Page 14 of River

“You’re welcome.” I smiled as I closed the door, hearing Myrtle tell Kat not to let me go.

On my way home, I stopped by Lowe’s and bought a bunch of houseplants—mostly big ones, but also some smaller ones for the kitchen and bathroom. I even got one for my front entrance. Since it was still early, I went home and sat on my deck, watching the waves. I heard Gage walking over, and he handed me a cup of coffee. We sat there in silence until Gage finally spoke up.

“You’ve got it bad, brother. What are you going to do?”

“I’m not going to do anything. Everything will go on as it always has. I’ve had it bad for Kat since the moment I saw her, and I’ve been doing fine. Nothing is going to change just because I know her husband has been dead for over three years,” I said, trying to convince myself that I have to stay away from Kat.

“You can keep telling yourself that and see how long it lasts.”

I stood up. “I’m heading into the office. Are you coming, or are you taking another day off?”

“I’ll ride with you,” Gage said, standing up. He picked up our cups and took them inside his house before meeting me at my truck. “So, how was she this morning?”

“She felt bad for falling asleep in my bed, but she’s much better. I’m sure she’s working in her garden right now.”

“That reminds me, can we stop by her house and pick up some vegetables on the way home?”

“No, you can go there after you get home. I’m distancing myself from our beautiful assistant. I need to get back to dating my usual string of women, as Kat calls them,” I said, pulling into the parking lot.

The first vehicle I saw was Kat’s. “I told her to take the day off, but she never listens.”

“She likes to stay busy; we all know that. I’m sure she’ll be fine. Let’s not upset her,” Gage replied.

“Why would you think I’ll upset her?” I said, shaking my head. Everyone was concerned Kat would start crying again.

“Because you look angry. She wouldn’t be here if she weren’t feeling well,” Gage said.

“I am angry. I don’t want her working after what happened yesterday,” I said, taking a deep breath. I didn’t want to walk in there angry, so I let Gage go in first. Then, I forced a smile before entering the building.

As soon as I walked inside, chaos greeted me. Puppies ran everywhere, and Kat and Tag were trying to catch them. I knew she hadn’t come here to work because she was wearing cut-off blue jeans that barely covered her beautiful ass. How the hell did she get that all-over tan?

“Stop!” I shouted, and everything halted, even the puppies. “Who do these belong to?”

“After you left, I heard someone outside. It was a dog catcher looking for these puppies. He said he had their mother and took her to the pound. I had no idea where the puppies were until I went out back to pick some vegetables for Gage.”

She looked at Gage. “I put your vegetables in your office.” Gage gave her a thumbs up. “These babies were all hiding under my porch,” Kat explained breathlessly.

Her thick and wild hair hung down her back and over her shoulders. I wanted to run my fingers through it and pull her closer. Her scent was intoxicating, and I felt another hard-on coming on. Her face was flushed from running around, and I worried she might have a fever. I gently took her chin and felt her forehead. It didn’t feel hot.

“Did you just check to see if I had a fever?” she whispered, her sweet breath fanning my face before she grinned.

“Yes, your face is pink and sweaty,” I explained.

“That’s because I’ve been chasing these puppies. I had to drive my car with six crazy puppies jumping and peeing on my seats.” She glanced down at the floor, and there was that grin again. She couldn’t hide it before I saw it.

That’s when I noticed she was wearing house shoes. Then I looked down at my boots and saw a puppy sitting on my foot—or rather, peeing on it. I reached down and picked her up. She was cute, but I didn’t have time for puppies. Did I?

“Why did you bring them here?” I asked.

“I don’t want the dog catcher to take them. I’m going to get their mother out of the pound, and I wondered if these babies could stay here with you until I get back.”

“Is that poop in the corner?” I asked, noticing the mess.

“Bad doggy. You can’t potty in the office.”

“Kat, the pound won’t hurt the animals. They’ll find good homes for them. Dog pounds aren’t like they used to be. I know they make sure the animals are well cared for here in Carlsbad.”

“But the family will be separated,” she said.

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