Monday, April 24, 2017

TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "LIFE" #romance #shortstories


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. 
   Thank you for stopping by. Scroll down for the link back to Tuesday Tales and the amazing writers there. 


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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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5 comments:

  1. Sparks are flying here! Well done. I'm intrigued.

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  2. I'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.

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  3. Wow, those two are sparking like an arc welder. Well done!

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  4. Ooh, 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.

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  5. Ut-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.

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