Breaking Ties by Elle James

Chapter 2

The man’slips curved into a crooked grin, and he nodded. “Yes, they call me Dawg, for the lack of any other name more interesting. Doug…Dawg… They sound about the same…and I do have a dog. I think I’m one of the few members of our team who does.”

Beth tilted her head, strangely open to talking to this stranger who hadn’t hit her with a weary pickup line first thing. “What do you do with your dog when you’re deployed? Leave him at boarding kennel or a shelter for months at a time?”

He shook his head. “No way. Chewy wouldn’t make it in one of those places.”

“Is he too aggressive?”

Dawg chuckled. “Yes, but that’s not why. He has severe separation anxiety and is afraid of thunderstorms, vehicles backfiring and squirrels burping in the night. I keep a prescription of Xanax on hand at all times.”

“What is he, a German Shepherd, pit bull or lab?” Beth asked.

Dawg laughed, his cheeks turning a ruddy red. “Hardly. The little dude only weighs eight pounds. He’s some kind of Yorkie, chihuahua mix as far as the vet can guess. He’s all black, perky ears and fuzzy with a whole lot of attitude.”

Beth grinned. “Not what I pictured you with. How did you come to be the owner of such a small dog?”

Dawg smiled down at his glass of whiskey. “I’m not sure I’m actually his owner. I really think it’s the other way around. He owns me.”

“How did you find him?”

“I didn’t. He found me.” Dawg took another sip of his whiskey. “He was wandering around on the street near my house. He ended up making a little den beneath one of the bushes in front of my house and slept there at night. One morning I came out, and this little creature darted out from the bushes. Scared the daylights out of me. I thought he was a rat.”

“As small as he was, I’m sure he looked like one,” Beth said.

“Yes, he did. But he wasn’t eight pounds then. He was only three pounds. All skin, bones and fur. Not much more than a puppy. He was covered in fleas. It took me a week sitting out on the porch in the evening with a bowl of dog food before he’d get close enough for me to reach out and touch him. It took another week before he let me pet him. After that, he moved right in. I treated his fleas, worms and every other parasite that was feasting on his little body. I put him on a diet of healthy food. That little rat ballooned up to eight pounds within a few months. And he sticks to me like glue.”

Beth had hoped to be left alone. But after listening to Dawg talk about his little Yorkie mix, she was at ease with the man. He hadn’t asked her any questions about herself; he hadn’t hit on her or tried to get into her pants. This man really did care for his dog. She found that kind of adorable.

“If he suffers such terrible separation anxiety, what do you do with him when you go out to eat or have to work during the day?”

“He sleeps all day while I’m at work. I have a pet cam set up in my house so I can watch out for him during the day while I’m gone. When I go out at night or when I’m deployed, he stays with my next door neighbor. She feeds him treats and lets him sleep with her at night.”

Up to that point, Beth had been enchanted with the big, tough Delta who had a thing for his rescue dog. The mention of another woman gave her pause. “She must be a good friend,” Beth said, “to take your dog at the drop of a hat.”

Dawg nodded. “She is. And I think she enjoys having Chewy come visit, since she lives alone. She’s dog sitting now.”

Not that it was any of her business, but Beth had to ask, “Why didn’t you bring her with you?”

Dawg’s brow wrinkled. “Chewy or my neighbor?”

Beth shrugged, trying to look like she didn’t really care, though she did…strangely. “Both or either.”

“Chewy gets nervous in crowded environments. Sometimes he gets so nervous, he pees on people.”

Beth couldn’t help the smile that tilted her lips.

“My neighbor doesn’t get out much. At eighty years old, she’d be worn out pretty quickly in a bar. Although I don’t think the noise would bother her.” He grinned. “She’s mostly deaf.”

Feeling suddenly happier, Beth smiled. “Being deaf would be an advantage in this place.” She sipped the last of her beer before she realized she’d drank the whole mug while Dawg had been talking. She was actually glad Dawg hadn’t tried to pick her up.

The man glanced down at his watch and looked around at the folks there for the hail and farewell. “I guess I better make my rounds. I can’t keep Mrs. Doherty too late. I want to pick up Chewy.” He held out an elbow. “Would you care to make my rounds with me? I’d appreciate an excuse to be leaving earlier than anyone else. The guys give me hell for going home to my dog.”

“And how would I be an excuse to leave early?” Beth’s eyes rounded. “You want to tell your friends that we’re leaving together?”

Dawg gave her a crooked grin. “Come to think of it…” Then he shook his head. “Never mind. My apologies for insulting you. Did you ride with Nora?”

She dipped her head. “I did. But I told her I’d hire a car to get me home.”

“So, are you leaving now?”

She smiled and nodded. “I think so. After I make my rounds.”

Dawg shook his head. “I take it you didn’t really want to come to this shindig.”

Beth nodded.

“Is this kind of event not your thing?”

Beth lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “No, it’s not that. It’s just that she’s trying to get me back into the dating scene. I’m just not ready.”

Doug winced. “Bad break up?”

She shrugged. “Not really.”

“Did he dump you?” Before she could answer his eyes widened. “No, he cheated on you.”

“Not really,” she said.

His brow furrowed. “How can somebody not really cheat on you?”

Beth smiled. “He didn’t cheat on me with another woman.”

Dawg grinned. “Did he cheat on you with another man?”

“No,” Beth said, giving him a mock glare. “He didn’t cheat on me. He just chose his career over our relationship.”

“Sounds like a Delta.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “We have to go when the boss tells us. I guess that means you and me getting together is out of the question.”

“No,” Beth said.

Dawg grinned. “No, you and me aren’t out of the question, or no, he wasn’t a Delta?”

She laughed. “No, he didn’t leave me high and dry except when he deployed. And I was okay with him deploying. Just not volunteering to deploy two weeks before our wedding.”

“Curiouser and curiouser,” Dawg said with narrowed eyes. “He volunteered? He obviously didn’t deserve you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Beth said. “We broke up months ago.”

“But you’re still not over him if you’re off in a corner thinking about him.”

She tilted her head, wondering why she was opening up to this stranger. But she was. “I don’t know if it’s him I’m not over, or the idea of getting married I’m not getting over. I saw myself getting married before I turned thirty.” She raised a hand. “I know…it’s old fashioned of me, but I believe in getting married before having children. And I want children some day before I’m too old.”

“You have a lot of time left, sweetheart.” Dawg frowned. “You’re not going to be thirty for another four or five years.”

She snorted. “One and a half years. I’ll be twenty-nine on my next birthday. I feel my biological clock ticking like a timebomb.”

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to pry into your life, and you didn’t have to tell me your age.” He shook his head. “You’re practically ancient.”

She swatted at his arm. “You’re not helping my ego.”

“Sorry, I didn’t think women got touchy about their age until they were into their dotage…their forties.”

Beth tipped her chin up. “Forty is still young.”

“The way you talk, life is practically over after you turn thirty.”

“I didn’t say I’d get old after thirty. But a woman’s most productive years are in her twenties,” Beth said.

“And many women have children into their forties,” he countered.

“And many women find they can’t have children in their thirties. I want them.” She grinned. “Now, doesn’t that scare you away? A woman who wants to be married, have children and a full, satisfying career?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. I admire a woman who wants it all.”

She sighed. “Well, my ex-fiancé didn’t admire those attributes enough to stick around for the wedding.”

“If you’re ready to leave, I’ll give you a ride home. Of course, after my rounds of hailing and farewelling.” He held up his hands. “No worries. No strings attached. I won’t even hit on you… Unless you want me to.” He waggled his brows. “I might even invite you to meet my dog. Chewy might have separation anxiety, but he’s a lover. He loves everybody. We can share a bowl of water and kibble with him, if you like.”

“Now that might be an offer I can’t refuse. After your description of Chewy, I think I like your dog more than you at this point.”

“Ouch.”

“And I do admire a man who isn’t afraid to love his dog.” Her lips quirked. “All eight pounds of him.”

He nodded. “I do love my dog. So, what’ll it be?”

“Thank you. I’d love a ride home. And I might like the idea of using the excuse of leaving with you to get me out of staying here until Nora’s ready to go. I wasn’t too happy about calling on a stranger to give me a ride home.”

“If you need someone to vouch for me, you can ask Rucker, Nora’s fiancé, about the nature of my character. We go back a long way.”

“Strangely enough, I trust you.” She slipped her hand through his arm and let him lead her across the floor to the group Deltas and the women who belonged with some of them.

Dawg shook hands with a man Beth hadn’t met before and congratulated him on his separation from the military. “Mustang, what’s this I hear you’re going to work for that security group out of Montana?”

Mustang nodded. “I met Navy SEAL, Hank Patterson, in Afghanistan when the Deltas and the SEALs had a joint mission to take care of some bad guys. He heard I was getting out and contacted me.”

“Nice to know you have work in the civilian sector. At least you won’t have to pound the pavement looking for a job.” Dawg patted the man’s shoulder. “And keep me in mind for when my time comes to leave the military.”

Mustang nodded. “I’ll let Hank know you’re interested.”

“Thanks.”

Beth smiled at Mustang and congratulated him before moving on to other members of Dawg’s team, including Rucker.

Nora raised an eyebrow and stared pointedly at Beth’s hand curled around Dawg’s elbow.

Dawg stepped back and waved a hand toward Beth. “You all know Beth, Nora’s friend.”

The men nodded, and the women smiled.

“She helped out at the last barbecue we had at Rucker’s place,” one of the women said. She held out her hand. “I’m Sophie,” she said. “When I’m not hanging out with Blade,” she patted the man’s arm she was leaning on, “I’m working here with Sarge.”

“I remember you,” Beth said with a smile and took the woman’s hand, giving it a firm shake.

“I want the name of the spice you put on the kabobs,” Sophie said. “They were so good.”

Beth grinned. “I’ll text you the name of it when I get back to my apartment.” She spoke to a few others of the women while Dawg talked and joked with his friends.

“Well, I hate to break up the party,” Dawg said at last. “I need to get home to my dog.”

Rucker shook his head. “I thought you found a dog sitter for Chewy.”

Dawg nodded. “I did. But she likes to go to bed by nine o’clock.”

“Are you leaving too?” Nora asked Beth.

Beth nodded. “Dawg offered to drop me off at my place.”

Nora frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?”

“No,” Beth smiled. “I’m tired.”

Nora’s gaze shot from Beth to Dawg and back, a smile curling her lips. “Well, enjoy the ride and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Beth’s cheeks heated. She wanted to say she wasn’t planning on doing anything but didn’t want to draw any more attention to herself and Dawg as they left. It wasn’t like she was going home with Dawg. He would drop her off at her place and that would be the end of the evening, unless she decided to meet his dog.

Nora hugged her close and whispered, “Dawg’s a good guy.”

Beth whispered back, “I’m going home…alone.”

“Uh-huh.” Nora grinned and stepped back into Rucker’s arms. “Just have fun.”

Dawg held out his hand.

Beth placed hers in his and a little jolt of electricity rippled up her arm and spread throughout her body.

They left the Salty Dog Saloon together.

Despite her determination to remain unfazed by Nora’s suggestive glances and words, Beth couldn’t help a little shiver of something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Desire.

And she’d barely even thought about her ex-fiancé all evening. What did that mean?

It meant the night held all kinds of possibilities. Too bad he was taking her home first.

Dawg ledBeth across the parking lot to his four-wheel-drive pickup and held the door for her while she climbed up the running board and into the passenger seat. Once she was seated and had secured her belt, he rounded the front of the truck, feeling lighter on his feet than he had in a long time. He suspected it was because of the woman he was taking home…to her apartment.

She wasn’t like some of the other women who hung out at the Salty Dog Saloon, hoping to snag a Delta and willing to do anything to get one. They didn’t know what they were getting into until the Delta shipped out for months at a time, sometimes with little communication to those back home. Those relationships rarely lasted.

Dawg was tired of the games. Beth had been a breath of fresh air. She’d listened when he’d gone on about his dog and had even sounded interested.

“Do you mind if we get Chewy first and get him settled at my house before I take you home?” he asked. “I wasn’t kidding when I said my dog sitter goes to bed at nine o’clock.”

“Why should I mind? I’m not in a hurry, and I’m glad to leave the noise. Besides, you’re doing me a favor by taking me home.” Beth smiled. “And after all you’ve told me about your little guy, I’m interested in meeting him.”

He grinned. “Good. We’ll get Chewy, settle him in at my house and then I can take you to your place.”

“Chewy sounds like quite the character.”

Dawg smiled. “Oh, he is. He’s like my kid. I hate to be deployed and leave him behind. But it’s my job.” He sighed. “In fact, we’re due to deploy three days from now. We haven’t been back long. I like to spend as much time as I can with Chewy before I leave again. Thankfully, Mrs. Doherty will be here for my guy while I’m gone.”

“You’re pretty dedicated to the little guy, aren’t you?” she said.

“I am. He needed me about the same time as I needed him,” Dawg’s smile faded. “We lost one of our teammates on a mission. I was feeling pretty low. Having someone to care for helped me stop feeling sorry for myself. I had something else to focus on besides my grief.”

“I get that,” Beth said quietly. “When my father died suddenly from a heart attack, I was inconsolable. Until my mother took me to get a puppy. Bitty helped me through that time. She was a good little dog.”

“What kind?” he asked.

Beth shrugged. “Poodle and something else. Mostly poodle with all her curly dark hair. We got her from a shelter. Someone had dumped her in a field. Thankfully, she was brought to the shelter soon after, and we found her there. She was with me through high school and came with me to college. Sadly, she passed away during my senior year. I joined the Army shortly after I graduated with my nursing degree.” She laughed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to go on about myself.”

“No, I’m glad you did. I did all the talking in the bar and didn’t let you say much so that I could get to know you.” He grinned across at her. “I like that you like dogs. That says a lot about you.”

“Like what?”

“That you care about something or someone other than yourself.” He reached across the console and took her hand. “Thank you for being you.”

She squeezed his hand. “I don’t think I’d be riding with you now if not for all your talk about Chewy.”

He laughed out loud. “I see how it is. You like my dog more than you like me, and you haven’t even met him yet.”

Beth chuckled. “All your talk about your dog says a lot about you as a man. You have the ability to care about others, even small stray dogs.” Her gaze went to where their hands were joined.

Dawg thought she might pull free of his grasp, but she didn’t. Instead, she let him continue to hold her hand as she stared at the road in front of them.

He drove the rest of the way to his house, pulled into the driveway and parked the truck. “I hope Mrs. Doherty didn’t give up on me.” He came around to her side of the truck and helped her down.

When she was on the ground, he touched a hand to the small of her back, turned her toward the little house beside his, hurried to the front door and rang the doorbell.

The sound of a dog barking made him smile.

Beth smiled too. “I take it that’s Chewy.”

He nodded as the door opened and a small, white-haired woman who couldn’t be even five feet tall opened the door with a dog in her arms.

“Oh, good,” she said. “Chewy and I were just about to go to bed.”

“I’m sorry I was a little late, Mrs. Doherty,” Dawg said. “But I can take that little rat off your hands now.”

She hugged Chewy and held the wiggly creature out toward Dawg. “He was a perfect angel.”

Dawg cocked an eyebrow. “Chewy? An angel?” He snorted. “What did he get into?”

The old woman cackled. “My crochet yarn. He had it strung out all over the living room while I was making supper in the kitchen.” She shook her head. “I have to remember to puppy proof my house before he comes again.” Her white eyebrows rose. That’s in three days, isn’t it?”

Dawg nodded. “Yes. Are you still good for keeping Chewy?”

She nodded. “You bet.”

Dawg took Chewy from Mrs. Doherty’s arms, leaned in and gave the woman a peck on the cheek. “Thank you for taking care of the kid.”

She smiled. “Any time. I’m looking forward to having him for a few weeks.”

“Hopefully, that will be all it is for this deployment,” Dawg said.

“Don’t you worry if it’s longer,” Mrs. Doherty said. “We’ll get along just fine.”

“I appreciate that.” He hugged Chewy. “It makes me feel better knowing I can leave him with someone I know and who cares about him.”

The older woman reached out and patted the dog’s head. “Chewy and I are pals. You know I’m always here if you need someone to give him a forever home.” She grinned. “For however long that is.”

“You’re going to live to be more than one hundred years old,” Dawg said.

Mrs. Doherty snorted. “Sweetie, I don’t know if I want to live that long.”

“You might not want to live that long, but I sure would like it if you did.”

She reached up and patted his cheek. “You’re a good boy, Doug.”

He smiled. “Thank you. It’s nice to know someone cares.”

Mrs. Doherty yawned, covering her mouth. “Oh, my. Excuse me. My bed is calling. I’m not as young as you two are.” She reached out a hand to Beth. “And by the way, I’m Ruth Doherty. And you are?”

Beth chuckled. “I’m Beth Drennan. Dawg is giving me a ride home.”

The older woman squeezed Beth’s hand. “He’s nice like that. I’d throw my hat in the ring for him if I was a few years younger.” She winked.

Dawg winced, his cheeks heating. “Good night, Mrs. Doherty.”

“It was nice to meet you,” Beth added.

“You too, dear,” the older woman said. “And, please, be nice to my neighbor. He’s a good guy. You can’t go wrong with the boy.” She stepped backward into her house, smiled, waved and closed the door between them.

Dawg cupped Beth’s elbow and led her across the grass to his house. He pulled the keys from his pocket, inserted it into the door lock, turned the handle and opened the door.

Dawg switched on the living room light.

Chewy immediately wiggled so much that Dawg nearly dropped him.

Dawg set the Yorkie-chihuahua mix on the floor.

Chew scurried away, heading straight for the kitchen and his food bowl.

“He thinks every time his bowl is empty he’s going to starve to death.”

Beth chuckled. “A justifiable fear, considering where he came from.” She stepped through the door ahead of him.

Dawg closed the door behind him. “I’ll only be a minute. I need to fill Chewy’s food bowl and make sure he has plenty of water. “I know I’ll only be gone for a few minutes, but an empty bowl only adds to his separation anxiety.”

Beth smiled. “By all means, take care of you dog. I can wait. I’m not in a hurry.”

“Can I get you something to drink while you’re waiting. Coffee, tea a beer?”

She laughed. “No beer, please. Actually, a cup of hot tea would be nice. I’m surprised you keep tea on hand.”

He shrugged. “I never used to be a tea drinker until I deployed a few times and drank tea with the locals in country. I found it to be very calming.”

Beth nodded. “Me, too.”

“I’ll put the pot on stove. You can have a seat at the table…” When she continued to wander around his living room, his lips pressed together. “Or not.”

His kitchen, living and dining room was open concept.

As Dawg filled the teapot full of water, his gaze followed Beth’s movements as she walked around his furniture. He set the pot on the stove.

Being a bachelor, Dawg wasn’t much into fine home décor or room makeovers. What he had purchased for his house was purely functional. Couch, a coffee table he used as his dining table, a television propped up on concrete blocks and two-by-six planks of white pine. The only splash of color in the room was a crocheted pillow on one corner of the couch.

When Beth’s gaze landed on it, she turned and grinned. “Mrs. Doherty?”

Dawg nodded. “It was a Christmas gift.”

“It’s lovely,” Beth said.

“Thank you,” Dawg said. “I’m kind of partial to it. So far, Chewy hasn’t chewed it up. He wasn’t quite as much of a puppy as I thought he was. I got him plenty of rawhide to chew on when he went through the baseboard chewing phase. He’s really a good little dog, other than the tendency to bark a lot.”

The dog in question stood beside his food bowl, looking up at Dawg expectantly.

“I know,” Dawg said. “I’m getting food.” He reached beneath the counter below the sink, pulled out a bag of dog food and shook some into the bowl. Dawg pulled a carton of chicken broth out of the refrigerator and poured it over the dog food.

Chewy sniffed the contents of the bowl, ate a couple of bites then crawled into is fuzzy dog bed.

Dawg glanced across to where she stood in the living room, a smile on her face.

“See?” Doug lifted his hands, palms upward. “It’s not that he’s hungry.”

“In this case, he’s not anxious. He’s food insecure,”

With a smile, Dawg tipped his head toward Chewy’s bowl. “He deserves to get the royal treatment.”

“He’s a lucky dog now that he has you.”

“And with Mrs. Doherty as backup,” Dawg added. “I’m fortunate to have her as a neighbor.”

“Yes, you are,” Beth said with a smile. “It’s like she’s Chewy’s grandmother.”

Dawg grinned. “That’s exactly how I feel. But then I feel like she’s my grandmother as well.”

Beth’s smile broadened. “She’s old enough to be.”

“Yes,” Dawg said. “But I don’t tell her that. It might hurt her feelings. Besides, you heard her…she’s sweet on me.”

“Yes, she is,” Beth said. “And she wants you to be happy. She warned me to be nice to you.”

Dawg’s eyes widened. “She did?”

Beth nodded. “Does she say that to all the ladies you bring home?”

He shook his head. “I’ve never taken a woman to meet Mrs. Doherty. In fact, I don’t bring women to my house. You’re the only one I’ve brought to meet her.”

“Should I feel honored?” Beth asked.

“Absolutely,” he said.

“And I got to see the infinitely entertaining Chewy.”

Upon hearing his name, Chewy got up out of his bed and trotted over to where Beth stood in the living room, as if remembering he hadn’t greeted her properly.

Beth kneeled down, pulling the skirt of her short dress down over her thigh. “That’s right. I got to meet this handsome boy.” She ruffled the dog’s ears.

Chewy leaned into her fingers and tipped his head up, closing his eyes as if in ecstasy.

“Told you he was a lover.” Dawg’s pulse climbed at the expanse of skin exposed. He gulped and glanced away. Beth made a pretty picture, smiling and petting his dog, but he couldn’t watch without feeling a little jealous of the attention she was giving the mixed-breed mutt.

“I think he likes me,” Beth said.

“Yes, you’ve scored points with him. He loves having his ears scratched. He probably has memories of when I found him. He had ear mites. The other parasites I had the vet treat him for.” Dawg held up his hands. “It’s okay. He doesn’t have them anymore. He just loves having his ears scratched.”

“He appears well taken care of. I don’t mind scratching his ears. The dog I grew up with loved having her ears scratched.” She straightened and entered the kitchen.

Chewy trotted along behind her. When she stopped, he stopped.

“What can I do to help?” she asked.

He smiled and looked down at the dog behind her. “You have a friend.”

“Best kind of friend there is,” she said with a smile. “I’d get a dog, but I’m kind of afraid to. I live in an apartment, and I don’t have the neighbor you have, who would gladly dog sit for me when I’m deployed. Besides, being in an apartment isn’t fair to a dog. He’d need a yard to run and play in.”

“That’s part of the reason I have a house instead of downsizing to an apartment. I really think I was meant to have Chewy. A friend of mine sold me this place. It was a fixer upper. He’d started the work, but was transferred to another post. He needed to find someone who could recognize that it had good bones and someone who had the skills and commitment to see it through completion.”

“And that person was you? Were you always skilled at carpentry?” Beth asked.

“I worked one summer as a carpenter’s assistant on a couple of building sites. I learned enough to get by. Everything else I looked up on the internet.” He grinned. “You can find just about any do-it-yourself project on video. Thankfully, the electricity and plumbing had already been done. I refinished the wood floors to their original glory. The bathrooms got all new fixtures and tile, and I replaced all the windows with double-pane windows.”

Beth shook her head. “Sounds like it cost a fortune.”

“The supplies cost, but the labor was free. I have a lot of sweat equity in the place. I painted the inside and the outside.”

Beth nodded toward the walls of the living room. “I like the color. It’s neutral. Anything can go in this room.”

Dawg laughed. “You should have seen the colors in here before I started. The place had been built in the seventies. Everything was still in the original color palette…avocado greens and golds. The carpet hiding the wooden floors was a threadbare burnt orange shag.”

Beth winced. “Yikes.”

“I tore out the cabinets in the kitchen and those overhanging the bar, making it more open-concept. I had granite counters installed and did the tilework on the backsplash myself.” He waved a hand toward the kitchen wall.

“It’s all so nice, crisp and clean. Like a whole new house,” Beth commented. “Not many people would take on such a huge project.”

He shrugged. “I did it in between deployments over the past year and a half. Chewy got used to all the noise and could sleep through almost anything…as long as I was still there. My pride and joy is the deck I built out back. Now, I enjoy sitting outside under an umbrella while Chewy plays in the yard. The furniture I get the most use out of is the table and chair set on the deck. That, and the umbrella makes sitting outside under the hot Texas sun bearable.” He stared out the back window beyond the living room. “If I was here more often, I’d consider putting in a pool. Chewy likes to swim. I’ve taken him out to the lake several times. He gets right in and paddles around.”

The pot on the stove whistled.

Dawg retrieved a couple of mugs from the cabinet and set them on the counter. He placed a tea bag in each and poured steaming water over them. “Cream or sugar?” he asked.

“You have cream?” she asked.

“I do. I like it in my coffee on occasion. Usually, I drink it black as I’m running out the door.”

Beth smiled. “I take my tea without sugar or cream. I’m not much of a coffee drinker. I learned to drink it when deployed, as it’s easier to find than tea.”

“True.” Dawg handed her the mug. “Careful. It’s hot.” He carried his mug to the table, set it down and held a chair for her, scooting it in as she sat.

Beth wrapped her hands around the mug and stared at the dog now lying in his bed. “Chewy’s a special pup.”

Dawg nodded. “Yes, he is. I hate that I have to leave him again so soon.”

“Do you know where you’re going?” Beth asked.

He nodded. “But I can’t say where.”

“I understand,” Beth said.

Dawg found it refreshing to find a woman who knew what it was like to deploy, and the secrecy necessary to keep the team and their mission safe.

She reached across the table for his hand. When he took hers, she said, “I wish you luck.”

“Thanks.” He squeezed her hand gently. “I don’t suppose you’d go out for a cup of tea with me?”

She laughed. “I’m having one now.”

He gave her lopsided grin. “Right. But I mean tomorrow. I’d ask you out to dinner, but that might be too much of a commitment for someone trying to avoid a relationship right now.”

She nodded. “True…but a girl has to eat, and it would be nice to have company while doing so. Tomorrow night?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Dawg nodded. “Unfortunately, I’m on a tight schedule and shipping out soon.”

“I can do tomorrow night,” she said.

“Great. I can pick you up at six-thirty, if that’s all right.”

“Sounds good.”

Chewy opened an eye, rolled onto his back and closed the eye again.

“We should be going,” Dawg said. “I need to get you back to your place so you can get some rest.”

“The tea was wonderful,” Beth said, sipping once more.

“It’s just plain black breakfast tea. Nothing fancy or flavored.”

“My kind of tea,” Beth said. “I don’t like the ones with all the flavors, either.”

“There you go,” Dawg said. “We have something in common besides our love of dogs.”

She took another sip of her tea. “This evening turned out a lot different than I expected.”

“Same.” Dawg tipped his head toward the sleeping dog. “With the looming deployment, I wanted to spend more time at home with Chewy. You got me out of the hail and farewell early. I’ll be spending more time with my team in the near future. I’ll have my fill of them.”

“What about the guy who was leaving?”

“Mustang’s on a different team. But we worked together on several missions.”

Beth took one last sip, stood and carried her mug to the sink. “Thanks again for the tea and conversation.”

Dawg followed and laid his mug in the sink beside hers. Their shoulders brushed briefly. A shock of electricity ran through his arm and down to his groin. There had been no flirting between them and certainly nothing sexual. Surprisingly, he felt more of a connection with her than any other woman he’d dated in the past few years. He looked forward to taking her out the next evening. He didn’t expect it to lead anywhere since he’d deploy shortly afterward. He’d be gone for weeks, maybe months.

When he grabbed his keys from the counter, Chewy popped out of his bed and followed him to the front door. “Stay, Chewy,” he said firmly.

The dog looked up at him with those big soulful eyes.

Beth smiled down at the little mixed breed mutt. “I don’t mind if he comes with us. He can sit in my lap.”

“It’s okay,” Dawg said. “He’ll calm down as soon as we leave.” He walked out and held the door for Beth then made sure Chewy didn’t sneak out before he closed the door and locked it.

He drove to Beth’s apartment complex a couple miles from his home. They talked about Fort Hood, being in the Army and the changes that had occurred in the uniforms since they’d joined. He felt comfortable talking with her, and she seemed equally comfortable with him. Again, a nice change from the civilian women he’d dated before.

When he stopped in front of her apartment complex, she started to get out by herself.

Dawg hurried around and held her door for her as she climbed down from the truck.

“I can make it to my door on my own,” she said with a twisted smile.

“I know you can, and you’ve likely done it a thousand times.” He held out his hand. “But I’d feel better if you humored me and let me walk you to your door.”

She stared at that hand for a moment, and then took it. “Okay.”

When they reached her door, she turned. “Thank you for seeing me safely home. I enjoyed talking with you and meeting your neighbor and dog.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow around six-thirty?”

She nodded and turned, pushing her key into the lock and opening the door. She started to step inside, hesitated, and then turned back toward him, stood on her tiptoes and brushed a quick kiss across his lips.

Then she entered her apartment and closed the door behind her.

Dawg stared at the closed door for a long moment, a grin spreading across his face. The evening had ended a lot different that he’d expected. And he looked forward to seeing her the next evening.

He returned to his truck, climbed in and drove out of the parking lot. Looking back at the building, he wondered what would have happened if he’d had the opportunity to kiss her back.

That might have pushed her to her limits, and she might have called off their dinner the following night. Perhaps it was better he’d stood in stunned silence while she’d brushed her lips across his.

He could still feel the softness of her lips on his and was glad he’d been persistent in asking her out the following night. The next day couldn’t get there soon enough.

His lips curled in a happy smile as he drove back to his house and his little dog.