Lexi wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to keep warm. The temperature had dipped and the cold air greeted her as soon as she and Zach stepped outside the warm circle created by the patio heater.
She walked briskly, both to keep warm and to keep her rogue thoughts about Zach at bay. From the moment he touched her hand when he sat down, she’d been distracted by the sensations racing through her. His touch gave her the tingles. She and her best friend, Laura, used that term to describe guys they crushed on. Laura had come up with the term and Lexi had used it, but never fully understood it until this moment. Laura teased her that she was too picky because the amount of guys who she put in this category was pitifully small.
Lexi got it now. She understood the full body tingle that happened when a man you were attracted to touched you. Or even lingered close. Whenever Zach was near, it was as if her brain cells went on vacation, leaving her dumbfounded and able to do nothing but feel.
Now the man in question walked silently next to her, easily keeping up with her pace. He was a marine, after all. She imagined he’d accomplished much more impressive feats beyond keeping pace with a near-panicked woman. It turned out getting the tingles was equal parts thrilling and terrifying. Especially when the source was your brother’s best friend who was firmly off-limits.
Her only thought was to escape to the security of her condo and process what the hell had happened tonight. Her world had tilted on its axis—up was down and down was up. She met the perfect man and didn’t feel a thing. And the most imperfect man for her walked next to her now and she couldn’t think of anything except throwing herself into his arms to test out his chemistry theory.
They reached the door to her building and she paused. The polite thing to do would be to turn and thank Zach for walking her home. She had this irrational thought that if she turned around, he’d kiss her. That would be terrible. Or Amazing.
A soft whimper caused her to turn to the bushes next to the door. “What’s that?” she asked as she tried to peer into the dark and identify the source of the noise.
“Stand back,” Zach ordered as he stepped closer. “It could be a wild animal.”
He moved stealthily towards the sound and Lexi was impressed at his moves. His training was evident in the fact he moved quickly but silently towards his target. Damn if she didn’t find it sexy.
“It looks like a dog,” he whispered. “Probably injured.”
Her heart twisted at the thought of an innocent animal being hurt. She moved closer to take a look.
“Shh,” Zach admonished. “We don’t want to scare it off.”
Lexi cut him a look. As much as his sudden bossiness annoyed her, she also found it inexplicably hot. What a cliché—finding the dominant alpha male sexy.
She took another step so she was behind Zach’s shoulder in case the animal launched itself at them in self-defense. She shifted her balance and a twig cracked under her foot which echoed like a gunshot in the silence.
The animal bolted up and took off down the street, limping terribly.
“Dammit,” Zach whispered. He followed at a safe distance, still eerily silent. Lexi followed Zach, leaving a longer distance this time. She didn’t want to scare the animal any more.
They trailed the dog for two blocks until it slowed down again. Zach held out his hand in a stop signal, and Lexi paused next to a mailbox while Zach advanced on the wounded animal.
“It’s ok,” he crooned. “I’ve got you. We’re going to get you help.”
He moved slowly, like a predator stalking prey, speaking to the dog in soothing tones. His kindness and skill were evident. Lexi had heard the term “competence porn” before now, but witnessing it firsthand was something else. There was something completely sexy about a man who knew what they were doing.
Zach held his hand out and waited for the pup to come close enough to sniff it. Once the dog had smelled enough to feel more at ease, Zach gently rubbed the dog’s head until he lay down. Zach gently ran his hands along the dog’s body, feeling carefully for injuries. When he reached his right front paw, the dog yelped in pain and jerked back.
Zach pulled his hand away. “It’s ok. I don’t need to touch you again. I’m going to pick you up and we’re going to get you to a vet for help.”
He continued reassuring the pup in soothing tones as he gently scooped him up.
“What’s the plan?” Lexi asked, carefully stepping closer so as not to spook the animal. She held her own hand out for a sniff so the dog would realize she wasn’t a threat.
“Take him to the twenty-four hour vet office. They’ll get him fixed up and see if we can find the owner.
Lexi observed the dog’s matted fur and gaunt frame. “He doesn’t look like he’s been taken care of.”
“Could be a lost dog,” Zach said, striding purposefully down the block towards the center of downtown.
Lexi trailed along behind. She supposed she wasn’t needed but didn’t want to abandon Zach to the task. She worried for the sweet pup that looked so small in Zach’s arms despite being a larger dog. She fell into step with them and reached out to rub the dog’s head. She was rewarded with a soft whimper as the dog leaned into her touch. Her shoulder bumped Zach’s and the now familiar heat flashed through her. She rubbed the animal’s head while trying to keep distance from Zach.
She didn’t understand this newfound sensation and didn’t want to explore it too deeply. Nothing could happen between them, for many reasons. The most important one being that he wasn’t her type—he checked none of her boxes, except for the attractive one. But a relationship couldn’t be built on attraction alone. The second most important reason is he was her brother’s best friend. Practically a brother to her, although the butterflies in her stomach when they touched didn’t feel brotherly at all.
They reached the veterinarian clinic, and she was relieved to see after hours care available, thankfully. Lexi pushed open the door and held it for Zach. The young woman behind the counter greeted them, and Zach gave her a rundown of the situation. The woman handed a clipboard and pen to Lexi and asked them to fill out some forms while they waited for the doctor.
Lexi sank down into a chair and took a deep breath. She was now a temporary dog mom and the responsibility associated with that felt heavy. She thought about Laura having one child with another on the way. Was this a small part of what she felt when her child needed help? If so, Lexi wasn’t sure she was cut out for parenthood yet. There were days that she didn’t feel like she had her life together, let alone being responsible for another life.
Zach sat next to her, still cradling the dog. His caring, competent manner soothed her worries. He was capable in a crisis. Not once had he panicked or freaked out. He was cool and collected as they executed their plan. Lexi had to admit that quality was attractive. She tried to picture any one of her dates in this situation and failed. She couldn’t imagine any of them being a partner in a crisis.
She turned her attention to the clipboard and was immediately stumped. “It’s asking for contact information,” she said to Zach. “Should I put yours?”
“Yes, and I’ll give you my credit card information also. I’m paying for this.”
Oh. Lexi hadn’t considered that they would need to pay the veterinarian bill.
“That’s generous of you but I can help—we can split it.”
“I’ve got it,” he replied. “What’s the next question?”
Lexi had written his name and asked him for his phone number and email. “Animal’s name,” she said.
Zach frowned. “We don’t know but why don’t we call him Lucky for now.”
“Lucky?” she repeated as she wrote the name on the appropriate line.
Zach chuckled. “He’s lucky we found him before he froze outside.”
True. They had come along at the right time.
Lexi went through the rest of the questions and she and Zach answered them the best they could. Lexi returned the form to the front desk and they sat in silence while they waited. The dog had relaxed considerably and was now snuggled in Zach’s arm, head on his shoulder, asleep.
* * *
What had he gotten himself into? It was mere days ago that Zach had decided he’d look for a dog to adopt and now one landed in his lap—literally. He didn’t believe in fate, but tonight was definitely giving him something to think about. The condition of the dog suggested it hadn’t lived in a home for a long time, but it’s demeanor suggested it had once been part of a family.
An older man emerged from the back. “Lucky Sanderson,” he called.
Zach startled at the name. Hearing another living being with his last name struck a chord in him he didn’t know he had. When he’d divorced and sworn off relationships, he thought he’d given up on a family as well. Now, hearing his last name associated with Lucky hit him in the feels.
He pushed aside those thoughts to focus on the matter at hand—getting Lucky help. He stood and followed the doctor into the back. He sensed Lexi behind him, which was a relief. He hadn’t realized until that moment that he was grateful to have her support. He’d never owned an animal before and was unprepared for the worry that buzzed under his skin like electricity.
The doctor appeared professional and efficient. He gestured to the table in the middle of the room and Zach reluctantly laid Lucky down. The dog wiggled and tried to return to Zach’s arms, but Lexi was there smoothing his fur and whispering reassurance into his ear. Lucky settled down and the doctor turned to Zach.
“I read over what happened. I’m going to examine Lucky to see what injuries he may have and scan for a microchip to see if there is an owner we can contact.”
The veterinarian’s no-nonsense demeanor relaxed him and Zach felt his shoulders loosen and his posture relax. “Ok, what if he doesn’t have a microchip.”
The veterinarian began his examination of Lucky while he spoke. “Then I recommend you contact the local shelter and alert them so they can be on the lookout for missing pet reports. There is usually a waiting period before the animal is eligible for adoption or…”
The doctor didn’t finish his sentence but Zach could read between the lines. Not all animals were adopted and overfilled shelters sometimes had no choice but to euthanize animals who weren’t adopted. He couldn’t let that happen to Lucky.
“I can take care of him while we search for the owner.”
He met Lexi’s eyes which had teared up in relief.
The doctor examined Lucky and confirmed that he had injured his front paw but would heal with proper care. He prescribed a topical medication and bandaged the paw after giving Zach careful instructions on how to care for the injury. He scanned for a microchip but none was found, which meant their chances of finding the owner went down substantially.
“I’ll contact the shelter in the morning,” Zach said.
The veterinarian nodded in agreement and then gave Lucky precautionary immunizations, as it was unclear when he’d last had medical care.
“He’s all set and ready to go home,” the veterinarian announced a few minutes later. “Call us if anything changes with this health—otherwise we’ll see you back in a few days for follow-up.”
The veterinarian assistant gave Zach a few basic supplies, including a collar, leash, and dog food. Zach fitted the collar around Lucky’s neck and with his leg bandaged, he was able to walk out to the lobby. Zach stopped to pay the bill and make a follow-up appointment, then he, Lexi, and Lucky found themselves on the sidewalk, outside a vet clinic, at nine o’clock at night.
Lexi’s stomach growled and it felt like an eternity since she’d been eating nachos on her ill-fated date. Rescuing a dog and spending the evening in a veterinarian’s office was a far more pleasant experience than sharing a drink with Chad.
“We should get Lucky home,” Zach observed. “But yeah, I’m starving too. How about we head to my place and I order pizza delivery?”
“Sounds perfect,” Lexi agreed.
Zach held out the leash and Lexi gingerly took it from him. She’d never walked a dog before and had a slightly irrational fear of losing her grip on the leash and losing Lucky. After a few steps, she found it came more naturally and soon they were walking comfortably towards the opposite side of downtown from Lexi’s home.
Zach tapped on his phone while they walked. “All set—delivery in twenty minutes,” he announced. He made no move to take the leash back from Lexi so they continued their journey with Lexi walking Lucky and Zach walking beside her.
They reached a cute one-story, craftsman-style home that had clearly been redone with fresh paint. This was one of the more established neighborhoods in Jackson and homes on this street were built in the 1920s. Lexi had always regarded them fondly as a child, but never know anyone who lived in one. Until now. It seemed that Zach called this particular one home.
He bounded up the steps to unlock the front door while Lexi stood on the sidewalk, speechless. She thought of her vision board on her bedroom vanity. The picture she’d cut out of a magazine of a house that looked almost identical to this one, right down to the paint color. It was as if Zach had pulled this house out of her dreams. This house was step three in Lexi’s five year plan—fall in love, get married, then buy a house on this street.
Zach had gone straight to step three, though Lexi supposed she hadn’t considered that he had any master plan at all.
“You coming?” he asked as he regarded her with curious eyes. “Or do you plan to stand on the sidewalk all night?”
That got Lexi moving and she ascended the steps to the porch and into the cozy home. Lucky trailed beside her, barking happily when they found themselves in the living room. Zach shut the door behind them and reached down to unclip Lucky’s leash.
“Go ahead and explore your new home,” he instructed Lucky.
He shucked off his coat and held out his hand for Lexi’s. Zach moved to a small coat closet in the entryway and hung them up. Lexi peered around the curved wall of the living room, spying a dining room and a bright kitchen beyond. She wasn’t sure what she expected from Zach’s home but it wasn’t this thoughtfully decorated space. The furniture was solid and practical, much like Zach himself. While Lexi wouldn’t have chosen the style for herself, she had to admit it suited the space.
“Have a seat,” Zach said as he gestured to the couch. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Just water, please,” Lexi said and settled down into the supple brown leather of his sectional sofa. A big screen TV was mounted to the wall, the only modern piece in the space. The fireplace mantle held a collection of framed photos and Lexi stood to get a closer look. There were a few of Zach with what looked to be his parents and perhaps a sister. A few of him standing in various poses on hikes and fishing trips with buddies. One of him with a group of men in the brewery that she knew to be the support group.
Tucked behind that one were two pictures of Zach in fatigues, blending into the desert behind him except for those forest-green eyes that pierced her soul. In the first one, he was grinning wildly, looking young and impossibly handsome. Full of swagger. The second one gave her pause. His expression serious and his eyes haunted. He looked so young, Lexi’s heart twisted. This picture was a reminder of the reality of Zach’s service. The sacrifice made to serve overseas in harsh conditions when it wasn’t a given that you’d come home.
Lexi heard movement behind her and Lucky barked happily as Zach returned with two waters. She swung around to face him, feeling strangely guilty for being caught looking at his photos. As if she’d uncovered a secret of some kind.
“Thanks,” she replied as she took the glass. Zach followed the path to where she’d been looking.
“That was a lifetime ago,” he said softly.
“How long did you serve?”
“Ten years.”
“Why did you leave?”
They both settled on opposite ends of the sofa as they spoke. Lexi sipped her water as she watched Zach’s usually affable grin slip.
“I got shot.”