some helpless maiden,
but…”
Cal chuckled, holding a
hand up. “I don’t think you’re helpless, Mel. Hapless, maybe. But not
helpless.”
“Gee, thanks,” she
snapped sarcastically. “I’m not real sure that’s better. At any rate, as you
saw earlier, I have a gun. I could defend myself if it came down to it. I
don’t need anyone or thing,” she said with a pointed look at the canine draped
across her feet “… to guard me. I’m doing just fine on my own.”
“You know, you’re gonna
hurt Goose’s feelings callin’ him a thing ,” Cal drawled, pleased with
how the animal had promptly taken to Melody. The breeder had assured him he’d
be a great guard dog and would love a woman, but he’d been unsure. He’d been
leaning toward a German Shepherd or a Rottweiler. The Great Dane, however, had
been what was available.”
“I can’t believe you
named this animal after water fowl. Who names a dog Goose?”
Cal shrugged again,
stretching his legs out in front of him. “When I picked him up, he was jumping
around, chasing the ducks at the pond beside the breeder’s house, and just
generally acting silly.”
Melody continued to
look at him strangely. “So?”
“So, he was acting
silly. You know, silly as a goose. Thus, the name Goose was bestowed upon
him.”
Melody groaned and
lifted a hand to massage her temple. “Fine. His name is Goose,” she muttered
as the dog barked happily at her feet and pressed his cold nose against her
arm.
Cal grinned as Melody
slowly settled a hand over the canine’s head, biting back a laugh as he heard
her morose voice soothing Goose with, “Don’t take it personally, fella. I’m
just more of a cat person. As long as you keep your teeth off my pillows,
shoes, and remote controls, we’ll find a way to get along.”
“I’m glad to see you
making peace with your guard dog. That’ll make things a lot easier, Princess.”
Melody took a deep
breath as she continued rubbing Goose’s head. “The animal can stay. What I do
with you, however, remains to be seen. As I said, I have a gun and can look
after myself.”
Cal knew he had to
approach this conversation with kid gloves. The woman clearly thought she had
things under control. She was wrong, but sharing that with her now would
probably only get him thrown out on his ass. Instead, he decided to stall and
redirect their chat. “So, what did RJ tell you about me? Learn anything
interesting?”
Rolling her eyes,
Melody stepped over where Goose was sprawled out on the floor and threw herself
into one of the nearby leather chairs. “You’re his boss,” she shared, her
voice miffed… probably because he was forcing her to talk to him.
“Former boss,” Cal
corrected, stretching both arms over the back of the couch and getting
comfortable. “He tell you what I did?”
“Just that you were his
First Sergeant before you retired a few weeks ago. I don’t understand the
Army’s hierarchy, but the way RJ spoke, you were fairly important.”
“Only to the guys that
worked below me. Basically, I told men what to do for a living, Melody. It
was my job to keep a battalion of men alive, kicking, and productive - in the
field and out – and to handle any problems that came along.”
“Is that why it sounds
like everything that comes out of your mouth is an order issued from the High
Counsel of Annoying Assholes?” she asked pertly.
His lips twitched as
her cute button nose scrunched in distaste. “That’s a little harsh, don’t you
think?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as he met her agitated gaze with
his own serene eyes.
“The truth usually
hurts,” she declared with a grim smile. “But I get it. You are a man that’s
used to bossing people around like its second nature. The problem with that is
that this isn’t the army; it’s a town called Paradise. I’m not one of your
soldiers; I’m a
but…”
Cal chuckled, holding a
hand up. “I don’t think you’re helpless, Mel. Hapless, maybe. But not
helpless.”
“Gee, thanks,” she
snapped sarcastically. “I’m not real sure that’s better. At any rate, as you
saw earlier, I have a gun. I could defend myself if it came down to it. I
don’t need anyone or thing,” she said with a pointed look at the canine draped
across her feet “… to guard me. I’m doing just fine on my own.”
“You know, you’re gonna
hurt Goose’s feelings callin’ him a thing ,” Cal drawled, pleased with
how the animal had promptly taken to Melody. The breeder had assured him he’d
be a great guard dog and would love a woman, but he’d been unsure. He’d been
leaning toward a German Shepherd or a Rottweiler. The Great Dane, however, had
been what was available.”
“I can’t believe you
named this animal after water fowl. Who names a dog Goose?”
Cal shrugged again,
stretching his legs out in front of him. “When I picked him up, he was jumping
around, chasing the ducks at the pond beside the breeder’s house, and just
generally acting silly.”
Melody continued to
look at him strangely. “So?”
“So, he was acting
silly. You know, silly as a goose. Thus, the name Goose was bestowed upon
him.”
Melody groaned and
lifted a hand to massage her temple. “Fine. His name is Goose,” she muttered
as the dog barked happily at her feet and pressed his cold nose against her
arm.
Cal grinned as Melody
slowly settled a hand over the canine’s head, biting back a laugh as he heard
her morose voice soothing Goose with, “Don’t take it personally, fella. I’m
just more of a cat person. As long as you keep your teeth off my pillows,
shoes, and remote controls, we’ll find a way to get along.”
“I’m glad to see you
making peace with your guard dog. That’ll make things a lot easier, Princess.”
Melody took a deep
breath as she continued rubbing Goose’s head. “The animal can stay. What I do
with you, however, remains to be seen. As I said, I have a gun and can look
after myself.”
Cal knew he had to
approach this conversation with kid gloves. The woman clearly thought she had
things under control. She was wrong, but sharing that with her now would
probably only get him thrown out on his ass. Instead, he decided to stall and
redirect their chat. “So, what did RJ tell you about me? Learn anything
interesting?”
Rolling her eyes,
Melody stepped over where Goose was sprawled out on the floor and threw herself
into one of the nearby leather chairs. “You’re his boss,” she shared, her
voice miffed… probably because he was forcing her to talk to him.
“Former boss,” Cal
corrected, stretching both arms over the back of the couch and getting
comfortable. “He tell you what I did?”
“Just that you were his
First Sergeant before you retired a few weeks ago. I don’t understand the
Army’s hierarchy, but the way RJ spoke, you were fairly important.”
“Only to the guys that
worked below me. Basically, I told men what to do for a living, Melody. It
was my job to keep a battalion of men alive, kicking, and productive - in the
field and out – and to handle any problems that came along.”
“Is that why it sounds
like everything that comes out of your mouth is an order issued from the High
Counsel of Annoying Assholes?” she asked pertly.
His lips twitched as
her cute button nose scrunched in distaste. “That’s a little harsh, don’t you
think?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as he met her agitated gaze with
his own serene eyes.
“The truth usually
hurts,” she declared with a grim smile. “But I get it. You are a man that’s
used to bossing people around like its second nature. The problem with that is
that this isn’t the army; it’s a town called Paradise. I’m not one of your
soldiers; I’m a
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