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Opposites may attract … but can they ever make love last?
It's true Charlie Rockwell has a history of rash decisions that have left her wary of attachments. But when she sees the sad-eyed Rottie on TV, her heart kind of melts. Of course, she realizes too late she's adopted a huge dog with no manners and even less training. When a simple trip to the dog park turns into a disaster of epic proportions, she finds herself thrust into the path of a handsome stranger, Will.
Will Porter believes in order and routine. He's quiet and well-behaved, just like his model canine, a golden retriever named Tuck. Will can hardly control his anger when a savage Rottweiler picks a fight with poor Tuck at the dog park… Until he gazes into the lovely owner's tearful eyes and finds himself offering to help tame her dog's beastly behavior. A mistake, as he soon realizes she bears an uncanny likeness to his ex.
Can Will get past her resemblance to his past, and learn to love—and trust—again? And can Charlie find the joy in a simpler, more settled existence? Who knows, maybe opposites can not only attract, but also stick together.
Don't miss this pet-friendly romp with romance--get your copy of You Belong with Me today!
Excerpt:
The scrawny Rottweiler's eyes connected with Charlie's through the TV
screen, begging her to save him. What if nobody else called in? What
if she was his last chance at finding a home? Well, crap. She
couldn't just let him die.
Charlie grabbed her cell phone, called the local news station hosting
the adoptable pets segment, and signed on the dotted line. Not once
did she think she might be making a mistake. Not once did she
consider the fact she'd been unable to commit to a man—or even a
roommate—longer than two measly months.
And now she planned to commit to a one-year-old canine coming
straight out of a neglected past?
Well, adventure had certainly found her, whether she'd asked for it
or not.
The rescue volunteers didn't ask her many questions before inviting
her to visit the kennel and come pick him up. If they had, maybe
she'd have changed her mind.
She might have seen this as a move with the potential of becoming the
biggest mistake of her entire life. Worse than the time she'd left
mid-semester her junior year to travel to India in search of the
answer to life. Worse than the time she'd gotten so caught up in the
excitement of V for Vendetta she'd shaved her head in homage.
Even worse than the time she'd practically eloped with a guy she'd
only dated three weeks, because it seemed like a good and wildly
romantic idea at the time.
At least she'd talked herself out of that one.
But what good did escaping one bad decision do, if she'd just
replaced it with another by committing herself to a strange dog
for—what?—ten years?
Charlie took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel until her
knuckles turned white. No going back now. She may have been
impulsive, but she had a heart, damn it, and she wouldn't abandon a
dog no one else wanted in the first place. Definitely too late to
change her mind at this point.
"Now or never," she said to the hula dancer figurine on her
dashboard before grabbing her purse and slamming the car door behind
her.
"Oh, you must be Charlotte Rockwell." A volunteer with a
sloppy button-up shirt and a way-too-large smile greeted her the
second she entered the shelter.
Charlie nodded, pretending her feet were one million pound weights
gluing her to the linoleum floor below—the only way she'd be able
to avoid making a break for it.
"I'm Angela. Come on and follow me to the back." Her
oversized smile grew even larger as she turned and trotted toward the
back of the building.
Charlie's eyes darted to the floor to check if Angela's shoes sported
actual springs.
"I'm sure Ruby told you everything you need to know when she
stopped by for the home check, right?"
She nodded, even though she didn't have the slightest idea who Ruby
was. The woman certainly hadn't been by her house for a visit.
"Perfect! Rugby's such a sweet boy once you get to know him. I'm
so glad he's finally found a good home. You must be thrilled."
Once you get to know him?
What did that mean?
She was this close to changing her mind and dashing
straight out of there, but then they pushed through the large metal
door to the kennel and Rugby glanced up at her with those same sad
eyes that had melted her heart in the first place.
She was screwed.
"Hi, Rugby," Angela cooed. "Look who it is. Your new
mommy's come to take you home. Who's a good boy? Yes, you are."
Charlie sank to a squatting position and stuck her index finger
through the metal fencing.
Rugby stretched and raised himself into a sitting position. He
sniffed her hand delicately and gave her a huge sloppy lick.
"Oh, see. You two are perfect! Best buds already," Angela
squealed. She rattled off a litany of instructions, shoved a folder
of paperwork into one hand, and the leash to Charlie's new 115-pound
baby in the other, and together dog and woman headed home.
***
Will Porter stifled a laugh as he watched the petite blonde tear into
the dog park at the end of her Rottweiler's leash. Hardly three
seconds passed as they sprinted from the parking lot to the first
entry gate.
When the girl unhitched the second entry gate, her dog ran away at
lightning speed, not even allowing her to remove his leash. Her eyes
darted from side to side as if to make sure nobody had witnessed the
mishap.
Luckily, Will looked away before she could catch him staring. He
allowed his gaze to settle on her again as she ran after her
squatting dog with a plastic baggie cupped over her hand.
Despite the circumstances, he couldn't ignore her beauty. Blond hair
escaped from her ponytail and clung to her cheeks in tendrils. Her
delicate lips and nose were balanced by huge brown eyes and thick
lashes. She almost reminded him of....
He snapped his attention away. Couldn't be thinking like that. Not
today. He needed a distraction, and fast.
"Tuck!"
Will’s golden retriever jogged over and nuzzled his thigh.
"Good boy." As he scratched the dog's head, he sensed her
eyes on him, but he refused to look—refused to give her any reason
to come over and start a conversation. When had he become such a
bitter old man?
He was hardly thirty—way too young to write off the opposite sex
altogether. He should still be in his party phase, flirting with any
pretty girl who happened to look his way, taking as many of them to
bed as possible. But, no, he wasn't like that—even though he often
wished he were. Would have saved him the heartache of....
He grabbed the ball Tuck had dropped at his feet and hurled it toward
the horizon as hard as he could. The dog raced after it in a blur of
golden fur and pounding feet.
Too late, he noticed the massive black blur moving in on the ball
from the opposite side of the park.
"Rugby, no!" the blonde girl screamed, but her reprimand
fell on deaf ears.
The two dogs reached the single ball at the exact same time. The
Rottweiler bared his teeth, a low growl emanating from his throat,
but Tuck wouldn't back down. The poor dog didn't even realize what
was about to happen. Why would he? He'd never run into such an
aggressive, undertrained beast before.
Tuck barked an invitation for the other dog to play, and Will took
off running to save his poor, over-trusting pet from the inevitable
fight.
The hairs on the back of the Rottweiler's back bristled. His growl
grew louder, and he lunged.
"Rugby, no!" The girl raced toward the dogs.
Tuck whimpered and ran back to Will, but the other dog slinked after
him with a predatory gait.
"Hey, lady. How about controlling your dog?" he spat.
The blonde grabbed the end of the leash that was still attached to
her dog and pulled him back. "I'm so sorry. I...." A sudden
onslaught of tears overwhelmed her words.
Great.
Now Will felt like a bigger monster than her damned dog.
"Hey, it's okay. Tuck's just fine. No harm done." He patted
the dog's head and turned toward the other side of the park, but
before he could gain much distance, she spoke again.
"Really, I'm sorry. I've only had Rugby for a few days, and I
don't really have any experience with dogs. I thought if I brought
him here, I'd see how more experienced people act with their dogs.
Maybe learn a thing two." She sniffed back a tear and stared up
at him with large, brown eyes—eyes far too familiar for his liking.
Why did she get such a difficult breed if she knows nothing about
taking care of a dog? Will couldn't help but wonder. Still, he felt
like he should offer something helpful before parting ways.
"Good luck with your training. Try watching The Dog Whisperer
maybe."
His hold on her eyes broke when Rugby stood on his hind legs to lick
the tears from his owner's face.
She chuckled and gently pushed the Rottweiler back on all fours, then
wiped the slobber from her cheeks with the backs of her hands.
Turning serious again, she said, "Thanks, I will, but... I just
don't know what to do. I'm his last chance. The shelter had him for
weeks. He even appeared on the adoptable pet segment of the news
three separate times. Nobody wanted him except me. If I can't make it
work, I'm practically signing his death warrant."
Will frowned. What could he say to that?
"Hey, your dog is really well-behaved. Maybe you can help us?"
Crap. He didn't want to spend time with a girl who reminded
him way too much of the woman who'd turned him off love altogether,
but at the same time, he couldn't refuse if it meant saving the dog's
life.
"I—I'll pay. I'll pay whatever it takes. Only, please help
us." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and offered a
weak smile.
"Okay, sure," he gave in. "And don't worry, you don't
have to pay me anything." He didn't return her smile. He
couldn't let her think he was doing this for any other reason than to
save the dog.
"Oh, thank you. Thank you so much!" She wrapped her arms
around him in a tight hug. "You have no idea how much you're
helping me. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Warmth spread through Will's body. He took a deep breath and let his
arms go slack. She's just a girl, he reminded himself. Just a girl.
"I'm Charlotte by the way. Friends call me Charlie." She
released him from the hug and tucked a strand of hair behind her
other ear.
"Will." He drew a business card from his wallet. "Call
me, and we'll set something up."
As soon as she accepted the card, he retreated to the other side of
the park and tried not to think about how her touch had stirred
something deep within him.
A girl. Just a girl.
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