She smiled as the tiny creature stopped at Tate’s feet and wriggled around in excitement. Lara watched as he picked up the tiny canine with a gentleness that made her heart skip a beat. “Who is that?”
Tate scratched the pup’s body. “This is Shep.”
“Not a very unique name, Colter,” she chided softly. “Is he yours?”
“He wasn’t exactly planned,” Tate grumbled, but he continued to scratch the puppy’s quivering body. “Somebody dumped him on the highway. Probably a Christmas gift that somebody decided they didn’t want chewing on their furniture. Chloe talked me into keeping him.” Tate shrugged. “Hell, I figured I could take better care of him than his previous owners.”#p#分页标题#e#
He obviously took very good care of the little ball of fur, and it was apparent to Lara that Tate already loved the pup, no matter how much he grumbled about adopting the little dog. “He looks like he’s barely old enough to be weaned,” she observed thoughtfully.
“Chloe says he’s about ten to twelve weeks.”
Lara took the puppy in her lap as Shep tumbled off Tate’s thighs and crawled eagerly toward her. “He’s adorable.” She cuddled the pup against her breast and stroked over the silky fur as the dog licked her jaw. “How can anybody be so cruel? He could have frozen to death. He’s too little and doesn’t have the reserves to survive outside for long.”
“He almost did freeze. He was pretty cold when I picked him up. I’m glad Chloe was around to take care of him. Getting hit by a car was fairly likely, too. The highway is pretty busy in the winter with ski traffic,” Tate replied.
It was pretty hard not to like a guy who rescued puppies—and women—in distress. Tate might not be happy with her right now, but he’d saved her anyway. Lara looked up and smiled at him, and he grinned back as Shep sank his little teeth into her sweater and started to tug. She laughed merrily and disentangled the black and tan ball of fur from her garment. “He likes to chew.”
“He’ll be a handful,” Tate agreed, not sounding the least bit daunted.
“He reminds me so much of Chief when he was a puppy. I got him for my tenth birthday. He was a Shepard, too, and his markings were similar. Chief was my constant companion for years.” Lara sighed. Damn. Even now, she still missed her canine companion.
“What happened to him?” Tate asked curiously.
Shep leaped to try to investigate what was in her mug, and Lara laughed at his antics, suddenly remembering how much fun a puppy could be. “No chocolate for you, pup. It’s not good for you.” She held the half-empty mug higher. She looked at Tate and answered hesitantly. “I had to give him away. My parents died when I was sixteen. I had to move in with my aunt, and my uncle hated dogs.” She stroked the puppy on her lap as she finished her hot chocolate and set the mug gently on a coaster on the coffee table. Her uncle had hated everything and everyone, including his wife.
“Jesus, Lara. Both of your parents died at the same time? What happened?”
Now, even a little more than thirteen years after that horrendous day, Lara had a hard time talking about her parents’ death. “They were murdered.”
“Tell me. How?” Tate’s voice was tender and compassionate.
Lara met his eyes as she cuddled Shep for comfort. “They both died on September 11, 2001.” Instinctively, she knew that Tate would make the connection and she wouldn’t have to say anything more.
Tate’s face turned into a look of astonishment. “They both died in the attack on the World Trade Center?”
Lara nodded slowly, her eyes moist with tears. “South Tower. They never had a chance. My dad was a lawyer. He had business in New York, and Mom went with him because their wedding anniversary was on September 12th. They wanted to celebrate in New York City. She went with him to the World Trade Center that day. Mom had told my aunt that morning that my dad just needed to make a quick stop and then he was taking her out for brunch. They were both just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” How many times had Lara thought that? It wasn’t like her dad had gone there every day. If only her parents had gone the day before. If only her dad wasn’t such an early bird and they had planned to go later. If only…
“I’m so damn sorry, Lara,” Tate rasped as he moved next to her, put his arms around her shoulders, and lowered Shep gently to the floor.#p#分页标题#e#
He pulled her unresisting body into his arms and cradled her head against his chest, and Lara let him. It felt so damn good to feel a human connection again, to let him comfort her, even though she shouldn’t. “I still miss them.” That fateful day would be forever burned into her mind.