Page 23 of Patio Lanterns (The Blue Canoe Cottage #1)

Rick

Rick held on tight to Mutt’s collar while keeping him at arm’s length. The revolting stench burned his eyes and made him want to retch. At least sitting on the front step, he could keep Mutt downwind while breathing through his mouth.

He was gutted that his romantic evening with Robin had gone south.

He’d been showered, clean-shaven and dressed in his good navy blazer for a solid twenty minutes before getting her text.

The sudden change in plans forced him to not only cancel their reservations at the inn, but the surprise he’d booked after dinner as well.

Not that any of this was Robin’s fault. Nor was it really even Mutt’s fault, for that matter.

These things happened. It was just real fucking awful timing.

Minutes after she’d responded to his all-points bulletin, Robin came rushing over the hill, skipping his driveway to cut across the lawn.

Her lovely pink dress billowed behind her as she rushed toward them in full stride.

Her hair was styled in a pretty new way.

She had makeup on. His heart sank seeing that she’d gotten all dressed up for their date too.

“Oh my God, where have you been?” she scolded Mutt, swinging his empty leash.

“He couldn’t have been far,” Rick said. “I heated up some bacon, called him, and he came charging out of the bush.”

She laughed as she approached them. “Well, we know the fastest way to the mooch’s heart is definitely through his stomach.”

Rick abruptly put up his hand, preventing her from getting any closer. “Uh, I’d stay back if I were you.”

“Stay back? But… oh fff—fuck!” She clapped her hand over her nose and mouth as she jumped back. “Mutt! What the fuck? I just gave you a bath!”

“If I had to guess, I’d say this new cologne is eau de dead fish.”

She dry heaved. “Goddammit, Mutt! You reek like a rotting chum bucket!”

“I can’t bring him inside smelling like this,” Rick said, now deeply regretting that he hadn’t thought to remove his blazer. “As it is, I’m probably going to have to burn these clothes.”

“I am so sorry, Rick. You look so handsome,” she said gloomily. “I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to tonight.”

“We’ll do it some other night. Right now, we have to figure out what to do with Ol’ Fish Lips here.”

“He’s my problem. I’ll drag him back to the Blue Canoe with me and give him a good hosing down.”

“Or you can go back to change, grab his grooming supplies and bring them over here. We can wash Mutt out back.”

She smiled. “Thanks, but I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’ve already been a huge help just by finding him.”

There was no way he was going to let Robin face the worst of this putrid ordeal alone.

He was already heavily invested in the smelly situation, but most importantly, didn’t want to totally give up on their date night.

Nothing was better than time with Robin, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do to get more of it—even rolling up his sleeves to give Mutt a bath.

“I’m putting it out there purely for selfish reasons,” he told her. “We may have had to forfeit our dinner plans, but I say we shouldn’t let a little thing like decomposing lake trout spoil what’s left of a beautiful evening.”

After Robin left , Rick led Mutt around to the backyard, fastening his leash securely around the leg of a chair. Sheepishly, Mutt lowered his head to the ground, his eyes following Rick as he left him behind to go to the deck.

“Yeah, I know you’re real sorry, buddy. So am I,” Rick told him.

He slid his blazer off his shoulders and draped it over a chair.

Hopefully, a good dry cleaner could salvage it.

As he unbuttoned his dress shirt, he realized that everything he had on was now permeated with foul fish odour.

So, after stripping down to his boxer briefs and leaving his clothes folded on the deck, he ducked inside for a change of clothes.

He put on an old pair of jeans and a shirt reserved for yard work, then got down to business setting up a wash station for Mutt.

A galvanized tub that had been sitting unused finally got called into service.

Rick dragged it from the shed next to the deck, then began filling it with cool water from the garden hose.

Next, he ferried jugs of warm water from the kitchen, pouring it into the tub to get the temperature just right.

Mutt had already been punished enough, he figured, no reason the poor pup should have to endure an ice bath on top of it.

As he worked, his stomach rumbled. Right, no dinner yet.

If he and Robin were dining at the Firefly Inn as they should’ve been, they probably would’ve already finished their appetizer and salad courses and rounded the corner to entrees.

No wonder he was famished. Once Robin returned, she’d surely be hungry too.

He went back inside and opened the fridge to examine the options. If only he’d known, he could’ve defrosted something. There were still a couple of leftover beef patties he’d cooked for lunch the day before, and he took those out along with the rest of the bacon, putting them aside for Mutt.

A frozen pizza. That would have to do. It would be fast and hot, and while it was no four-course, gourmet-quality meal, in another half hour, it would really hit the spot. He slid the pizza into the cold oven and set a few extra minutes on the timer.

Robin had swapped her pretty dress for shorts and a vintage El Mocambo tee that looked years older than she was. She was so fucking cool.

“Wow, look at all this,” she said, eyeing up the tub. “This is practically a day spa compared to the wash bay I set up for Mutt yesterday.”

“You ready to get started?” Rick asked.

“Yep.” She dropped a bag with some dog food and the shampoo on the ground.

Then she let her hair down, shaking her curls loose before refastening her ponytail higher and tighter on top of her head.

She was a natural beauty, effortlessly appearing to look both casual and chic at the same time.

“Gah, you would not believe the game of Twenty Questions I just had to play with Lark.”

“Oh, I can imagine,” Rick said, releasing Mutt from doggie jail and leading him to the tub.

“Why are you back? Where have you been? Did you find Mutt? Where was he? How come he’s not with you? Why did you change your clothes? Now where do you think you’re going?” She rolled her eyes. “I swear, it’s like hopscotching through a mine field.”

Rick lifted Mutt off the ground and into the water, then kneeled beside the tub while Robin positioned herself on the other side.

“Oh God, I thought he was rancid before.” She coughed and gagged at the same time. “But this is downright offensive.”

“Just breathe through your mouth,” he advised, as they wetted down Mutt’s fur. “How’s the celebration of life going?” he asked, keeping the conversation going to distract from the stench.

“It’s going,” she said with a heavy sigh, squirting shampoo into her hands. “I ordered the refreshments and decorations, and Crawley’s is going to cover all the costs.”

“You’re kidding,” Rick said, impressed. “How did you manage that?”

“I guess I never got around to telling you, but earlier, I made a barter with Mrs. C. Said I’d work for her in the store this week in exchange for having my order paid in full. Oh, and I offered to design a new logo for Crawley’s.”

“That was incredibly resourceful of you,” he said, proud of her for cutting such a shrewd deal. “But why aren’t your sisters helping you out with the expenses?”

“Money is kind of a sticking point between us right now, so it’s best not to bring it up. Besides, I told them that I’d do this all on my own, and I will.”

“Yeah, but at the same time, it can’t be cheap,” he said, lathering up Mutt’s tail and hind quarters. “How much do you need? You know I’m happy to help.”

“That’s sweet of you Rick, but I really want to show Lark and Dove that I can do this on my own,” she said, sloshing suds as she scrubbed. “I need to prove to them that I’m responsible and capable of making good decisions, so that—”

When she fell silent, he looked up and met her eyes. “So that… what?”

“So that my inheritance won’t be locked up in a trust,” she quietly admitted. “Lark is the executor of Mom’s will. She thinks if I get my hands on the money now, I’ll squander it away.”

Rick was disturbed by the notion of anyone underestimating Robin, but this was becoming a pattern.

Parker. Lark. Why couldn’t they see her the way he did?

Bright, ballsy, bighearted, not to mention blessed with common sense.

She had keen instincts, and a savvy about her that only came from living and learning.

It made no sense to him how anyone could misjudge her as being less than capable.

“I’m very sorry to hear that,” he said. “It’s none of my business, so it’s probably best I keep out of it.”

“Please don’t say that. You know I value your opinion.”

“Then my opinion is that it’s total bullshit. You deserve what’s rightfully yours, and you shouldn’t have to prove anything to anyone to have it,” he said. “There. I’ve said my piece. In the meantime, if you change your mind about the money, my offer still stands. Anything you need, I’m your guy.”

She sat up higher on her knees, raising herself above the wash tub. “Anything?”

He met the devilish twinkle in her eyes before his gaze slipped down to her chest, her dampened t-shirt clinging to her tantalizing rack. She blatantly shimmied for him. “Woman…” he growled, “how dare you attempt to seduce me while I’m elbows-deep in your dog’s crud?”

“Sorry, not sorry.” Robin giggled as she got back to work massaging suds into Mutt’s fur. “So… the thing with Aidan in the kitchen. That was pretty awkward, right?”

“God, yes. Although I’m used to that around Aidan. Things have been strained between us for a long while.”

“Yeah, I picked up on that.”