You Belong with Me (Cupid's Bow Book 5) Read online

  You Belong with Me

  Cupid’s Bow - The Third Generation - Book 1

  Melissa Storm

  Contents

  Free Gift

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  A Word on Rescue Dogs

  Also by Melissa Storm

  About the Author

  © 2015, Partridge & Pear Press

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only; it may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

  Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or the author has used them fictitiously.

  Editor: Stevie Mikayne

  Cover & Graphics Designer: Mallory Rock

  Proofreader: Falcon Storm

  Partridge & Pear Press

  PO Box 72

  Brighton, MI 48116

  To Polo, Rugby, and Cricket—the dogs who so enrich my life.

  And to Falcon Storm—my husband, my love, my everything.

  Thank you for picking up your copy of You Belong with Me. I so hope you love it! As a thank you, I'd like to offer you a free gift. That's right, I've written a short story that's available exclusively to my newsletter subscribers. You'll receive the free story by email as soon as you sign up at www.MelStorm.com/Newsletter. I hope you'll enjoy both stories. Happy reading!

  Melissa

  Chapter 1

  The scrawny Rottweiler's eyes connected with Charlie's through the TV screen, begging her to save him. What if nobody else called in? What if she was his last chance at finding a home? Well, crap. She couldn't just let him die.

  Charlie grabbed her cell phone, called the local news station hosting the adoptable pets segment, and signed on the dotted line. Not once did she think she might be making a mistake. Not once did she consider the fact she'd been unable to commit to a man—or even a roommate—longer than two measly months.

  And now she planned to commit to a one-year-old canine coming straight out of a neglected past?

  Well, adventure had certainly found her, whether she'd asked for it or not.

  The rescue volunteers didn't ask her many questions before inviting her to visit the kennel and come pick him up. If they had, maybe she'd have changed her mind.

  She might have seen this as a move with the potential of becoming the biggest mistake of her entire life. Worse than the time she'd left mid-semester her junior year to travel to India in search of the answer to life. Worse than the time she'd gotten so caught up in the excitement of V for Vendetta she'd shaved her head in homage. Even worse than the time she'd practically eloped with a guy she'd only dated three weeks, because it seemed like a good and wildly romantic idea at the time.

  At least she'd talked herself out of that one.

  But what good did escaping one bad decision do, if she'd just replaced it with another by committing herself to a strange dog for—what?—ten years?

  Charlie took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. No going back now. She may have been impulsive, but she had a heart, darn it, and she wouldn't abandon a dog no one else wanted in the first place. Definitely too late to change her mind at this point.

  "Now or never," she said to the hula dancer figurine on her dashboard before grabbing her purse and slamming the car door behind her.

  "Oh, you must be Charlotte Rockwell." A volunteer with a sloppy button-up shirt and a way-too-large smile greeted her the second she entered the shelter.

  Charlie nodded, pretending her feet were one million pound weights gluing her to the linoleum floor below—the only way she'd be able to avoid making a break for it.

  "I'm Angela. Come on and follow me to the back." Her oversized smile grew even larger as she turned and trotted toward the back of the building.

  Charlie's eyes darted to the floor to check if Angela's shoes sported actual springs.

  "I'm sure Ruby told you everything you need to know when she stopped by for the home check, right?"

  She nodded, even though she didn't have the slightest idea who Ruby was. The woman certainly hadn't been by her house for a visit.

  "Perfect! Rugby's such a sweet boy once you get to know him. I'm so glad he's finally found a good home. You must be thrilled."

  Once you get to know him?

  What did that mean?

  She was this close to changing her mind and dashing straight out of there, but then they pushed through the large metal door to the kennel and Rugby glanced up at her with those same sad eyes that had melted her heart in the first place.

  She was screwed.

  "Hi, Rugby," Angela cooed. "Look who it is. Your new mommy's come to take you home. Who's a good boy? Yes, you are."

  Charlie sank to a squatting position and stuck her index finger through the metal fencing.

  Rugby stretched and raised himself into a sitting position. He sniffed her hand delicately and gave her a huge sloppy lick.

  "Oh, see. You two are perfect! Best buds already," Angela squealed. She rattled off a litany of instructions, shoved a folder of paperwork into one hand, and the leash to Charlie's new 115-pound baby in the other, and together dog and woman headed home.

  Will Porter stifled a laugh as he watched the petite blonde tear into the dog park at the end of her Rottweiler's leash. Hardly three seconds passed as they sprinted from the parking lot to the first entry gate.

  When the girl unhitched the second entry gate, her dog ran away at lightning speed, not even allowing her to remove his leash. Her eyes darted from side to side as if to make sure nobody had witnessed the mishap.

  Luckily, Will looked away before she could catch him staring. He allowed his gaze to settle on her again as she ran after her squatting dog with a plastic baggie cupped over her hand.

  Despite the circumstances, he couldn't ignore her beauty. Blond hair escaped from her ponytail and clung to her cheeks in tendrils. Her delicate lips and nose were balanced by huge brown eyes and thick lashes. She almost reminded him of....

  He snapped his attention away. Couldn't be thinking like that. Not today. He needed a distraction, and fast.

  "Tuck!"

  Will’s golden retriever jogged over and nuzzled his thigh.

  "Good boy." As he scratched the dog's head, he sensed her eyes on him, but he refused to look—refused to give her any reason to come over and start a conversation. When had he become such a bitter old man?

  He was hardly thirty—way too young to write off the opposite sex altogether. He should still be in his party phase, flirting with any pretty girl who happened to look his way, taking as many of them to bed as possible. But, no, he wasn't like that—even though he often wished he were. Would have saved him the heartache of....

  He grabbed the ball Tuck had dropped at his feet and hurled it toward the horizon as hard as he could. The dog raced after it in a blur of golden fur and pounding feet.

  Too late, he noticed the massive black blur moving i
n on the ball from the opposite side of the park.

  "Rugby, no!" the blonde girl screamed, but her reprimand fell on deaf ears.

  The two dogs reached the ball at the exact same time. The Rottweiler bared his teeth, a low growl emanating from his throat, but Tuck wouldn't back down. The poor dog didn't even realize what was about to happen. Why would he? He'd never run into such an aggressive, undertrained beast before.

  Tuck barked an invitation for the other dog to play, and Will took off running to save his poor, over-trusting pet from the inevitable fight.

  The hairs on the back of the Rottweiler's back bristled. His growl grew louder, and he lunged.

  "Rugby, no!" The girl raced toward the dogs.

  Tuck whimpered and ran back to Will, but the other dog slinked after him with a predatory gait.

  "Hey, lady. How about controlling your dog?" he spat.

  The blonde grabbed the end of the leash that was still attached to her dog and pulled him back. "I'm so sorry. I...." A sudden onslaught of tears overwhelmed her words.

  Great.

  Now Will felt like a bigger monster than her stupid dog.

  "Hey, it's okay. Tuck's just fine. No harm done." He patted the dog's head and turned toward the other side of the park, but before he could gain much distance, she spoke again.

  "Really, I'm sorry. I've only had Rugby for a few days, and I don't have a clue what I’m doing. I thought if I brought him here, I'd see how more experienced people act with their dogs. Maybe learn a thing two. I don’t know.” She sniffed back a tear and stared up at him with large, brown eyes—eyes far too familiar for his liking.

  Why did she get such a difficult breed if she knows nothing about taking care of a dog? Will couldn't help but wonder. Still, he felt like he should offer something helpful before parting ways.

  "Good luck with your training. Try watching The Dog Whisperer maybe."

  His hold on her eyes broke when Rugby stood on his hind legs to lick the tears from his owner's face.

  She chuckled and gently pushed the Rottweiler back on all fours, then wiped the slobber from her cheeks with the backs of her hands. Turning serious again, she said, "Thanks, I will, but... I just don't know what to do. I'm his last chance. The shelter had him for weeks. He even appeared on the adoptable pet segment of the news three separate times. Nobody wanted him except me. If I can't make it work, I'm practically signing his death warrant."

  Will frowned. What could he say to that?

  "Hey, your dog is really well-behaved. Maybe you can help us?"

  Crap. He didn't want to spend time with a girl who reminded him way too much of the woman who'd turned him off love altogether, but at the same time, he couldn't refuse if it meant saving the dog's life.

  "I—I'll pay. I'll pay whatever it takes. Only, please help us." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and offered a weak smile.

  "Okay, sure," he gave in. "And don't worry, you don't have to pay me anything." He didn't return her smile. He couldn't let her think he was doing this for any other reason than to save the dog.

  "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much!" She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "You have no idea how much you're helping me. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

  Warmth spread through Will's body. He took a deep breath and let his arms go slack. She's just a girl, he reminded himself. Just a girl.

  "I'm Charlotte by the way. Friends call me Charlie." She released him from the hug and tucked a strand of hair behind her other ear.

  "Will." He drew a business card from his wallet. "Call me, and we'll set something up."

  As soon as she accepted the card, he retreated to the other side of the park and tried not to think about how her touch had stirred something deep within him.

  A girl. Just a girl.

  Chapter 2

  Something foul pricked at the inside of Charlie's nostrils as she headed downstairs the next morning. Realization hit her like a leaping salmon to the face.

  "Aww, Rugby! You couldn't have waited five minutes?" She fanned her hand in front of her face to keep from gagging at the sight—and stench—of the dark spot quickly spreading across the living room carpet.

  Rugby sat proudly near his puddle, his tongue lolling from the side of his gaping maw.

  "They told me you were potty-trained." She shuffled to the kitchen to retrieve a mass of cleaning supplies. I have no idea what I'm doing, she thought for the millionth time as the white paper towels turned yellow.

  The dog came over to examine her progress. She must not have been doing it satisfactorily, because he barked and dropped his Kong toy right into the middle of the mess.

  "Ouch!" Charlie cried when the hard rubber made contact with her knuckles. "Bad dog!"

  Rugby continued with his stupid, open-mouthed smile, not the least bit concerned for her throbbing hand or ruined Saturday morning.

  She remembered Will's business card tucked snugly into the pocket of the jeans she'd been wearing yesterday. He'd seemed really uncomfortable about her request for help, and she'd planned to let him off the hook—but she needed the help more than she needed to avoid making some random guy uncomfortable.

  What time was it anyway? Charlie's eyes darted around the room until they connected with the antique Tuscan clock over the mantel—a souvenir from her vacation earlier that summer. Ten o'clock. Probably too early to phone a stranger who clearly didn't want her to call.

  Oh, so much for common courtesy. Desperation forced Charlie to throw any semblance of politeness aside. After finishing up with the carpet and washing her hands for two solid minutes, she grabbed her iPhone and punched in Will's cell number.

  "Hello?" His voice sounded muffled as wind whipped into the receiver.

  "Will?"

  "Yeah. Who's this?" The wind quieted, and he inhaled a heavy breath of air.

  "This is Charlie. We met at the dog park."

  "Oh, right. You had the Rottweiler with the attitude problem."

  She glanced down at Rugby who laid his head on her knee and looked up at her with those irritatingly adorable eyes.

  "Hey! He's not a bad dog."

  Rugby pulled away, leaving a glistening string of saliva stuck to her pajama leg. Ewww.

  Charlie laughed. "Okay. Maybe he's a little bad, but he doesn't mean to be. He just needs some TLC and someone who knows what he's doing with the whole obedience thing."

  Will's voice softened on the other end of the line. "So you still need my help?"

  "Oh, gosh, yes. Please, please help. I'm begging you. The lady at the shelter said he was potty trained, but this morning he peed on the carpet, and he drooled all over me, and he smashed his toy into my hand, and I can't take him outside without being dragged down the block at light speed, and I feel like—"

  "Charlie, slow down."

  Her name spilling from his lips caught her attention in a way she liked.

  "Can you meet me out by Flattop this afternoon at two?”

  "Yes, we'll be there. Thank you so much."

  They hung up and she let out a sigh of relief.

  "Well, Rugby, looks like we've got a few hours to kill. What do you want to do?"

  In response, the dog lay down with his head on his paws and closed his eyes, leaving Charlie to find her own means of entertainment.

  Will stared at his cell phone until the screensaver cut out. Why did he have to be so outrageously chivalrous? Always the guy to rescue the damsel-in-distress and save the day. Of course, what he needed didn't matter one bit.

  Not only did Charlie's striking resemblance to Ashlee make his innards contract with pain, but he actually needed to catch up on work today. Guess he'd be staying up late.

  Tuck whined at his side.

  "I'm sorry, buddy. Looks like our jog is over for the day."

  The dog fell into step beside him as he turned toward their home.

  On second thought, Will clicked his phone back to life and scrolled through his recent call history until he found the n
ame he wanted.

  Brad answered on the third ring. "What's up?"

  Will didn't want to talk about Charlie. That would mean drawing this whole ordeal out way more than necessary. He'd just meet her at the trail today, teach her how to handle her dog, and it would all be over—just like that. He could find a different dog park, even.

  "Out for a walk with Tuck before catching up with work. How's Amelia? How are the girls?"

  "They're great, man, but they miss you. When are we going to see you again?"

  Will sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He and Brad had been best friends since junior high. They'd grown up together, done everything together—that is, until Brad got married, started a family, and left Will in the dust. Sure, he tried to make time, but the responsibilities of being a father were many, and Will didn't want his godchildren missing out on time with their daddy for his benefit.

  "Are you doing anything next weekend?" Brad prodded. "Why don't you come over and help me do some grillin'?"

  "That sounds great. I'll bring the burgers and brats."

  "You're on." Brad fell silent for a moment. "Anything you wanted to talk about?"

  Will didn't hesitate. "No, just wanted to take a minute to catch up. Tuck and I are home. I'll see you next weekend."

  "Bye."

  He ended the call and jammed the phone in his pocket. He and Tuck were nowhere near home, but he knew if he talked with Brad any longer, he'd mention Charlie. The last thing Will needed was Brad giving him the third degree next weekend, because by then, Charlie would be long gone from his life.

  Although she wasn't particularly looking forward to spending an afternoon with Will, two o'clock couldn't come fast enough for Charlie—or for Rugby. In the meantime, he ate through the side of the food bag she'd left propped against the laundry room wall. Before she realized her mistake, the thirty-five pound bag of food was down to twenty-five, tops.

  She groaned and used the baby gate to confine him to the kitchen, just in case it all came up again. While life with a dog may have been a huge commitment, it certainly wasn't boring.