Boy Meets Dog
Ben took one look at Lauren’s flushed face and knew the asshole in question had arrived. Jealousy brewed inside his gut, and with it, anger. The realization he had no damn right to feel either pissed him off even more.
He turned to watch the red truck pull up. Didn’t see a gun rack in there but it didn’t mean the driver wasn’t carrying. By the time the vehicle parked, every muscle in his body was tight and the pulse on his neck throbbed. Yeah, she wasn’t his and obviously would never be again. But if he had anything to do with it, she’d stay as far away from the lying sack of shit cowboy as possible.
Sunny came up and stood beside him. Arms crossed, eyes narrowed, she glared at the suspect. “Dickwad returns,” she muttered.
“Don’t call him Dickwad. He has a name,” Lauren said from behind him.
Ben chuckled. “Dickwad sounds right to me.”
“You like that, huh? Then you’ll love her term of endearment for you. Want to tell him?”
Ben raised his brows at the now red-faced blonde standing guard next to him. She batted her lashes and blew him a kiss.
“You two need to get inside,” he said, hoping they’d oblige.
“No,” they said in unison.
“And I don’t need a human barricade,” Lauren muttered.
Lauren’s hand pressed across the back of his and Sunny’s shoulders. His body warmed from her touch making it hard to stay focused. When she squeezed between the wall they’d created, her bare arm rubbed against his. Bolts of heat shot to his crotch. He savored the contact and fought the urge to see if it affected her too. At the moment, only her safety mattered.
When she took a step forward, Ben wrapped an arm around her waist. Lauren stiffened. He ignored the reaction and kept his hand firm on her hip. “Sorry, sweetheart, you’re not going any farther.”
To his relief, she stayed put and didn’t push away. She’d probably rip into him for this later, but he’d savor her proximity for as long as she’d allow.
Although Ben’s gaze was fixed on the activities in the truck across the lawn, his thoughts were on the woman in his arm. She was smaller, leaner than he remembered. When they were married, he would come home after long shifts to find she hadn’t eaten anything all day. Too consumed in whatever she was doing, food wasn’t even on her radar most of the time. From the feel of her, it seemed to have gotten worse.
Jack rose from his seated spot and barked excitedly. A small head bobbed from the back row of the vehicle. The chances of Gabe jumping out with a gun with his son in the truck were slim. Just in case, Ben moved in front of the women and kept a hand on the waistband of his jeans.
The driver side door opened. In denim, a faded tee and black baseball cap, the suspect climbed out and nodded his greeting. Ben scowled as the man’s attention lingered on her.
“Damn, why do the sexy ones have to be the serial killers?” Sunny whispered.
Sexy?
He looked the intruder over while the blonde continued her hushed commentary.
“Gabe’s walking to the passenger side. He’s getting his son out.”
As soon as Jack saw the two rounding the vehicle, he barked and wagged his tail.
Lauren smiled. “See? Jack trusts him too.”
Ben rolled his eyes but said nothing.
“I like him. But it doesn’t mean he’s not a killer,” Sunny replied. “Ooh. The poor kid just saw Jack and looks terrified.”
The little guy grabbed Gabe’s hand and inched as close to him as humanly possible. Seeing the kid terrified sent a surge of protectiveness through Ben. He swallowed down the urge to order the dog back; Jack would never hurt anyone.
“Scared of Jack? Really? Describe the kid,” Lauren said.
“Straight brown hair cut short. Huge eyes, blue I’m thinking but not for sure. He looks like the kid from Home Improvement. The middle one, remember him?”
Lauren nodded. “Yeah.”
“He has on denim shorts and a red T-shirt with a robot on it.”
Ben shook his head and tried to ignore Sunny’s ramblings. The child in question tugged on his dad’s hand. Gabe glanced over in their direction before squatting down and talking to him.
“Dick…damn, sorry, Gabe’s talking to the kid.”
“What happened to his wife?” Lauren asked Ben.
“Dead.”
“Yes, I got that part, but how?” Lauren hissed.
He considered not answering. The information was on a need-to-know basis but the reality was she did need to know. It might even help her steer clear of him. “Bullet to the head. They found her car abandoned by the side of the road and body twenty miles away in a ditch. No fingerprints. No sign of a struggle. Nothing stolen.”
Jack looked over at Ben and Lauren, whimpering.
“Free Jack,” she ordered and seconds later he sprinted across the lawn. The poor kid jumped behind his dad for protection as soon as he saw the dog charging their way.
“Did Jack run over there?” Lauren asked.
“Yup,” Sunny answered. “He’s a freakin’ horse compared to the kid. Anyway, Gabe’s talking to his son and petting your dog at the same time. It’s kinda sweet.”
“What do the police think was his motive for having her killed?” Lauren whispered.
He shrugged. “Probably wanted out of the marriage and it was a cheaper way to get rid of her.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense. He’d never do that to his son. He understands what it’s like to lose a parent.”
The kid reached over Gabe’s shoulder and let Jack smell his palm.
“When you’re not happy, you do a lot of things you normally wouldn’t. Not attacking you, Ben, just sayin’,” Sunny said.
Ben flinched but didn’t respond—not much he could say.
“True, but murder? No, there’s more to this. Did they say why he wasn’t around much?”
He knew the answer but decided against sharing the information. “Only that he finished his tour of duty with the Marines a few months ago,” he said.
Whatever Gabe told the kid had the little guy peeling himself off his father’s back. He walked cautiously around, while Gabe kept a protective arm on his shoulder. Jack waved his tail and waited.
“Your dog’s trying to make friends but the boy’s scared shitless. And as far as Gabe’s concerned, you don’t know what he’s capable of. It took me a couple of months to figure out what an ass Scott was and you’ve spent what barely a day with Gabe? He could have been playing you the whole time,” Sunny said.
“No, he wasn’t. I know when someone’s playing me. I can smell it.”
Lauren’s statement had Ben raising his brows. It had been something he’d wondered a lot about. How long had she suspected his affair? He brushed the question away and tried to stay focused.
“That man did smell mighty fine and he’s so damn hot…”
Ben cut Sunny off. “He could be a good liar.”
Sunny nodded, “Just like Scott.”
Lauren bit her lip. “Maybe.”
Jack inched his nose next to the boy who in response, turned and wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck.
“Aww, poor kid. I think you need to go over there and help him.”
He glared at Sunny to shut up. She raised her brows and glared right back.
The child stayed frozen as Jack smelled his neck. When the dog whined and licked the kid’s ear, the poor guy tried to climb Gabe like he was a tree.
“You’re right. I’m going over there.”
Ben grabbed her arm. “Not alone, you’re not.”
“Fine, but you keep your mouth shut.”
He kept a hand on her back and guided her across the lawn. When she squatted in front of the kid, Ben about had a heart attack. She was now positioned very close to the threat. Instead of pulling her away, he kept his hand close to his gun and eyes focused on the suspect.
Gabe stayed on his knees with the kid wrapped around his neck. The two men stared each other down.
“Hey, there. My name’s Lauren. I’m your neighbor. What’s your name?”
“Evan.” His voice came out muffled from having his nose pressed into Gabe’s shoulder.
“Hi, Evan. This big dog beside me is Jack Sparrow. We call him Jack.”
The dog wagged his tail and licked Lauren’s face. “Jack, say ‘I love you’.”
Both of Gabe’s hands were visible, but Ben stayed on alert.
When the dog yodeled his response, Evan turned his head. The kid’s eyes doubled in size.
Lauren smiled. “Dogs can’t talk, right? And they can’t. But sometimes they can make noises that sound like they’re talking. And Jack’s a special dog. He’s trained to smell when people need help. Like me. I need his help a lot because I’m blind.”
“You are?” Now Evan had turned completely around and peered into her face.
“Yup, I am. Jack’s my guide dog. He helps me get to places and do things.”
“Wow.”
Both Evan and Gabe gazed at Lauren with looks of awe on their faces.
She smiled and kissed the dog’s neck. “He is wow. But what makes him even more wower is he can tell you’re a little scared and he wants to help you.”
“He does?”
“Yup. What he wants to do is to give you a kiss and let you hug him so you’ll feel better. I do it all the time with him when I’m scared. If you’re okay with trying, why don’t you give him your hand and see if it helps?”
“Gabe?” Evan said, still glued to his dad.
“It’s okay, Sprout, he won’t hurt you,” Gabe whispered.
The kid reached out his palm. Jack put his paw on it and panted.
“He wants me to shake his hand,” Evan announced, giving the furry foot a shake.
When Jack licked his cheek, instead of screaming, he laughed.
Acid burned in the pit of Ben’s stomach, from the way the man was eyeing Lauren.
“Thank you. For everything,” he said to her.
Lauren’s smile faded. “I didn’t do it for you.”
“I know.”
Ben cleared his throat but said nothing. She nodded. “Well, I better get back inside. Jack, you coming?”
The dog whined back his answer.
“He seems to want to hang out with your son.”
Gabe had yet to blink much less look away. “It’s mutual. Would you mind if they played together for a little while?”
Lauren bit her lip and Ben prayed she’d say no. “You wouldn’t hurt him would you?”
“Do you think I would?”
She shrugged. “You’re obviously capable of a lot more than I realized but no, I don’t think you will.” She got up from her spot. “He’ll come home when he’s ready to, or send him over when you guys are done, whichever happens first.”
“Leaving Jack with him wasn’t a good idea,” Ben said as he walked her to her door.
“He can take care of himself. Did you notice Evan called him Gabe?”
“Yeah, I did. The man wasn’t around much. He probably doesn’t deserve to be called Dad. Now did you notice I kept my mouth shut like you asked?”
She laughed. “Yes, I did. Good job.”
“So what’s the verdict? Will I be in the house or in the car?”
Lauren leaned against her front door. “You can stay in the guestroom if you do something for me.”
He kept his arms firmly crossed and feet planted for fear of leaning over and kissing the lip she currently bit. “What’s that?”
“I need you to search some public records.”
The back of his neck tightened because he dreaded the answer to his next question. “For?”
She opened the door and turned to him. “Is the for important?”
“If it’s about your neighbor, then yes. This isn’t one of Sunny’s books. Things don’t always end up happily-ever-after. It’s why we have detectives. They’re trained to do that kind of stuff and not get killed in the process.”
The minute she rolled her shoulders back, he was keenly aware he was fucked.
“Then don’t. And have fun sitting in your car.” She walked in and slammed the door in his face.