Love like a Girl

By Leigh Macfarlane

Heather has always had an easier time understanding animals than people. So, it's probably a no-brainer that she runs an animal rescue. She loves as fiercely as her rescues need and deserve -- a trait that hasn't gone unnoticed by the man she considers her nemesis, developer, Ethan Blake.
Even back when they met in law school, Ethan and Heather were always on the opposite side of every argument. Now it's even worse -- because Blake's family business has moved into town. And developing the land across from Heather's home just might shut Heather's rescue down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leigh Macfarlane
• Release date: Nov 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005300487

Leigh Macfarlane

Leigh Macfarlane is a proud Canadian (eh!) author of both fiction and non-fiction books who is fortunate enough to live in California North -- the gorgeous Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Since Leigh already lives in one of the most beautiful places in the world, many of her novels are set locally. In Leigh's books you will be transported to orchards, vineyards, ski hills, ranches, beaches, art galleries, athletic fields and waterfront cafes.Well, maybe not ski hills. Rumour has it Leigh is afraid to drive in the snow.Where heroes are concerned, I love me a cowboy, or a guy who can fix a car, a fearless protector type, or a studious professor with a sharp mind, the soft touch daddy, or a hard-body with a soft-heart. Sometimes I love me a bad boy, but I'm working on it. Just as long as he is good to his woman and cares about the world around him, I'm in.My heroines might be clutzy, or chubby, still figuring life out, or they might just have swollen bank accounts and be living the high life. Either way, my ladies are real women who appreciate life, laughter, beauty, family, puppies, chocolate, and especially the love of a strong man.When not writing, Leigh is mom to four wonderful, not so small, humans, one yap-monster dog, a gorgeous but aging cat and a fish whose quality of life appears to be declining. Once, Leigh fell off a horse, wrapped the back of her knee around a telephone pole, had horse liniment applied to her injury, and was proclaimed part horse by the race horse trainer who had fixed her up. To date, this claim has not been proven false.

Book preview

Easy.

The growling rumbled incessantly from the jowls of the filthy, scruffy-looking pup hiding underneath the side steps of the school portable.

I think he’s been beaten.

Shhh, Heather murmured.

She kept her eyes on the terrified pup as she crouched down incrementally then hugged her arms around her knees to make herself smaller and less threatening. Even still, the grumbling coming from the animal’s throat increased. The pup hadn’t pulled back its gums and revealed teeth, though. As far as Heather was concerned, that was a clear sign the animal wasn’t mean. He was just scared.

Which didn’t mean he couldn’t do just as much damage as an angry dog if his stress grew.

And yes, the animal had definitely been beaten. Poor thing. Heather’s heart went out to him as her eyes took in the gouges and dried patches of blood on his body. She willed away the anger that wanted to explode inside her. He’d scent it on her, and it would only make him more afraid. Instead, she murmured to him in the softest of tones.

You’re a lover not a fighter, my friend. And I bet you’re hungry, too. If you’ll settle enough so I can take you with me, we’ll get you fixed up and fed, and find you the forever home that’s right for you.

The dog’s ears pricked at the sound of Heather’s calm, gentle voice. For half a beat, the growling stopped.

Anyway, Georgie said in a staged whisper, I saw him there, and I thought of you immediately.

Under the steps, the growling started back up, and irritation flashed through Heather at the interruption in her progress with the pup.

You did a good thing calling me, Georgina. She kept her voice mellow for the pup’s benefit. But I can take it from here.

You want me to leave?

Her tone was both incredulous and indignant. And yes, Heather did want her to leave - quite badly, as a matter of fact. She suspected she and the pup would get along much better on their own.

He’s hurt and afraid. The less going on around him the better.

Fine, I’ll leave, Georgina said. But, you better work your magic fast if you don’t want him to be over-stimulated. School’s dismissed for lunch in thirty minutes.

Magic. If only. If all it took to calm the little wounded pup was magic, Heather would weave a spell in a heartbeat. Instead of magic, though, all she had was peace and good intentions. And the promise of love and shelter in the little dog’s future. All he had to do was trust her enough that she could get closer. Then she could gather him up without hurting either of them in the process.

It was hard to tell with the animal mostly hidden underneath the steps, but she suspected he had some mixed parentage. Big, powerful breeds, too, judging from the size of his front paws. She doubted he was more than three or four months old, though, and it was pretty clear that some bad things had happened in the few months of his little life.

I’d like to find whoever did this to you, my friend, Heather said, her voice taking on a sing-song lilt which belied the meaning of her words. And I’d like to bash him.

When the dog pricked his ears again at her tone, Heather plopped her butt down onto the roughly abraded outdoor cement. The dog jerked slightly at the motion, but he didn’t resume his growling. Instead, he tilted his head in curiosity.

The inquisitiveness the dog showed towards her gave Heather an idea, and she stretched her legs out sideways in front of her, then lay down. Ignoring the dirt and dust on the ground, she curled onto her side so she was lying down and looking in at the puppy.

He was trembling now, his nostrils up and scenting. Clearly, he didn’t know what to make of her. It seemed he liked her voice in spite of himself, so Heather kept on talking non-stop. Slowly, she inched her hand down to her pocket and reached inside. When she pulled her hand back out, she brought a fist full of puppy treats out with it.

The dog’s little nose started twitching, and he let out a single, heartbreaking whimper.

"You want this?’

Heather held the treat his way, and the dog retreated back deeper into the shadows under the steps. His growling returned briefly, but shut off almost immediately when she rolled one of the treats in his direction. He snapped it up immediately, tongue flicking to lap it off the pavement.

For a brief instant, he met her eyes hopefully. His gaze dropped instantly, but before he could retreat, Heather rolled him another treat. This one landed slightly nearer to her hip than the last. Without hesitating, the dog shuffled the few inches out nearer to Heather’s prone position.

When’s the last time you actually ate, my friend? Heather murmured. The puppy cocked his head again at the sound of her voice. He crouched, ready to flee if needed, willing to wait in case more treats were coming his way.

Of course, they were. Half coaxing, half bribing, Heather got the little boy all the way out to where she lay. Then she simply played dead and let his natural curiousity get the better of him. He sniffed her up and down, whining once, then he nosed her closed fingers. Heather smiled. When his tongue darted out to give her a cautious lick, she opened her fingers and let him lick the treat taste off her hand.

Ever so slowly, she lifted a single finger to stroke his coat. His fur twitched as if he were trying to flick off a fly, but he didn’t move away. Heather added a second finger and when he accepted that, she added a third. She smiled when he leaned into her caress, his little baby eyes slipping to half-mast. Those eyes popped open again when her fingers stilled. He studied her a moment, then must have come to a decision, because he pushed his nose into her hand, butting up against her as he did what he could to make his point.

You like that, do you?

Gently, she scratched behind his ears, her lips twitching up at the little whines of pleasure coming from the pup. He tilted his head into her fingers, then titled it the other direction as he offered her the other ear.

There was no way Heather could turn down an invitation like that one. Still rubbing him gently, she placed her other hand flat against the asphalt.

I’m going to sit up now, little one, she murmured.

She pressed down on her palm, bracing her weight as inch by slow inch she raised herself to a seated position beside the dog. He stiffened and she could feel him tremble slightly, but he didn’t move away. She kept her fingers stroking him and never stopped murmuring, and when she was finally seated all the way, his nose twitched as he sniffed the air between them. Slowly, creeping along so that he was almost slinking, the pup kept his belly to the ground and inched his way nearer. He crouched, ready to bolt, but his giant paws propelled him closer to Heather’s lap.

When his paw bumped her leg, his entire body began to quiver. Little whimpers escaped his throat. It was like his paws had a will of their own, though, because next thing she knew, first one, then the other front paw landed on her leg. She kept scratching him like nothing was happening, kept sitting like she had all day.

You’re doing great, my friend, she murmured, putting a little music into her tone. Her patience was rewarded when suddenly the rest of the pup followed his front paws. He climbed into her lap, then buried his nose into the v where her hip met her crotch. When he took a deep whiff, Heather’s eyebrows quirked up in amusement.

Nice to meet you, too, little man, she said, then felt the satisfaction all the way to the centre of her heart when the pup curled himself up in a comfortable little ball on her lap and lay his chin down on her thigh.

Heather let out a deep sigh. This, right here, was why she had given up practising law and now ran a little, always-in-need-of-funding animal rescue here in Sunrise Bay. Helping these injured creatures was so much more rewarding than her former life had been. This, right here, was what she was born to do.

The sound of little puppy snores grabbed her attention, and Heather looked down with pleasure at the bundle of fur in her lap. It never ceased to amaze her how quickly animals decided to trust. That was what made it such a crime, injuring these beautiful souls -- they never saw it coming. Animals gave their trust completely or not at all. People who abused that trust were the worst kinds of monsters, as far as Heather was concerned.

Was a rough ride, hey sweetheart?

And he, now that he felt safe enough, was sound asleep. It was the perfect time for her to do what she had to do next. Still, Heather hated to wake the little guy. The second she wrapped her arms around him and started to stand with him in her arms, he was going to wake, and it was likely to be a terrifying moment for him.

It had to be done. Carefully, she manoeuvred her arms into position, then tightened her grip just enough to keep the pup snugged safely against her chest as she got slowly and smoothly to her feet. He shocked her by taking the new activity in stride. He simply looked at her once, trust in his eyes, then buried his nose into her auburn hair as she rose.

Aren’t you a smart boy, Heather cooed, and slowly started walking to the beat-up white Ford truck she had been driving when the call came in from Georgina. Normally she would have been in her Nissan SUV -- and old as it was getting, that would have been a whole lot smoother ride home for the little guy -- but she’d been off picking up a load of hay from Fred Newton’s place this morning. So, it was the loud, bumpy Ford they’d have to rattle around in on their way home.

And speaking of bumps in the road, leaning against said beat-up Ford farm truck, his long legs crossed in front of him like some sort of GQ centrefold, stood the one man in this entire town Heather least wanted to see. With his square jaw, chin dimple, and stubbled cheeks, Ethan Blake might look like he’d just stepped off the pages of a magazine, but that meant nothing as far as Heather was concerned. Her eyes narrowed, her body stiffening that much more the nearer she got to her truck.

Ethan -- was he wearing a friging tux? -- made no move to straighten away from her vehicle. That only irritated Heather more. So did her stupid body’s dumbass reaction to the way his bowtie hung untied and dangling from his collar, the way his shirt was unbuttoned halfway down his body, his ripped abs peeking out at her imprudently. She wanted to run her tongue across every rock hard ridge of those abs. Then she wanted to plow her fist right into the centre of them. Where Ethan Blake was concerned, she considered both of those reactions perfectly reasonable.

What are you doing here?

The uninviting tone of her voice had the pup lifting his head off her shoulder and eyeing up Ethan. When a low rumbling growl slipped from his throat, Heather smiled.

Smart dog, she cooed, We don’t like the bad man. Don’t worry, he won’t hurt us.

Rolling his eyes, Ethan finally straightened away from the side of her truck. What was he doing here? He’d seen her from the road as he drove past on his way home from a night he regretted already. His eyes felt like someone had propped them open with toothpicks then turned a blow dryer up and fanned the heat directly into his retinas. His head felt like that same person had smashed him over the head with a baseball bat. And, if he didn’t get a greasy burger into his system soon, he was going to spew what remained of last night’s festivities all over Heather Moore’s pretty little cowboy boot clad feet.

Why was he here? Because when he’d seen her, alone and lying still as death on her side by the school portable, he’d been idiot enough to worry that she was hurt. Despite being deep in the grips of the mother of all hangovers, he’d stopped to help.

Idiot, he thought now. But, as always when he was in Heather’s company, he couldn’t seem to force himself to leave.

Another one of your strays?

The look she gave him would have withered the dicks of most men. Again, despite the hangover pulverising his brain, Ethan felt himself harden in response. Which also always seemed to happen in her company. Perversely, his body liked the utter cold shoulder she always offered.

Maybe it was the challenge. Maybe it was the way the irritation she always seemed to feel when he was around lit a passionate fire in her brown eyes. The sparks she zinged his way made him want to ignite her passions in other, far more pleasurable ways.

This is Einstein, Heather announced, marching past Ethan with barely a glance. And, she decided on the spot, Einstein was hers. She’d be keeping this pup.

You think that dog is smart? Ethan asked from right behind her. Since her hands were full, he reached around her and opened the truck’s passenger door. Like the gentleman they both knew he wasn’t.

He was smart enough to growl at you, Heather muttered, fluttering her eyelashes at him in faux sweetness that they both knew she didn’t mean.

The retort that was on the tip of his lips stayed there when Heather leaned into the cab of the truck. She slipped the pup from her arms and into the dog crate taking up half of the truck’s bench seat. The way she bent over as she latched up the side of the cage stretched the denim of her jeans over her sweet ass, and gave Ethan a first-class view of what was, in his opinion, one of her best features.

Even if he’d wanted to tell her so, there would have been zero chance because from the moment the pup left her arms, he set up a howling racket that was so plaintive, it made even Ethan want to comfort the little guy. Without even realizing it, Ethan leaned closer to the inside of the truck. When Heather backed out of the truck then turned around, she all but bumped up against his chest.

That worked fine for him, but she didn’t seem too pleased. Slapping the flat of her hand into the middle of his chest, she gave him a single, solid shove.

You’re in my way, Councillor.

His fingers wrapped around her wrist and held her hand in place. The feel of her hand against his chest had him smouldering, had his nerve endings sizzling as electricity surged between them. The lights in his own hazel eyes ignited as he looked down into her face. He had the strongest urge to trace the angry thrust of her chin with the tips of his fingers.

Maybe that’s exactly where I want to be.

He didn’t even realise he’d spoken the thought out loud until her eyes widened. For a split second she froze, and the air around them shimmered with energy. Then she jerked her arm and freed her hand from his loose grasp. The moment was gone.

Back off, Blake, she said, and ducked sideways so she could put space between them. He watched her march off around the tailgate of the truck, her boots tapping lightly against the pavement. She left him standing there holding her passenger door open like a fool, so he shut it and followed her around to her side of the Ford.

She’d already climbed in by the time he leaned his forearm against her open window.

You know, law school was a long time ago, Heather.

Yeah, and you’re still the same privileged jerk today that you were back then. She turned the key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. Turning her neck, she looked him straight in the eye. Get your arm off my truck, Ethan.

You know, I might be a privileged jerk, but you still haven’t learned how to say please.

Well, maybe I would, if you hadn’t just been ogling my ass. As it is… Raising one eyebrow, she gave his forearm a pointed glance, then she revved the truck’s engine.

In spite of himself, Ethan grinned. She had a fair point there. He most definitely had been looking. All she had to do was say the word, and he’d do a whole lot more than look, too, and he figured they both knew it. Now, he backed up and away from her truck without another word. She didn’t give him a chance to change his mind, just kicked the truck into reverse straight off. She didn’t look back, either, as she drove away.

Ethan watched as she manoeuvred the loaded truck down the road expertly. The blue tarp holding down her load of hay shivered slightly as she picked up speed. Behind him, the school bell rang, and Ethan jolted as his head protested the sudden clanging. Then he grinned.

Einstein. Amused, he shook his head. With a snort, he beeped the door lock open on his Porsche, and he slid his long legs inside.

Chapter Two

What the fuck was that?

Looking out of the bars of his cage at her with mournful eyes, Einstein didn’t answer.

That man is out of his mind.

Her irritated tone got a small whimper out of Einstein. In response, Heather squished the tips of her fingers into the bars of the cage so that the pup could give them a lick. Reassured, he cocked his head sideways and stared at her with a look in his eyes that would break a girl’s heart.

You’re looking at me the same way gran did right before she, ‘I-think-you-doth-protest-too-much-ed me.’ Heather gave the little dog a profound nod, then her expression grew thoughtful. Who was it that said that, anyway? Shakespeare? She nodded once more. I think it was Shakespeare.

With a startled laugh, her eyes jumped from the road to the crate when Einstein gave a single, sharp bark.

Well, okay, smartass, sure. I know you’re just a dog, and you can’t really answer me on this one. She wiggled her fingers enough that she could scratch him under the chin and was rewarded when his tail gave a quick thumping wag. Oh, Einstein.

She cooed his name and felt herself get all gooshy inside as his ears twerked back and forth at the sound of her voice.

You might not know literature, but you sure do know the way to a woman’s heart. Am I right, boy?

In response, his tongue slicked over her fingertips. Once again, Heather had to battle the urge to do violence to the lowlife who had harmed this little guy.

I love you already. She cranked the wheel of the truck and guided it onto the bumpy driveway which signalled they had almost reached their first stop. Just remember that later, because some parts of this day are going to be a challenge for you, my sweet friend.

Pulling the truck up beside a white clapboard farmhouse, Heather killed the engine, then hopped out and crunched her way over the gravel drive to Einstein’s side of the vehicle.

So, this, my handsome boy, is Billy’s place. We’re just gonna get him to take a quick peek at you before we head on home.

She smiled when Einstein gave a little, deep-throated wuff when she unfastened the cage door, then barely even shuddered when she reached inside to lift him out. He repeated his fuzzy bear pose once she had him in her arms, one of his paws stretching onto either of her shoulders and his face nose-deep into the shield of her hair. If all it had taken was a handful of treats and a few caresses to get this little guy to trust her so completely, maybe he really was a canine genius.

If she had been half as smart as the little baby in her arms, Heather would have married the long, rangy man standing on the front porch of the house by now. On paper, Billy Waters was the perfect man for her. Not only was he the town vet and good looking