Love Unleashed

By Natalie Brunwick

Leah's at the top of her game and if she sells the Baker house it could mean the promotion of a lifetime. But when a dog tears through the backyard, her dreams for the future run off with the stray.

Or so she thinks.

Kris never thought she’d adopt a dog until her neighbor passed away. Now, in over her head with a mountain of bills to pay, she’s struggling to sell the house Duke, a stubborn Golden Retriever, once called home. Having to apologize to Leah for Duke’s poor behavior was bad enough, but when he runs off again, Kris fears the worst.

Kris needs to sell the house if she hopes to survive. Leah’s determined to make it happen. But with a dog who simply wants to go home, can these two women put aside their differences to give Duke the life he deserves? Or will the dog who brought them together be the same one to tear them apart?

Love Unleashed is a sweet lesbian romance with low angst, a charming Golden Retriever, and a happily ever after.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Silverlark Press
• Release date: Mar 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463269831

Book preview

Love Unleashed

by Natalie Brunwick

© 2018 Natalie Brunwick

This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any way, including information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

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Chapter One

I showed the Baker house on a Wednesday, which is possibly one of the worst days of the week. Still, there I was, paperwork in one hand while gesturing at the decorative framework with the other.

If it were any other house, I would’ve been halfway through the tour by now. But not this house. Not the old Baker place. No, this place demanded respect and time, enough time to admire all of the hand-carved spindles in the staircase leading upstairs along with the ornamental trim above each of the doorways.

The old Baker house sat right in the middle of Cornwall Drive, its wooden floors matching those it originally came with. I adored those floor along with the beautiful archways in the foyer that someone else had painstakingly carved by hand.

Others had tried to sell the house and failed, but not me. I never lost a sale, and I wasn’t planning to start now.

As you can see, the new laminate flooring in the kitchen compliments the wall paneling perfectly, and with the original wooden floors in the lower level of the house, you won’t have to worry about the kids tracking in mud on their shoes and getting it into the carpeting. I wrinkled my nose at that. Have you ever tried to get dirt out of the carpeting? Like, really get it out of every single fiber? How about pine needles or crumpled leaves that disintegrated to the touch? It isn’t fun.

The couple following behind me made a sound of approval and smiled when I turned to face them. They were the third family I’d taken through the house this week. They were also the most promising. With one of the best Elementary schools in the district just a few blocks away, the Baker house was the perfect place for the Parks to raise their son. Their little boy just started school not too long ago, and with the neighborhood being as small as it was, it would’ve been a great place for him to grow up.

The Parks seemed to agree, hanging on my every word as they focused on their son’s future. So, as we walked through the house, I kept that in mind, making a point to mention their son whenever I could along with any hobbies he might have.

It was that attention to detail that kept me above my colleagues and the reason why I never lost a sale. Once I learned the reason behind someone’s upcoming move, I latched on, using whatever information I could to my advantage. It’s just good business, really, and a skill set I’d expected my co-workers to share.

Halfway through the lower level of the house, Mr. Park hesitated in front of the kitchen window, his brows furrowing above his eyes. Does the dog come with the house? he asked, not looking at me.

What? There isn’t a dog, I said, my heart skipping a beat the moment I glanced out the back window. Sure enough, buried halfway inside a hole, a wet dog continued to throw pawfuls of dirt onto the ground behind him. He must’ve jumped over the fence when I wasn’t looking because I didn’t see him earlier.

Excuse me for one minute, will you? I quickly excused myself and hurried into the backyard. In an instant, all of my excitement for the sale of the Baker house faded away. There was no way I’d be able to hide a huge hole in the middle of the yard, not even after it was filled.

Shoo. Get out of here, I said, waving my hands at the dog as though it might help. One of my red heels sunk into the ground as soon as I stepped off the back patio, pulling my attention away from the dog long enough for me to dig the heel out of the soft soil.

The dog’s once-golden coat had darkened from the mud, a lot of his fur held together in large clumps. The dirt covering his floppy ears caused a small chuckle to pass through my lips. He was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever seen. If not for his current location, I probably wouldn’t have minded his company at all. That said, as he drew long furrows in the ground, my heart began to sink. For the first time in my life, I was going to lose a sale. Repairing the damage, well… that was something else altogether.

Don’t you have your own yard to destroy? I said in a huff, taking a handful of steps toward the dog until a set of deep brown eyes looked back at me. Go home. Glancing around his neck and realizing he had no collar, I was starting to wonder if he had a home to go back to at all.

Of course, there was a small chance he didn’t wear it all the time, or maybe he managed to pull it off somehow. Regardless of the reason, I wasn’t about to get between a mystery dog and whatever it was he thought he was doing. That’s what animal control was for. I was only trying to show off a house.

Digging my cell phone out of my pocket, I pulled up the number for animal control and counted each of the rings as the dog tossed more dirt behind him. He’d changed his position, throwing dirt in my direction as well.

I didn’t hate dogs. Far from it, actually. That said, I wasn’t particularly fond of the one digging up the Bakers’ yard.

Yes, I’d like to report a dog in my backyard, I spoke into the receiver, sighing at whoever managed to pick up the phone. No, it isn’t mine. Do you really think I’d call you if it was mine? The nerve of some people, I fumed, gritting my teeth as the man rattled off something else on the other side of the line. Yes, I’ll wait. Just… make it quick, otherwise there won’t be anything left. I wasn’t exaggerating, either. As I paced beside the patio leading to the back door, the hole continued to grow. If the mutt had been a normal dog, he would’ve dug down, not out. Figures. I get the one dog that likes to dig up the entire yard.

After rambling off the address to the man on the other side of the line, I hung up, took a handful of calming breaths (which did not help), then rejoined the Parks inside the kitchen.

In the midst of pulling on his jacket, Mr. Park paused and offered me a small smile. It looks like you have your hands full. Maybe we should come back later.

Which basically meant the house wasn’t for them. I’d heard it all, and it always meant the same thing. Granted, there was actually a reason behind it this time, so I honestly couldn’t fault them for it. I would’ve run away from the house as well if I could, but someone had to wait for animal control. Seeing as I was the only one left, well, you know.

Taking an uneasy breath, I resisted the urge to pace the length of the kitchen. Every time I looked out the back window, the dog had moved and the hole grew even bigger. At the rate he was going, the hole would reach the house in no time. I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to explain everything to my boss after that. Could you imagine? An entire house sinking inside a black hole. As if I needed another thing to worry about today.

Crap. Somehow, in my hurry to reassure the Parks, I’d managed to track mud into the house and all over the new laminate flooring. At least it isn’t carpeting. If it was, I probably would’ve been better off burning the entire place down.

Okay, maybe I was overreacting just a bit, but could you blame me? The amount of work I had to do, not to mention the time needed for the grass to regrow, was unacceptable.

If that mutt has an owner, I seethed, taking off my heels so I could rinse them off in the sink before heading back toward the foyer again. If he had an owner, they’d both get an earful, possibly community service as well. I was having such a good week too.

As for the dog, he wasn’t like any other retriever I’d ever seen, but if I were to wash away all the mud, he’d look like a Golden for sure. Such strange behavior, I thought, glancing at the time yet again when animal control didn’t pull into the driveway.

Screw it. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing, so while listening for animal control to roll up, I went into the backyard and opened up the gate so the dog could leave whenever he wanted to. I probably should’ve done it earlier but the dog was a lot closer to the fence back then, and I honestly wasn’t ready to find out what kind of dog he truly was. Under all that mud, it was hard to tell.

I had no idea what was so important inside that hole, but whatever it was, the dog refused to move. I’d even gone back inside to grab a piece of cheese from the tray. The dog didn’t