Run To You (Puppy Love Romance Book 2) Read online

  CHAPTER TWO

  “HEY, HOW DID IT go Saturday?” Clark Breckenridge hit the gas as the light changed to green.

  Emily Breckenridge snorted loudly from the passenger seat. “You, Big Brother, are never ever allowed to set me up again. Ever. Did I say never, ever? Because I meant never, ever. Ever.”

  “What?” Clark glanced at her in shock before putting his eyes back on the road. “Tiffany is a catch. She’s sexy. She’s rich. She runs a business.”

  “She’s conceited. She’s self-absorbed. She’s rude.”

  “You are impossible.” Clark turned the wheel and slid the black Mercedes coupe smoothly into a parking space in front of the main building of Junebug Farms Animal Shelter.

  “Dude, this is a handicap spot.” Emily blinked at him as he shrugged. “Seriously, Clark, just move over two spots, for Christ’s sake.” She motioned at the empty space literally twenty yards to their left. “What is the matter with you?”

  With a great, put-upon sigh, Clark shifted the car into reverse and did as his sister asked. “God, you’re a pain in the ass.”

  “Yes, I’m a horrible sister for not wanting you to take a parking space away from somebody in a wheelchair. I’ll probably go to hell for that.” Emily rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, you’ll go for other reasons first, my little lesbian sibling.”

  Emily swatted at him. “Shut up. This is business.”

  He snickered. “Know what’s kind of bizarre about this place?”

  “I mean it, Clark. This is professional. Act like it. Don’t talk to me like I’m twelve in front of these people.”

  He feigned hurt, widening his eyes and pressing a hand to his broad chest. Then, like he waved a wand, the expression slipped away and it was as if none of the conversation had happened. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  Emily looked at her big brother. People said he was ridiculously handsome, it was true, but she couldn’t see it. Maybe she was too close to him. Women everywhere swooned when he walked into a room. Six feet, three inches tall with a lean, muscular build, thick, dark hair, and startlingly blue eyes, they said he was a gorgeous specimen of man. Problem was, he knew it. And he used it. She muffled her sigh. “What question?”

  “I asked you if you knew what’s kind of bizarre about this place.”

  “Tell me.”

  “There are some hot women here. I mean hot.” He licked his thumb, then shifted so he could press it to his own ass and make a sizzling sound. Like a fourteen-year-old.

  “Do you even get why we’re here?” Emily asked, exasperated. “We’re here because of your sexual harassment habits. Complaints have been lodged. Mom was involved. You’re turning the reins over to me so the women here don’t have to worry about you coming on to them again. They don’t know that, but I do. And you do. Or you should. Has any of that sunk in?”

  “Hot women,” he corrected her. “So the hot women here don’t have to worry.”

  Emily stared at him in disbelief for a full five seconds before muttering, “Oh, my God.” She yanked the door handle and threw herself out of the car, overtaken with the need to get the hell out of such a small space where she was trapped with a man she alternately loved and wanted to punch in the scrotum.

  Taking in a deep lungful of fresh autumn air, Emily looked around at the grounds. She’d spent all day yesterday, a Sunday, doing research and learning all she could about Junebug Farms. It was the largest no-kill animal shelter in upstate New York, run by owner and CEO Jessica Barstow. Ms. Barstow had inherited the facility from her grandmother several years ago and had used her business savvy to grow the place into one of the most well-known nonprofits in the state. Emily and Clark’s mother was a huge animal lover—as was Emily—and Junebug was always first on her list to receive donations. Anytime Junebug ran a fundraiser or drive of any kind—and there were several a year—Cheryl Breckenridge was right there with her checkbook. Emily loved her for that.

  The place was expansive, that was for sure. The main building was one story and sprawling. Emily suspected there was much of it she couldn’t see from the parking lot. The muffled sound of barking reached her ears and mixed with the bleats coming from her right. A glance in the direction revealed a large structure with ramps and barrels all fenced in to make what looked almost like a playground of sorts. Several goats leaped and climbed and Emily couldn’t help but grin at their antics. Off to the left, about two or three hundred yards away from the main building, stood a large red barn. Four horses shuffled around in the corral. She suspected there were more inside.

  “You ready?” Clark was at her side.

  “This place is impressive.”

  “It is.” With a nod, he held out his arm toward the door and followed his sister up the walk.

  Inside, the noise grew exponentially. Barking, howling, and whining combined with ringing phones and the hum of several conversations going at once, and Emily had to take a moment to acclimate herself. “Wow,” she breathed.

  “I know, right? It’s crazy loud in here. All the time.” Clark led the way across the faux-marble floor to the front desk. Leaning against the horseshoe-shaped counter, he turned up the wattage on his smile and gave all his attention to the woman sitting near the phone. Her nametag said she was “Regina–Volunteer.” Emily watched her brother work. “Well, hello there, Regina. How are you doing on this fine Monday?”

  If Regina could have swooned from her seat, she probably would have. Emily suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

  “I’m just fine, Mr. Breckenridge,” Regina said with an enormous smile. She wasn’t unattractive. Her light hair was caught in a clip at the nape of her neck. She wore jeans and a green V-neck sweater. She was slightly chunky, but it looked good on her. The rounds of her cheeks tinted pink as Clark focused all his considerable charm on her. “You have a meeting this morning, right?” She glanced down at her computer screen.

  “I do. With Ms. Barstow,” Clark said.

  “And Ms. Gardner.”

  Clark gave a nod. “Hey, did you get your hair cut?”

  Regina’s blush deepened and she ran her fingers self-consciously through her bangs. “I did.”

  “Well, it looks great. Really brings out your eyes.” Clark winked at her then, and Emily fully expected Regina – Volunteer to melt into a puddle on the floor.

  “Thank you. Why don’t you two head right into the conference room and I’ll let Ms. Barstow know you’re here?” She waved in the direction of the far wall where Emily saw an open door with a small window in it.

  “We’ll do that,” Clark said with a rakish grin.

  “Can I get either of you coffee or something?” Regina asked, her expression telling Emily she wanted to hold onto this moment with Clark for as long as she could.

  Clark looked at Emily, then back at Regina. “You know what? Coffee would be great.”

  Emily gave a nod and smile, then held out her hand to Regina. “Hi. I’ m Emily Breckenridge. My brother has obviously forgotten his manners.”

  Regina shook her hand, and the wet fish method immediately dropped her a few more pegs in Emily’s eyes. “It’s very nice to meet you,” Regina said, but her gaze barely left Clark.

  Story of my life, Emily thought.

  She followed Clark across the lobby to the open door. He hit the lights and a surprisingly large conference room was illuminated. Nothing inside was new or even very modern, except for the massive cherry table, but it was neat and clean. Significant in size, the table gleamed, surrounded by twelve unremarkable but functional chairs. The walls held several pictures of animals—everything from cats and dogs to horses and llamas—and Emily assumed they were success stories from Junebug over the years.

  Clark took a seat and Emily followed suit just as Regina came in carrying two mugs of coffee. She set them down, then reached into her pocket for packets of sugar and a handful of little creamers. “I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee,” she said to Clark, never once glancing at E
mily.

  “Oh, this is perfect. Thank you so much, Regina.” Clark smiled at her and Emily half-expected her to cover her mouth with her fingers and titter like a schoolgirl from the 1800s.

  “Ms. Barstow and Ms. Gardner will be right with you.”

  The second Regina closed the conference room door on her way out, Emily turned to Clark and said, “You are ridiculous.”

  Clark laughed, a big booming sound he’d had since he was about twelve. “Hey, I can’t help it if I have that effect on women.”

  “Unbelievable,” Emily muttered, half-annoyed and half-amused. She stirred two packets of sugar into her coffee and asked, “Who’s Ms. Gardner? I thought we were just meeting with the CEO.”

  “She’s the numbers chick,” Clark said, pouring a creamer into his mug.

  “Woman, Clark. Don’t say chick. Say woman.”

  “Whatever.”

  The door opened before Emily could say more and a gorgeously tall auburn-haired woman dressed in black slacks and a fitted sweater with funky black and white stripes entered the room. Her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail and she managed to look casual and elegant at the same time.

  “Hi there,” she said, holding out her hand to Clark. “Good to see you.” They shook and then she shifted her blue eyes to Emily. “And you must be Ms. Breckenridge. I’m Jessica Barstow. It’s so nice to meet you.”

  “Emily. Please.” Emily stood and shook Jessica’s hand, the handshake far surpassing that of Regina –Volunteer. “It’s nice to meet you as well. I’ve heard a lot about Junebug Farms, but this is my first visit in a very long time, I’m ashamed to say.”

  “Well, the Breckenridge Foundation takes really good care of the animals here. We can’t thank you enough.” She gave a soft smile and it was suddenly clear to Emily, even though she’d never met Jessica Barstow before, that she was worried. Had Clark told her nothing about this meeting? She probably thought they were going to pull funding or something horrendous like that.

  Emily opened her mouth to set the woman at ease when a second woman walked in. “Sorry I’m late,” she said quietly as she closed the door behind her, sealing out the noise of the animals…or at least muffling it some. When she looked up, she locked eyes with Emily and stopped dead in her tracks.

  The hair was down this time, its unique shade of light brown glimmering with gentle, almost red highlights. The beautiful blue eyes were now veiled behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses that sat a bit too low on her nose. And the clothes had changed from black pants, white shirt, and black waist apron to a slick navy blue pantsuit, a white blouse with silver stripes underneath the jacket. Emily couldn’t see the shoes, but it didn’t matter. She knew this woman. They’d met on Saturday. Ms. Gardner had waited on Emily’s table during her disastrous blind date. The weirdest part was that Emily was stupidly happy to see her.

  “Catherine? You okay?” Jessica’s voice seemed to jumpstart activity in the room again. Catherine Gardner literally shook herself, then pasted on a smile.

  “Yes. Yes. Fine. Sorry. Zoned out for a moment there.” She held out a hand to Clark. “Good to see you, Clark.”

  “Likewise,” he replied.

  “And this is Clark’s sister, Emily Breckenridge,” Jessica said, by way of invitation. “Emily, this is Catherine Gardner, our accountant and resident queen of all things number related.”

  Catherine reached across the table as Emily stood from her chair and leaned forward to grasp her hand. Soft, warm, strong. Her grip was everything Emily hoped and they shook firmly. Emily had to force herself to let go. Once they were all seated, Clark surprised Emily by taking the reins and actually acting almost professional.

  “So, I’m sure you’re wondering why we called this meeting. Rest assured, everything is just fine between the Breckenridge Foundation and Junebug Farms. No worries there.”

  The relief on Jessica’s face was so apparent, Emily almost laughed out loud.

  “That being said, we are making some changes, doing a little…restructuring, if you will. We’re shifting people around a bit, trying a few new things.” With a small flourish, he gestured to Emily. “That’s where my baby sister comes in. She’s taking over the management of the Breckenridge Foundation and therefore, she will be your liaison from here on out.”

  Catherine’s eyebrows rose up toward her hairline, her surprise clear. Then it seemed to sink in and she gave an almost imperceptible nod. Emily wondered if she understood exactly why this change was being made.

  “Well,” Jessica said, her face hard to read. “We’ll miss having you around, Clark.”

  “Oh, I’m not disappearing,” Clark said with a grin. “I’m sure I’ll pop in every now and then. Make sure my little sister’s doing a good job.” It sounded almost threat-like and Emily arched an eyebrow at him. He caught the look and winked at her, which irritated her even more.

  Emily turned her gaze to the other two women in the room, gave them a reassuring smile, and used her most professional business voice. “I may be new to this position, but I’m not new to my family’s business. This organization holds a very special place in my mother’s heart—and mine—and I have promised her I will do the very best job I can working hand in hand with Junebug Farms. To be honest, I look forward to it.” Actually impressed with herself for being able to look both women in the eye rather than focusing only on the gorgeous face of Catherine Gardner—which was really what she wanted to do—Emily picked up her mug and took a sip of her coffee.

  Clark took over. “This was really just an introductory meeting so you could meet Emily. I’m sure she’ll want to go over some things in detail down the line, but we know you’re not necessarily prepared for that at this moment. Right, Em?”

  Emily nodded, watched as Catherine shuffled through some papers in the portfolio she’d brought in with her. “Exactly. In fact…” She pulled her phone out of her bag and called up the calendar. “Why don’t we set something up now?” She looked up, snagged by Catherine’s blue eyes.

  Next to her, Jessica nodded. “That’ll work. You’ll be dealing mostly with Catherine, as she’s our bookkeeper.” She turned to her. “You have time this week, I assume?”

  “Yes.” Catherine flipped pages in a small planner, which Emily found endlessly amusing. And kind of endearing.

  “Old school, huh?” she asked. When Catherine looked up, puzzled, Emily gestured at the planner.

  “Oh.” And then the first ghost of a smile appeared and Emily was reminded of why she hadn’t been able to take her eyes off Catherine Saturday night. “I like pen and paper,” she said with a half-shrug.

  “I get that.”

  For a very short beat of time, it felt to Emily as if they were the only two people in the room. She watched Catherine run a finger down a list—the woman had gorgeous hands, feminine, with long fingers and neatly filed nails. The glasses were ridiculously sexy, but at the same time, Emily wanted to slip them off Catherine’s face, get a good, clear look at those eyes that were the color of an August sky. Emily watched as Catherine turned the page in her planner, then absently reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, giving Emily an unobstructed, sensual view of her neck and throat.

  “How about Wednesday?”

  Emily flinched and hoped nobody noticed. Blinking rapidly and working to get her mind out of the gutter, she wet her suddenly dry lips and nodded. “Wednesday is good.” Realizing she’d better actually check, she glanced down at the phone in her hand, relieved to see that Wednesday was indeed good. Oh, thank God.

  “Eleven?” Catherine asked.

  “Eleven it is.” Emily smiled at her and felt the sudden urge to lose herself in those blue eyes when Clark’s voice—though at its usual volume—seemed to boom through the conference room like a basketball bouncing in an empty gym.

  “Great. Well, I think that’s all we needed.” His chair made a loud screech as he pushed back from the table and stood. “Just wanted to get you guys acquainted with my baby sister
.” He held out his hand to Jessica, who stood and grasped it. Catherine did the same thing, then Jessica reached to Emily.

  “I’m really looking forward to working with you. Thank you so much for all you do for Junebug Farms. It means the world to us, and more so to the animals you help.”

  “Well, it means a lot to us as well,” Emily said, touched by Jessica’s words. She turned to Catherine and when she had her hand held firmly in her own, she gave a gentle squeeze as she said, “I look forward to Wednesday.”

  Those blue eyes seemed to look right into her for a moment before Catherine gave a subtle nod, and Emily felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment when Catherine let go of her hand.

  Clark’s charm switch clicked back on as they exited the conference room and parted ways with Jessica and Catherine. He detoured by the front desk again. Regina –Volunteer was not there this time, but Judith –Volunteer was. It was all Emily could do to keep from rolling her eyes so hard they rolled right out of her skull to bounce along the lobby floor as her brother complimented everything about Judith –Volunteer, from her fun sweatshirt with the chickadees on it to her horn-rimmed glasses. She got just as pink as Regina did. Maybe more so, and Clark flirted mercilessly with her for a good five minutes before rapping the desk with his knuckles and waving a farewell to her. He tossed in a wink for good measure. Because of course he did, Emily thought.

  Out at the car, she looked at him over the roof.

  “What?” he asked, opening his door.

  She got in and when both doors had been slammed shut she said, “You are a piece of work.”

  Clark chuckled as if he completely understood what she meant, but said, “What do you mean?” anyway.

  “Seriously? With the flirting?” She scoffed as he keyed the engine.

  “What’s wrong with making a woman feel nice?” he asked, backing out of the spot and steering through the parking lot.

  “That’s not the issue, Clark, it’s that there are times and places for that kind of thing and when you’re in a professional capacity, it’s not then.”