Puppy Love, Volumes 1 to 13 Read online

  And the high school art teacher who it turned out spent most of his free time higher than a kite playing video games.

  Not exactly how Lindsay wanted to spend her life, thanks.

  She knew they meant well, but she wished they'd leave her to screw up her own life.

  Carla opened the door before she even reached it. "Hi!" She gave Lindsay a big hug.

  "Hi." Lindsay glanced meaningfully at the sports car in the driveway.

  "I know, I know. I told him not to do it, but…" She shrugged. "We just want you to be happy."

  Lindsay rolled her eyes. "I am happy. With Buster."

  Carla glared at her. "Remember when I told you how much I didn't want a puppy? That I was busy and didn't have time for one?"

  "Yes." Lindsay let Buster off his leash so he could run inside and play with Sophia and Casper.

  "And remember how you dragged me to PetSmart anyway? And I found Sophia? And Rob?" Carla's face lit up at the mere mention of Rob's name.

  Lindsay forced herself not to roll her eyes again. "Yes."

  "Well, it's my turn." Carla threw an arm around her shoulder. "Now, come on, Charles is a good guy."

  Lindsay glanced sideways at her as they stepped into the house. "Charles? Not Chuck or Charlie or something. Charles?"

  "Charles." Carla stared her down until Lindsay erased the look of skepticism from her face.

  Lindsay gritted her teeth and followed Carla to the kitchen to meet Charles, driver of a fancy two-seater BMW who probably didn't like big slobbery dogs that were perpetually wet or dirty.

  * * *

  Dinner was fine.

  Charles was a very nice Princeton graduate who now worked in politics. Which meant he wanted to know who she knew. When she gently told him she didn’t really know anyone—not in the way he was asking—he seemed to lose interest.

  DC was weird that way. There was the political side where everyone was about connections and government appointments and lobbying and who worked for who.

  And then there was everyone else who could give a crap about any of that.

  Lindsay was one of the ones who could give a crap.

  Charles was right in the thick of things, talking about potential candidates for the next Presidential nominee with far too much enthusiasm and interest, like he actually had some sort of say in it.

  When he and Rob got into an animated conversation about some appropriation bill, Lindsay left them to it and wandered into the kitchen to help Carla clean up.

  Before she could even say anything, Carla shrugged. "He tried, right? That's all he could do."

  Lindsay nodded. "Yes, he tried. But can he stop now, please?"

  When Carla gave her that look, Lindsay held up her hands in surrender. "Fine. How about this…If he finds a tall man with green eyes named Angus, he's welcome to invite him around. Otherwise, let me muddle through my own love life. Deal?"

  Carla pursed her lips together as if she wanted to argue, but at last she said, "Deal."

  * * *

  Lindsay gave up on ever finding Angus again. Or anyone for that matter.

  That was okay. She had Buster and her work was pretty interesting and life was pretty darned good. Not great or fabulous, but good. And she'd take good over what it had been at various points in her life.

  * * *

  A month later, Lindsay stared at the clock on her computer, willing it to move faster. It was two o'clock on a Friday afternoon and she just wanted to leave, but she really couldn't for at least another two hours.

  Her e-mail dinged and she immediately looked to see if it was anything interesting. It was from Carla.

  Think you can pick Buster up a little late tonight? Let's have a drink at Hops to celebrate the weekend and the fact that the temperature might break forty this weekend.

  Lindsay thought about it for a minute. She hated making Buster stay any longer than he had to at daycare, but a few hours one night in a month wouldn't hurt. And the thought of going to an actual restaurant and having an actual drink with her friends was just too much to pass up.

  She e-mailed Carla back immediately.

  I'm in. What time?

  * * *

  Lindsay ran home and changed into a flirty little blue dress she'd bought six months ago, but had yet to wear. It was a bit much for work.

  It was probably a bit much for Hops—a casual beer and burger joint more prone to an overuse of polished wood than to elegant settings—but she just didn't get out much anymore, so she didn't want to waste the opportunity to dress up.

  You never knew… (As her mother liked to say.)

  When she walked into Hops, Lindsay definitely felt overdressed. She should've stuck to jeans or something simple. Oh well. Too late for that now. Plus she was just going to be sitting in a booth with her friends. Not like anyone would really see or care.

  Rob and Carla were already in a booth in the back right corner of the bar area, facing towards her, the large silver brewing vats visible behind them. Hops brewed its own beer in the vats that were visible from pretty much anywhere in the restaurant.

  Pretty good beer, too, for a chain restaurant.

  Lindsay watched the way the two snuggled together, sharing private little smiles and adoring looks. Rob hadn't proposed yet, but it was obvious that's where they were headed. She felt happy for Carla. She did.

  But it had all been so sudden. One day Rob was coming over to Carla's house to let his puppy, Casper, play with hers. The next day they'd practically moved in together and hadn't looked back since.

  She wished her life were so simple. Meet a man and boom, fall in love. She'd give a limb to skip the whole agony of bad dates required to start a new relationship.

  Well, maybe not a limb. But a good chunk of money at least.

  Carla saw her and waved her over.

  As she walked up to the table, Lindsay saw four sets of silverware set out. She glanced back and forth between Carla and Rob. That better be the result of an overeager server and not because Rob was trying to set her up yet again.

  Rob licked his lips nervously.

  "Rob…" Lindsay said, her voice dangerously low.

  At least he had the courtesy to blush a bit.

  Carla jumped out of the booth and grabbed her hands. "Don't be upset, please."

  Lindsay glanced back and forth between them. "You know how awkward this is? I just wanted to come out and have a beer with my friends and you…"

  She shook her head, trying to control the feelings of frustration and anger that threatened to overwhelm her. Just like that, her happy mood was gone. It wasn't Rob and Carla's fault—they were in love and they wanted everyone to be.

  But couldn't they just leave her alone? It was bad enough knowing you couldn't find someone without your friends throwing it in your face at every opportunity.

  Before either one could say anything else, Lindsay said, "Look, I need a minute. I'll be back." She walked behind the bar and made a beeline for the bathrooms, her shoulders tight with anger and frustration.

  She didn't know why she was so upset. Maybe because she'd given up on meeting someone and it just frustrated her too much to get her hopes up just to turn around and find that Rob had set her up with yet another wildly inappropriate guy.

  Especially when, as usually happened, the guy liked her enough to want to see her again. And then she just ended up feeling bad because she was too picky or too judgmental or too whatever it was that kept her from liking perfectly nice men.

  She stood in the bathroom for a long time, letting the anger and frustration wash away. They meant well. They did. And she didn't want to ruin the night by being angry with them.

  Not like it was going to be a miserable experience. Most of Rob's friends were good enough guys that she could enjoy the evening well enough.

  She took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down.

  She'd stay for one beer, excuse herself, pick up Buster, head home, and treat herself to some Paisano's pizza. No reason th
is had to ruin her fun night out.

  She tidied up her hair and reapplied her lipstick. She could do this. It was just an hour or so, and she could talk to anyone for an hour.

  She took a deep breath and walked out the door, steeling herself for what she'd find.

  As she approached the booth, she saw that it was still just Rob and Carla. Maybe the guy had cancelled? Or, better yet, Rob had texted and told him not to come.

  She was almost at the booth when Rob smiled and waved towards the door. "Over here," he shouted.

  Lindsay turned to see who she was going to be saddled with this time.

  And froze.

  It was Angus.

  It was the man from the snowstorm, the one with the amazing green eyes.

  He saw her at about the same time she saw him and his face lit up with a smile.

  Now that he wasn't hidden under ten layers of clothing he was downright gorgeous. Far more built than most men she saw in DC. He had definite shoulders and legs. Not the body of a man who lifted weights at the gym four times a week, but the body of a man who got out there and lived life.

  Exactly the kind of man she wanted.

  Angus ignored Rob and turned towards her. "Lindsay, right?"

  She nodded, too stunned to speak, amazed that he'd remembered her name.

  "It's good to see you again." He smiled down at her and she found herself lost in his eyes.

  She finally managed to stutter, "Good to see you again, too."

  Angus nodded towards the table. "Care to join my friend and me for a drink? Looks like he's brought his miss with him. We could use another to balance it out."

  Lindsay couldn't keep herself from grinning like an idiot. "Yeah. I…" She finally realized what he'd said and turned on Rob. "You didn't tell him either, did you?"

  Rob had the good grace to blush.

  "Tell me what?" Angus looked back and forth between them.

  "That Rob was trying to set us up." She led the way to the booth and slid in. "He didn't tell me either until I arrived."

  "Oh, really?" Angus gave Rob a long look, but then shrugged as he slid in next to Lindsay. He smiled down at her. "Well, I'm certainly okay with that, if you are."

  Lindsay laughed. She was so giddy it felt like she was going to float away at any moment. "Absolutely."

  As Angus nestled in next to her in the booth, his leg resting casually against hers, he made a comment about how blue suited her.

  Lindsay smiled to herself. Her mother had been right. You never knew…

  And Rob had, too. She silently mouthed thank-you to him, grateful that he hadn't given up on finding someone to make her as happy as he made Carla.

  Puppy Love Second Chance

  As they stood on the corner, waiting for the light to change, Sarah reached down to scratch the ears of her four-month-old Husky, Checkers. She smiled as a light breeze ruffled her hair, relishing the smell of fresh-cut grass and the distant drone of a lawn mower after so many months of cold and snow.

  She loved spring. Everything was so alive, so fresh and new.

  A bright red car whipped around the corner mere inches from her; the wind of its passage blew dirt and dust into her face and pressed her long skirt against her legs.

  Jerk.

  She watched him speed down the street, dodging around a slower white car, and shook her head.

  She'd never really minded fast cars or obnoxious drivers before, but now that she had Checkers to worry about she suddenly noticed every car that pushed through as a light was turning red or sped around a corner without a moment's hesitation.

  She was smart enough to keep herself safe from idiots like that, but Checkers was just a puppy.

  And fearless.

  How was she supposed to train him to be scared of cars when he couldn't understand her? Oh, sure, Checkers knew the words for food and treat and walk as well as any human. But "watch out for cars"? Not so much.

  She tucked her long brown hair behind her ear as the light changed, glancing in both directions just to be sure it was safe before stepping into the intersection.

  "Come on, Checkers, time to go home." Sarah focused on a cab that looked inclined to turn even though she had the right away. The late afternoon sun burned into her eyes as she silently willed the driver to wait just one minute please.

  She expected Checkers to tag along at her side, but as she stepped forward she felt a hard tug on the leash. She turned to pull him along and he jumped backward once more, shaking his head from side to side, trying to wiggle free of the collar.

  "Checkers, stop." She reached for him.

  But it was too late.

  He slipped free, his collar clattering to the pavement with a loud jangling noise.

  Sarah lunged forward, trying to grab Checkers before he could think to go anywhere. He dodged to the right and ran a little ways back down the sidewalk.

  Thankfully in the opposite direction of the impatient cabbie who whipped around the corner behind her, his tires squealing on the hot pavement.

  Sarah tried to focus on Checkers and ignore the cars whizzing by just a few feet way. She willed him to stay on the sidewalk where it was safe as she slowly eased towards where he stood, feet planted slightly apart, head tilted to the side, trying to decide if this was a fun new game he'd discovered or if he should go find something more fun to do.

  "Come on, Checkers. Come here, buddy," she called in a soft sing-song as she approached.

  When she was just an arm's length away she crouched down, holding out one of his favorite treats—a small little strip of imitation bacon that he'd usually do anything for. "Lookie what I have, Checkers. Mmm. Bacon."

  She waved it in his direction as she tried to creep closer.

  Checkers glanced at her and the little strip of fake bacon, his wet black nose twitching in interest.

  He took a half-step towards her, still wary, but interested.

  She almost had him. She just needed him to bite down on the treat so she could grab his neck and then all would be well again.

  "Come on, buddy. You know you want it. Go ahead."

  He was about to take another step towards her when he suddenly turned his head to the side, his ears perked forward and tail wagging. Sarah followed his glance.

  Oh no.

  On the other side of the street, across four lanes of speeding cars, was Checkers' best friend in the world—a ten-month-old Rottweiler named Sparky. Sparky was twice Checkers' size, but the two loved to romp and play each time they met at the dog park. It was all she could do to drag him away on days when Sparky was there.

  "Checkers, no. Leave it."

  But it was too late. Checkers let out one small excited puppy yip and darted towards the street. Sarah reached for him; his tail slipped through her fingers as he raced towards his friend.

  She wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn't. She knelt on her side of the street, watching his every move, dreading, waiting for one of the speeding hunks of metal to hit him.

  Her gaze was riveted to his little white and gray body as he passed inches in front of the big black tire of a late-model SUV. And as he dashed in front of a motorcycle that swerved to avoid him, almost colliding with the car next to it.

  Only when Checkers hopped onto the opposite sidewalk and ran up to Sparky did Sarah realized she'd been holding her breath. All the air escaped her lungs in one giant gust of startled relief as she closed her eyes in thanks.

  He'd made it across. Now Sparky's owner could grab him and hold him until she managed to cross and this whole nightmare would be over.

  But the man didn't do that. Instead he grabbed Sparky's collar and dragged him away from Checkers as fast as he could, calling back to Checkers to stay away.

  Sarah watched the scene, her jaw hanging open in disbelief. Really? The man knew Checkers, knew he was friendly. What was he thinking?

  Sarah darted a glance at the cars still speeding by between her and her pup, desperate to cross to Checkers before he could run b
ack into traffic. Puppies didn't have nine lives and she didn't want him to try that little stunt twice.

  At last she saw enough of a gap in the traffic and ran into the street, her head whipping side-to-side.

  A large pick-up careened around the corner, missing her by mere inches. The driver laid on his horn and screamed profanities at Sarah as he made a rude gesture in her direction, but she barely even noticed, her eyes frantically searching for Checkers.

  She'd lost him.

  Where was he?

  She'd glanced away just long enough to make sure she could cross the street and he'd disappeared.

  She was almost in tears as her feet touched the sidewalk on the other side of the street.

  "Checkers!" she called, frantic.

  Where had he gone?

  "Checkers!" she screamed again.

  Just when she was about to start crying, she saw a man walking towards her, a wriggling, nipping Checkers in his arms. "Is this guy yours?"

  "Yes, oh thank you, thank you, thank you." She stepped forward, and buried her face against Checkers' neck. "You are a bad puppy," she said as she stepped back, but Checkers just looked at her, his cute little ears perked up, amber eyes shining with love, tongue hanging out of his mouth, happy as could be.

  "Do you mind holding him while I get his collar back on him?" she asked, glancing up at the man with a slight smile, the one she always used when she asked someone to help her with her groceries or to get something down off a tall shelf.

  "No, not at all," the man replied, staring down at her with his own slight smile.

  It was only in that moment that Sarah realized just how attractive the man was. Sandy brown hair, piercing green eyes, a slightly crooked smile, and the smile lines to show he used it often. He was also that perfect height that let her feel all safe and protected but where she could still kiss him without having to be creative about finding a nearby step or curb.

  And he smelled amazing. Dark and rich and comforting. Like drinking a cup of coffee by a roaring fire in the middle of winter while snuggled under a big, warm blanket.

  "Do you need help?" he asked as she stood there frozen, lost in the moment, the collar grasped between her hands.