Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
I turn to her. “How are you?”
She blushes again. “I’m just fine. How are you?”
“Good. I’m seeing Rory Pike.”
I mention Rory not to show Brittany I’m off the market but to make her think about what she did ten years ago to the Pike girls.
Brittany looks down at the glass of lemonade. She grips it with white knuckles. “How nice.”
She knows I know.
I know she knows.
I need to get Brittany alone, but I’m not sure how to do that.
I can rely on Dad to keep Doc Sheraton occupied, but I need a reason for Brittany and me to leave the living room.
Of course, I can’t think of one at the moment.
“How is Pat?” I ask, still smiling.
God, I must look like the Joker with this fake smile pasted on my face.
“We… We’re kind of taking a break.”
“Are you? Isn’t he house-sitting for you and your father?”
“Well, yeah. But he’s just a house sitter.”
I don’t for a minute believe they’ve broken up, but this might be my chance to find out more.
“I had no idea you were available.” I smile.
I glance over at Dad. He and Doc are still talking about male versus female guard dogs.
“I guess I am.”
“Maybe we could get a drink sometime.”
“You mean you, me, and Rory?”
“Yeah. That would be fun, don’t you think?”
“Sure.”
I’m blowing this big time. Where the hell are my womanizing instincts? Granted, I don’t want to use them on this particular woman, but what choice do I have? I need to get her alone. Get her talking. Except I already volunteered the information that Rory and I are seeing each other.
And that’s the whole problem. My womanizing instincts were tied to my womanizing. I’m in love now, devoted to only one woman. No more womanizing means no more womanizing instincts.
I need another tactic. Coming onto Brittany isn’t going to work. Besides, the idea nauseates me anyway.
“I’m really interested in the dogs,” I say. “Could you show me the kennels?”
“I suppose…”
“Great.” I stand. “Let’s go.”
“Brock?” Dad says.
“Brittany’s going to show me the kennels.” I raise my eyebrows.
He nods slightly. “Wonderful. When Doc and I are done talking, we’ll come out to take a look too.”
“Sounds good.”
I follow Brittany through the house and out a back door. Beyond the small backyard is a series of fenced-in dog runs.
A couple of dogs are in the runs, and in one of the fenced areas, a litter of puppies plays. Rottweiler puppies, and they’re adorable.
Beyond the dog runs lies a large building that I presume is the kennel.
“These are the training areas out here,” Brittany says. “We train in the mornings, and they come out here to play and roughhouse in the afternoon.”
I follow her through the pathway, and I stop when we get to the puppies. “These guys are so cute.”
“Aren’t they?” She scoops one into her arms. “I just love them. Sometimes it’s so difficult to think about them when they’re this size and this playful. They will grow up to be vicious guard dogs.”
“Vicious?”
I pick up a puppy. He’s so cute—black with some brown markings—and he squeals and licks my chin. I can’t even imagine him being vicious.
“Not vicious on purpose or anything,” Brittany says, kissing her puppy’s nose. “They do what they’re trained to do.”
My puppy wiggles in my arms, and I scratch him behind his tiny ears.
“Do you not like training?” I ask.
“I do very little of the training. My dad and I have a few employees who work here with the dogs when we’re not here.”
“They live here on your property?”
“Some of them do.” She nods to the right where a few small houses stand in the distance.
“Interesting.” I put Rufus—yeah, I already named him—down and turn to her. “I’m going to need you to level with me, Brittany.”
“About what?” She raises her eyebrows as her own puppy wiggles out of her arms and back into the pen with his brothers and sisters.
“You know what. You know exactly what I mean.”
“You mean…the dogs?”
I narrow my eyes. “No, I don’t mean the dogs, though I have to say I hate the fact that you use those electric shock collars.”
“I—”
“But I can’t get into that now. I’m talking about the emails you sent to Rory and Callie from your father’s email address. The phone call Rory got. And of course, the drugs.”
“I don’t know what you’re—”
I raise a hand to stop her. “Please. Don’t insult my intelligence. What the hell is going on here?”
Brittany picks up another puppy and snuggles it to her cheek.
Nice try.
I take the pup from her, give it some love, and then set it back down with its siblings. “We’re moving away from the puppies. Come on.”
I walk toward the kennel building, and to my surprise, she follows me. I stop several yards away from the pups. “Now. Tell me what’s going on.”