LITMIR.BIZ

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with me and help. You will help us, won’t you?”

      “Nick said you wouldn’t mind helping us out, Mrs. Donner,” Kristi spoke up.

      Lucy wondered if the young woman owned anything other than black crop tops and camouflage pants. Each time she’d seen Kristi the wardrobe had been the same. Still, she doubted the young woman had trouble deciding what to wear when she got up in the morning.

      Nick beseeched her. “Please, Mom?”

      She could never turn him down when he used the magic word. “Just don’t make a habit of this.”

      “We’d appreciate it, Mrs. Donner,” Kristi said.

      “Logan, Mom said she’ll help us tomorrow,” Nick called out.

      When Logan walked into the kennel area a large macaw with green and turquoise feathers was perched on his shoulder. Lucy noticed that the hungry-looking Malamute trotted along beside him. He still had a cell phone in his mouth. The dog, that is.

      “Maybe this is a silly question, but is there a reason why that dog has a phone in his mouth?” she asked, gesturing to the husky who watched her with an unblinking silvery-blue gaze.

      “He’s hoping to hear from a cute little collie who was in here a few months ago,” Logan said glibly.

      “He’s better off without her. I heard collies can be fickle,” she said. “Also high-maintenance with all that fur. So what’s his real story?”

      He looked down and grimaced. “I found Magnum on a side road about eight months ago,” he replied. “Poor guy had been hit by a car and wasn’t in good shape. When I was checking him over, I set my cell phone down on the ground. It started ringing and I guess Magnum didn’t like the sound. He picked it up and growled every time I tried to get it back from him. To this day, I’m not sure if he’s waiting for a call or still figuring out how to make one. Since he nominated himself as the clinic’s guard dog, I decided he wants to keep it on hand in case he has to call nine-one-one.”

      “You mean you just let him keep your cell phone?”

      “See that jaw? Those teeth? Trust me, you’d let him keep it, too.”

      Lucy studied the black-and-silvery-gray Malamute, a hundred pounds-plus of pure muscle. “I see your point.”

      “Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” the macaw cooed. A faint meow sounded before a ginger-colored cat trotted up to Logan. The cat sat back on his haunches and raised a paw, batting at the air.

      “That’s Tigger, Beau’s cat,” Nick explained, stooping to stroke the cat, who immediately purred and arched under his touch. “He’s really sweet.”

      “If only you paid that much attention to your own cat,” Lucy pointed out.

      “Luther’s a hundred years old and hates me.”

      “Luther is fifteen years old and merely cranky,” she said.

      “Every boy should have a dog,” Logan said.

      “Not when I’d be the one who’d be cleaning up the backyard.” Lucy looked at the kennels. She decided the dogs had grown even larger since the last time she’d seen some of them. “Are your Adoption Days successful?”

      “Pretty much.” Logan transferred Beau to a series of thick manzanita branches set up as a macaw playpen in one corner of the large room. “We have it all set up outside. We have volunteers to help out with the animals and assist people in filling out the adoption paperwork, but we can always use more live bodies to help out.” He looked hopeful.

      Lucy swore Logan’s expression when he turned her way echoed Nick’s. She feared he could prove as difficult to resist as her son was.

      “I already said I’d come in and help wash the dogs when doing all this is actually his job and not mine,” she said.

      “I’d call it mother/son bonding.”

      “We already do plenty of bonding.” She tried to keep her eyes off a world-class male butt as Logan turned around when Gwen called out his name. She felt a blush burn her cheeks when she noticed Kristi’s attention was centered on her. The younger woman flashed her a cheeky grin. She held up her thumb and forefinger circled in a sign of approval.

      Lucy was relieved when she and Nick were finally leaving the clinic.

      “See you in the morning,” Logan called after her.

      “Yes.” Why did she feel his words sounded more like a threat than a polite good-bye?

      As they climbed into the Murano, Lucy looked at her son.

      “The last thing most boys your age want is to spend more time with their mothers,” she said. “Especially if they’re working with a young woman like Kristi.” Please, do not have a crush on her! she silently begged.

      “Kristi is really cool,” he said enthusiastically. “She’s been working hard to get her grades up because she wants to be a vet. I’ve been helping her with her chemistry. She kinda sucks at that.”

      “Chemistry, terrific,” she muttered, switching on the engine.

      Lucy decided it was a good idea she was helping out at the shelter tomorrow where she could see just how her son and one of his bosses interacted.

      “Oh yeah, we need to be there about five-thirty,” Nick told her.

      She almost slammed on the brakes. “In the morning?”

      He patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mom. I have faith in you.”

      “Sweetheart, there are many things your mom can do. Being civil in the morning is not one of them.”

      She silently vowed she wasn’t doing this because Logan had asked.

      The first time Lucy had met Logan Kincaid she’d thought he was a good-looking man. He was the kind of male specimen who had her hormones sitting up and taking notice. Besides the blond hair, there wasn’t a physical resemblance to her ex-husband, but he had the same charm Ross had always exhibited. She decided Logan was one of those love-’em-and-leave-’em types. It was too easy to imagine him as a man who was convinced all he had to do was flash his pearly whites and the woman would instantly swoon in his arms. Luckily, she wasn’t the swooning type. Nor was she looking for a permanent man in her life. In fact, she wasn’t looking for anyone short-term either. Since her divorce she’d closely guarded her heart.

      Her ex-husband had left her long ago after finding out she was pregnant. He’d told her he wasn’t father material and had no desire to learn how to be one. Her brother, Zach, and his first wife, Kathy, were there to help her get through her pregnancy and her new single state. Lucy did the same for Zach when his wife died in childbirth, leaving him with twins.

      Lucy always regretted Nick not having a brother or sister. She thought her son might not have given in to his mischievous tendencies if he’d had a sibling. Then again, she rationalized, he also could have ended up with another partner in crime.

      “MOM.”

      “Umph.”

      “Mom.” A hand touched her shoulder and gently shook it.

      “Go ’way,” she mumbled, pulling her covers over her head to block out any hint of light.

      “Mom, you have to get up.”

      “Mom doesn’t exist.”

      A corner of her blanket was pulled back and something warm and aromatic was practically shoved under her nose.

      Lucy opened one eye to see if the aroma was real or a dream. Nick held out her largest mug filled with coffee. Light streamed in from the hallway. At least he’d been smart enough not to turn on the light in her bedroom.

      She kept her eyes slitted. “What time is it?”

      “Four-thirty.”

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