Strawberry Blonde -e

by Arline Chase

Lawyer Chevy Ford is a man with a sense of humor. Good thing, because his Golden retriever, Casey, keeps ending up in dog-jail, where he falls hard for the beautiful animal-control officer who is being sued by a local rancher.

ISBN 1-59431-878-6 Romance, Contemporary, legal, dogs, horses



CHAPTER 1

The pretty woman raised her head and smiled.

I admired her figure, encased in a neat, trim, tan uniform with a shiny badge pinned firmly to the pocket. I enjoyed her golden brown hair and dark eyes. From that moment on, I fell hopelessly in love.

I looked down at my dog, whom the pretty lady had well under control. “Casey thinks everyone she meets is in love with her.” At the sound of my voice, the dog wagged herself all over and hooked her nose under the pretty woman’s hands, begging for pats.

I smiled at the woman who handed me the leash of my bright-eyed, strawberry-blonde dog. Usually, Casey was right. I reached down and scratched the chest of the blissful golden retriever, who sagged dreamily against my knees. Her brown eyes glazed over with happiness and she flopped in a boneless pile at my feet. “I’m sorry if she’s bothering you, Miss–?”

The woman stared at me, then bent to pet Casey. “You really shouldn’t let your dog run loose, Mr–?” As she stood, Casey jumped up, put both front paws on her shoulders and licked her face. Lord, how I wanted to do the same. I yelled for Casey to get down, but she ignored me. The pretty lady pushed her down and Casey sagged against her legs. Nice, long ones, I noted. Encased in tan walking shorts.

“I’m Chevy Ford,“ I said, with a grin that felt a little crooked, then explained that I’d recently moved to town and opened a law practice. She just stared. Apparently she’d gotten stuck on the Chevy Ford part. Most people did. When you have a name like mine, you have to develop a sense of humor. “It’s a family name,” I explained. My mother’s maiden name was Chevy.”

“I’m Lisa Halloran.” I already knew that from the pin on her shirt. Our eyes met for a long moment and something ignited that felt like a roman candle in my chest. “Lisa to my friends.”

“Hi...” Ever since fourth grade, pretty girls have made me a little tongue-tied.

She smiled again and my heartbeat hit an aerobic high. I was still trying to catch my breath when she said, “I’m an animal control officer with the local Humane Society. You say you’re new in town?”

I nodded. Everyone had warned me not to move to a small rural town. I’d be collecting my legal fees in chickens and eggs, instead of money, they said. So far everyone had paid in cash.

“We have a leash law here,” she went on. Darn it, Chevy, say something. “I bought the bold Arker place. I- I mean the – old Barker place.”

Lisa wrote on a notepad, then ripped off the top sheet and handed me a ticket. A warning that said the fine for letting an animal run loose was $25. “As I recall the Barker place isn’t fenced,” she went on.

“Well no, but it has a big yard. Plenty of room for Casey to run around.” I didn’t see that it was such a big deal. Lisa Halloran shook her head. “You shouldn’t let her roam free. We’re very strict about loose animals and the fines go up with each new offense.”

Lisa turned on her heel and walked away, her back very straight, the hips in the tan shorts swaying. I led Casey outside.

“I swear I’m in love,” I told the dog. Walking in front of me, she tipped her head high, looking straight up and back, not over her shoulder. She gave me that special, upside-down look, long, pink tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. I could swear she was smiling.