Until We Touch

Larissa closed the linen cabinet and walked into the hallway. “What do you need?”

“Help with the dogs. We’re going to take the rescue van with us. That should hold most of the dogs. Two other people are bringing SUVs so we have enough cargo space. What we need is help walking, feeding and watering the dogs. It’s only going to be a day or so. We’ll meet in north Sacramento tomorrow morning at seven and then drive down. Her place is east of Modesto by about thirty miles. We’ll collect the dogs and drive them back here. Once they’re evaluated, we’ll get them into foster homes. We’re going to need help with that, too.”

She nodded. “I can be there at seven, no problem. As for fostering, just tell me how many dogs we’re talking about and I’ll find temporary homes.” She’d had great luck a couple of months ago with placing cats.

“You’re a lifesaver.”

Nothing that dramatic, she thought, but it was nice to be needed.

* * *

THE NEXT MORNING, Larissa was on the road by six, heading to Sacramento. She met up with the small caravan that would make its way down to Modesto to rescue forty chiweenies and they started south. She was a little tired from not having slept that well, but she must not have been the only one who was lagging a little. Halfway to their destination, they all pulled into a Starbucks for a pick-me-up.

“It’s always the same,” one of the women was saying as Larissa joined the group. “Somebody thinks he or she can start breeding dogs, with absolutely no experience, of course. They get overwhelmed and suddenly they have fifty animals running around.”

“Are they charging her with something?” a man asked.

Dan shook his head. “No. She’s surrendering all the animals voluntarily, so she won’t be charged. The court will insist she not have more than two pets at any given time. If she has more, she can be charged with contempt.”

“If you ask me they should stick her in a too-small cage for a few months,” another woman said, her expression fierce. “Then we’ll see how she likes it.”

Larissa understood someone being overwhelmed. She just wished the woman in question had asked for help sooner.

The small caravan got back on the road. Larissa was the last car in the group. Radio reception wasn’t great but she managed to find an oldies station. The songs made her think of Kenny, who loved that kind of music. He would be in heaven.

Twenty miles from Stockton, her car started to make a strange knocking sound. She made it through Stockton and down to Modesto where everyone turned east onto a very narrow two-lane road. According to what she’d been told, they still had about twenty-five miles to go. She glanced down at her temperature gauge and saw the needle all the way in the red band. Seconds later steam or smoke or something equally upsetting started to pour from the hood of her car. She pulled over as best she could on the tiny road and watched the caravan drive away. Before she could turn off the engine, it stopped on its own and everything was ominously silent.

She couldn’t believe it. Really? This had to happen now? Not when she was driving in Fool’s Gold where she knew she could easily get her car fixed? She thought she was done messing up when she tried to help. After the whole incident with the snake and Angel, she’d vowed to be more careful with the type of creatures she got involved with. She was helping with chiweenies, for heaven’s sake. How could they hurt anyone? And her reward was a car breakdown?

But that was all distraction and she knew it. If her car wasn’t working right it was because she hadn’t bothered to keep up with servicing.

Her cell rang. She answered it.

“Hey, you okay?” Dan asked.

“I’m having car trouble,” she said. “Just go on without me. I’ll get back to Fool’s Gold somehow.”

“Will do. You still up for taking in dogs to foster? They won’t be ready for about two days.”

“No problem. Call when they are. I can place about eight with no problem.” There were plenty of people in town who had helped with her last cat rescue. She suspected they would be willing to foster cute chiweenies. She also thought Shelby might enjoy a temporary pet to make her feel at home. And Jack’s house was huge, so he could take several, especially with Percy to help her with the care.

Dan said he would be in touch and hung up. Larissa sat alone in the quiet of the Modesto wilderness and knew there was only one way out of her predicament.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

JACK LOOKED OVER the weekly report that listed ad buys for various clients. Mostly he left this sort of thing to Taryn, but there were a couple of accounts that he monitored more closely. Mostly because the connection with Score was personal. Each of them had brought in clients who were also friends. It was part of how they did business—making sure the personal touch never went away.

He made a few notes on the report, then wrote a couple of emails to update the clients in question. Just as he pushed Send, his cell rang.

He glanced at the screen and saw Larissa’s picture. Taryn had mentioned something about Larissa not coming in today because of an animal rescue. He hadn’t stayed to hear any of the details. There was no reason. Whatever she was doing would manifest itself later, most likely in his living room.

Now he took the call as a nibble of worry took up residence in his gut.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

On the other end of the phone there was a second of silence. “I want to say nothing,” Larissa said quietly.

“But?”

“My car died. I’m east of Modesto with a group that’s rescuing chiweenies. A lady was breeding them and the situation got out of control and now she’s going to surrender them. I was one of the volunteers who would walk the dogs on the trip back.”

“They’re not being driven?”

“Of course they’re being driven. But it’s several hours. They’re going to need a chance to go to the bathroom.” She sighed. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” she said softly. “I’m trying to do a good thing.”

“You are doing a good thing. The weak link is your car. It’s what? Thirty years old?”

“Fifteen and I guess it needs servicing.”

“If you’d let me buy you a new car,” he began, only to realize that wasn’t the point. At least not now. Larissa needed him. “Is your location finder on your phone turned on?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good. I’ll be there within the hour.”

“Not even the way you drive. Jack, you don’t have to come get me. I just wanted you to call a tow truck.”

“Not happening. I’ll be there in person.” He wrote down the route she’d taken that morning and told her to stay with her car. “Lock the doors.”

“I’m perfectly safe,” she assured him.

“Lock your doors.”

“I promise.”

He hung up and headed out the door.

* * *

“SHE SHOULD BE right around here,” the helicopter pilot said, pointing to the ground.

Jack nodded. He glanced at his cell phone and saw the blinking red dot that was Larissa was nearly under them. He looked through the trees and saw her aging import pulled off the side of a two-lane road. The knot of worry that had been growing since he got her call finally eased. He was here. Whatever was wrong, he would fix it.

The helicopter set down on a dirt road only a few yards away from her car. Jack pulled off his headset and climbed out as the dust swirled around the whirling blades.

Larissa got out of her car and shook her head. He knew what she was thinking. He couldn’t take a car like a normal person? Sure, he could have, but then the trip would have been much longer. She needed to be rescued and he was the man to do it.

They walked toward each other. She had on jeans and T-shirt under a hoodie. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. But when her gaze met his, he felt the pull all the way down to his soul. Whatever they were going through now, this was Larissa and she would always be a part of him. As much as she needed him, he needed her more.

He held open his arms and she ran to him. When he drew her against him, he knew that he was done fighting the inevitable. How could he resist a woman who wanted to rescue chiweenies—whatever the hell they were? A woman who claimed to love him and wanted to use sex to get over him?

Hunger burned inside of him. Hunger and need and desire, but they were all second to what he really ached for. He didn’t have an itch to be scratched. He had a bad feeling that if he gave in to what they both wanted, the trouble to follow would be cataclysmic. Yet there was an inevitability in the moment. He could run but he couldn’t hide. So maybe it was time to stop running.

She buried her face in his chest and trembled slightly. When she finally raised her head, he saw tears in her eyes. “Everything I touch turns to crap,” she murmured.

“That’s not true.”

“It is. I just wanted to help walk some dogs.”

“They’re still going to be rescued and if I know you, you’ll be arranging for a dozen or so to be fostered in Fool’s Gold.” Possibly half that number in his house, but so what? “You care, Larissa. That’s rare. Treasure your compassion. I do.”

“I just feel stupid. I do this to myself. I’m so busy running from crisis to crisis, I don’t take care of the important things like getting my car serviced. What if I’d been the only one going to get those dogs?”

“I would have brought a bigger helicopter.”

He hoped she would smile, but she didn’t. She stepped back. “I’m serious, Jack. Look at me. I’m twenty-eight years old and you’re still rescuing me. How can I save the world if I can’t keep my car running?”

“I don’t agree they’re related problems.”

“They’re symbolic.” She shook her head. “Sorry. I’ll beat myself up later. Thank you for rescuing me. I really appreciate it. Now what happens? We can’t leave my car here.”

He pointed and she turned. A woman was collecting a big tool box from inside the helicopter.

“That’s Donna. She’s going to get your car running and then drive it back to Fool’s Gold.”

“What if it can’t be fixed?”

“She’ll call for a tow truck.” Jack put his arm around her. “Come on. Let’s get your stuff and we’ll get out of here.”

“We can’t just leave that woman alone with my car.”

“She’ll be fine.” Jack wasn’t going to mention the outrageous sum he’d offered to get Donna to go with him. That would only make Larissa feel worse.

Larissa got her purse and cell phone, then explained what had happened with her car. Donna grinned. “No problem. I’ll have her running like new.”

Jack doubted that, but at least functional would be good. Larissa thanked the other woman, then followed Jack to the helicopter.

“I’ve never been in one of these before.”

He grinned. “Then it’s about time you were.”

* * *

LARISSA HAD FLOWN lots of times, so she was expecting the slow ramp-up to takeoff speed. The helicopter wasn’t like that. The sound of the engine got louder and louder as, she would guess, the blades whirled faster and faster. But there was no warning it was time. One second they were safely on land, the next they were airborne and climbing higher.

She and Jack were sitting side by side in the bird’s rear seats. They both had on headsets so they could hear each other and the pilot. Before they’d taken off, Jack had made several phone calls. Larissa hoped none of them were to tell everyone at Score how stupid she’d been. But as soon as the thought formed, she pushed it away. Jack wouldn’t do that to her. The only one beating up on her was herself.

She watched out the window as the ground disappeared below, then they were moving fast through the sky. She tried to calculate how far they were from Fool’s Gold. She’d had the trip to just north of Sacramento to join the group, then they’d all gone south maybe eighty or ninety miles. But the helicopter could fly straight. She would guess their trip would last about an hour.

Forty minutes later she looked out the window to find they weren’t anywhere near Fool’s Gold. Out in front of them was the Pacific Ocean. And up ahead...

“San Francisco?” she asked, speaking into the microphone.

Jack nodded.

She wanted to ask why but knew the pilot could hear everything they said. She waited until they were on the ground, which came only a few minutes later. They didn’t land at the international airport, but instead settled on a tarmac very near the center of the city.

When they stepped out, she saw a limo was waiting for them. She turned to Jack. “I don’t get it. What are we doing here?”

He stared at her. “I’m going to help you get over me.”

She felt her mouth drop open and consciously closed it. “You’re here to sleep with me?”

He raised one shoulder. “There’s more to it than that. We’re going to stay the night here. Whatever happens is up to you.”

She had more questions, but realized she didn’t actually want to know. The city beckoned and the man next to her was irresistible and she was in love with him. A night away was exactly what she wanted. Why would she want to spoil the mood with a bunch of questions?

Anticipation bubbled inside of her. Whatever the outcome, this was going to be a great day.

She followed him to the limo. The driver stepped out and opened the rear door.

“Fisherman’s Wharf,” Jack said before sliding in next to her.