“Do you mean like hallucinations or—”
“I mean women.”
“Kind of.” He didn’t want to talk with her about Kenzie. “But don’t worry. I remember what you said. ‘Never marry a woman who doesn’t want the same life you want. You’ll destroy each other.’”
For a moment, his mother said nothing, and he wondered whether the call had dropped. He glanced at his screen. She was still there.
At last she spoke, her voice quavering. “I was wrong, Harrison. I never quit loving your father. You know that, right? But when your brother was stillborn, it broke my heart. I was grieving. I blamed your dad. But it wasn’t only his fault. I could have called for a bush pilot myself and had someone fly me to the hospital. The truth is, I would trade every day since the day we left to go back in time and stay with him. He might still be alive.”
Conrad didn’t know what to say. All these years, his mother had raged about his father, telling Conrad how she’d lost a baby because of him and how the man hadn’t loved her enough to come with his wife and only living child.
“If you find someone you love, don’t walk away from her. Don’t turn your back on her. Fight for her. Don’t make my mistake.”
Conrad didn’t know what to think about this. “Are you okay?”
“I miss him.”
So did Conrad.
* * *
Kenzie’s mindwas stuck on Harrison as she drove down the canyon into Boulder for her private lesson. Sex with him was so easy. The man knew what he was doing between a woman’s legs. That much was certain. He’d actuallyaskedher what she liked, responding to her, even when she couldn’t do more than moan. And what he’d done with his mouth when he’d gone down on her …
Lord have mercy.
She had expected him to have a lot of energy in bed. He was a world-class athlete after all. What she hadn’t known was that he would be sensitive, too.
She turned off the highway, her thoughts shifting away from Conrad to the hour ahead. Over the past couple of months, she’d come to dread this lesson. Mari, her client, was perhaps the most selfish person she’d ever met.
She pulled up to the gate and punched in the access code, waiting while the iron gate opened. She drove onto the property, following the curved driveway past a marble colonnade and parking where she’d been instructed to park—in one of several spots reserved for staff.
Prince, the three-month-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel puppy she was here to train, met her at the front door, his little body wagging.
She knelt down to greet him, petting his silky fur. “Hey, buddy. How are you? I’m happy to see you, too.”
“He’s had two accidents this week.” Irritation on her face, Mari walked up behind the puppy, wearing yoga pants and a cashmere sweater, her blond hair tied up in a perfect mess of a bun. “I try to keep an eye on him, but that doesn’t leave much time for anything else. I can’t give up my entire life for a dog.”
Kenzie stood, Prince in her arms, and tried to say something encouraging. “It’s a big investment of time in the beginning, I know, but it’ssoworth it in the end. How are you doing?”
Mari shook her head, looking as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders. “I’ve got something to do every day this week.”
Kenzie didn’t know what to say to that. Mari didn’t have a job, and her kids were at school all day. How could it be so hard to spend a half hour each day playing with this precious puppy? “Should we get started?”
She carried Prince through the house, which could easily have held her home, yard, and the kennel, to Mari’s yoga room, waiting while Mari rolled up her yoga mat.
Mari carried the mat to the corner. “I haven’t had time to practice with him. I refuse to give up my spa time. Then there’s Pilates and the kids. If I’d had any idea how demanding it was to be a mother, I would never have had children.”
Kenzie tried not to let her shock show. “It takes only about ten or fifteen minutes twice a day to train a puppy. If you don’t have fifteen minutes, then try five. It’s important to get training time with him every day. Ultimately, this is about your relationship with Prince. You’re his guardian, and he needs to respond to you.”
“I thought I was payingyouto train him.”
“I told you from the beginning that the real work would be yours. I can only show you how to do it. I don’t live here.”Thank God.“You, your husband, and your kids have to be consistent, or it will confuse Prince.”
“Fine.” Mari walked over, took Prince from her, and set him on the wooden floor. “I don’t need a lecture from you.”
Kenzie ignored Mari’s condescending tone and got to work, running through the commands Prince had mastered so far and turning him over to Mari to practice those that were harder for him—Stay and Follow.
Kenzie pushed Mari as far as she could. “The more vigilant and consistent you are the faster he’ll learn. He really is a wonderful puppy.”
