Free Forever After by Catherine Anderson Page A

come down here and stood guard over your child. There has to be a reason, even if it’s not immediately apparent to either one of us.”
    Meredith shifted her attention back to the dog and once again found herself impaled by those apologetic brown eyes. Was Goliath acting crazy? She recalled the night she’d first met Heath and how he’d tried to excuse the animal’s behavior. She had pegged him as certifiably nuts. She no longer felt so sure. Dogs did have a sixth sense, and both times that Goliath had behaved viciously, Sammy had been terrified.
    Tonight the child had had a nightmare. She’d been panicky when Meredith first opened the door. Meredith couldn’t be certain what Sammy had been dreaming about, but she had a good idea. Had Goliath sensed the child’s terror, possibly even the cause of it, and reacted, warning Meredith away because he perceived she might be a threat? Incredible. Yet Heath Masters was implying exactly that, whether he realized it or not. And he knew nothing of Sammy’s history.
    A dizzy feeling swept over her, and she clenched herfists so tightly on the chenille that her knuckles ached. She couldn’t admit that the dog might have cause to feel protective. Keeping the past a secret was vital to their future.
    “At the risk of sounding unfeeling, I really don’t care why your dog has been acting the way he has,” she said softly. “I’ll leave understanding him to you.”
    Heath nodded. “I guess I can’t blame you for that.”
    “By the same token, I’d hate to see him put to sleep. That’d be a shame. I just don’t want him here. To that end, I’m willing to cooperate with you in any way I can.”
    She avoided looking at Goliath, who seemed to be trying to melt her heart. Craziness . Five minutes ago, she’d been afraid he might go for her jugular.
    A charged silence fell over the room, the ticking of her kitchen clock the only sound. Finally, Masters said, “In the morning, I’ll call about getting a kennel built, and until it’s done, I’ll do my best to keep Goliath home. Do you feel comfortable with that?”
    Meredith nearly pointed out that his best effort hadn’t proved to be effective so far, but her wig felt as if it were on crooked, she wore no mascara to darken her lashes, and her padded bra was in the bath. The quicker she got him out of here, the better.
    “Your best is all I can ask,” she replied.
    “If Goliath does get loose again, will you call me first? Instead of animal control?”
    “I’ll certainly try, but I can’t make any guarantees. What if you’re not at home?”
    “Whenever I’m gone, he’ll be locked up.” He thrust out a hand. “Shake on it?”
    Meredith glanced uneasily at Goliath.
    Heath chuckled. “He won’t bite you. It’s kids he’s protective of, not me.”
    Meredith gingerly extended her arm. Heath Masters’ large hand engulfed hers, his palm warm and slightly rough, like fine sandpaper. With the tip of his forefinger, he traced the protrusion of her wrist bone, a twinkle creeping into his blue-gray eyes.
    She was glad when he released her. Scrubbing his touch away on the nap of her robe, she led the way to the door, relieved that he still held the dog’s collar. She tried not to look at Goliath. Those soulful brown eyes were getting to her.
    Holding the door wide, she said, “Well…good night, Sheriff Masters.”
    “Heath. We are neighbors, Meredith. I hope we’ll become good friends.”
    “That reminds me. I don’t recall giving you my name.”
    He flashed her a slightly sheepish grin. “Yeah, well…” He shrugged. “That first night, I wanted to call you and mend fences, so I ran a check on your license plate.”
    Meredith felt as if the floor had vanished from beneath her feet. Just like that, he’d wanted her name and gotten it? By running a license plate check?
    “I see,” she finally managed to say. “Isn’t that an invasion of my privacy?”
    “If your first, middle, and last names are state