Free That Dating Thing by Mackenzie Crowne Page A

he suspected she planned to make use of their walk-away-as-friends clause sooner rather than later. She balked, but eventually agreed to a second date, for dinner the next night.
    As skittish as she was, his best plan of attack would be to slow things down and avoid those topics that set her off. He hadn’t mistaken the sensual expectancy in her eyes, despite the occasional flash of panic. Desire to keep her secrets battled with old-fashioned lust, and while he suspected the private side of her considered cutting and running, the sensual side responded helplessly to every carnal lure he tossed out, leaving him all but sweating in anticipation.
    Gaining her trust was the key to overcoming her wariness, and if that meant pulling back and letting her call the shots for the time being, he’d do it. In the meantime, he was beginning to detest cold showers.
    ****
    Emily Wilson jumped and her startled yelp echoed across the yard when Pippin bumped her thigh.
    Rylee gritted her teeth. “Pack leader, Emily. Remember?”
    The academy’s morning class had ended ten minutes earlier. Sil returned upstairs to check on Elliott, while Rylee remained for some one-on-one time with Pippin and Emily. So far, the exercise produced nothing but anxiety for both dog and owner. The tiny brunette clutched the leash so tightly her knuckles were white. Pippin all but danced at her side.
    “He’s gotten so big,” Emily complained, tugging at his leash. “I just can’t handle him.”
    “He’s a Great Dane. Of course he’s big.”
    Rylee moved toward them while giving Pippin the signal to stay. His visible quivering broadcast an imminent mutiny. A horrifying vision of Pippin dragging Emily Wilson across the exercise yard like a rag doll tethered to the tail of a manic kite flashed in Rylee’s head. She hurried her steps, not surprised when Emily thrust the leash into her hand and scrambled back.
    “Dogs don’t stay puppies forever, Emily. What were you expecting?”
    “I guess I didn’t think it through,” she admitted, her face pale in the morning sunlight.
    Rylee didn’t bother agreeing with the woman’s understatement. “Why would you choose such a large breed if his size is a problem?”
    “When I was growing up the woman in the next apartment owned a Great Dane. They always looked so regal together. A Great Dane makes a statement.”
    “A dog isn’t a statement. A dog is a commitment and a member of the family.”
    “I realize that. Now.” Emily’s guilty grimace set off warning bells in Rylee’s head. “Unfortunately, that member-of-the-family part is a problem,” she added.
    “How so?”
    She rested a hand on her belly. “Bob and I just discovered we’re pregnant. We don’t think we’ll be comfortable having Pippin in the house once the baby comes.”
    Though not unexpected, the announcement angered Rylee. Too often people took on the responsibility of an animal then cast that responsibility aside when things proved complicated. Normally she took this type of thing in stride, but this was Pippin. She glanced down at him and anger bumped into dismay at the plea in his soulful, brown eyes.
    She doesn’t want me.
    Rylee scratched at a spot behind his left ear, the way he liked. “What are you going to do with him?”
    Emily’s eyes held embarrassed anticipation. “We were hoping you’d have a suggestion.”
    As though following the conversation, the Great Dane leaned against Rylee’s thigh and she sighed. “I’ll need his papers.”
    Emily’s shoulders slumped with relief. “They’re in my purse.”
    “You brought them with you?” Rylee shook her head. What? Did she have “Sucker for troubled Great Danes” written on her forehead? “What would you have done if I’d said I couldn’t help?”
    “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure. I’ve been in touch with a woman at a local Great Dane rescue, but I wanted to speak to you first. You’ve done wonders with him and I can see you love him. Despite what