How to Love a Dog's Best Friend : Must Love Dogs Read online

  How to Love a Dog’s Best Friend

  Must Love Dogs

  Cami Checketts

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Free Book

  Rescued by Love by Cami Checketts

  About the Author

  Also by Cami Checketts

  How to Love a Dog’s Best Friend: Must Love Dogs Romance

  Copyright © 2017 by Camille Checketts

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  To my brother, Ryan, and our dog, Mate. Probably not coincidence that I wrote a book about an awesome cabinet maker with a cool Great Dane. Love you, bro.

  Chapter One

  Brikelle Manwaring pounded along the pavement of the back roads of Eden, Utah, early Wednesday evening. Sweat she hadn’t earned trickled down her back as her head swiveled constantly to check for dogs. As always, she prayed silently, Please bless the dogs won’t see me. Back home in Idaho, she knew the routes that had scary dogs on them and avoided them, but she’d only moved to Eden a few weeks ago and wasn’t familiar with all the routes. Her legs had a few scars from running and biking adventures that had ended badly with the four-legged beasts, but it was remembering how she received the scars on the side of her face that truly sent her heart racing, vestiges from a dog attack when she was only eight years old. She’d never forget feeling certain she was going to die as the dog ripped into her face, abdomen, and back. She covered the scars with makeup and could usually hide her fears almost as well.

  Her steps slowed as she ascended the hill to Wolf Creek. The warm sun was a couple of hours from setting, but the trees gave her shade. She passed numerous condos and then assorted large homes leading up to the narrow canyon and Powder Mountain Ski Resort. She was admiring a gorgeous house with timbered beams along the front and supporting the porch. Her work in interior design was really taking off right now and she could hardly wait to go to work tomorrow. Those beams gave her an idea. Maybe she could incorporate more of an outdoorsy theme in one of the bedrooms—

  A tan dog, almost as big as her, came charging out from behind the trees. His black snout and wide teeth were vicious-looking. Brikelle screamed and leapt into the air, before remembering forward momentum was her only hope, besides spraying her pepper spray in the dog’s face. She didn’t want to hurt the animal unless there was no choice, but by the look of this beast, there might be no choice.

  “Go home!” she yelled frantically.

  The dog didn’t seem to register she didn’t want him around and brushed up against her leg. Brikelle screamed again and ran faster. Her heart thumped uncontrollably. She fumbled in her pocket for the pepper spray. Her palms were clammy. She pulled it out and almost dropped the small canister.

  “No!” She clung to her only defense, breath coming in short pants.

  The dog barked low and deep. Brikelle yelped, heart thudding in her ears. She dodged to the side, but the dog shadowed her, lagging just enough so she had to look over her shoulder to see if he was going to bite. The dog kept pace with her, his tongue and tail both waving like they were in some kind of parade. She’d heard dogs could sense fear, but this dog seemed oblivious to hers.

  “Go away!” Her body was shaking uncontrollably, making her voice sound feeble. What word combination would get him to leave? “Heel! Stop! Leave! Play dead!” She pulled in a ragged breath and tried to think of more dog words, continually checking over her shoulder. Any second now and his teeth would sink into her leg. “Oh, help, oh, help!”

  He barked again, rattling her entire body. She could feel that bark down into her bones.

  “No!” Brikelle scurried to one side, then the other, continually checking on the position of the dangerous animal. He was so close, his dark snout and glistening teeth within inches of her leg. Brikelle tried to go faster, but her legs were tiring with the hill and the speed. The canyon was narrow with no trees big enough to climb up. She had no clue what to do, how to escape. She was barely able to hold on to the pepper spray as her hands shook and she prayed desperately for some kind of help.

  Colt Jepson drove his four-door truck into his yard at the base of the canyon that led to Powder Mountain. He parked in his three-car garage, but left his bay door open, surprised Ike hadn’t come running to him yet. “Ike?” he called out. “Where are you, bud?”

  His older sisters liked to tease him because he talked to his dog, but what could he say? His dog was a good listener, and Ike wouldn’t dream of complaining—unlike some of his clients, who made it clear if the cabinet bid came in higher than they wanted, or the color or grain of the cabinet doors was different than the sample. He rolled his neck, anxious to find his dog and feed him, then feed himself and soak in the hot tub.

  “Ike?” He walked around the half-acre wooded lot, not seeing any sign of his Great Dane. Had he chased off after a rabbit or something? He was usually pretty good to stay close to home, especially as he’d gotten older, but sometimes he ran off to explore or chase a car. Ike had been with him since the woman Colt thought he was going to marry ditched him five years ago. The dog had been great therapy and Colt didn’t like to be without him.

  Colt sighed and grabbed his mountain bike from the garage. It would be faster than running, and even though his shoulders ached from lifting cabinets, it would feel good to get a short ride in and give his legs some movement.

  Ike loved the canyon, so Colt headed deeper into it first. Hopefully he’d just chased after a car and would return shortly. The old boy always returned, but sometimes it took longer than Colt liked. Having grown up with two brothers, two sisters, an outspoken mother, and a dad who used to be his best friend before the stroke stripped him of his ability to communicate, Colt didn’t like being alone much.

  A couple miles up, he spotted a runner with long, dark hair, his dog trotting along dutifully beside her. She was running fast, her legs and arms pumping as if she was trying to put distance between herself and somebody.

  The woman looked fit and—from what he could tell from here—really attractive. Ike was a smart old boy, he’d give him that.

  “Ike!” Colt called as he approached them from behind.

  Ike woofed a loud greeting, but stayed plastered to the woman’s side, even though she sidestepped, trying to shy away from him.

  “Ike, come here, boy.”

  The woman stopped running, whirled around, and screamed at him, “Is this your dog?”

  Colt slammed on his brakes so he didn’t run into her, surprised at how angry she looked. Her deep brown eyes glared at him and her pretty little bow of a mouth was pursed. Her face was red and splotchy. Even mad, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

  “Yeah. Sorry if he was bothering you.”

  “Sorry? Sorry?” Her voice rose as she moved farther away from Ike. “You need to keep a beast like this on a leash. He’s vicious!”

  “Vicious?” Colt repeated in disbelief, clenching his handle bars. He glanced at Ike, who was happily wagging his tail. “Ike wouldn’t hurt a kitty cat.”

  Her eyes widened. “That’s what you think. You need to keep him tied up!”

  “I’m … sorry?” he manage
d. He’d never had trouble with Ike before. He was naturally friendly and most people, especially women, fussed over him.

  “You should be.” She whirled on her heel and took off up the hill at a pretty impressive speed.

  Ike barked happily, and took off after her.

  She squealed, did a cute little cheerleader-looking jump, and then ran faster. Colt groaned and pedaled after both of them. “Ike! Get back here!”

  Ike barked louder, but obediently trotted to his side. “Good boy.” Colt braked and patted the dog on the head. “Let’s go home and get you fed.”

  The woman kept glancing back over her shoulder as if Ike, or maybe Colt, was going to track her down and tear her apart.

  “Whew, you ticked that pretty lady off,” Colt said to Ike. “Chase a friendly one next time, will you?”

  Ike barked and padded toward home. Colt followed him, irritated and confused. Had Ike really scared that girl, or was she just a brat? One more reason a man should never confuse exterior beauty with a desirable woman. That woman had been over-the-top beautiful, but what a piece of work. It reminded him of Cally. He’d thought he’d found forever with a beautiful, fun, and smart woman once, and she’d turned out to be more selfish and bratty than he could’ve ever imagined. He pedaled slowly by Ike’s side. Thank heavens he’d decided to just date nice girls, no matter how boring it could be sometimes.

  Chapter Two

  Brikelle’s palms were clammy, but she held herself straight and kept a smile plastered on her face. Her internship through Utah State University had earned her a job with a fabulous interior design company based out of nearby Ogden. Brikelle had moved to the resort-like Ogden Valley, and found a rental in Eden. Originally, her boss had her redesign the interiors of a few rental cabins and condos. Through those jobs she’d met Joshua Hull, the owner of Timberline Construction. Now he was giving her the unreal opportunity of connecting with Mrs. Emmaline Jensen, one of the wealthiest women in America. She was having her fifth—or was it sixth?—vacation home built next to Pineview Reservoir in Eden. Brikelle loved Eden. If she could ever afford a vacation home, she’d build it here.

  As she walked up to the sprawling house, Brikelle noticed the gorgeous rustic flair with huge timbers supporting the porch and decorating the exterior. The stucco and rock mansion had to be over twenty thousand square feet. Even though the house was still getting the finishing touches of cabinets, plumbing, and lighting fixtures, there were already crews working on the grounds and all the concrete was poured.

  She saw a new-looking four-door white truck with the logo of Jepson Cabinetry on the side parked next to the seven-car garage and a Land Rover with Timberline Construction screened on the back window. She decided to approach the front entrance rather than walk around to the garage, but as she reached the door, she didn’t know whether to knock or walk right in. When she nudged the door, it popped open and she stepped through, admiring the two-story foyer with windows and skylights bringing in plenty of natural light. The chandelier was classy, yet still had a trendy feel with rectangle panels and an oil-rubbed bronze finish.

  The original interior designer had done a fabulous job. Brikelle hoped she could keep the ball rolling the way Mrs. Jensen wanted it. The general contractor, Joshua, had explained that his designer had been put on bed rest with an extremely difficult pregnancy and the doctors didn’t want her working at all, handing Brikelle the opportunity of a lifetime.

  “There she is,” Joshua called out from the edge of the entry, next to wide staircases that went to the basement and the upstairs. The wrought iron railings decorating the staircases were perfect—funky yet still classy. “Come in, come in.”

  She walked across the slate floor past arched doorways. From the plans she’d studied, the one on the right was going to be Mrs. Jensen’s office and the one on the left a formal living room. They both had great lighting with huge windows and she loved the beveled cherry floors.

  “Great to see you.” She reached Joshua’s side and he gave her a quick handshake. Brikelle smiled at him, but her eyes were drawn to the massive great room with its two-story windows and all the woodwork. The style now was “anything goes,” which she heartily approved of—wood in every variety was integrated into this great room, and it was gorgeous.

  At the end closest to the entrance where she stood, there was a formal dining area through an archway, the windows overlooking the patio and the lake beyond. The other end was the kitchen. Several more living areas could be seen through other porticos. This place was unreal and she got to decorate it. Yes!

  The cabinet guys were busy in the kitchen, hanging doors. Knotty alder. It was one of her favorite woods for a kitchen with its knots and swirls giving such a distinctive cabin-type flair.

  Her eyes swept over the men briefly. The one with his back to her had an extremely nice build, wide shoulders with the muscles stretching his T-shirt in just the right way. And his Levi’s fit—well, she shouldn’t dwell on it, but they definitely fit. She caught a glimpse of his profile and firm jawline with dark stubble that just screamed tough guy/handsome hottie. Why did he seem familiar?

  Forcing herself to look back at Joshua, she smiled. “This is spectacular.”

  “I thought you’d love it. Let me give you a tour, and then Emma should be here any minute to tell you some of her preferences. She’s honestly pretty easy to please.”

  “Sounds great.” Her hands had started sweating again, and now her body was trembling slightly, but it was a good kind of nerves. This was so big! Her boss at Maison Design, Angela, would be thrilled that she landed this job. How incredibly lucky she’d been to meet Joshua. “Thank you for this opportunity.”

  “You’re going to do great, and if Emma likes you, there will be lots of other projects.”

  Brikelle could only grin at him. A month out of college and she was handed an in that every designer would be thrilled with.

  Joshua turned and walked toward the kitchen. It was massive with an island bar that could probably seat twenty. The wood in the island was walnut, which was a great contrast to the light reddish-brown alder used in the rest of the kitchen. She glimpsed a sparkling white preparation kitchen off of the main kitchen, and beyond that the mudroom and laundry room.

  “I want you to meet the cabinet and wood-working guru, Colt Jepson,” Joshua said.

  The nicely built guy turned around with a grin on his face. “Nice to …” His voice trailed off and his eyes widened. She gasped as she recognized him. “The dog-hater,” he whispered, as if in shock to come face to face with her again.

  “The guy who doesn’t control his dog,” she flung back, for lack of a better slam.

  Joshua’s eyes darted back and forth between them, and the other cabinet guys paused in their work. Sparks crackled in the air, but not in a good way. Colt’s blue eyes reflected confusion and hurt. “You want me to lock up my innocent dog because you hate animals? He didn’t even do anything to you.”

  “Nothing would make me happier than knowing that huge beast isn’t going to chase me next time I run up the canyon.” Brikelle took a step closer to him. That this Colt guy was so laid-back about his dog having chased and tormented her made her furious. He had no clue that it wasn’t hatred, it was sheer terror, but she refused to act intimidated around him. She knew his type—good-looking, tough construction guy who drove his big truck with his big dog hanging off of the tailgate. He imagined every woman would cower to his demands. She was going to show him she wasn’t some sissy he could push around. He reminded her of Bradley Cooper, one of the stars of the A-Team remake, with that handsome face, blue eyes, perfect amount of facial hair, and perpetual smirk, like he was patiently enduring her crazy diatribe. She’d wipe that smirk right off.

  He sort of shook his head, making her advance even more. She wanted to poke him or something and stop him from looking at her like she was the irrational one.

  “Ike is too gentle and old to hurt anybody,” he explained as if she was a small ch
ild. “My nieces and nephews chase him around and take turns riding on him.”

  She was close enough she could finally poke, but she took it to the next level and smacked him on the chest. “What? Who in their right mind would let a little child be around a violent creature like that?”

  Colt wrapped his hands around her arms and pulled her right up against his chest. It didn’t hurt, but it definitely wasn’t some romantic move. He was probably as ticked as she was, but instead of yelling like she was doing, he lowered his voice and said very slowly and softly, “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Please stop calling my innocent dog derogatory names and act like a professional.” His eyes flitted to Joshua for emphasis.

  Joshua. She couldn’t jeopardize this job. She froze and whirled away from Colt, but his arms were still clasped around her. They were in a completely awkward embrace as they both realized that his crew and Joshua were not the only ones watching.

  Mrs. Emmaline Jensen was at the edge of the great room, Joshua right next to her, and they were both studying the two of them. Joshua’s face was filled with concern, but Mrs. Jensen’s blue eyes lit up. She was a teeny thing with the most gorgeous white hair and a smile and eyes that age hadn’t dimmed. She was dressed in a classy navy-blue business suit, and the only jewelry she wore was a glittering diamond on her left hand. Brikelle remembered hearing her husband had passed away only a few months ago.

  “Oh, this is delightful.” Emma clapped her hands together and beamed at the two of them, looking to Joshua. “Why didn’t you tell me my new designer and our favorite cabinet maker are a couple?”

  Colt’s arms finally fell away from Brikelle, but she was too shocked to take a step away like she should’ve done.

  “Oh, yeah, I did forget,” Joshua managed, giving a nervous chuckle and recovering much quicker than either of them.