Project Valentine (A Homespun Romance) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Geeta Kakade
a finale in her ears.
"No."
The word held as much conviction as a solitary male chauvinist at a women's lib rally. She'd not only failed, she'd broken every rule in the humane society book. Jose Garcia had warned her about this.
Rule number one was to be detached about the animal in your care.
Jessica hadn't been able to muster a trace of detachment after the first long look from Arthur's molasses eyes.
Rule number two was never force a pet on anyone. For it to work, the process had to be a carefully thought out one.
Jessica was a breath away from breaking that one as well. She wanted to run after Molly and her father, beg them to think of taking Arthur home with them.
Irrational as the urge was she couldn't even explain it to herself. Gut instinct again. That's what it was. She just knew that Arthur and the pair would do well together. It had to do with the gentleness with which Molly had patted Arthur, the love in the hazel eyes. Karl Wagner was right too, though he didn't seem to think so.
"It's something to do with his mouth," she explained to Arthur.
Jessica had studied mouths over the years. Thin lipped ones belonged to people who had a tendency to miserliness. Too full ones, hinted at deeply sensual natures except in her case...she was as sensual as a case of Granny Smith apples. Normal mouths, neither too thin nor too full, were a happy balanced blend of everything. The right sort for Arthur. The right sort for her?
Unbidden, the memory of being scrutinized came to mind. Jessica shivered. She should have stopped for breakfast. Or made use of the break she'd been spelled for, by getting herself something to eat. Hunger was making her lightheaded, playing strange games with her emotions.
"It's not as if I'm a kid," she elaborated to Arthur, "I'm a logical, clear headed, woman."
Which fact still didn't buy one insurance against a pair of laser eyes or account for why her heart felt as if it had been on a roller coast all afternoon.
CHAPTER TWO
At half past three a woman in a fur jacket stopped by to talk about Arthur. Jessica took in thin lips painted a deep fuchsia, the pretentiousness of the stranger's manner, and her hackles rose.
"Isn't he cute?" A blast of a hundred and twenty dollar an ounce perfume hit Jessica. "I could use him in my commercials."
Jessica looked down at her shoes. A nightmare vision of Arthur perpetually on the end of a chain, being arranged in poses under the glare of camera lights all day, churned her stomach. His only purpose would be as a foil to this woman whose gravest concerns were the color of her toenails, the state of her hair.
Over Jessica's dead body.
"You don't want this dog," she said point blank, "he's got a sullen nature."
"Oh my!" the leather skirted vision stepped back. Jessica's grip tightened on the collar and Arthur cocked his head benignly. The model moved her million dollar legs clear out of nipping range.
As the woman left without a backward glance, Jessica's gaze shifted to Arthur. Guilt throttled her like a choke chain.
"I couldn't let her have you," she said fiercely. "A life like that would be worse than...." she swallowed hard, "worse than...."
Jessica sighed. As usual she was guilty of leading with her heart. The mother-hen syndrome made her want to protect the whole world.
She'd probably scotched Arthur's only chance of having a home.
"Want to pack it in?"
Jessica looked at Jose Garcia and then around her. She was the only volunteer left of the twenty that had been there since eleven that morning. It was four o'clock. Nineteen animals had found new homes. The last one stretched his forepaws, gave an enormous sigh and put his head down. His unquestioning acceptance of whatever lay in store for him rekindled Jessica's fierce resolve, fanning it to blaze proportion.
"No," she said firmly. "There's still an hour left."
Under her stubborn stare Jose Garcia's eyes dropped. He wasn't going to get into another argument with her.
"No."
The word held as much conviction as a solitary male chauvinist at a women's lib rally. She'd not only failed, she'd broken every rule in the humane society book. Jose Garcia had warned her about this.
Rule number one was to be detached about the animal in your care.
Jessica hadn't been able to muster a trace of detachment after the first long look from Arthur's molasses eyes.
Rule number two was never force a pet on anyone. For it to work, the process had to be a carefully thought out one.
Jessica was a breath away from breaking that one as well. She wanted to run after Molly and her father, beg them to think of taking Arthur home with them.
Irrational as the urge was she couldn't even explain it to herself. Gut instinct again. That's what it was. She just knew that Arthur and the pair would do well together. It had to do with the gentleness with which Molly had patted Arthur, the love in the hazel eyes. Karl Wagner was right too, though he didn't seem to think so.
"It's something to do with his mouth," she explained to Arthur.
Jessica had studied mouths over the years. Thin lipped ones belonged to people who had a tendency to miserliness. Too full ones, hinted at deeply sensual natures except in her case...she was as sensual as a case of Granny Smith apples. Normal mouths, neither too thin nor too full, were a happy balanced blend of everything. The right sort for Arthur. The right sort for her?
Unbidden, the memory of being scrutinized came to mind. Jessica shivered. She should have stopped for breakfast. Or made use of the break she'd been spelled for, by getting herself something to eat. Hunger was making her lightheaded, playing strange games with her emotions.
"It's not as if I'm a kid," she elaborated to Arthur, "I'm a logical, clear headed, woman."
Which fact still didn't buy one insurance against a pair of laser eyes or account for why her heart felt as if it had been on a roller coast all afternoon.
CHAPTER TWO
At half past three a woman in a fur jacket stopped by to talk about Arthur. Jessica took in thin lips painted a deep fuchsia, the pretentiousness of the stranger's manner, and her hackles rose.
"Isn't he cute?" A blast of a hundred and twenty dollar an ounce perfume hit Jessica. "I could use him in my commercials."
Jessica looked down at her shoes. A nightmare vision of Arthur perpetually on the end of a chain, being arranged in poses under the glare of camera lights all day, churned her stomach. His only purpose would be as a foil to this woman whose gravest concerns were the color of her toenails, the state of her hair.
Over Jessica's dead body.
"You don't want this dog," she said point blank, "he's got a sullen nature."
"Oh my!" the leather skirted vision stepped back. Jessica's grip tightened on the collar and Arthur cocked his head benignly. The model moved her million dollar legs clear out of nipping range.
As the woman left without a backward glance, Jessica's gaze shifted to Arthur. Guilt throttled her like a choke chain.
"I couldn't let her have you," she said fiercely. "A life like that would be worse than...." she swallowed hard, "worse than...."
Jessica sighed. As usual she was guilty of leading with her heart. The mother-hen syndrome made her want to protect the whole world.
She'd probably scotched Arthur's only chance of having a home.
"Want to pack it in?"
Jessica looked at Jose Garcia and then around her. She was the only volunteer left of the twenty that had been there since eleven that morning. It was four o'clock. Nineteen animals had found new homes. The last one stretched his forepaws, gave an enormous sigh and put his head down. His unquestioning acceptance of whatever lay in store for him rekindled Jessica's fierce resolve, fanning it to blaze proportion.
"No," she said firmly. "There's still an hour left."
Under her stubborn stare Jose Garcia's eyes dropped. He wasn't going to get into another argument with her.
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