Free The Truth About Cats & Dogs by Lori Foster, Kristine Rolofson, Caroline Burnes

gone off again for the alone-time Buck craved.
    He’d done little more than think about making love to Sadie. At first, he’d resisted the idea, thinking it might be better to ease her into it. Maybe spend a week just necking, then a week petting…but heknew his control wasn’t strong enough for that. Not with Sadie.
    And there was the very real concern that if he waited, she’d misconstrue his impatience for lack of interest. He couldn’t have that.
    He brought his attention back to his guests in time to hear Sadie say, “Yes, it’s incredibly hard to give the dogs up, but I always make sure they go to a wonderful and appropriate home.”
    â€œSo,” Harris asked with visible hesitation, “would I be eligible to take one? Clair’s been talking about getting a pet since we’ll be moving into our own house soon.” Then to explain, he added, “Ethan’s wife, Rosie, is a realtor and she’s always finding great deals on houses. The one we offered for is a handyman special, and since Buck is a real handyman, I couldn’t pass it up.”
    Ethan nodded. “Rosie made kids and a dog and a damn picket fence all a stipulation before saying yes to my proposal.” He winked. “I’ve been working most diligently on the kid part. Since that’s not happening real fast, maybe I could surprise her with a dog. What about us? Do we qualify as suitable?”
    Because Sadie barely knew Harris and Ethan, she glanced at Buck.
    He nodded. “You’re visiting with bona fide heroes, honey. Firefighters. Ethan’s even been written up for daring deeds, and Harris once went back into a fire to save a kid’s guinea pig. Neither one of them wouldever neglect or abuse an animal. And their wives are terrific, too. You couldn’t find a better home for a dog.”
    Harris pretended to sniff. “Damn, Buck, now you’ve made me all weepy.”
    Ethan laughed. “True friends always make each other sound good.”
    â€œThank you,” Sadie said with a smile. “I’ll definitely keep you in mind.”
    Buck took Ethan’s elbow. “Speaking of friends and what they do for each other—it’s time for you two to hit the road.”
    Ethan allowed himself to be hauled out of his seat. Harris rose on his own steam with a lot of feigned offense. “What? No dessert? No coffee? See, this is why you need to get hitched. You’re a lousy host.”
    Buck surprised them both by saying, “I’ll see what I can do.” He didn’t turn to see Sadie’s reaction. He’d find out how she felt about a real relationship soon enough.
    As he practically dragged Harris and Ethan to the front door, they yelled back their farewells to Sadie, then started sniggering and elbowing Buck as he tried to shove them out onto the stoop.
    Buck gave up. “So what do you think?”
    Bobbing his eyebrows, Harris whispered, “Still waters run deep.”
    â€œVery sweet,” Ethan added. “And gentle.”
    Buck was so relieved, he grinned. He’d been half afraid his buds wouldn’t recognize Sadie’s appeal. It wasn’t in your face, like a lush figure or a stop-traffic face. She didn’t have a load of sexual confidence or snappy charisma. She wasn’t a fashion plate.
    Sadie was subtly attractive.
    So much so, he’d been afraid they might not see her appeal at all. God knew he’d missed it at first. But through Sadie, he was learning the truth about cats, dogs…and women. He was learning the truth about himself, and what he really wanted out of life.
    He wanted Sadie.
    Anyone so quietly kind and caring deserved a lot of love.
    Buck had a hell of a lot of love to give.
    â€œThanks,” he told his friends. “And goodbye.”
    Harris had his mouth open to say more when Buck shut the door. For good measure, he locked it. He could hear the male laughter of his friends