Elli (A Second Chance Novel Book 1) Page 10

  She smiled and gave the three men her best I’m not comic Lucille Ball; I’m alluring Scarlett Johansson wave as she continued down the road toward the plantation house.

  Blessedly, she saw the curve in the road ahead where she knew that once she got around it, Ben and his staff wouldn’t be able to see her struggles. She tried to hurry Jenny toward the Holy Grail, and just as she reached it, she spotted a truck speeding toward her. A bright pink truck with a tiny, gray-haired lady barely visible behind the wheel. “God help me.”

  Tante Izzy slammed on the brakes a few feet from Elli. “Youz goin’ to be late,” she shouted out of her window, her mouth barely clearing the opening.

  Elli lifted her tired arms in a shrug. “Late for what?” she asked, not really wanting to know the answer. She just wanted to get back to the house and save her limbs from the relentless dogs.

  Tante Izzy made a strange half snort, half hissing sound. Her disappointment was clear in her cloudy eyes. “Mass. Get in right, now. Youz soul will be as black as youz Aunt Rosa’s if you don’t go.”

  Elli was too tired to argue. She climbed into the truck and dragged the dogs in with her.

  “Father Étienne won’t be happy havin’ dem in church.” She shoved Jenny out of her way, jerked the truck into drive, and sped off. “You better just keep dem out da baptismal fountain.”

  * * * *

  “I think they were all very good girls in church,” Elli said, more to the dogs than to Tante Izzy as they left the St. Anthony Church parking lot. “I can’t believe I actually brought a pack of dogs to church. I’m grateful the cry room was empty and we could bring them in there.”

  “E’sept for da howlin’ when Elridge sang ‘Ave Maria,’ day waz quiet.”

  Elli laughed. “BJ sure can’t carry a tune.” She scratched Jenny under the chin as she remembered Ben had with Donna. “And thank you, Miss Izzy, for warning me about the baptismal fountain. Jenny surely would have dived in if I didn’t have a good hold on her leash. She loves the water.”

  “Tante Izzy, not Miss.” She slammed on her brakes and skidded to a stop at the traffic light. “Humph. Look at all dat traffic.” She pointed to the three cars on the other side of the intersection.

  “That’s not traffic,” Elli smiled. “If you want to see traffic, you should drive on the Four between five and six.”

  “Four, five, and six? What’s dat? A kindergarten lesson?”

  “No, a highway in Los Angeles and the time when it’s at its worst.”

  “I drove in the city one time, me.” Tante Izzy nodded her head once with pride. “Yep. Went to New Orling for a pa’rade. Wanted to see if it was better than what we got here on da bayou.”

  Elli turned to face Tante Izzy. She really liked her and pretended for a moment that Tante Izzy was the grandmother she had never known. “And, was the parade better?”

  “Mon dieu, child. What kind a question is dat?” She shook her head and nearly drove off the road when the light turned green. “Of course not.”

  “Well, how was I supposed to know? I’ve never been to a Mardi Gras before. I’ve seen it on TV.”

  “TV?” Tante Izzy looked at her as if she was crazy.

  “Red light!” Elli shouted, grabbing Jenny and Doe. She braced her feet against the floorboard to keep them all from flying through the front windshield when Tante Izzy slammed on the brakes. “That’s it.” Elli opened her door. “I’m driving.” She walked around to the driver’s side and opened Tante Izzy’s door. “I want to live another day.” She looked at the startled little lady behind the steering wheel, and her heart softened. “Do you mind? I really would prefer driving.” Elli understood pride and independence. She had more than her share of those traits, and she was learning that Tante Izzy did, too. “It’s not that I think you’re a bad driver, it’s just that I’m a terrible passenger. I’m what everyone refers to as a ‘backseat driver,’ no matter where I sit.”

  “Harrumph.” Tante Izzy slowly eased out of the truck and walked to the passenger side. “I’m only lettin’ you drive because of all dis traffic,” she told Elli after she climbed back in. “I hate traffic.”

  “Thank you.” Elli slid into the seat and her knees hit the dashboard as the steering wheel rested against her chest. “I’ve got to adjust the seat, or I won’t be able to make a right turn much less breathe.” She found the lever and scooted the seat as far back as she could. The light turned green before she had the mirrors adjusted, so she remained stopped in the middle of the road and ignored the car horn blowing behind her.

  “Is dat you, young Marcel Arceneaux? I’m goin’ to call your momma and tell her how youz is disrespectin’ your elders.” The kid behind them looked suitably embarrassed. “I’m gonna teach him some manners, me.”

  Elli took off through the intersection just as the light was changing from yellow to red. “I saw it, so you don’t have to say a word.” She glanced at Tante Izzy, who was hiding a smile behind her hand. Her bright, crinkled eyes gave her away, though.

  “I’m gonna teach youz some manners, too.”

  “Whatever,” Elli said with a huge smile as she pushed Doe away from her thighs before her sniffing nose hit her favorite target. “Where to, Tante Izzy? I’m your chauffeur for the day.”

  “To the pa’rade, of course. Cain’t have no Texian come to Vacherie Parish and not see a Mardi Gras pa’rade.”

  Elli smiled. “I’m not from Texas.”

  In her heavy, Cajun accent, Tante Izzy looked at Elli with narrowed eyes. “Whatever.”

  Elli burst out laughing and passed through an intersection, not noticing the stop sign.

  * * * *

  “So what are you going to do about your houseguest?” Doug asked, walking into the grooming room where Ben was washing the last of the three New Orleans Police Department German Shepherds. The three canine officers were about to arrive, and he wanted to make sure the dogs looked their best.

  Ben finished rinsing the unhappy shepherd not certain how to answer the man. What in the hell was he going to do about Elli? He knew he wanted her to go away, but how to make that happen was a damn mystery to him.

  “I can’t say that I don’t like the lady,” Doug continued, running his hand through his thick salt-and-pepper hair. He was always doing that, although Ben had never seen a single hair out of place. It was the same thing with his clothes, always neat, clean, and perfect. “You know she came to me for advice on how to control her dogs?”

  “I figured it was you who gave her the leashes.” Ben towel- dried the dog, lifted it out of the large sink, and put it on the counter. He plugged in the blow-dryer and turned it on. The dog whined but didn’t move.

  “She is totally clueless about how to handle those animals. Seems to me they are handling her. I guess that’s what you wanted when you gave them to her.” He shook his head and smiled. The smile did not reach his eyes. Ben had known Doug long enough to understand that he was worried about what Elli would do, even though he was trying to act as if he wasn’t. Doug had it easy at the kennel. He pretty much set his own hours. Ben didn’t mind because Joey really liked having him around. He supposed, if he was honest with himself, he liked having Doug help with Joey, too. It was a win-win to have Joey’s only grandfather around.

  “I know I have a few decades on her,” Doug continued when Ben didn’t say anything. “But I do find her…intriguing. Damn intriguing. Maybe I can help you by keeping a close eye on her. See what she’s up to, if you know what I mean.”

  “I don’t need any help,” Ben snapped, not happy with the idea of Doug romancing Elli. Not that he cared if she warmed the man’s bed. He just didn’t want to give her any more excuses to stick around. “I think you should stay away from her.”

  “Why? Are you interested?”

  “Hell, no.” He turned off the dryer.

  “Hmm. Sounds like thou protest too strongly.” Doug turned and walked out of the cottage through a back door in the room.

  “Sleep
with the damn Texian if you want,” he called after him.

  “What Texian?” Elli said, walking into room way too cheery with her froufrou Hollywood dog in her arms. Like someone hit a switch, her smile faded, and her face blushed pink.

  “What do you want?” he snapped, causing her tiny ball of fur to jump and let out a girly bark.

  “Uh…were you talking about me?” she asked, then shook her head, causing her dark blond waves to bounce around her face. “Don’t answer that.” She cleared her throat and tossed her shoulders back. If there were ever a picture in the dictionary describing the word uncomfortable, it would be the way Elli looked standing in the middle of the room in her dark blue jeans and silver running shoes. “Oh, isn’t he pretty?” she said, her eyes falling on the shepherd. With much too much enthusiasm, she moved toward the dog to pet him.

  The shepherd wanted no part of it and lunged at Elli, barking, growling, and showing his sharp teeth. Ben tightened his hold on the leash, jerking him to a halt as Elli ran into the corner furthest from the dog. Donna stuffed her nose into Elli’s armpit, and Elli secured her hold on the tiny dog. She immediately dropped one of her arms and stood up as tall and broad as her thin body would expand. Elli looked down at the shepherd and stared right into his eyes. His lips lifted in a snarl that was all teeth and intimidation.

  “What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to make him bite you?”

  “I’m doing like one of those books from your library says.” She kept her eyes wide and steady on the shepherd’s. “Make yourself bigger and look him in the eyes like you are meaner and tougher than him.”

  “Cher, trust me. You will never be meaner or tougher than he is and he knows it.” Ben gave the shepherd a silent signal to sit, with a twist of his hand. Then he pointed to Elli and commanded her to do the same. “Stay.”

  Elli started to laugh. Donna pulled her long snout from Elli’s armpit and looked up at her. Ben couldn’t help it; he laughed, too.

  The shepherd didn’t find anything humorous about Elli. He had decided she was the bad guy and began to bark and lunge at her.

  “He wants to eat me,” she cried.

  Ben silenced him by jerking on his leash.

  “Isn’t it his nap time or something?” she asked. Her voice was light, but Ben could see by her dilated pupils that she was frightened. She didn’t move out of her corner.

  Ben carried the dog off the table and secured his leash to a pole at its base. He grabbed Elli by the arm to lead her out of the room, but she didn’t want to step an inch closer to the shepherd, so she awkwardly turned into him instead, her body rubbing against him in the process. “Damn it.” He wasn’t happy about his physical reaction to her, but couldn’t say it was unexpected either. She was a beautiful, sexy woman who was now poured over him like hot sex. He tried to step back. She grabbed the front of his denim shirt and held on. “He’s not going to attack you.”

  “Sure looks like it from my point of view. I’ve seen how well those tiny collars hold a dog.” She sighed, looking up at him with her big, bright, baby blues. Hell if that didn’t make him even harder.

  He took in a fortifying breath and immediately knew it was a mistake. Wildflowers, he thought, she smelled like a freakin’ spring meadow of wildflowers. “Let go of me,” he said through clenched teeth. Donna whined between them. Neither he nor Elli seemed to notice.

  Elli just kept her eyes glued to his, as if she was afraid she’d be eaten by the shepherd if she looked away. The vulnerability Ben saw in her eyes nearly undid him. Then, her gaze slid down to his mouth, and he felt like he had been sucker-punched. Elli began to breathe more deeply, like she was struggling for air, too. Her perky, round breasts lifted more firmly against him, and his thin, navy polo shirt did nothing to separate them. She might as well have been naked, he thought, and immediately regretted thinking of her standing next to him in only her skin. “Damn.”

  As if by a will of its own, his mouth moved closer to hers, but before he could taste those sweet, plump lips, an alarm went off in his head. He started to back away, but not soon enough, for Elli leaned in and captured his mouth with hers. A sigh vibrated in her chest, and he pulled her tighter against him, changing the angle. Elli trembled in his arms. Damn, but he had to taste more of her, he thought as his tongue took a slow slide around her plump lips. He felt the sigh slip like a hot caress across his mouth. Then, she slipped her tongue into his mouth, and her desire poured from her into him, or was it from him into her?

  He slid his hands up her body until his thumbs rested on the sides of her breasts. A moan echoed from deep in his chest and just as quickly as this kiss ignited, it was extinguished. Elli shoved him back with so much force he nearly tumbled onto the dog behind him.

  “What are you doing?” she shouted. The shepherd didn’t like her tone any more than Ben did, and he lunged toward her again, straining against the leash. Elli grabbed Ben’s shirt and jerked him in front of her. “Do something about that vicious beast.”

  “Are you talking about the dog or yourself?”

  “Ha-ha.” She let go of his shirt, took a deep breath, tossed back her shoulders and lifted her chin. It only took a couple of seconds but when she spoke again, her tone was much calmer. “Please, Ben. I think Donna has completely emptied her bladder because of him.”

  He took the shepherd outside, happy to be away from Elli so he could clear his head and cool down from whatever it was about her that got him riled as much as the shepherd. He put the dog in the kennel behind the building, hoping Elli would be gone when he got back. She wasn’t.

  “Wow, you got quite a canine book collection here,” she said, looking at the books on the shelves near the door. Like he’d seen before, her cheeks were bright pink and blotchy, and she refused to look at him. However much she wanted to pretend nothing had just happened between them, though, her swollen lips gave it away. “Can I borrow this one?” She lifted Be the Pack Leader.

  Ben grabbed another book off the shelf and handed it to her. “I think this one will be better for you.”

  “An Idiot’s Guide to Dog Behavior.” To Ben’s surprise, she burst out laughing. It was such an unguarded, natural, sweet sound that he found himself smiling. It irritated him that he was and he wiped it off his face on a forceful exhale. “I do like your sense of humor, Mr. Bienvenu, as much as seeing your cute crooked smile. It’s so much better than this unpleasant scowl of yours.”

  “I don’t really care what you like, Miss Crocifissa.”

  She shook her head. “Please don’t call me that.”

  “It’s your name, isn’t it?” He grabbed Donna from her arms and walked into the veterinary clinic to the left of the grooming room. Elli followed him.

  “Yes and no.” He looked at her. “Legally, yes. It’s on my birth certificate, driver’s license, and medical records. But no one ever calls me by that name anymore.” A deep sadness seemed to sweep into her eyes and cast her light baby blues a half dozen shades darker.

  He put Donna on the examining table.

  “What are you doing? She’s up-to-date on her shots. You can check the tags on her collar.”

  “I think she’s got a UTI,” he told her as he took out a digital thermometer and slipped the plastic sleeve over the tip.

  “A urinary tract infection? You do?” Elli patted Donna on her head. “Oh, you poor thing,” she said, not questioning his diagnosis. Oddly, it pleased him that she trusted him on this.

  “It would explain her lack of bladder control and the way she sometimes whimpers when she goes on her own.” He put petroleum jelly on the tip of the thermometer and lifted Donna’s tail.

  “Eww, can’t you take her temperature under her tongue or somewhere less invasive?” Without his asking, Elli moved to hold Donna when she tried to sidestep away.

  “You can take a reading from their ears, but it’s usually harder to get a dog to cooperate.”

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” she said in soft tones next to Donna’s ear
. “It’ll be over in a minute. This is for your own good.”

  The thermometer beeped and he read the display. “One-oh-three.” He tossed the plastic cover into the trash.

  “Oh, Ben. That’s high. Should we give her an ice bath or bring her to the veterinary emergency room?” She picked up Donna and hugged her against her chest. She put her lips to her forehead as a mother might do to her child.

  “You can feel the pads of her paws to see if she’s warm, not her forehead,” he told her, knowing he sounded annoyed. “She’s okay. Normal range for dogs is ninety-nine point five to one hundred and two point five. I’ll call our vet and see if he can take a look at her in the morning. No ice bath. If you want, you can put a cool towel on the hairless areas of her body—the pads of her paws, under her belly—but if this temperature is from an infection, it won’t help a whole lot.”

  “Can we start her on antibiotics in the meantime?” Her eyes were their usual pale blue again.

  “It’s best we get a culture first so we don’t give her the wrong medicine and disrupt her system and cause other problems.” He leaned his hip on the examining table and folded his arms across his chest when he wanted to take her hand and reassure her. “We’ll increase her water intake, make sure she’s eating quality meat-based food to assure a good PH balance, and check her temp every four hours to see if there’s any change.”

  “Did I do this to her?” Tears filled her eyes but didn’t flow. Without realizing that he was doing it, he took her hand into his and squeezed it gently.

  “She’ll be fine.” He knew he hadn’t answered her question, and by the look on Elli’s face, she understood why. Diet could cause UTIs, which meant it probably was her fault.

  “Ben, I fed her organic food and gave her the pure mineral water she’s used to having.” She sniffed, but still held the tears back.

  “There are plenty of reasons a dog gets a UTI. Diet is one of them. Sometimes you can do everything right and animals still get sick. Some are more sensitive than others. My guess is she has a PH imbalance from her organic food. It’s probably grain-based and she needs a meat-based food.”