Loving the Ice Queen

Chapter 7

Barbara

It was inevitable, really. Even knowing it was coming, however, did not make my image on the front page of tabloids any less daunting.

It was a blurry shot of Ryan and me getting out of his car next to my workplace. I sent a wide eyed emoji to Eleanor. She had sent me the link first thing in the morning.

I had gone to a couple more dates with Ryan after the roses. He did not hesitate to ask questions about my life or my family, and I did not hesitate to shut him down when I was uncomfortable. It felt good to have someone not tiptoeing around me, someone who was genuinely curious about what kind of person I was. Sometimes, I felt as though I was rediscovering myself through him.

One sunday morning, I brought Pirate to the city. My property on Long Island was big and private, surrounded by acres of heavy trees, so Pirate rarely had the chance to socialize. Bringing him to the city once in a while was necessary in order to keep his social skills sharp.

It did not snow the night before, so the ground was not difficult to walk on. Pirate was running towards me with a big branch dangling from his mouth. The dog dropped the three foot long branch by my feet and gave a bark, jumping in place, his tail wagging.

"That's as big as my leg, Pirate. There's no way I'll be able to throw it," I said even as I crouched and broke the branch to a manageable length. I threw the stick and Pirate ran after it.

The park was big, there were a few people around. Some with dogs, some with children. I kept a watchful eye over Pirate as he picked up the stick.

Right then, a small child ran towards Pirate. Pirate turned and saw the child. His tail wagged but he didn't approach the kid. The boy was still quite a distance away, but dogs could be very fast.

"Pirate, down!" I called. Pirate immediately flattened himself to the ground. The child was restrained by a man who crouched next to him, a grave expression on his face as he spoke to the boy.

Ryan.

I went to stand by Pirate. "Pirate, sit." I said, and the dog sat up. I scratched his head. "Good boy."

Ryan and the boy, who must be Jeremy, walked towards us. Ryan kept glancing at the dog.

"Barbara, I didn't expect to see you here," he said, regarding Pirate cautiously.

I felt my hackles rise. I understood why people found dogs like Pirate unsettling, especially in the presence of children. To top it off, Pirate was not a pretty dog.

Still, it made me go on the defensive when people stared at him that way. Every dog, small or big, was dangerous if their owner was incompetent.

"He's safe," I said before Ryan could say anything. "I just didn't want to risk him bumping into the kid."

Ryan raised one brow, stopping a few feet away. The boy peeked from the safety of his father's leg.

"I know. You wouldn't take him off the leash if he wasn't safe. I just want to teach this guy a lesson," he said, pointing behind him.

I felt as though wind was knocked out of my sails. I had been prepared for an argument. Ryan's trusting words left me on unfamiliar grounds.

"Oh..." I said. "Okay."

"This is Jeremy," Ryan said, putting his hand on the boy's head. His hair was silky waves of black down to his shoulders. I could clearly see Ryan in his features, still softened by childhood. Except that Jeremy's skin was a shade paler.

I nodded. I had never really dealt with kids. I didn't know how to deal with Jeremy. So I just went ahead and behaved as I would with anyone else.

"Hello," I said, holding my hand out. "Barbara Owens. Nice to meet you."