When Valentines Collide by Adrianne Byrd Read Free Book Online Page A

he took a retreating step. “Wait, it’s not what you think.”
    A low growl caught their attention and Chanté slowly turned toward her walk-in closet.
    Buddy trotted out, growling and shaking his head with a leather pump clenched between his teeth.
    â€œWhat in the hell?” Chanté screeched.
    â€œBuddy, no.” Matthew raced into the room and knelt to rescue the prized possession. “Give me that. How did you get out of my room?”
    â€œBuddy?” his wife snapped. “This mongrel belongs to you?”
    Matthew pried the shoe out of the dog’s mouth, but then groaned at the numerous teeth marks around the heel.
    Chanté approached with her fist jabbed into her hips.
    He glanced up. “Uh, looks like we were a little too late.”
    â€œUh, you think?” She snatched the shoe from his hand. “These are Weitzman pumps. Do you know what I had to do to track these down?”
    He quickly scooped the dog into his arms before his wife did something rash. As a matter of fact, he realized that he better stand up if he wanted to keep his own teeth. “Chanté, calm down. This was an accident.”
    â€œAn accident? You expect me to believe that? What the hell is a dog doing in this house in the first place? You know I don’t like dogs.”
    â€œWell, I do. And I think it’s high time I had one. I need something around here to be happy when I come home.”
    She sucked in an indignant breath. “And who is going to take care of him?”
    â€œI’ll take care of him!”
    Chanté swept out an arm to indicate her bedroom. “Does this look like you’re taking care of him?”
    â€œHe must have gotten out of his crate.”
    â€œDid you come to that conclusion all by yourself, Dr. Valentine?”
    â€œIt was an accident. It won’t happen again.”
    Rage trembled through Chanté’s body like a bolt of lightning. “Get out!” she seethed through her clenched teeth.
    â€œChanté…”
    Pivoting on her heel, she marched toward the door and held it open. “I said, get out.”
    Realizing that she wasn’t going to listen to reason, Matthew waltzed out. He’d barely crossed the threshold when the door slammed behind him.
    Matthew stood still for a long moment, reviewing what had just happened.
    Just apologize. Seth’s advice rang in Matt’s ear and reverberated through every cell of his body.
    But apologize for what? Okay, maybe he could start with the car and the damage the dog did to her room—or even his callous remarks on national television. But all of that transpired in the last week. It would hardly cover the past five months.
    It’s a start.
    Matthew turned around and knocked on the door.
    Chanté didn’t answer.
    He drew a deep breath and tried again—this time a little louder. When she didn’t answer the second time, he knew he was officially being given the silent treatment.
    â€œI just wanted to say I’m sorry,” he murmured to the door.
    Buddy lifted his head and delivered a sloppy lick against Matthew’s cheek.
    â€œAt least you still like me.” Turning, Matthew followed the gray duct tape back to his room.
    Â 
    Thinking she heard something, Chanté shut off the shower and waited to see if she’d hear it again. After a minute, she shivered from the cool chill of the bathroom and turned the hot water back on. The steady, warm pulse of the water did a considerable job of easing the tension from her body.
    However, she fully intended to make herself a hard drink once she climbed out of the shower—maybe even two.
    As she lathered and rinsed, lathered and rinsed, she churned an inventory of Matthew’s prized possessions over in her mind. Which item would pack the most wallop and which one would hit below the belt?
    How long are you going to keep this up?
    The question threw her, mainly because she didn’t have an