Chapter 4
Risa couldn’t believe she’d agreed to let Jax come over to her place. There was no point, other than self-torture. What had she been thinking? She hadn’t, and that was the problem.
She’d been fantasizing about those broad shoulders and amazing eyes.
She’d been dreaming about his sexy mouth on hers.
One minute she’d been ready to say no to his offer. She’d notify the locals and they could deal with the mess. She’d opened her mouth and different words had flown out. Which is why she’d left work on time and had been running around her house picking up the place before he arrived. No point in lowering his opinion of her any further. He already must think her a madwoman, raging about like a drunken sailor because of a little paint. She didn’t want him to think her a slob, too.
She finished tossing clothes in the bin, dusting, and vacuuming. Satisfied that the place looked presentable, she let the dogs back in. “Don’t go shaking your hair all over the place. I just cleaned, and we’re to have company.”
Athena and Eir flopped onto their pillows and ignored her. Morpheus continued to snooze on the back of the couch, unconcerned with her wishes.
Some days she wondered what had she been thinking, getting all these animals.
Then she looked at their sweet faces and remembered: unconditional love.
A loud grumble from her stomach reminded her she’d skipped lunch—again—and she’d forgotten to take anything out for dinner—again. It was really a good thing her fur babies didn’t require home-cooked meals. A quick peek at her watch told her Jax wouldn’t be arriving for a bit, so she pulled out a frozen lasagna and pre-heated the oven. Once he was done looking for clues or whatever, she could offer him dinner as a thank-you.
It was the polite thing to do.
Uh-huh, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she found him spectacularly attractive and wanted to know more about him. Even if he was on her “no-way” list of men to date.
The phone rang at the same time as the oven dinged it was ready. She shoved in the casserole and lunged for her phone.
At Jax’s sweet, slow hello, she smiled.
“Did you get lost? It happens to a lot of people coming here the first time.”
“I’m still at the base.” The line went quiet for several moments. “It’s Bella. She’s taken a turn for the worse.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
Risa didn’t bother asking what was wrong. She could find out when she arrived. She turned off the oven, grabbed her purse, and flew out the front door.
Luck was on her side. She sped through all green lights to arrive in record time. The petty officer on duty let her into the kennel.
She hurried past the other dogs to find Jax sitting cross-legged on the floor of Bella’s kennel. The pup had her head on his lap and appeared to be sleeping.
“What’s going on?” She whispered to keep the dog from waking.
“She won’t eat. Petty Officer Moore called me right before he left to tell me she hadn’t eaten breakfast, and every time he tried to take her out, she’d growl at him.”
“Did she eat after you arrived?”
“Nope, that’s the same dish from earlier. I even offered her a treat with no luck.” He ran his hand down the dog’s back over and over. “I don’t get it. She was doing really well last night and this morning when I left.”
“Did she growl at you when you entered?”
“No. She thumped her tail a little, but otherwise she’s just been laying here.”
“I’m going to come in there and check her out. She was fine this afternoon, and she ate the biscuit I gave her. It’s not unusual for a dog to skip a meal, especially if she isn’t getting a lot of exercise. But let’s just make sure everything else is normal.”
Slowly, she opened the door, murmuring to Bella as she entered the small space. If the dog felt threatened and attacked, there wasn’t a lot of space to escape. Risa wasn’t worried, though. She’d dealt with traumatized animals, rehabbed them, and trained service dogs. She felt more comfortable with four-legged creatures than she did with the two-legged variety.
“Hey Bella. How are you doing tonight, girl?”
Bella lifted her head and whined, her tail wagging. It was a good sign. Risa held out her hand and let the dog sniff. When Bella licked her, she knew it was okay to come in all the way. Risa scratched her ears and took her time moving her hand down Bella’s body. The dog flopped on her back for a tummy rub.
Risa looked at Jax, smirking.
“I swear, this isn’t how she was when I got here.”
Risa snorted and continued her examination. Dogs were a lot like kids. They could be as sick as, well, dogs, but the minute you brought them to the doctor, they acted like nothing was wrong. “Okay, Bella girl. Let’s see how that appetite’s doing.”
She nudged the bowl of food toward the dog. Bella sniffed at it, but didn’t eat. Risa dug a few nuggets out of the bowl and held out her hand. After a careful sniff, Bella lapped them off of Risa’s palm, then dug into her dish for more.
“Have you had to hand feed-her before?” she asked Jax, who looked gobsmacked.
“Never.”
“What about the others, like the guys on night duty?”
“I’m the one who feeds her breakfast before I go into work, and then I feed her dinner every night. The only time I haven’t been with her since the accident is during the day while I’m working, and then I usually come over during lunch.”
Risa sat back on her haunches, totally gobsmacked herself. “What about at night? Has the night watch had any problems with her before today?”
“I am the night watch.”
“You’ve been here every night, all night long, for the past ten days taking care of Bella?”
“Yep.” He looked down at the dog and back to Risa with a glimmer in his eyes. “She might belong to the Navy, but she’s my girl, my best friend. She’s saved my life a couple of times. There’s no way I’d leave her alone when she’s hurting. If she doesn’t pull out of this funk soon, they’re going to send her back to Texas for evaluation and retraining.”
Risa could see the heartbreak in his eyes, and her own heart broke with his.
“I might be able to help.”
“Tell me what to do.”
What she was about to suggest would break the rules. Something she bet a guy like Jackson Faraday didn’t take lightly.
“Bring her to my place.” He opened his mouth to object, and she laid a hand on his arm. “Let’s see how she does in a different environment, around dogs that still have a job to do, but a different sort of job.”
He scratched his chin and studied her. “What are you thinking, Doc?”
“She’s burned out on action and service.” Risa watched as Bella snuggled closer to Jax. “Plus, throw in separation anxiety. She’s gotten attached to you, and when you’re not around, she misses you.”
“Can you fix her?”
Good question. One she didn’t know the answer to. “Maybe. Let me evaluate her and then we can go from there.”
“Thanks. It’s stupid. I know I’m going to say good-bye to her someday—”
She reached out, squeezed his hand, and didn’t let go. “It’s not. It’s a sign of the kind of person you are: compassionate, caring, and kind of sexy.”
“Are you hitting on me, Doc?” His eyes sparked with interest or surprise. She wasn’t sure which.
“Of course not.” She sat back. “That would be unprofessional of me.”
“Would it compromise your morals, Doc, dating a patient?”
She laughed. “Probably, since all of my patients are four-legged and furry.”
“Then I’m guessing it’s that ‘no dating military’ rule of yours.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Kind of a shame.”
Oh boy. His touch sent the butterflies in her stomach into flight mode. All she wanted to do was lean into his touch instead of pulling back.
“It’s not personal.”
“It never is, Doc.”
His words said one thing, but the shrug, the casual way he leaned away from her, and the easy tone said another. Somewhere in Jax’s past, he’d been hurt, and she’d bet it had something to do with his military service. It was a hard life to lead, not just for those serving, but also for the women and men who loved them. Going months without seeing each other, facing life’s trials alone, and the ultimate—not knowing if they’d come home—was more than most could take.
“Do you mind if I hang around for a while? To monitor Bella’s mood,” she quickly clarified at his questioning look. The last thing she wanted him to know was that she was rethinking her own rule.
* * * *
Jax couldn’t think of a better way to spend an evening than with a beautiful woman, even if it was in a dog kennel. “Make yourself at home.”
She settled in across from him, leaning back against the concrete wall. The room was about six feet wide and her long, jean-clad legs ate up most of the space. She didn’t seem to mind sitting on the floor as she crossed her ankles and lazily ran her hand back and forth over Bella’s hindquarters.
“So why veterinary?” he asked.
Her smile was sweet and dreamy and made his heart skip. “Thought that was obvious with all my animals. How else would I afford their medical bills?”
The answer was flippant and not the whole truth, so he waited her out.
She shrugged and shifted her gaze. “My mum says I was destined from birth to be a vet. I don’t remember, but apparently my first animal rescue was an injured bird when I could barely walk.”
“And you’ve been saving animals ever since?”
“Pretty much. I moved on to cats, dogs, squirrels, and a baby skunk once. Mum wasn’t too happy about that one, although she didn’t complain about Petunia nearly as much as she did Tulip the Attack Parakeet. He was messy and noisy and bit a lot.” Her face lit up when she talked, and he was enthralled. “Plus, I pretty much prefer animals over people. So it seemed like the right career path.”
He couldn’t imagine this vibrant, outgoing, caring woman not liking someone or, for that matter, someone not liking her. But someone did. He’d be willing to bet his future job that both acts of vandalism hadn’t been coincidence.
“What’s wrong with people?” he asked. It wasn’t just about the case.
“It’s not that I don’t like them. I just like animals better.” She looked at Jax with those soft caramel-brown eyes, and every protective instinct in him came out. “Animals are honest and love unconditionally. If they don’t like you, you know it. They don’t play silly mind games and they’re loyal, even when a person doesn’t deserve it. Be there for them, and they’ll always be there for you.”
“When you put it that way, I get it. Still, not all people are bad.” He nudged her leg with the toe of his boot.
“There are a few, like those who are willing to spend the night in a kennel to comfort a dog that isn’t even his.” She nudged him back. “So tell me, why military police? Why not something with more action?”
“I washed out of BUD/S in my third phase.”
“Oh. Sorry.” She covered her eyes, then slowly lowered her hand. “This is the other reason why I prefer animals. Less chance of sticking your foot in it.”
He tugged her hand playfully. “No worries. You had no idea, and that was years ago. I tore my meniscus, which rated me unqualified for SEAL, but not military police.”
“So why the military? Why not local law enforcement, or federal?”
Bella crawled over and laid her head on Risa’s lap, which was huge in Jax’s opinion. It was his girl’s way of giving her stamp of approval.
“Like you, it was preordained. My dad was Army, his dad, and his before him. To say they were kind of shocked and disappointed when I went Navy is an understatement.”
“You rebel.”
He laughed. “Yep, that’s me. Bad boy, breaking all the rules.”
“I’m betting you toed the line your whole life. Never once skipped school, lied, or missed a curfew. Am I right?” She dared him with her look to contradict her, and he was happy to do so.
“I skipped school once, put a frog in my sister’s bed and lied about it, and I didn’t have a curfew. And aren’t you the pot calling out the kettle?”
Risa picked at a piece of invisible lint on her jeans, avoiding his gaze. A fact he noted with enjoyment.
“Participating in senior skip day doesn’t count, and I’ll have you know I missed an entire month of art class and still passed because the teacher believed me when I said was helping to organize the class food drive,” she said.
“Wow. I didn’t realize I was in the company of a professional juvenile delinquent. Guess we should all be thankful for that tender heart of yours, or who knows where you might have ended up.”
“First you have to get caught.”
They laughed together. It was the first time in a long time Jax had been this relaxed around a woman. He wasn’t sure if it was Risa, or her rule about not dating military.
Before he could give it any more thought, his phone rang. He pulled it out of his shirt pocket and looked at the display. “Excuse me, I need to take this.”
“Go ahead.”
Risa turned her focus on Bella as he stood and took the call.
“Mom, what’s new?”
“Have you talked to your father recently?”
“No.” He stepped further away from Risa. When his mom brought up his father, it was never good.
“First, he told your sister not to listen to me. As if he knows more about how to make a marriage work than I do.”
“I don’t think quantity counts as quality, Mom.”
“Don’t get sassy with me, young man. Your sister’s marriage is on the rocks. Brice has threatened to leave her, just because she bought a new pair of boots. Well, I told her to call his bluff. He’s just trying to prove he’s the alpha and she’s submissive to him. I read all about it in my magazine.”
She took a deep breath, and Jax braced himself.
“I told her to go out and buy a new outfit, something sexy and silky—”
“Mom, I don’t want to hear about my sister’s sex life.”
“As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted… Go buy something pretty to go with your new boots, and make a nice dinner reservation. Once he sees that she was simply trying to look good for him, he’ll understand and forgive her.”
“Mom, didn’t Brice lose his job last month?”
“Yes. What’s your point? You know not everyone is cut out for the military, and jobs around here are iffy.”
“Exactly my point. Brice is worried about money, and Missy should be too.”
The line went quiet for several long moments.
“Mom?”
“You men just don’t understand us women. No matter how hard we try, it’s never good enough for you. We try and try and try, and all you can see is the downside of things.”
“Mom, what are you really upset about?” The last time she’d gone on about the faults of the male species, husband number three had left her.
“He’s getting married.”
“Who? Brice?”
“No, you ninny.” She exhaled deeply. “Your father. He told me marriage wasn’t for him. That his leaving me had nothing to do with me, it was all him. Clearly, that’s not the truth since he’s getting married again.”
“I didn’t know.” He lowered his voice. “You can’t hold what he said twenty-five years ago against him. He’s changed, Mom. He’s let go of his anger and made peace with his life.”
“I wish he’d let go of that anger before he got kicked out of the Army. He could have been so much more.” Her voice held the same bitter disappointment he was used to hearing, but also a touch of sadness.
“Be happy for him, Mom. He was when you married husband number two, and three, and four. Everyone deserves to be happy. This is his shot.”
“You’re right.” She sighed. “What about you, baby? Are you happy? Have you found someone to share your life with yet? You know I’m not getting any younger, and I’d like some more grandkids.”
He ran his hand through his hair. How many times had she asked him this same question or tried to guilt him into settling down? Too many to count. It was moments like this that made him think an assignment to Diego Garcia would be worth it. “I’m good.”
They chatted for a few more minutes, then hung up after promising he’d call more and she’d try to be happy for his dad. He turned back around to see Bella and Risa both fast asleep. Given what she’d gone through the last couple of days, he’d bet she hadn’t slept that well.
He studied her. She was pretty. Stunning, really. Funny and compassionate, insightful, and a complication he didn’t need. Then again, sometimes a person should put their wants first.
Risa slowly stretched and yawned. “Sorry. She was so warm and cuddly.”
“Not something most people would associate with a military working dog.”
“Speaking of, can you bring her by my place tomorrow after work? It’s too early to test her physically, but we can still test her temperament. Plus, you can do whatever you planned to do today in regards to the vandalism. I’ll even throw in dinner.”
If SECOP found out, he’d get in serious shit. If Senior Chief found out, he’d be in even more shit, which he didn’t need, with his application circulating among the federal agencies. He looked at Bella. They’d been through so much. Risa put her hand on Bella’s head and Belladonna, trained warrior, snuggled closer, tail wagging like a puppy. He knew then, he was about to become a rule-breaker, and it would be worth whatever punishment came his way.
“I’ll bring dessert,” he replied.