Tailwind (Love By Design 4)

“Oh yeah.” He chuckled. “No more Rocks for Jocks classes for me. I had enough core science classes to make the switch.”

It was hard to imagine Chase sitting in a class learning something that didn’t appeal to him.

“You must really like animals then.”

“When Kristen and I were kids we had a dog named Riley and he followed us everywhere. I think Mom let us have him because he wore us out better than a babysitter could.”

“Sounds like a ball of energy, just like Bailey.”

“He was a gorgeous brown lab who loved squirrels.” Chase looked off into the distance. His brow furrowed as if recalling the memory itself was a painful event. I had a terrible feeling this story wasn’t going to have a happy ending the way I wanted it too.

“I remember it like yesterday…”

Yup, no happy ending here, so I squeezed Chase’s wandering hand under the blanket. What I wouldn’t do to lessen this gentle man’s pain.

“September, lots of leaves were still on the trees and Riley was barking like crazy, driving my mom nuts. She was working on a legal brief for work and told me to take Riley outside because he was annoying her. I opened the door and let him outside, but I called him back because I forgot his stupid collar for the electric fence.”

“Chase…” I didn’t want to hear more, but he kept plowing ahead.

“He went full tilt through the yard, ignoring the squirrels and going for a groundhog that was across the street near Taylor Jane’s house. Damn dog.” His voice caught and stumbled before he forged ahead telling me the story whose outcome I could have easily guessed by the catch in his voice. “Poor Riley got hit by a truck, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on my sister’s face and how helpless I felt when I put his head in my lap for the last time that day. He had the softest fur behind his ears.” I watched his fingers rub air and knew he was back in that moment years earlier, a part of him still deeply lodged as the little boy who watched his best friend die.

“How awful.” My face and neck were wet from the tears, my chest drawing in air was difficult at best and I cried for the little boy.

“Yeah, so when football didn’t pan out, being a vet was the next logical choice.” Chase cleared his throat, the emotions raw. I didn’t know if he was nearly as choked up as I was, after all, he’d had years to deal with the loss of a beloved pet, but the story broke my heart. It didn’t explain why his dad hadn’t spoken to him, but I knew all about stories with feeling like a disappointment when I read between the lines.

Cracks and repeated booms filled the air with flashes of color and powder that pulled us from the heavy moment. “Hey, look at that, the fireworks started.” Indeed, they had all while I was falling for Chase Calloway as the sparkling, sputtering flames fell to Earth with no respite in sight. Just like the fireworks, I felt a little unstable and ready to blow up over this guy I just met.

13

Chase

I hadn’t seen Winnie since I dropped her off at her aunt’s house with nothing more than a chaste kiss. The terrible trio was inside, ready to attack, barking up the neighborhood when Winnie kissed me lightly on the mouth, slipping inside to shut the door, effectively shutting me out. It didn’t feel like a goodbye or a sendoff, but I was surprised I found myself missing her each day. Maybe my story about football, my dad, and becoming a veterinarian was more than she wanted to hear and I couldn’t blame her.

Hell, the girl with the apple-bottom was as much a mystery to me. I wondered if Roswell was tormenting her and if Pumpkin was eating his new dog chow. Checking with Sharon, I knew she was due to bring Pumpkin in for another acupuncture treatment soon, but I wondered if my big mouth or my family had scared her off. I had her number in the file, I could call, her but something made me hesitate.

Speaking of which, my sister was here sitting on my work desk, rearranging papers and generally being a nuisance. “Chase, you still haven’t answered my question.” Kristen swung her flipped flopped feet back and forth over the edge of my desk.

“KC, I don’t recall you asking me anything, and stop moving things. I gotta find that stuff later and there’s a permit in there somewhere I have to give Hunter so he can pull the shed down this weekend.” My sister, my lovely pain in the ass sister was going to drive me crazy.

“Ugh! I’m helping to plan the animal shelter fundraiser, and I need to know what time you plan on coming?”

“Is this another poor charity you’ve sucked the family into again?” My patience was low and Kristen was still here.

“You say that like I’m always up to something.” Kristen paused, and I continued to ignore her, looking for the permit. “Well, what time are you gracing us with your presence?” I picked her up and moved her over to the chair, shuffling the papers.

“For the meeting or the fundraiser? Ah! Found it!” I held up the permit, excited to get the shed worked on.

“Both, but mainly the fundraiser.” Kristen plucked the paper from me, reading the county clerks notes before I plucked it back, tucking it into my pocket. “I don’t need you for the meeting,” she said, arms crossed and glowering. Stomping her foot was probably next.

“Eight o’clock and I have no idea how you talked me into this.”

“Oh come on, we’re auctioning the hottest dogs in town for the dogs at the shelter.”

Cringing was the only response I could give her. “No, you’re auctioning all the bachelors in town with jobs to the single women twice our age in the community.”

“I know, it’s brilliant!” If my sister thought calling the event Bitches and Bros was a good idea, I shuddered to think about her boss’s integrity. It wasn’t even a clever play on the name for female dogs, and frankly if I hadn’t been roped into this several weeks ago before I met Winnie, I wouldn’t have been doing it at all.

“You have your tux, right?”