Hero of Mine (4 page)

“What if he doesn't fit in the program?” she asked.

“If he doesn't fit and he passes his temperament test with flying covers, then I'll just find him an awesome home.” That wide, charming smile came out again, and her heart did a little stutter. The guy was pretty lethal; she imagined that women fell all over themselves to get with him.

But not Dani. She could think he was drop-dead gorgeous, but she wasn't interested. Especially when adding the wrong man to their lives could have devastating repercussions for Noah.

Why are you even thinking about this? It's not like the guy has asked you out or anything.

“How long have you been at the program? I'm sorry; I don't know much about it.”

“I've been there since it opened, so about seven months. If we can get one of these programs set up near every military base, we'd be helping a lot of dogs, but it all depends on how it goes here.”

“So, you're active military, but you train and evaluate dogs?”

“Yes, but the kids at the program do most of the basic obedience training. Once the dogs graduate from basic obedience, they will be placed into specialty training.”

“And the kids that are there? Is it like a camp or something?”

“No, they're juveniles who've been charged with nonviolent crimes. Instead of spending two weeks to six months in juvie, they come to us.”

Dani thought her jaw would hit the floor. “You let criminals handle these dogs?”

“They're kids who have had a little trouble; just like with the dogs, the kids are monitored for behavior. This program is helping to give these kids an outlet and a skill set so that they don't end up in prison as adults. But even adult prisoners have benefitted from a program like this inside the prison. They put the dog in the cell with the prisoner, and it not only gives the dog a home, but it gives the prisoners a lifeline.”

Thoroughly scolded, Dani blushed. “Sorry, that probably came out pretty judgmental.”

“Didn't you mean it to be that way?” he asked bluntly.

“No, not really. I was just surprised, because you hear so many stories about teenagers hurting animals, and—”

“You can't go by what you see on the Internet and the news. I work with these kids, and although they might have problems, they would never torture the dogs.”

“Again, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.”

“You didn't. I just get defensive of my kids, I guess.”

The way he said it left Dani with the same gooey feeling she'd had when he'd offered to pay carte blanche for Fugly's care.

Dani gently ran her fingers over Noah's back. “I know the feeling.”

T
YLER PICKED UP
Fugly from the veterinarian on Friday after work. He brought with him a new leash and collar with the name Duke on the ID tag and Tyler's phone number on the back. Tyler had decided to rename him after a late-night viewing of
G.I. Joe
. As he paid his bill, the tech handed him his yellow microchip tags and the information he needed to register him online. Tyler had put up a Craigslist ad for a found dog and put Duke's picture in several pet groups on Facebook, but even if the owners claimed him, Tyler's info would still be on the chip. Just in case he got out again.

The tech led Duke out to him, and the minute the dog laid eyes on Tyler, he started to pull on the leash, dragging the bright orange cast behind him with a screech as it rubbed across the linoleum.

“Whoa, easy, Duke. I swear I'm not going anywhere.” Tyler laughed as he rubbed Duke's ears before taking the leash. He and Duke walked out the door, and Tyler kept glancing down at the huge dog, a little concerned the extra-large dog crate he'd bought wouldn't be big enough. He popped the back of his Tahoe open and unlocked the crate's door. Tyler lifted Duke into the back, and the dog settled inside with his leg cast. All in all, it was just about perfect.

Tyler noticed a definite twinge in his knee as he came back around to the driver's side and climbed behind the wheel. He needed to go back to stretching it when he got home at night.

Apollo and Zeus were locked in their crates on his backseat, and with all of the supplies he'd grabbed at PetSmart on the way to pick up Duke, his car was stuffed pretty full.

Pulling out onto the road, he saw a blonde zip by in a little black car, and his mind flashed to Dani and Noah. He'd ended up staying at the hospital an hour later than he'd planned, talking to Dani about the program and his group of kids while Apollo and Noah had slept. The Dani in the hospital room had been easier to talk to than the one he'd initially met. Maybe it was because her guard was down or she was more vulnerable because she was worried about Noah, but Tyler had enjoyed it. If Apollo hadn't woken up whining, who knows how long he would have stayed. Noah slept through his departure, and as he'd said good-bye to Dani, he'd been tempted to ask for her phone number. The only thing that had stopped him was the voice in his head silently shouting the three types of women he avoided.

Yet, he still couldn't get that soft look in her green eyes out of his mind. The one she had whenever she glanced at Noah's sleeping form.

The one she'd shared briefly with him.

It was the same one he'd seen on his mom's face when she looked at his stepdad, and it had scared the hell out of him.

Having been raised by a single mother himself, he still remembered a few of the losers who had used and ditched his mom before she'd met his stepdad, Gareth Best. His mom had been lucky to find a guy like Gareth, someone who accepted her kid as his and treated her with respect and love. Gareth had never treated Tyler like a burden or a pest the way a few of his mom's boyfriends had. The first time Gareth met Tyler, he had taken his mom and him to the batting cages. It had been the most fun he'd ever had, and when Gareth had asked him how he'd feel about Gareth asking his mom to marry him, Tyler hadn't hesitated. Once they were married, Gareth had adopted Tyler, and even after Tyler's brother, Dereck, and sister, Zoe, were born, Gareth never treated him any differently.

Tyler remembered that every time Gareth had done something for him, whether it was bringing him a new mitt or taking him camping for the first time, his mom had gotten this soft, sweet look on her face.

Tyler knew that he wasn't ready to be a dad to anyone; he had too much more to do. Maybe once he retired, he'd think about settling down, but he liked his life the way it was. Why complicate things?

Even if you see her again, you can just smile, say hi, and move on. Why sweat something that hasn't even happened yet?

Tyler turned into the driveway of his house, hitting the garage opener so he could pull inside. After months in the hospital and all the physical therapy he'd needed because of his gunshot wound, he'd been more than content to settle in once he'd been placed with Alpha Dog. He'd started researching VA loans, and at twenty-eight, he had his own four-bedroom, two-bath in a Natomas neighborhood. It had been a foreclosure, so it had needed some work, but it was in good shape overall and less than ten minutes from work. Plus, the backyard was .18 of an acre, bigger than most, with a back patio for his barbeque. His mom kept hassling him about why he needed such a big house if he wasn't going to settle down, and he'd told her it was so he could house all of them if they ever came to visit. His parents still lived in the Bay Area, while his brother went to Berkeley and his sister was still in high school. But really, Tyler just liked his space.

Letting the pups out of their crates and leading them out to the backyard, he went back for Duke. He'd bought an extra-large cage for Duke to rest in, which he'd set up in the living room next to Apollo's and Zeus's cages. The vet had wanted him to rest as much as possible, but constantly carrying a single crate from the car to the house wasn't going to work.

Opening the crate, Tyler carried Duke in as gently as he could. Setting him up on the cushiony bed in his cage, he rubbed his hands over his head and his ears. Duke looked up at him with that same trusting look, and Tyler's chest squeezed.

“I got you, buddy.”

Duke laid his head down and snuggled in just as Tyler's cell rang.

“Best.”

“Hey, man, I need your help.”

Tyler grinned at the sheer panic in his friend Blake Kline's voice.

“Wow, you sound like you're almost begging, man.”

“Asshole, I'm serious. These people I go to church with want me to meet their daughter for coffee tonight, and I didn't know how to refuse—”

Tyler shook his head. Kline had
nice guy
written all over him, and people were always throwing their daughters, sisters, and best friends at him. “You say, ‘No. N. O.' ”

“Look, they put me on the spot, and I thought I could do it, but . . . but I have to cover for Sparks tonight with the kids, so I thought maybe you'd go in my place.”

“You want me to go on your date?” Tyler didn't do blind dates; he liked to know what he was getting into. “Dude, no. I'll just cover your shift at Alpha Dog.”

“No, just . . . I'm not ready, man, okay? Can't you do me a solid? I'll owe you.”

Tyler grimaced, understanding ripping through him. Tyler had met Sparks, Kline, and their friend Oliver Martinez in group therapy, and when they'd all been assigned to Alpha Dog, they had grown closer. Tyler knew that Kline had lost his wife in a shooting at the Base Exchange where Kline had been stationed two years ago, and as far as Tyler knew, he hadn't been involved with anyone since.

“Why don't you just call her and tell her you can't make it?” Tyler asked.

“Because they didn't give me her number. Just told me to be at the Starbucks on Watt at seven.”

“You always get the digits, man.” Tyler couldn't believe this was actually happening. “This is the craziest thing I've ever heard. Who the hell sets their daughter up without giving her—”

“Look, yes or no, Best? Since you're every woman's type, I figured you'd be a good replacement. You just have to sit down, talk to her for an hour—”

“Half an hour. I have an injured dog at home.”

“Forty-five minutes.”

Tyler groaned as he smoothed his fingers over the tension headache building in his forehead. “Fine, but when you say you owe me, that isn't just an empty statement. You're going to actually
owe
me, so be aware, I'll come a-calling sooner or later.”

“Fuck it, I'll do whatever you want. I'm desperate.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

“Be at the Starbucks on Watt and Highway 80 at seven and just tell her I couldn't make it.”

Kline ended the call, and Tyler shook his head. He checked the clock; he had forty-five minutes to get changed and be at the Starbucks. Damn it, he hadn't even had dinner yet.

The things he did for these guys.

D
ANI WALKED INTO
the Starbucks on Watt Avenue at five to seven, still fuming from her mom's ultimatum. When she'd sprung the fact that she'd set up a coffee date for Dani with some guy from her church earlier, Dani had told her to cancel it. That she had no right to try to manage and control her life.

Unfortunately, that hadn't worked, and her mom had asked her to go on this one date and she would stop pestering her.

For a while, at least.

Still, Dani had refused, until her mom had threatened not to watch Noah anymore. Dani knew it was a bluff, but if her mom went through with it, Dani would have to find someone to watch him, and day care and babysitters weren't cheap.

So now here she was, ordering a grande nonfat chai latte, waiting for some stranger to show up. Why couldn't people just leave her alone? Even her friends talked about setting her up on blind dates; if she wanted to go out, she'd start online dating.

Dani snagged a table for two by the window and set her smartphone on the table, noting the time. If the guy wasn't there in five minutes, she was taking off. And if he was there . . . well . . . in a half an hour, she'd fake an emergency and go home.

The door opened, and a middle-aged man with a goatee and glasses stepped inside. Dani assumed he was her date and held up her hand in greeting, but he didn't even glance around, just headed straight for the counter to order.

Smoothing her hand over her head, she tried to act cool, keeping one eye on the door. A couple of teenagers came in next, and Dani started counting down the minutes until she could leave.

The door swung open, and to Dani's surprise, Tyler Best walked inside. He glanced around the busy room, and when his gaze met hers, his beautiful eyes widened.

Dani's heart pounded as he approached.

“Hey, there.” His hands gripped the back of the empty chair across from her.

“Hi. How are you?”

“I'm good, just meeting someone. How about you?” he asked.

“The same.” God, she did not want to tell this gorgeous guy she was waiting for a blind date. “Who are you meeting?”

“Actually, it's kind of a funny story. My friend got suckered into a blind date with some woman by her parents. He ended up having to work and didn't have her number to cancel, so he sent me instead.”

A horrifying suspicion snaked through Dani. “Oh, wow, well it's nice of you to take over so she doesn't sit around like an idiot.”

“Yeah, but I don't see any women sitting alone except . . . ” Suddenly, Tyler grinned. “It's you, isn't it.”

Heat burned Dani's cheeks. “I was blackmailed.”

Tyler laughed and slapped the table. “Let me grab my coffee, and you can tell me all about it. You want a pastry or something, since you already got yours?”

“No, I'm fine, thanks.”

“All right, be right back.”

He winked as he walked up to the counter with a cocky swagger, as if he knew she was checking out his ass. Dani noticed the pretty barista toss her dark hair back as he approached, and there was some definite eyelash fluttering going on.

This could not be any more humiliating.

When he finally came back and sat across from her with his cup, she noticed the name and phone number on the side of his cup.

“Aw, how cute. She dots her
i
's with a heart.”

“You don't?” he teased.

“No, I'm an adult.”

“Ah, which explains why your parents are in charge of your dating life.”

Dani's hackles went up. “Like I said, I was blackmailed into this date. Believe me, if I was interested, I could find my own dates.”

“I believe it. You're beautiful, kind, caring . . . I imagine there's a lot of guys who would love to take you out.”

Thunderstruck by his compliment, all she could say was, “Thank you.”

“Which begs the question, why aren't you out there, finding your own dates?”

Dani wasn't interested in getting into her sordid and messy dating history, so she tried to keep it vague. “I'm too busy to date.”

“And yet, you're here.”

“Why are
you
here?” she snapped. “You obviously have no problem meeting girls.”

“I was bribed, but we were talking about you. Why do your parents feel the need to set you up when you can obviously find your own man?”

Dani wasn't sure how much to say to him, so she chose a little vague honesty. “I don't exactly have the best track record with picking men and don't really trust my own judgment. Especially since I have Noah to consider. So, I just figure it's easier to not date than to make a mistake.”

Tyler leaned over the table, his expression seductive. “And what's your judgment say about me?”

Her answer popped out before she could stop herself. “That you're a player and I'd be smart to get my ass up and walk out.”

Tyler's eyes sparkled with humor. “I wouldn't use the word
player
. . . ”

“Then what word would you use?”

“Flexible?”

“Your body?”
Holy shit, had she really just asked that?

“No, but if you want to find out—”

“I don't.” She knew she was red all the way down her neck, but there was nothing for it. “You shouldn't tease me, especially since I'm not your type.”

His smile dissolved. “What makes you think you aren't my type?”

“Well, I have a child, for one thing. I noticed the way you reacted after you saw his picture on my phone. It's okay. Most guys run for the hills once they find out you're a single mom.”

“Only because they know they can't handle the responsibility and don't want to waste your time,” he said.