Jill Shalvis: For The Love Of Nick

There was a story here, a big one, only he didn’t know the half of it.

He would though. He definitely would. Pushing away from the wall, he moved down the hallway, into the studio and opened the closet door.

He expected…well, he didn’t really know exactly what he expected, but it wasn’t the sight that greeted him.

Danielle had fallen asleep among a throng of stuffed animals his sisters used during photo shoots for kids.

But as the light fell on her, she sat straight up blinking sleepy eyes, looking dazed, rumpled and a little confused.

And sexy. Very sexy.

“Did you really fall asleep?” He refused to let his eyes soak in the very arousing sight of her lying stretched out over stuffed toys. She should have looked ridiculous, but instead, looked warm and…inviting, as though if he pressed in and joined her, she’d welcome him by leaning back and opening her arms. She’d wrap those bare arms and legs around him and-

“Was he looking for me?”

He looked into her eyes, the color of an approaching storm. “You know he was.”

With her hair falling over her shoulders, she set aside the stuffed teddy bear she’d been hugging. “I couldn’t hear what you were saying out there.”

“It’s hard to hear when you’re asleep.”

“I wasn’t.”

But she had been, and all he could think was, what kind of exhaustion could override being sought out by the police? “I think we should start at the beginning, Danielle.”

“The beginning?”

“Is Sadie that rare?”

She followed his finger to the blissfully sleeping Sadie. “Yes.”

“What makes her so?”

She stroked the dog. “She’s called a ‘typey’ dog.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, as I told you before, she shows all the characteristics of her breed to maximum effect. It’s her coloring, it’s as perfect as there’s been in a hundred years. Her marking, the black outlining, the stripes? It’s as the breed was originally intended. She wins shows on her appearance alone.”

“Lots of money involved with that winning?”

“No.” Her mouth twisted wryly. “Silly as it sounds to someone not in the business, it’s not about the money. It’s about prestige. Glory.”

“Ah.” Nick looked at Sadie and tried to imagine glory in running the dog around a ring filled with spectators and dog crap.

“Sadie has that prestige and glory, and she gives it to whoever has her.”

Nick rubbed his temples. “So what’s the story here? You haven’t murdered anyone, or physically hurt anyone. We got that far.”

Danielle climbed out of the closet. At the loss of her beloved master’s body heat, Sadie lifted her head, yawning so widely it seemed she could swallow a man’s head whole. Then, realizing she was alone in the closet, she scrambled to all fours, only to slip. Without breaking stride, she was up and trying again, her toenails scratching the floor as she clamored for purchase where there was none to be had.

“Slow down, sweetie,” Danielle murmured, reaching out to stroke her massive head.

When the dog had finally freed herself, she leaned against Danielle, who staggered under the weight before bracing her legs farther apart.

Sadie rubbed her head against Danielle’s belly, making Danielle smile at Nick sadly. “She loves me.”

“I can see that.” For a moment, a very brief moment, he wondered what it was like to be the object of such deep love and devotion. But then he imagined how much the dog must eat a day-and excrete-and shuddered.

He was not a dog owner and was quite satisfied with that.

Danielle patted Sadie’s head. Her own hair was a mess, and she had a crease across one cheek where she’d lain her head on a teddy bear but as she leveled that somber smile on Nick, his heart simply stopped.

Then her smile slowly faded. “I stole Sadie. I co-owned her with a man. My boyfriend.”

Nick didn’t know which was more disturbing. The fact he’d lied to the police over a damn dog or that Danielle had a boyfriend.

Not that he should care one way or another. He had his own life, a good one. He even had hot dates lined up. Dates that wouldn’t require thinking, wondering, dreaming or yearning.

Given that Danielle required all of that and more, he ought to show her the front door.

“When we broke up,” she said, “Ted wanted Sadie.”

They’d broken up.

“She’s worth money,” Danielle admitted. “But for Ted, it’s all about the glory. She’s a champion, and her bloodlines are incredible. He expected me to breed her, handle her descendants.”

Nick shook his head. “This is a custody battle.” He couldn’t believe it. “Over a dog? ”

“It’s more than that, Nick.”

“Obviously, or the cops wouldn’t be out looking for you. So what did you do, steal her from him in the middle of the night? Did you also accidentally steal his cash and silver, too?”

Her eyes flashed. “I took Sadie and only Sadie. But I had a good reason.”

This was bad. He’d gotten in the middle of some silly dog dispute. And why? Because he remembered her fondly from one night well over a decade before. Because he was an idiot. “So Ted saw her as investment property and you see her as your first-born?”

“Worse.” She looked as if she didn’t have a friend in the world. She look as if she might cry at any second, and Nick let out a long breath, a complete sucker for a female in distress.

For this female in distress. He had no idea why just their brief, all-too-long-ago connection should still matter as much as it did. “I’m sorry,” he said over his better sense, but she looked troubled, alone, and damn it, scared. No way could he turn from that. “Tell me the rest.”

“I broke up with Ted when I could no longer ignore his possessiveness.”

There was a note in her voice that got his full attention now. Sadie was sitting on her haunches at Danielle’s feet, twin strands of drool coming from either side of her open mouth. She was panting, her tongue hanging out, watching Danielle with hero worship. Danielle put her hand on the dog’s wide head and sighed. “It got ugly, and I discovered something else about him.”

“He had a temper,” Nick guessed, feeling sick.

When she slowly nodded her head, he stepped close, very gently putting a hand on her arm. “Danielle-”

“It started when Sadie lost a dog show. It was so hot that day, and quite frankly, she just got bored. Ted really wanted to win that one because his biggest competition was there watching, but yelling at her wasn’t the answer. And then afterward Sadie limped, like her hip was bothering her. She was really skittish.” She looked down at Sadie with defeat. “I think he kicked her.”

“You think? Or you know?”

“I just know.” Her voice wavered. “And then a week later she wouldn’t get into her crate when he wanted and I caught him at it. I saw him kick her.”

Nick looked into Sadie’s dark, doggie eyes and tried to imagine anyone kicking a dog that came up to his hips and nearly outweighed him. Not that it mattered. Nick happened to hate violence with a passion, especially against the innocent, and as big as Sadie was, she was an innocent. In as calm a voice as he could manage, he asked, “And you? Were you being abused, too?”

She straightened. “He wouldn’t dare.”

Sounded like he dared, all right. It was more like the guy had never gotten the chance. Damn it, why him? Why here and now, with a woman he didn’t seem to be able to turn his back on? With a woman he appeared to be more than willing to save yet again?

Ah, hell, who was he kidding. He couldn’t have turned his back on anyone. That it was Danielle made it only worse.