While I admire her tenacity, I don’t want her to get arrested, so I try to reason with the man. “How about you agree not to press charges, and I’ll convince her never to come back here again?”
I glance at the cop, who nods his agreement to this deal if the manager will only agree to it too. The officer’s hand even goes to the keys at his hip to unlock the cuffs.
“I have my orders from the owner to make sure she gets arrested. She deserves to go to jail. Trying to ruin our good name with her lies—”
“Not lies,” Abby snarls with bared teeth. “Your company buys directly from Levi Hellman, and he abuses hundreds of dogs on a daily basis, just so both of you can make a profit.”
“That is categorically untrue,” the manager screams at her and stomps his foot. “His facility has been inspected and—”
“—found to have dozens of violations,” Abby yells back.
“Those have been corrected, and he’s never been shut down. Mr. Hellman pays his taxes and is a respected member of this community.”
Abby’s voice lowers, calm and assured. “If that’s the case, then how come—”
I step in front of Abby and talk right over her, afraid she’s going to incriminate herself by admitting to Princess’s rescue. “I’m asking you… customer to business manager… let this issue go. I was getting ready to come into your store and spend a ridiculous amount of money for my dogs, and if you—”
“Kellen McCord,” Abby hisses. She jabs me hard in my ribs with her elbow, causing me to wince. “If you spend so much as one dime at this place, I’ll never speak to you again.”
The cop ducks his head, smirks. I twist to look down at Abby, cocking one eyebrow. I’m really interested in this woman—more now than ever—and the threat of her cutting me off before I can get started gives me pause. “You’d rather get arrested?”
“You can bail me out, and we’ll discuss repayment over lunch,” she replies smoothly.
The manager mutters under his breath, “She’s a nutjob.”
I grin at her. “Okay… deal. I’ll see you at the police station.”
Abby’s eyes twinkle and she winks. “See you there.”
Surprisingly, it doesn’t take long for me to bail Abby out. The arresting officer was incredibly efficient in processing her, and the county magisterial judge was only too happy to take my money for her release.
I don’t expend any effort scolding Abby when we walk out of the police station. Nothing I could say will make her change her ways. “Please tell me you don’t have other plans that might lead to your arrest in the near future.”
For a moment, she looks chastened and levels an apologetic smile. “I’m really sorry your day was ruined. Thank you for bailing me out.”
We walk across the parking lot, the July sun already raising the temps into the mid-eighties. As I open the passenger door for her, I ask, “Was it worth it?”
Her green eyes are free of regret and shimmer with triumph. “It got your attention, didn’t it?”
I raise an eyebrow, liking the direction of her flirtation. “My attention?”
“You were going to spend money in there, and now you haven’t. So, yeah… it was worth it.”
Well, damn. I guess she wasn’t flirting.
But then she reaches out, grabs my T-shirt near the center of my chest, and gives it a playful tug. “And bonus points… I get to have lunch with a handsome guy who just bailed me out of jail.”
Okay, maybe she is flirting. On impulse, I nab her hand, bring her knuckles to my lips. It’s a move I’ve never made with a woman before. “And,” I say mischievously, “I agreed to foster a stolen dog for you.”
Her eyes flash with humor, and I’m not sure if it’s deliberate, but her voice turns husky as she goes up on tiptoes to put her face closer to mine. “That’s a move that would get most men in a girl’s panties.”
Christ, my blood runs hot just at the thought of what type of panties she might wear, and that is absolutely the kind of flirting I am in no way opposed to. I should kiss her right now, just to see how much bluster she is, but instead, I back it down. “Let’s start with lunch first. Then we can talk about your panties.”
Abby’s smile widens, revealing perfect teeth that in turn bite into her lower lip for a second. “Let’s go get supplies for Princess first. I know a good independent pet store downtown. Then we’ll pick up groceries, and I’ll cook lunch for you. I make a great summer pasta salad, and then we can discuss the matter of your heroics and my undergarments.”
“And your crusade to take down the puppy mills.” I release her hand and pull open the door wider for her to slide into the seat. “I need a better understanding of just how much trouble you’re going to be so I know if I really want to get in your panties.”