Ruth Herne - Falling for the Lawman

“No fur.”

“Right. What’ve we got here?” Marty shifted his gaze from Piper to Luke.

“Eyedroppers, puppy supplement, disposable gloves, nail trimmers and baby wipes for their bottoms. And a recipe for making your own supplement in a few days. This is good for starters, but pricey.”

“Well, let’s get started.” Marty handed them each an eyedropper, popped the top on a can of formula and bent low. “I’ll start with this little fella.”

He picked up a tiny male pup with tender hands, then gained Luke’s approval by dropping a bead of milk on the pup’s upper lip, allowing the pup to find the milk with his tongue. It took several drops before the pup hunted for the source of the milk, but once he did, the pup pursed his tiny mouth avidly, drawing drops of food from the plastic tube.

“Don’t overfeed this first time,” Luke counseled. “Give them a little, let their bodies adjust.”

“Exactly right.” Marty shot him a look of approval. “You know things about pups.”

“Or I’m a sucker for baby animals.” Luke smiled, stood and rolled his shoulders.

Aiden tugged his hand, drawing Luke’s attention down. He smiled and rubbed the boy’s head. “You want to see Beansy?”

The boy nodded.

“And get ice cream before Lucia closes things up?”

Aiden’s grin said his father read him clearly. “You guys are all right here?”

Piper nodded as she crooned murmurs of love to the minute creature in her hand, the sound making Zach long to draw closer. But that would be stupid and shortsighted, so he stood along with Luke and moved toward the half-flight of stairs rising to the main level.

“Be sure to rub their tummies,” Luke added as he and Aiden moved up the steps.

“Will do.” Piper shot him a look of gratitude. “Thanks for running right over.”

“Glad to help.”

Zach followed Luke and Aiden out the door. The cooler air felt good against his face. “Thanks, Luke. You’re welcome to wait for Piper here, you know.”

“Wait for...?” Luke turned, his face questioning, and in that gaze Zach read exactly what he hoped to see. “I’ll see her at the house. Or the next time we stop by.”

An interested man would never brush off time with a woman like Piper. Zach understood that, and he shouldn’t be the least bit happy that Luke’s casual expression said there was nothing between him and the farmer next door. But he was happy. Very.

Luke eyed him, then smiled. “You thought I had something going with Piper.”

“Just didn’t want to get in anyone’s way,” Zach countered.

Luke laughed out loud. “Well, if you can get by Piper McKinney’s cop-phobic attitude, more power to you. Her old fiancé did quite a number on her, and Piper doesn’t have much use for cops these days.”

Zach’s arched brow invited Luke to continue, but Luke shook his head. “Not my story to tell, because Piper’s a good friend and has been for years, but if you do an internet search on Hunter Reilich, you’ll understand why she shies away from uniforms. Between her and Lucia, they don’t have a lot of trust in the system right now.”

Reilich? The dirty cop who aided and abetted a racketeering ring after his father bought his way into the Clearwater Police Department?

Zach had noted Lucia’s reticence. But Piper’s?

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