Read Online The Last Second Chance: A Small Town Love Story (Blue Moon Book 3) by Lucy Score - Free Book Online
Authors: Lucy Score
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closing it behind her. Jax was standing on the porch steps his breath a cloud in the soft glow of the porch light. He had one hand behind his back.
She crossed her arms to ward off the chill. “You’re interrupting Girls Night, Ace.”
He smiled, that slow, sexy, underwear-disintegrating smile. “I have something for you.”
“I already got the bacon.” The roses were a beautiful cliché, but the bacon? God that man knew her vices.
“Something else. Something you’ve wanted for a long time.”
“Don’t you dare take your pants off,” she hissed. “There’s a houseful of women staring at you!”
“Interesting and flattering that that’s where your mind goes, but I’m talking about this,” he tugged on a green lead he had tucked behind his back. A wire-haired mutt scampered up the steps stopping neatly at her feet. The dog was wriggling with excitement.
“This is Waffles,” Jax said. “He’s yours.”
Waffles stared up at her with bi-colored eyes, his furry head cocked like he was waiting for her to say something.
“You got me a dog?” Joey asked incredulously. “A dog named Waffles?” The dog’s tail swished.
“As soon as I saw his name I knew he was yours.”
He remembered. Jax remembered. She had been nine when she asked for a dog for her birthday. When that day came and went without a four-legged best friend, Joey had started saving her allowance for a dog.
After months of saving, she sat down at the breakfast table, her mason jar stuffed full of allowance, and asked her father to take her to the rescue in town. That morning was the first time her father really let her down.
He’d refused. Told her he wasn’t going to let her waste her money on some flea-bitten mutt. They didn’t need a dog in the house and they sure as hell weren’t going to get one.
Jax had found her later that morning pouring her heart out to one of the ponies in his family’s barn and when he finally coaxed the story out of her, he announced that he’d share his dog with her. And he had. They’d spent hours together training the reluctant Pancake, a lazy lab content to spend his days swimming in the pond and sleeping on the porch.
She’d always meant to get herself a dog after college, but had never gotten around to it.
“Hi, Waffles,” she said, careful to keep any emotion out of her voice. Waffles’ scraggly tail thumped on the porch boards and he scooted an inch closer to her. Joey knelt down and stroked Waffles’ head.
“I can’t believe you got me a dog,” she said again.
“The rescue said he’s part cattle dog and part a bunch of other things. They think he’ll do great here on the farm,” Jax said, sitting down on the top step and scrubbing a hand over the ecstatic Waffles’ belly. “You’re killing me here, Jojo. Did I do good or are you pissed?”
A ghost of a smile played over her lips. “You did good, Jax.”
He blew out a cloud of breath and she felt it on her face. They were close, leaning over the wriggling bag of fur. Their gazes met. Joey wet her lips, considering. Jax’s hand grasped her wrist. He leaned in and she let him, watching those gray eyes and perfect lips close in.
The doorknob jiggled behind them and they broke apart. “But, Mama! Dere’s a puppy out dere,” Aurora screeched. “I hafta see the puppy!”
“Rain check?” Jax murmured.
“We’ll see,” Joey sighed. “What’s that barking? Oh, my God.”
Beckett’s SUV pulled up with dogs hanging out of every open window.
“You said you’d give me ten minutes,” Jax growled.
“That was before Meatball puked,” Beckett yelled. They all came pouring out, men and dogs from the SUV and women from the house, converging on the porch in a chaotic tornado of paws and questions and tangled leashes.
“What did you do?” Joey mouthed to Jax.
He pulled her and Waffles out of the fray and into the house, shutting and locking the door behind them.
“That circus outside wasn’t part of the plan,
She crossed her arms to ward off the chill. “You’re interrupting Girls Night, Ace.”
He smiled, that slow, sexy, underwear-disintegrating smile. “I have something for you.”
“I already got the bacon.” The roses were a beautiful cliché, but the bacon? God that man knew her vices.
“Something else. Something you’ve wanted for a long time.”
“Don’t you dare take your pants off,” she hissed. “There’s a houseful of women staring at you!”
“Interesting and flattering that that’s where your mind goes, but I’m talking about this,” he tugged on a green lead he had tucked behind his back. A wire-haired mutt scampered up the steps stopping neatly at her feet. The dog was wriggling with excitement.
“This is Waffles,” Jax said. “He’s yours.”
Waffles stared up at her with bi-colored eyes, his furry head cocked like he was waiting for her to say something.
“You got me a dog?” Joey asked incredulously. “A dog named Waffles?” The dog’s tail swished.
“As soon as I saw his name I knew he was yours.”
He remembered. Jax remembered. She had been nine when she asked for a dog for her birthday. When that day came and went without a four-legged best friend, Joey had started saving her allowance for a dog.
After months of saving, she sat down at the breakfast table, her mason jar stuffed full of allowance, and asked her father to take her to the rescue in town. That morning was the first time her father really let her down.
He’d refused. Told her he wasn’t going to let her waste her money on some flea-bitten mutt. They didn’t need a dog in the house and they sure as hell weren’t going to get one.
Jax had found her later that morning pouring her heart out to one of the ponies in his family’s barn and when he finally coaxed the story out of her, he announced that he’d share his dog with her. And he had. They’d spent hours together training the reluctant Pancake, a lazy lab content to spend his days swimming in the pond and sleeping on the porch.
She’d always meant to get herself a dog after college, but had never gotten around to it.
“Hi, Waffles,” she said, careful to keep any emotion out of her voice. Waffles’ scraggly tail thumped on the porch boards and he scooted an inch closer to her. Joey knelt down and stroked Waffles’ head.
“I can’t believe you got me a dog,” she said again.
“The rescue said he’s part cattle dog and part a bunch of other things. They think he’ll do great here on the farm,” Jax said, sitting down on the top step and scrubbing a hand over the ecstatic Waffles’ belly. “You’re killing me here, Jojo. Did I do good or are you pissed?”
A ghost of a smile played over her lips. “You did good, Jax.”
He blew out a cloud of breath and she felt it on her face. They were close, leaning over the wriggling bag of fur. Their gazes met. Joey wet her lips, considering. Jax’s hand grasped her wrist. He leaned in and she let him, watching those gray eyes and perfect lips close in.
The doorknob jiggled behind them and they broke apart. “But, Mama! Dere’s a puppy out dere,” Aurora screeched. “I hafta see the puppy!”
“Rain check?” Jax murmured.
“We’ll see,” Joey sighed. “What’s that barking? Oh, my God.”
Beckett’s SUV pulled up with dogs hanging out of every open window.
“You said you’d give me ten minutes,” Jax growled.
“That was before Meatball puked,” Beckett yelled. They all came pouring out, men and dogs from the SUV and women from the house, converging on the porch in a chaotic tornado of paws and questions and tangled leashes.
“What did you do?” Joey mouthed to Jax.
He pulled her and Waffles out of the fray and into the house, shutting and locking the door behind them.
“That circus outside wasn’t part of the plan,
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