telling me when I need to be home. One of my best handlers will be watching Bella while I’m at work today, and then I’ll be back here after my shift. If anything happens, we’ll call.”
His gaze slid down and landed on her mouth. Risa fought every instinct in her not to lick her lips.
“Besides, I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble with anyone at home, either.”
“That’s not a problem. I mean, Morpheus can be a little demanding, but he’s used to being left alone.”
Jax raised his eyebrows. “Your husband’s name is Morpheus? As in the Roman God of Dreams?”
“Cat, and yes, he thinks he’s a god.” She sucked in one corner of her lip to keep from smiling. “Although Athena and Eir keep him grounded.”
He grinned. “More cats or dogs?”
Here it is. If he was interested before, he won’t be now.all right
“Dogs. Athena is an Afghan hound and Eir is a Staffordshire terrier. There’s also Lolita and Buggsy… and I haven’t come up with a name for the mini-horse I’m adopting.”
His smile grew. “Sounds like you’ve got your hands full with two goddesses, a god, a couple of bunnies, and with more on the way.”
She smiled back. It was hard not to, with a man who loved dogs and knew mythology. She wondered what else Jackson Faraday hid behind those striking hazel eyes and panty-dropping smile. Yes, he was off-limits and this was work, but she also had an odd need to explain.
“I found Athena chained to a tree in the woods. She’d been left there to die with no food, water, or shelter. Whoever left her almost got their wish. Another animal had attacked her, but I found her in time, and she fought to survive. Eir had been left at a shelter and was going to be euthanized, and some jerk driving down the interstate threw Morph out the window.”
“What about the rabbits?”
“Neighbor got them for her son. Turns out he’s allergic not only to bunnies, but to their hay as well.”
“So you saved them.”
“It’s what I do. I’m a vet.”
“You’re more than that, Doc. You’re a hero.”
It wasn’t the response she’d been expecting and, coming from him—a man who signed on to defend his country with his life if needed—it humbled her. His words made her almost wish he wasn’t on her “not-happening” list.
* * * *
Jackson scanned his e-mail as he waited for Senior Chief Mike Dunning to finish reading the SITREP on Bella’s accident. He ran his hand through his freshly buzzed hair and blew out a breath of pure frustration. Still no word from NCIS.
It had been three months since he’d turned in the application and attended a prescreen interview with one of the local guys, which he’d thought had gone extremely well. Based on the lack of response, it appeared he was wrong. It was time for him to make a decision: Stay or go. With this being shore duty, if he stayed in, he’d be shipped off to the fleet or sent back to the sandbox.
Get out and then what?
He pulled up the local job listings. Not a lot of positions to select from. There were a couple of entry-level openings for police officers and campus security, along with one security investigator at a nearby casino.
Awesome choices. He shuddered at the thought of living paycheck to paycheck and eating instant noodles.
Problem was, he loved working in law enforcement and living in New England. They actually had four seasons, unlike the south, which had two—hot and hotter than Hades. Not to mention it was a good thousand miles away from his family. He loved them, but his mom and sister’s nagging drove him crazy. As for his dad… he missed him, most of the time.
He also liked to eat, and sleeping in the back of his pick-up didn’t sound appealing. Most of the jobs listed didn’t even come close to what he made now. Maybe it was time to expand his list, look into other federal agencies like Homeland Security or the National Security Agency?
Neither was what he really wanted, but then again, you didn’t always get what you wanted in life.
“You said the vet checked on Bella this morning?” Mike’s question brought Jax back to earth. “Did she think Bella would have any trouble with the leg once it heals?”
“Dr. Reynolds seemed to think she’d be fine in a couple of weeks. I just need to keep Bella quiet and off her leg as much as possible.” Jax scratched the back of his neck as he thought about how he’d manage.
“What you need to do is let her new handler take care of her so she can bond with him. I’ve heard reports that she’s not responding and has been lethargic lately.”
“Nah, she just didn’t feel like working. Probably the heat, and can’t say I blame her. It’s got to be about twelve thousand degrees out there today.”
Mike tapped the papers he was holding against his leg; his telltale sign of frustration. “Jax, the dog lives in a fully air-conditioned kennel, and during the winter they have central heat. Hell, they have it better than I do at home. I know you and Belladonna have been through a lot together, but I’m thinking if we sent her back to San Antonio, she’d do better.”
Jax pushed back from his desk and swallowed the response on the tip of his tongue. As much as he hated to admit it, Bella wasn’t legally his dog. She belonged to Uncle Sam, and the government could send her anywhere deemed necessary. Jax had no say in the matter.
But that didn’t mean he’d give up on her and walk away.
“Mike, as a favor to me, wait before you make a decision. The new doc seemed like she could help. I’ll talk to her and see what she recommends. If she thinks Bella would be better off in Texas, we’ll send her… after her hip heals. Deal?”
He’d made more deals in the last two days than he’d made in the last year, and all in the name of a giant furball who’d stolen his heart.
Senior Chief didn’t say anything.
Crap. Did I push my luck?
Mike looked down at the papers in his hands. “Okay, but I want you to let the new guy, Moore, take care of her. One way or the other, in three months you’ll be gone.”
“What about at night?” Jax knew he was testing his boss’s patience. “She can’t be left alone yet, and Moore’s got kids. It’s not fair to them to miss out on more time with their dad. I’ve got no one at home waiting for me.”
Chief Casey Thomas, his buddy and officemate, walked in. He took one look at them both and stopped. “Am I interrupting?”
“No,” they said in unison.
“So what’s the hot topic this morning?” He settled behind his own desk and stuck his CAC card into the computer.
“Bella broke her hip last night during training,” Jax replied.
“Explains
