Free Not That Kind of Girl by Susan Donovan Page B

like to help me prepare for vicious dog court?” he asked her brightly. “It will be our job to convince the hearing officer that the horrible animal who did this to me should be destroyed.”
    Ricky’s brow crumpled. “Destroyed?”
    “Euthanized. To protect the public from further attacks.”
    She bit her lip. “Uh, well, okay, I guess,” she said.
    “It was a pit bull, you know,” he added.
    “Oh,” Randy said, nodding, as if that explained everything. “What exactly do you want me to do, Mr. Sandberg?”
    God, he loved his life.
    *   *   *
    Eli hadn’t planned for this.
    It seemed that beneath all of Roxanne’s anger lurked a smart and sensitive woman. The way she’d described her perfect relationship with her dog had been the most insightful answer he’d ever received from a prospective client.
    And he wasn’t comparing it to the real doozies he’d gotten over the years, either, like the guy who thought having control over his Doberman pinscher in public would make chicks dig him. No, Roxanne’s answer was the best—period.
    She didn’t mention control. She didn’t say she was embarrassed or ashamed of her dog. She didn’t need to prove anything to herself or others. She simply wanted peace to replace the struggle, so that there would be room for happiness.
    He hadn’t expected an answer like that from Roxanne. Eli was aware that there was more to Roxanne than her Web site or her anger, of course. Everyone had multiple aspects to their personality. It was what made us human. And Bea had given him a heads-up the other day by assuring him that Roxie was a pussycat in a porcupine suit. He smiled at the memory.
    But from what he could tell, Roxanne was far more complex than he realized. In addition to the father issues and bad dating karma, she happened to be funny. She possessed a deep compassion for her dog. She truly cared for her friends. She was willing to try something new. And when Roxie smiled …
    Eli glanced at her sitting next to him on a bench overlooking Dolores Park, the dog park where Roxanne and her friends met up three mornings a week. The afternoon sun was on her face. She looked composed and beautiful. He was almost relieved she didn’t look overly happy at the moment, because when that girl smiled, he could barely breathe. When she laughed, it was if his whole being strained to get closer to the sound.
    “What?” she asked, now frowning severely. “Are you getting ready to tell me how much this is going to cost? Is that it?”
    He laughed. “Uh, no. That’s not what I was thinking, but I suppose we should get that out of the way.”
    As she probably already knew from her Internet browsing, Eli’s customary fee was between seven-fifty and three thousand, not including travel, and it could go much higher depending on the number of dogs in the family, the aggression level of the dogs involved, and whether he would be called to testify at a civil or criminal court hearing. Under normal circumstances, Roxie and Lilith’s case would land at the high end of the spectrum, because it involved a rescue dog with longstanding aggression issues, a dog bite case, an already scheduled appearance in vicious dog court, and probable civil action. But as Eli looked into those dark, doubtful eyes, he knew nothing about this case was normal. There was only one price he could charge for this assignment, and that was nothing at all.
    They were acquaintances. She was a friend of Rick Rousseau’s, and Rick was his boss. Plus, there was something real interesting going on between Roxanne and himself, something that had to be resolved. So money would only muddy the waters. Money didn’t have a place here.
    Besides, he’d never gone into a case with the dual hopes of saving the dog and bedding the owner, and if he were to be honest with himself, that’s exactly what was going through his head. No, it wasn’t a smart move, but he’d already admitted to himself that smarts had nothing to do