LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Did you come here about HeartBeat?” he asked quietly, leaning a shoulder against the wood framework he’d earlier been pounding upon.

      “No. Not directly, anyway.” Julia’s chest tightened around her breath as she quickly gathered her thoughts and gained her courage.

      Yesterday, at the pool party, Zeke had left as soon as he’d pulled the dog from the pool. She’d never had the chance to thank him, or to help take care of that poor little dog.

      “Actually, I’d like to find out what happened to that little Jack Russell terrier you rescued. Is he okay?”

      “Tip? Yeah, she’s fine.” He cocked his head and stood silently for a moment, taking in her mettle. “You really care?”

      “I think I’ve proved my worth with my pumps, don’t you?”

      He looked puzzled, and she explained with a laugh. “My high heels.”

      He grinned. “You have a point.”

      “How do you know her name is Tip?” she asked, self-consciously fiddling with her hard hat.

      “Because I named her. Would you like to see her for yourself?”

      “The puppy is here?” Julia asked in astonishment. “At the construction site?”

      He nodded. “I didn’t want to leave her home alone all day. Especially while she’s healing from her wounds.”

      Julia’s heart fell. “Oh, my. She’s badly hurt, then? Is there anything I can do?”

      Zeke smiled gently and shook his head. Offering his hand, he led her toward a gentler incline than the one she’d come down. “Tip will be okay, give or take a few weeks. No permanent damage.”

      He grinned down at her, and her racing heart stopped still. “Her leg is broken. And I think there’s a screw loose in that brain of hers, jumping into the pool the way she did.”

      “Oh, no,” Julia objected, wondering at the squeak in her voice, and hoping Zeke could not hear it. “I’m sure she must have thought she knew how to swim.”

      Zeke chuckled loudly. “Yeah. Thought being the key word.”

      She met his gleaming eyes, and they laughed.

      “Seriously, though,” Zeke continued, swinging Julia’s hand as they walked, “Tip is going to be just fine. Nothing a little good, old-fashioned R and R can’t fix.”

      One step at a time, he led her back up the gravel to where his full-size blue truck was parked. In the bed of his truck, tucked securely into a torn box and curled up on an old scrap of blanket, was Tip.

      Zeke picked her up, and she immediately wagged her tail and began licking his chin enthusiastically.

      “You can sure tell who Tip likes,” Julia teased. “It didn’t take long for the two of you to form an attachment.”

      Color crept up Zeke’s cheek above his beard, and Julia smiled in delight. There was nothing made up about Zeke Taylor. He was all man, the genuine article.

      “I made a report to the Humane Society, but if no one claims her, she’s mine,” Zeke explained tenderly. As he spoke, he stroked the dog’s fur, almost mechanically. Julia marveled at how gentle Zeke’s big hands appeared against the small dog.

      “So she’ll recover completely?” Julia reached forward to stroke the dog’s wiry coat. Tip had had a recent bath, she noticed. No more dirt spots were clinging to her, and the white part of her coat was fresh and sparkling in the sunshine.

      “Completely,” Zeke agreed. “And she has a home. I figure she can keep me company, and I can keep her away from large bodies of water.”

      Julia smothered a laugh. “I’m glad she has a good home, now,” she said softly. “I hope I’m not over-stepping my boundaries, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to buy a few things for Tip.” She paused and caught his gaze. “Sort of a homecoming present for her.”

      “Things?”

      “Bowls for food and water. A collar and leash. A couple of squeaky toys. Dog bones. And a big bag of puppy kibble, of course. Things,” she concluded, feeling suddenly foolish for coming out to the site at all.

      Zeke had things well in hand, and he clearly didn’t need her interference. Of course, he’d made her feel more than welcome, but it was obvious she wasn’t needed here.

      She hadn’t even been sure she could find Tip again, thinking Zeke would most likely drop her off at the Humane Society.

      She was thrilled to know Zeke would be keeping her. Tip was a lucky puppy. And buying things for Zeke’s new housemate would not only be fun, but a kind of catharsis, a way of doing something now for Tip, when Julia’s own inertia had kept her from helping yesterday at the pool.

      The longer Julia’s list had grown the wider Zeke’s gaze grew, and now he was staring at her outright.

      “What?” Julia asked, wondering if he was going to call her an idiot. She would call herself an idiot. What a dumb thing to suggest. At the least, she probably should have called first and asked if he needed anything for Tip, and if he didn’t mind her stopping by the site.

      But there she was, the typical Julia, always going off half-cocked, trying to help when she was really just getting in the way, even if everyone was too polite to say so.

      Perhaps she’d learn her lesson this time.

      “You are a godsend,” Zeke said, carefully replacing Tip in her box with one last gentle rub.

      Julia felt like someone had brushed a finger down her spine. Adrenaline coursed through her. “What?”

      He turned to her, leaning his muscular arm against the side of his truck. His eyes gleamed with a combination of appreciation and genuine male admiration that made Julia’s stomach swirl with unusual and unnamable emotions.

      Zeke continued, his voice low and resolute. “Unfortunately, I barely made it to the vet’s last afternoon, and then Tip needed looking after. I haven’t purchased anything for her. I’ve been feeding her from one of my cereal bowls with the sample food the vet gave me.”

      “You don’t have anything for her?” she repeated numbly.

      “Anything. Or is that nothing?” He smiled wide and belted a strong laugh. “So you see, Julia, you’re an answer to prayer today. For Tip. And for me. You’re a blessing disguised as an angel.”

      This time, it was Julia’s turn to blush.

      Chapter Three

      As the Colorado Indian summer faded crisply into late fall, Julia found her mind often on Zeke. His unconventional good looks were part of it, to be sure, but that didn’t explain why she now anticipated his presence at HeartBeat, or why their frequent conversations lingered in her mind long after the lights were turned out and the doors safely locked.

      On this overcast Tuesday evening she was hauling charitable baby gifts she’d volunteered to pick up at various community bins, located inside grocery stores and department stores.

      During her commute from store to store, her mind often shifted to her budding friendship with Zeke. She was surprised to find they had a lot in common, not so much in hobbies or background as in values, interests and viewpoints.

      She realized with a start that she should be thinking about Bryan Cummings, about her future. About stability and security.

      It was just as well, pushing Zeke from her conscious thoughts. At least thinking about Bryan didn’t confuse her, or make her feel all these new, foolish sensations Zeke aroused in her.

      Happy and sad.

      Threatened and safe.

      Give her a stronghold of security any day of the week.

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