterans made him realize that having a prosthetic didn’t mean it was the end of the world… just a little bit of a different one.
Yeah. He was happy he wore the shorts, and thankful to be in a place where he wasn’t the only one living with regrets – things that he wished he could’ve done differently; the deaths they all wished they had prevented. The pain of the past was a little easier to bear with others who understood where he was coming from.
Tanner lifted his beer and took a swig. It was nice, sitting there just being one of the guys. If he pretended hard enough, it almost felt like from before the war.
Almost.
“So what do you think?” Josh asked.
“Huh?” Tanner shook his head with confusion. Drifting off into La La Land had apparently cost him part of the present conversation.
“I asked what you thought about the therapy idea.”
“Oh.” Tanner shrugged. He considered lying and going along with whatever they were all for. After all, the group seemed good enough. At the same time, he didn’t want to agree to something he wasn’t ready for. He scratched the back of his head. “I’ll be honest with you, Josh. I was kind of enjoying my brew a little too much to really catch every word you said.”
Josh only smiled. “I understand that. Sometimes a man’s best friend is a good book with a long drink... and a four-legged ball of fluff to keep him in line.”
“A four-legged ball of—”
Something cold and wet touched Tanner’s good leg. He jumped up, knocking over his bottle.
“Whoa, friend.” Josh reached out to steady him, but Tanner only stared down at the familiar dog. He gradually looked up, his gaze traveling the length of the leash to the owner that held it.
“What are you doing here?”
The question sounded accusatory. In truth, he was as excited to see Eva standing there as she looked surprised to see him. Something suddenly clicked in his mind. What had Josh been saying earlier? Something about dogs being therapeutic.
Tanner studied the rescue quietly sitting in front of him, softly panting.
“Is this why you’re here,” he asked, looking back up at her. “To try to get me to sign up for some sort of… dog therapy?”
“No… I mean, yeah… but not exactly.” Eva struggled to find the right words. “Remember my friend Cathy? I told you about her during one of your PT sessions.”
“Yeah. What about her?”
“I was supposed to meet her here so she could introduce a program the shelter is trying to implement.”
“What kind of program?”
Before Eva could answer, the front door opened revealing yet another woman and dog team. Eva beamed before quickly answering, “That’s Cathy. She works for the Angel Paws Rescue Shelter. They think it would be beneficial to pair up veterans and rescues.”
“Beneficial for whom? Sounds like they’re trying to unload a bunch of unwanted dogs.”
Eva grimaced. The look made Tanner want to swallow his words. His defenses had gone back up, and he was being difficult again. A throat cleared from behind him. He glanced back to find the table of veterans staring at both of them. Mostly, though, they were staring at him.
“Actually, studies show that both parties would benefit from the experience,” Cathy chimed in as she joined the group. She firmly held onto the leash of a small, scruffy dog with one hand and extended the other. “Nice to meet you.”
Tanner accepted the handshake and began to apologize. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.” A look around the table had him itching to get out of the place. He leaned towards Eva, his voice low. “Listen, can we talk someplace else?”
Eva visibly brightened. “Sure. That is, if Cathy doesn’t mind doing the presentation by herself.”
A sly smile graced Cathy’s face. “Not at all. You two go have your little ‘talk.’ Maybe it’ll clear up some of that lover’s quarrel.”
“Cathy!”
Eva’s eyes widened and even Tanner could feel himself turn several shades of red. Was he that obvious to read?
Eva’s friend only laughed and turned to the table of laughing veterans, striking up a conversation with them as if she’d known them her whole life. Tanner motioned for her to follow. They made their way to the front doors, which he managed to open for her just fine.
“You’re getting really good at that, you know.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Walking around without crutches.”
“Yeah, well, I had a really good teacher.”
They ambled through the parking lot, aimlessly walking past the cars. Eva stopped to address him.
“I didn’t teach you that. I only showed you different moves to strengthen and stretch your muscles – things that would help you learn how to regain your balance. Everything else was hard work and practice that you put into the task. You should be proud of that.”
“I am proud of that,” Tanner admitted. “I didn’t think I’d get this far, let alone get here so soon. Still, I know it’s because of the work we did together. I never got to thank you for that.”
She gave him a soft, warm smile. It was the kind that made him want to reach out and trace the contours of her mouth. The kind of smile that made him want to kiss her. She leaned slightly forward, rising on the tips of her toes.
“You could thank me now,” she whispered.
He brought his face down to hers and their lips gently touched. His mouth filled with the taste of strawberries. He wanted more. The kiss grew deeper, sending heat through both of them.
He suddenly pulled away. The loss of his warmth made her shiver.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I know we shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Why not?” Eva asked, confused. She paced away, then back again. The dog followed her back and forth as if also confused. “Maybe it’s unprofessional for us to get involved. I don’t know. Cathy says it doesn’t count since I’m not even a real, licensed therapist yet. Maybe that’s just playing semantics. But if that’s how you feel, then the solution is simple. You’ve already cancelled your sessions with me. So if you still need therapy, then we can find someone else to help you. That would free both of us to pursue whatever it is we’re feeling for each other. That is, if you have any feelings for me.”
Tanner let out a low whistle. “Are you kidding? If I have feelings for you? Girl, that kiss should have said it all!”
Eva blushed, her head dipping for a moment. “Well, I hope you could tell the feeling was mutual.”
She looked back up and studied his face. He had appeared excited a moment earlier, but now his face was dark and clouded over.
“Part of me is really happy you feel that way, Eva.” His voice grew serious. “But what about your fiancé?”
She looked at him as if he were speaking a foreign language. “My what?”
“You’re fiancé – the one that visited you in the hospital. The nurse told me all about him.”
“Ha!” Her loud response surprised him. “She obviously gave you some very bad information – very bad. Bryan is my ex-fiancé.”
“Your ex-fiancé?”
Eva vigorously nodded. The movement brightened Tanner’s expression.
“You look like a bobble head doll.”
“I know.” Eva smiled. “It’s a little something Cathy taught me when I was feeling down.”
“Well, it works.” He inclined his head as if considering everything she had just revealed. “I’m sorry to hear you were feeling down, though. I mean, you’ve been through a lot. School, the accident, a quarrelsome neighbor, overbearing boss… and then there’s me. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy dealing with – what my mother likes to call – “poo poo attitude.”
Eva laughed. “I love your mother. She reminds me a lot of my own. Kind, smart, funny—”
“Wait a minute. Is that your way of agreeing with her about my attitude?”
The question only caused Eva to laugh even harder. “Oh, I was wondering if you’d catch that.”
“Yes, ma’am, I did.” Tanner sobered. He stared intently at her. His gaze sent a delicious shiver down her spine. “I picked up on that along with the earlier bit of information that you don’t have a fiancé. So we can do what I was hoping to do.”
Eva’s eyes grew wide. “And what was it you were hoping we could do?”
A slow smiled stretched across Tanner’s face. “Well, now that you’re no longer going to be seeing me on a professional basis, and you’re not tied up with anyone else on a personal one, then maybe you would be interested in going out with me sometime?”
“Well, it depends.” Eva eyed him. “Think you could deal with me… and my dog?”
Tanner gave the rescue a once over.
“I think the question is more if he can deal with me.” He bent forward and held a hand out to the dog, palm up. “What do you say, boy? Willing to give me a second chance?”
The dog sniffed Tanner’s hand. He lifted a furry paw and placed it in the veteran’s grasp, who shook it to seal their agreement.
“See?” Eva beamed. “Friends already!”
“Well, I don’t know if we can say ‘friends’ just yet.” Tanner righted himself. “But I think we can agree to being comrades fighting on the same side.”
The sentiment wasn’t lost on Eva.
“I think that’s a great start. Speaking of which, how about we go back inside? I wouldn’t mind meeting some of your brothers-in-arms.”
Tanner offered his own arm in response. Eva linked her hand in the crook of his, the other hand guiding the dog as they made their way back to the building.