LITMIR.BIZ

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opened one eye. “Food?”

      “Logan always orders pizza at the end of the day,” Kristi explained.

      “No mushrooms,” Nick said.

      Lucy looked down at her son. “We really should go.”

      “Stay and eat with us,” Logan invited. “You don’t need to make any stops tonight. As I said earlier, I’ll send some puppy kibble home with you.”

      “Yeah, Mom,” Nick said. “Besides, it’s part of my community service.”

      “Do you really think I’ll believe that eating pizza is part of your work?”

      “I’m a growing boy.”

      “Tell me something I don’t know.” Lucy turned to Logan. “He can eat his weight in pizza,” she warned.

      His grin did strange things to her insides. “So can I.”

      SATED FROM sausage pizza and cheese garlic bread, Lucy sat back in the chair and allowed herself to relax. The puppy snoozed by her feet.

      “You know Luther’s going to have a fit when he sees the puppy,” Nick said as he flopped down on the grass.

      “Luther has issues, but he’ll get past them,” she said.

      “Yeah, he hates everyone.” The boy leaned forward and picked up the puppy, setting him in his lap. The dog stood up on his hind legs and licked the boy’s face. “Okay, fella, time to run and play.” He stood up, taking Domino with him.

      “A boy and his dog,” Logan said, taking Nick’s place by Lucy’s chair. “I guess I should say your dog.”

      “It’s a shame I can’t get him to work this hard at home,” she commented, watching her son herd the puppy into the enclosed area. The puppy took off running.

      “I always worked better anywhere but home.” Logan swiped a slice of pizza off Lucy’s plate.

      “Did you always want to be a veterinarian?”

      “Since I was five and watched our cocker spaniel have puppies. She had some difficulty with the birth. I thought the vet was magic because he helped her. My dad always wanted me to be a lawyer then a judge like him. He never forgave me for not going into the law.”

      Lucy studied him through a narrowed gaze. “I have a pretty good imagination, but I can’t see you in a three-piece suit delivering an impassioned summation to a jury.”

      “Neither could I.” Logan half turned when a cold nose nudged his arm. Magnum sat on his haunches with his eyes fixed on the pizza in his hand. Logan heaved a sigh and held out the remainder of the slice. It disappeared in one bite.

      “So he does put down the cell phone,” Lucy commented, watching the dog carefully pick the phone up.

      “Only when he eats.”

      “Have you ever been tempted to call it and see what happens?”

      Logan grinned. “I did that once. The minute it rang, he looked at me with one of those ‘you should know better’ looks. All he ever allowed me to do was take the battery out of it. At least he doesn’t chew on shoes or furniture. Besides, he’s a good guard dog.”

      “He’s a lucky dog.” She looked over to where Kristi and Nick played with her puppy. Domino stayed at Nick’s heels.

      Logan studied Lucy’s face highlighted by the fading afternoon light.

      Today was the first time she’d seemed fully relaxed around him. He didn’t know exactly what there was about her that called to him. When he’d first noticed her at Cathy and Lou’s house he’d sensed an incredible energy about her. It was apparent that while technically she was an in-law, she was considered a full part of the Walker clan. He could tell that even if her brother wasn’t married to Ginna, the Walkers would still have gathered her into their family fold. Logan had gone to school with Brian Walker and knew how readily the family adopted any friend of their children’s.

      Today he saw a softer side to Lucy. Even after their long day, a faint hint of perfume drifted toward him. What little makeup she’d worn was now gone, but he doubted she wore very much.

      “I want to thank you for all your help today,” he said. “We sort of threw you into it and you didn’t run off screaming.”

      She looked amused. “You mean some people have?”

      “A few. I always thought a T-shirt and pizza was a more-than-adequate bribe, but some people didn’t see it that way.”

      “Maybe the T-shirt wasn’t their color,” she kindly pointed out.

      “That must be it,” he agreed. “I’d still like to offer you more. Maybe we could have dinner.”

      “We just did.”

      “Actually, I mean dinner not served on paper plates with dogs begging for their share. A place with some ambiance.” He silently prided himself on his choice of words.

      “Ambiance,” Lucy repeated. “If I didn’t know any better I’d swear you were asking for a date…again.”

      “I’m stubborn that way. Think you’ll give me a break this time?”

      “Trust me, Dr. Kincaid, women with teenage sons aren’t good prospects for dating. We have to worry about our sons’ social lives instead of our own.”

      “Nick doesn’t seem all that interested in the opposite sex yet.”

      Lucy flashed him a who-are-you-kidding look. “You were once a teenage boy. Can you honestly tell me you weren’t interested in girls when you were Nick’s age?”

      “I was too busy bumming rides to the beach. I planned to have an animal clinic across the street from the beach, so I could go surfing anytime I wanted.”

      Lucy had an image of all those Sixties’ beach movies, but this time Logan was the star on a surfboard instead of Frankie Avalon romancing Annette Funicello or Moon Doggie enchanting Gidget. She imagined a younger Logan, with a tanned bare chest and a surfboard by his side. He must have been a chick magnet.

      She shook herself back to the present. She looked from left to right in an exaggerated manner. “There’s something missing. Namely, the ocean.”

      “I worked here summers when I attended veterinary school and came back to work full-time after I graduated. When Dr. Mercer retired, he offered me a good deal on the place. I decided I’d just drive to the beach on my days off.”

      “Was the shelter a part of the clinic then?”

      He shook his head. “That happened about four years ago when I found a box of kittens sitting by the clinic’s front door one night. I was able to find them all good homes. I guess the word got out because it wasn’t long before more animals turned up.”

      “A man who helps children and animals. In some circles you’d be considered the perfect catch.” She smiled. “I’d think women would be beating down your door. So why me?”

      “Maybe I like a challenge.” He edged his fingers toward Magnum’s cell phone. The dog’s low growl was more than enough warning. “See?”

      Lucy shook her head. “Maybe I just don’t like you,” she countered, even though she knew that was far from the truth. Whether she liked it or not, Logan Kincaid was growing on her.

      “Are you kidding? You just said I’m a prime catch.” He held his arms out from his sides. “Upstanding member of the community, respected businessman, kind to children and animals. You couldn’t do any better.”

      “The children come courtesy of the juvenile court system.” She pointedly glanced toward the dog park.

      “My dad was the one to come up with the idea of some of the kids working here. Luckily, it’s

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