around.”
“As I already said, Cass is looking for a dog.”
Jake looked up sharply, meeting his father’s eyes. “Not that vet again?”
Bill sighed, draining his mug and slamming it down on the tabletop. “I don’t know what you’ve got against her. It wasn’t her fault about Rosie, and she’ll be no bother as a tenant.”
“It’s not about Rosie.”
“Well, what’s it about, then?”
“She doesn’t even look like a vet.”
Bill smirked. “And what exactly is a vet supposed to look like?”
Jake shrugged, recognizing how lame his excuse sounded. “Well, definitely not like someone who could be blown over by a breath of wind.”
“And definitely not beautiful, eh?” Bill said.
“She’s hardly beautiful,” Jake muttered. But he remembered the way he had felt when they first came face to face in the yard.... Was that why he had this compulsion to avoid her at all costs?
Bill stood up, shaking his head. “Okay, forget it. It was just a thought. You need to find homes for the pups, and she’s looking for a dog. The way you feel about her has nothing to do with it.”
“Oh, do what you want,” Jake snapped. “Ask her if she wants a puppy, then, but keep her away from me.”
“It seems to me that maybe she’s made too much of an impression on you, son,” Bill said. “All pretty girls aren’t like Tara, you know.”
“You mean Tamara? I just heard her new song on the radio.”
“And you switched it right off, I suppose?”
Suddenly, Jake grinned. “Sure did. Don’t get me wrong, Dad, I’m over her. It’s just...”
“That you blame her for everything that’s gone wrong in your life, and you miss Robbie desperately,” Bill suggested. “Get onto that lawyer of yours again, or hire a different one.”
An icy glint replaced the smile in Jake’s blue eyes. “It’s myself I blame. Anyway, Robbie is probably better off without me.”
“Look, son...” Bill reached out his hand then drew it back again. “You’ve got to stop blaming yourself, and Robbie is definitely not better off without you.”
For a moment, Jake held his father’s gaze.
“Thanks, Dad,” he responded, his voice tight with emotion. “Anyway, as I already said, if you want this...vet...to have a pup, then it’s fine by me.”
“Her name is Cass, and you could go and see her yourself.”
With a snort of derision, Jake finished his coffee and stood up, stretching his arms above his head
“As if that’s going to happen,” he said, walking to the door.
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