Welcome! This week is another snippet of "Break My Heart." If you have missed the earlier posts, Rick "Breaker" Winslow, cover model extraordinaire, has been disfigured by a fire. He's retreated to a farm house on 30 acres to get away from prying eyes and people's comments about his looks.
A pug, discarded by his human family on Rick's property, won't leave. Rick, reluctant to get involved, found himself the new owner of the scruffy critter.
In this episode, Rick is forced to come out of hiding to take the little creature to the vet.
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“So
you can’t take Scruffy to the vet, Mindy?” Rick asked.
“No.
You’ll have to face people sooner or later.”
“Face?
Was that a pun? A joke? Talk to you later.” He hung up, took a deep breath, and
dialed the vet's office. They had had a cancellation and the doctor could see him in
an hour.
“This
is all your fault!” He said, wagging his finger at the pug. The big brown eyes
staring at him almost melted his anger. “I’m supposed to be a hermit. I bought
this place to stay away from people, not rush out and meet ‘em.”
The
dog barked.
“I
know, I know. That’s life, right? I’m stuck. Damn it.” Rick put the harness on
Scruffy and took him for a walk. Then he fastened the pug in the backseat and
drove to the vet’s. He grimaced, rubbed his stubbly chin, took a deep breath,
and strode up the walk with the canine in tow. When he entered, the nurse sat
at the desk, her head down, writing.
“Rick
Winslow. I have an appointment?” He turned his good side to her.
“Mr.
Winslow? Any relation to Mindy?” The nurse asked, looking up at him.
“My
cousin.” He tapped his foot and kept from turning toward her.
“Sweet.
Dr. Dani will be with you in a minute,” she said, pushing away from her desk
and heading for the back of the office.
Dr. Danny? What is he, like Dr.
Doolittle?
The
nurse directed him to an exam room. He kept his bad side to the wall as he shepherded
Scruffy into the room. A tempting, female rump wearing jeans and bending over grabbed
his attention.
“I’ll
be with you in a minute,” a feminine voice said.
Oh shit! Dr. Danny's a girl! A
woman. I can’t face a woman.
“Look,
you’re busy, we’ll come back later.”
“Don’t
be silly,” she said straightening up.
She
stared at him for a moment before he remembered to turn. She blinked once, glanced
at the pug, then spoke.
“Don’t
I know you?”
“I
don’t think so. You might be wondering about my face. I can explain.”
She
turned away from him. “Actually, I’m wondering about him,” she said, pointing
to the dog. She scooped him up and set him on the examining table.
“What
the happened to him?”
“Scruffy?”
“You
call this poor creature ‘Scruffy’? Is that a joke.”
“Sort
of.”
“It’s a very bad one. Look, I’ll have to
report you to the humane society for the abuse of this pug.”
His
eyes widened as he faced her squarely. No way could he lose Scruffy.. He
raised his hands. “No, no. Wait a minute. He’s not mine.”
“Then
I can’t treat him. Did you steal him?”
“No,
no. Please just give me a minute to explain.”
She
made a face, narrowed her eyes and stared at him, holding and petting the
animal.
“Someone
drove up to my place and dumped him. Right by the side of the road.”
Her
frown deepened. “You expect me to believe that?”
“Call
my cousin, Mindy. Call Jess Lennox. It’s the truth.”
“And
you’re keeping him? For how long?”
Her
glance washed over him from top to bottom. Her eyes widened. He still dressed
the part of an expensive, successful male model: well-tailored shirt, expensive
jeans, Rolex watch, and perfectly combed hair. He rubbed his face, aware he stuck
out in this laid-back, country town. He’d grown up here, but had left it behind
for the glamour of the big city.
“I
don’t know. Forever, I guess. Hadn’t thought about it.”
“I’ll
take him. I’m sure I can find a good home for him. Don’t want him messing up
your lifestyle,” she said, cocking an eyebrow before turning her back.
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Sparks are flying here! Well done. I'm intrigued.
ReplyDeleteI'm an animal lover so needless to say I'm loving this story already. I like how you brought these two characters together. Can't wait to read more.
ReplyDeleteWow, those two are sparking like an arc welder. Well done!
ReplyDeleteOoh, such additional tension the introduction of her character brings! Can't wait to see what happens next. I really like your guys Rick and Scruffy.
ReplyDeleteUt-oh. I think his life is about to get more complicated - in more ways than one. So much for the hermit lifestyle he was looking for.
ReplyDelete