Free Good Guys Love Dogs by Inglath Cooper Page B

he would qualify for.
    The two of them talked on for a
while longer before Ian
    hung up.
    Even though he'd taken official
leave, he felt obligated
    to keep himself apprised of what was
going on. He turned
    his attention to the computer
screen, checking stock prices.
    He glanced out the window to the
side of his desk.
    The huge old maple tree had begun to
absorb the tint of fall.
    The view here won hands down. A lot
more peaceful, too.
    For now, at least, he would let
himself enjoy that. Soon
    enough, he'd be back in the city
where the trees were rare
    and the noise omnipresent.
    He glanced at his watch as the sun
stretched ful tilt across
    the room. Nearly noon. Rachel would
arrive any minute.
    The trip had been planned since
before he'd moved here,
    but he almost wished she weren't
coming now. Why was
    that when he hadn't seen her in
three weeks?
    Ian turned his chair toward the
window again and
    thought about Colby Williams. No
doubt she'd considered
    him a first-class buffoon last
night. He couldn't have
    looked any more convincing as an
outsider had he been
    trying for an Academy Award.
    After he'd dropped her off, he'd
driven home,
    wondering why he never got around to
telling her about
    his engagement. Some part of him had
been intrigued by
    her. And he had enjoyed himself more
than he had in a long
    time.
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    The doorbel rang, interrupting his
thoughts. Ian left
    his study and went out into the
front hal . Rachel stood on
    the porch, dressed in black pants
and a red silk blouse,
    looking as out of place in the
countryside as a polar bear in
    Arizona.
    â€œIan. She stepped
forward and put her arms around
    his neck. “I've
missed you.
    She pressed her lips against his and
kissed him with
    intent. He placed his hands on her
waist and pul ed her to
    him, seeking a connection that would
put him back on track.
    Her perfume smel ed familiar, as did
the feel of her, and he
    told himself he had done the right
thing in asking her to
    marry him. Rachel was part of his
real life, the life he'd
    created here just temporary. Rachel
represented al the things
    he would go back to when the year
ended. And go back, he
    would.
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    14
    olby spent Saturday morning at the
clinic. Things
    Cwere busy, and she didn't see her
last patient until
    after two o'clock that afternoon.
She'd cal ed Granger's
    Tow Service and asked them to pick
up her truck and take
    it to the shop to have the starter
repaired. They'd done so,
    and someone dropped it back off
shortly after noon.
    On Sunday, she and Lena went to
church, a weekly ritual.
    Growing up, Colby had been part of
the youth group of
    Keeling Creek First Baptist, going
on retreats to other
    churches and summer bus trips to
Busch Gardens in
    Wil iamsburg. Now, Lena did those
same things in the kind
    of smal , close-knit church where
everyone knew everyone
    else, and a sense of family existed
among the members.
    They sat in the second row with
Colby's parents, both
    of whom were actively involved in
the church's social life,
    organizing such events as summer
Bible school and monthly
    breakfasts in the fel owship hal
where the men cooked for
    the women. They were good people
with strong roots in the
    community, wel liked and respected.
The only rough points
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    GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
    in her relationship with them had
come when she'd tried to
    get through school with Lena. They
wanted to help, and out
    of guilt or pride, she had been
determined to do as much as
    she could on her own. They had let
her flounder even
    though, as a parent herself, she
knew it hurt them to do so.
    After the services, she lingered at
the door with her
    mother while her father and Lena
chatted with the preacher.
    The sight of her purple-haired
daughter nestled in the crook
    of her grandfather's arm warmed
Colby inside, and at the
    same time, brought forth a surge of
regret for the closeness
    with Lena she seemed to have lost.
    â€œThings aren't
any better with you two, I take it?
    Emma Wil