Authors: Natale Stenzel
“You don’t want the dog in your room? I can get him out for you if you want . . .” Teague took a step in the direction of
her room.
“No, that’s okay.” She laid a hand on his arm, trying to conceal her panic at his words. Best to keep man and dog at something
of a distance. The dog really couldn’t bear close inspection. Those eyes were too . . . otherworldly to be canine. “Really.
I just realized—forgot—” She laughed. “Never mind. So you were saying?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Right. About dogs understanding their masters.”
Masters . . . was she the puca’s master, then? She mentally cleared her throat. Hey, Bob. Am I your master?
So now you want to talk to me. No, you’re not my master. No
Druid, however powerful, could subordinate me to a mortal and
have that relationship passed from generation to generation. No,
you’re more the keeper of the key to my cell.
Key? What key?
Damn. If you don’t know, then we’re both in for the long haul,
aren’t we? Now pay attention to the guy. He’s horny, too. You
could get lucky and spare me the trouble of boning you later. Get
it? Boning you. Hahahaha.
Sick, sick puca.
“Mina?”
“What?” She turned impatiently to Teague.
“Maybe I should go.”
“No. Yes. I mean, no.”
Mina, you’re blowing it, babe.
Stop that, you demon dog, and stay out of this. We’ll have us a little talk later. You, me and an envelope, you thief. That
was my letter, not yours.
Forcing a bright smile, she turned back to Teague. “I think maybe you make me a little nervous. In a good way, I mean.”
His eyes crinkled at the corners, attracting her full attention. What was it about that little spray of wrinkles around the
eyes that was so blasted sexy? On a woman, they were called crow’s feet. On a guy, they just looked rugged.
That’s it. I think I’m gonna hurl.
“Shut up.” She snapped it at the bedroom.
Teague jumped, smile and crinkles completely gone as he backed his way toward the front door. “Yeah, I really think I should
go. Get to work, I mean.”
“Really?” She followed him anxiously toward the door.
“It’s what you pay me for, right?” He smiled, but it was strained, and reached for the doorknob. “So—”
“Wait. Teague?”
With obvious ambivalence, he paused. “Yeah?”
“Please. Do you think maybe we could start over?” She glanced toward her bedroom in time to see a fuzzy black tail disappear
under her bed. She wavered. “Tomorrow, maybe? I still have a splitting headache, so I don’t feel quite like me yet.”
He relaxed his grip on the knob. “A headache. Of course you have a headache. Why wouldn’t you have a headache? Damn brick
clobbers you and . . . Yeah. Are you okay?” Releasing the knob, he turned to face her fully, that wonderful face with its
wonderful creases expressing such delicious concern. “Can I get you something before I go to work?”
She smiled, forcing a brave look onto her face. Maybe all was not lost.
A hollow snort echoed in her head, but this time she had the intelligence to ignore it.
“I took some pain relievers a little while ago. They just haven’t kicked in yet. I probably just need time and rest.”
“No doubt. Well, I won’t keep you, then.”
“Um . . . tomorrow . . . ?”
He leaned against the doorjamb, those green eyes surveying her from head to foot. “Yeah. What time?”
“Seven okay?”
He smiled. “Seven’s great.”
“Oh. Great.” She smiled brightly.
The desperation in Mina’s eyes was still fresh in Teague’s mind as he closed the door behind him. He dropped the smile, his
thoughts grim and seriously conflicted. “Well, I guess that answers a whole lot of my questions.”
And, as a result, he felt both wonderful and completely duplicitous. Not that anything would change his course now. He was
what he was, and his choices, frankly, were a rock and a hard place. When he saw the curtain flicker, Teague forced his feet
to move, striding off toward his truck to gather equipment.
Mina dropped the curtain, then turned back to her unfinished business. “Bo-ob!” She watched golden eyes and floppy ears peek
around the corner.
“You howled?”
“Oh, shut up.”
“Okay.”
Remembering her dismantled kitchen, which did nothing to muffle sound, she lowered her voice. “Explain yourself.”
Golden eyes blinked.
Hey, I tried. I was ready to leave you
two in peace, but it was too painful to listen. Your moves need
work, babe.
“Out loud.” Mind-speech or telepathy—whatever a damned puca would call it—was just way too intimate.
“You want me to start over and . . .” Canine sigh. He spoke in a bored singsong. “Hey, I tried. I was ready to leave you two
in peace, but it—”
She groaned. “Will you stop that?”
“Women. One contradiction after another.”
She took a deep breath, lowered her voice to a squeaky whisper, and attempted reason. “Look. I thought you wanted me and Teague
to get together.”
“It’s not what I want or don’t want. It’s what I know.”
“You know? How could you know?”
“How can I change into a horse or a dog or talk inside your head? I just can and do.”
She slumped. “I asked for that.”
The dog tipped its head to the side in an alarming, human-like shrug. “Well, yeah. Pretty big of you to admit it, though.
So maybe I could be convinced to forgive you for the ass transformation.”
“Oooh, ” she whispered furiously. Forgive? He, forgive her? When he—“Sure, just picture me on my knees and groveling for your
gracious consideration.”
“Such sarcasm. Aren’t you a little young to be so jaded?”
“Spare me. Look, Riordan.” She glanced past him, saw the guys heading into the backyard, then closed the double doors connecting
kitchen and living room. She turned back to Riordan. “You need to promise me something.”
“Oooooh. Guardian in my debt. Whatcha got?”
Mina groaned. “Nothing that’s going to inconvenience your puca self too much. Just . . . while the men are here, you have
to be a dog. No puca sightings, no talking animals, nothing to make them suspicious enough to call the white coats for me
or the X-file people on you. Reasonable?”
He sighed, as if put upon. “Yeah, fine.”
“Good.”
And he was actually true to his word, napping all morning in a sunny corner like a cat.
Hey, I object. You know, there’s a very good reason why I never
shift into cat form. Felines are glorified roadkill.
“You are such a heathen.”
Mina spent the day skimming want ads and doing job searches online. She even updated her resumé, which had seemed such a daunting
challenge only last week but today wasn’t all that difficult. Now that she had a puca to put it all back in perspective, and
a sexy contractor to make her eye the future a little more kindly . . .
Blech.
“So stop eavesdropping.” Feeling creakier now than she had that morning, Mina paused in her work and glanced at the puca.
He just mindlessly lay there while she worked. Squatter.
Hey, I’m only doing what you told me to do. Being a dog. You
know, a dog’s life isn’t such a bad thing.
Mina snorted.
And I might be an unwelcome tenant, but you gotta admit I
don’t take up much space.
Tenant . . . room and board. Horrified, she spun around to face him. “What am I supposed to feed you? Do you eat?” She hadn’t
even thought—
Aw. I’m touched.
And there really was an odd look in his eye. Yearning almost; not that his timing was in any way appropriate.
You’d really feed me? Even though you don’t want
me here?
“It’s either that or get picked up for animal abuse. So, what, you’re in the mood for a doggy biscuit now? Great timing, pooch.
Maybe I should call you a poocha instead of puca.”
Canine ribs expanded on a sigh.
Just when I think you’re
getting used to me, you have to go and say something like that.
You know, that was just mean.
“Yeah, well this is even better. I will
never
get used to you. How the hell does a normally sane woman get used to sharing her home with a—”
“Mina?” Teague’s voice, and a knock on her door.
Mina jumped and winced when her body protested the sudden movement. Creaky, creaky, creaky.
That’ll teach you to say mean things to me. Now stop growling
at me and go answer the door.
“Coming.” Mina creaked her way to the front door and, as she opened it, heard a skitter of toenails on hardwood floor. The
dog was making an exit, she realized. Thank heavens.
Now, seeing Teague standing so politely on her front doorstep when the back of her house was half missing, she had to grin.
“You know, since I know you’re here already, you could have just walked through the kitchen wall instead of knocking on the
front door.”
“We-ell, I didn’t want to startle you.” He gave her a teasing look. “You seemed to be having a conversation with your dog
again.”
Mina laughed a little nervously. “Yeah, you caught me. Just talking to my dog again.”
Oh, good grief. Have you never lied convincingly?
Shut. Up.
Teague, who was eyeing the doorway to Mina’s bedroom, looked puzzled. “That dog of yours runs away from me every time you
open the door. Not much of a watchdog, is he?”
Mina laughed, scrambling for explanation. “He’s just shy. I’m sure if someone tried to hurt me he’d go feral in my defense.”
She grinned at the thought. Actually, spooky yellow eyes would be all it took.
Feral, huh? And all in defense of a helpless damsel. That’s so
naïve, but very sweet actually. In a teddy bear, baby chickie and
smiley face kind of way. Blech.
Teague ducked his head a little closer and lowered his voice. “I just wanted to tell you I was finished for the day. Are we
still on for tomorrow night?”
“Sure. Of course.” She eyed him, dazzled by his nearness. The guy was a solid shot of testosterone. Even a mostly modern-thinking
girl could talk herself into swooning with that much masculinity—
available
masculinity—staring into her eyes.
Again, blech.
“Good.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “How’s the head doing?”
She grimaced. “Let’s just say I’m creaking a little.”
“I’m sorry. Can I get you some ice for it? Do anything for you?”
She shook her head. It was time Teague stopped seeing her as a headcase with an injury and saw her as a woman. “I’m okay.
And I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow morning first, though.”
She smiled and tipped her head to the side. “Yes, you will. Isn’t that nice?”
He laughed. “Very.”
“Hey, Teague!” a man’s voice called from several yards behind Teague. “Where should I put this? Your truck or mine?”
Teague gave her a wry look. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
He turned and strode off. “You’re starting the Jenson project tomorrow, so you hold on to it.” He continued issuing instructions
while Mina shamelessly watched. His butt.
Oh, come on. Ever see a dog puke before?
Mina jumped. Seethed. She closed the door and turned to see her canine puca strolling lazily into the living room. Just like
he owned the place, the cocky little scamp.
Your puca? And cocky, too? Hey, you remembered the cock. I’m
so proud.
Obviously recognizing violence in her gaze, the dog attempted a winsome pant.
“Give it up, Riordan.” She heard a truck engine roar to life. And another. “Now. We’re alone. You and I need to have ourselves
a little talk—out loud—and then you’re going to zap yourself into whatever never-never land you came from and let me lead
my life.”
“Sure, we can talk, and if I could zap myself somewhere, I’d do it. Just for you.” The dog sat and gazed up at her eerily.
“Like I said, though, I’m as stuck as you are. Unless you help me.”
“Help you? What about helping
me
?”
“I’ll be happy to help you. Hey, ever have a puca in your corner? Seriously excellent luck if you play your cards right.”
“What do you mean?” She remembered the light switch earlier. And gazed at him, wide-eyed.
“Sounds like you want a demonstration. I can do that. Just give me a minute.” The puca raised a hind leg to scratch behind
his ear, narrowing his yellow eyes in thought. He lowered the leg. “I know. The bitch your boyfriend was sleeping with. She
really did that to you, right? Got between you and the boyfriend, then got you fired? No exaggeration or fabrication?”
Mina gave him a disgruntled look. “Yes. She really did all that. No exaggeration or fabrication necessary.”
“Perfect. Call her.”
“Why would I do that? Just to ruin my day?”
“No, to get her over here. You need to bring her here and let her inside the house. You won’t be sorry.”
“What are you going to do?” Mina eyed him warily, half intrigued and half appalled. “Give her a tail?”
“Better. I promise. And I say this with all due restraint, you understand. I personally would prefer the tail, but I think
you’d prefer what I have in mind.” Riordan let his tongue loll out in a doggy grin.
What did she have to lose? Her job? Her boyfriend? Her home? Her sanity? “What the hell.” She was curious.
She went into the extra bedroom and pulled the phone book out of the closet. Then she dragged it back to the living room and
paged through it. “Tiffy. Gotcha.” She dug through her purse for her cell phone and glanced back at the puca. “Now, whatever
you’re thinking, don’t cross me. We already talked about angry pucas, but have you ever seen an angry desperate woman? Your
fur would be history, buddy.”
The puca sat up straighter. “Don’t threaten me. You wouldn’t like it. That tail? I could still entertain myself.” He dropped
his gaze to Mina’s as yet tailless butt.
Riordan was obviously a loose cannon. No wonder he needed a guardian. Carefully, she lowered the phone and lifted the phone
book to close it.