Page 14 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Bear

Cal straightened.

Might as well go for it now, he thought with a sigh.

And he jogged across the street after her.

***

Until she heard Cal’s voice, Melissa was having a pretty good morning.

It was warmer and quieter than usual today, the sun casting a bright glow over the town. She got up as early as she could, and headed over to Dale’s, so she could walk Leto, as agreed. So far, the dog was little more than a nuisance, sniffing the air randomly or trying to race after a nearby squirrel. More than once, Melissa almost lost her balance holding onto the leash.

Just another morning walking the dog. She’d only been doing it for less than a week, but she already knew Dale was right: The dog was a handful.

Leto tugged on her leash, her large, wet tongue hanging out of her mouth as she sniffed the air again. As frustrating as the dog could be, looking after her wasn’t too hard . All Melissa had to do was feed and walk her, and she could spend the rest of her day looking for a new job.

“Easy, Leto,” Melissa said. “I’m going to end up flat on my face if you keep pulling me around like that. You’re already so huge, I can’t tell who’s walking who.”

The dog wagged her tail excitedly, then she stopped dead in her tracks.

Melissa frowned. “Leto, what’s—?”

“Hey—Melissa!” called a voice from behind her.

Her entire body went rigid at the sound. That voice...

She knew exactly whom it belonged to. She’d heard that voice call her name hundreds of times.

After a brief hesitation, she slowly turned around. Sure enough, Cal was jogging down the sidewalk toward her. He had on a white wife-beater over jeans and boots, his blond hair tousled like he’d just hopped out of bed.

He came to a stop a few feet away from her, chest heaving.

“Melissa,” he breathed, his gaze washing over her.

Her body’s reaction was instant. She felt her pulse quicken, her nipples hardening like diamonds. Embarrassment swept over her. Why had she worn a sports bra today of all days?

In her defense, she didn’t figure on bumping into many people, least of all Cal Stein. What was he doing here?

“Cal...” She swallowed, trying to steady her breathing. “I thought you—”

A sudden growl to her right nearly made her jump. Next to her, Leto’s teeth were bared, her hackles raised. The dog faced Cal, looking like it was ready to pounce.

What the hell?

Cal didn’t back away, but scowled back at the dog, his jaw clenching. For a second, Melissa thought he might growl as well. She glanced from him to Leto, perplexed at the dog’s reaction.

“It’s okay, Leto,” she said to the dog, stroking her fur. Then to Cal, she said, “She’s not going to hurt you.”

He lifted an eyebrow, and she couldn’t help wondering whether she shouldn’t be worried about the dog’s safety instead. To her relief, Leto stopped growling, although she still kept her eyes on Cal.

The man’s jaw relaxed. “Real friendly dog you’ve got there.”

“She’s not mine,” Melissa explained. “I’m walking her for her owner. Guy named Dale. You know him?”

“Since when do you walk dogs? Aren’t you a vet now?”

She frowned at him. “I am, but seeing as I needed a job and you refused to hire me, I went for the next best thing.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. His eyes roamed over her, and she sucked in a breath, folding her arms across her breasts to cover her distended nipples. She couldn’t believe she was standing face-to-face with him again. Worse still, they were pretty much alone on the street. Somehow, that was just as bad as being in the same room as him. The sight of him sent a quiver into her belly that traveled all the way down to her knees.