Page 16 of I Hate You More

“Of course you don’t, honey. That’s why you work at a nursing home.”

Ruby whirled on her. “What’s that supposed to mean? I work there because I like it. It has nothing to do with winning or losing.”

“Forget I mentioned it.”

“Even if I didn’t, it’s not as if I had a strong scholastic foundation to build on. I missed more school as a kid than all the rest of the students combined. What other choice do I have?”

“Very true. I’ve always been a terrible mother.”

“Mom!” Ruby released a sound somewhere between a laugh and a cry. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. I’mhappywith my life—I really am. It’s not the glory you wanted for me, but I get by.”

Her mom might have had more to say, but the landline inside the house started ringing just then. Wheezy took immediate exception to the sound and started barking with all his might. And his might—with his ninety-five pounds of heft to back it up—was considerable.

“That’s probably another bill collector. You’d better get it while I try to wrangle this dog of yours into the car. Unless you’d rather switch…?”

The idea of tackling Wheezy was much more daunting than the possibility of hundreds of dollars in unpaid bills. With only a slight sigh, Ruby left to answer the phone.

Which just went to show, didn’t it? She couldn’t even win an argument with her mother. These days, losing was the one thing in the world Ruby did best.

Chapter 6

“Hello, everyone, and welcome to the inaugural West Coast Canine Classic meet and greet.”

A female voice rang out loud and clear over the high school gym, which held about a hundred dogs and twice as many of the humans attached to them. It spoke well of this year’s candidates that Spencer’s co-judge and vet partner, Eva Johnson, didn’t have to resort to shouting or a microphone. The dogs were so well trained that they immediately hushed when she spoke.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone and remind you that neither you nor your animals are being judged today. This is about getting to know the other dog-show entrants to share tips, tricks, and, if either you or your animals are single, phone numbers.” The diminutive brunette laughed, which meant the entire room laughed with her. She was that kind of person. “My two fellow judges and I are here to observe and answers questions, but don’t feel like you need to show off. We won’t bite. Hopefully, none of your little darlings will either—and if they do, we claim no liability for the damages.”

That earned Eva another laugh. Spencer would’ve liked to point out that she was serious, and that any dog caught misbehaving or acting aggressively would be immediately banned from this and all future events, but Eva didn’t give him an opportunity. Which was just as well, since he was already the least favorite of the three judges.Everyoneadored Eva, who was one of the friendliest people Spencer had ever known, and Lawson, a large-animal vet who’d been at school with them, was equally beloved. He was almost as big as the horses he took care of and had the personality to match.

Spencer, however, was the judge who’d memorized the rulebook. Color, coat, conformity…he knew them all by heart. He even carried a ruler in his pocket to check the fur length on certain breeds. As soon as people saw him whip it out, they were known to run screaming from the room.

Lawson rubbed his hands together and cast a glance around the high school gym where the meet and greet was being held. It was the same location they’d used for the registration, but there was a lot more activity this time around. Not everyone participated in these informal events, but they were always well attended. Dog-show people loved nothing more than an opportunity to show their dogs.

“Where should I start?” Lawson asked. “The hounds? The terriers? Who am I kidding? We all know I’m heading straight for the toys.”

It was a well-known joke among them that Lawson only had eyes for tiny dogs. He and his husband owned three rescue Chihuahuas. Every year, their Christmas card featured the dogs dressed up in some outlandish costume. Last year had seen them turned into tiny reindeer hooked up to an even tinier red sleigh.

“Ooh, I’ll come with you,” Eva said. “There’s a King Charles spaniel over there who’s been giving me the eye since I came in. I assume you’re off to ogle the working dogs, Spencer?”

He was about to answer in the affirmative—give him a big, strong Alaskan malamute over a teacup poodle any day—but a commotion at the door drew their attention.

Commotionwas the only word Spencer could think of to describe it. In addition to once again arriving late, Ruby had been forced to resort to underhanded tactics to get Wheezy through the door. She entered the room backward, a cheeseburger in her hand and a coaxing note in her voice.

“Come on, Wheezy. Just a few more steps. You can do it.” She gave the burger an enticing waggle. Had it been any other woman bribing a dog through the doorway with a piece of meat, she might have gone unnoticed, but she gave her ass an equally enticing waggle. She was clad comfortably and casually in a pair of loose green overalls over a black tank top, but as far as Spencer was concerned, she might as well have been standing up for the swimsuit competition. It was impossible to look at her and not be aware of every part of her body. Hair and lips and shoulders and waist and—

“She can’t give that dog a cheeseburger,” Spencer announced before his list—or his imagination—moved any further downward. “Did she listen to nothing I said? He needs a healthy diet and exercise.”

“Oh dear.” Eva muffled a giggle. “Is that the woman Caleb was telling me about?”

Spencer glanced over, his gaze sharp. “You talked to Caleb?”

Instead of answering, Eva sighed. “He wasn’t kidding, was he? She’sgorgeous. Do you think she wants to be my friend?”

“Eva, please don’t—” Spencer began, but he didn’t know why he bothered. Once Eva decided to like a person, it was already done.

“I was wondering why Caleb was so excited to get a new client, but it makes total sense now. Didn’t the first training session go well?”

Spencer pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d known this would happen from the moment that woman first thrust her dog’s papers into his hands. He was trying to give herlessspace in his life, not more. The last thing he needed was for Eva to roll out the full welcome-wagon routine.