Free Paradox Love: Paradox Love Book 1 by Dorothy E Gravelle Page B

only ever ran to be with you.”
    The whole thing still seemed so crazy to him.  But at the same time, it made complete sense.  That sweet hound, yes, there was a connection to her.  He’d developed protective feelings for the dog immediately.  And now, she could be his.  It was all coming together. 
    “I can’t think of a good reason to say no,” he smiled.  This was right.  This made sense.
    “Good.  Then it’s settled.  You’re going home next week, right?”
    “Yes, on Thursday.”
    “How about if I bring her on Friday?”
    “That sounds good.”
    She reached out to squeeze his hand.  “I’m really happy about this.”
    “Thank you, Sue.  I am, too.”
    They stood to say goodbye.  Instinctively, she went to him, hugging.  Hugs were difficult for him.  Touch was difficult.  That intimacy still caused the resurfacing of old bruises.  But he could feel her sincerity and he appreciated the complete unselfishness in what she had offered him.  He hugged back as the small lump in his throat swelled.  Then he released her, afraid that his eyes might spill over.
    “I’ll see you next Friday,” her smile was wide as she said goodbye, the same wetness in her own eyes as she turned to go. 
     
    * * * * *
     
    Noel was restless and had been for days.  Something was new.  Something was changing.  She could always sense it.  Sue had been home a lot lately and the two of them had been spending their days together.  The tug to escape the yard again was strong, but she was torn between that and Sue’s attentions.  There was something in the quality of the woman’s behavior that beckoned her and Noel obeyed the call.  There were long belly rubs and lengthy one way conversations.  Noel would look Sue in the eye, absorbing the tone and the melodies and accepting the comfort of the gentle speaking.
    There were often times throughout the day, however, when Noel would push the curtain to the backyard window aside with her snout and rest her chin on the sill.  That backyard, that place out there was her way to get to him.  A low whine escaped her throat as she traced the lines of the back fence with her eyes, the familiar routine on her mind.
    Her first few tries at escape had failed, but after some practice she could do it now.  Along the perimeter of the yard was a sturdy wooden fence, nearly six feet high.  At the farthest end, there was a gate leading to the alley behind the house, where garbage was stored in large bins to be removed by city workers who drove through once a week.  The gate was several inches shorter than the rest of the fence. 
    That fact had caught her attention sometime earlier when she’d heard the familiar sound of the large truck making is slow passage down the alley.  She watched the topmost portion of the truck move along above the fence.  Then, when it reached the gate, she saw him.  For just the tiniest second, the driver of the truck was visible as he passed through the section of fence where the gate was located.  That small clue to a potential escape route had ignited within her the inherent canine GPS present in all dogs. 
    That day, as the little spark of excitement ignited within, she had bolted through the doggie door located in the laundry room at the rear of the house.  She bounded to the backyard gate and stared expectedly towards the top of its wooden planks.  Instinctually, she knew that she could never traverse the gate from where she stood. 
    Realizing this, she scanned the yard around her.  To her right and running perpendicular to the rear fence, was Sue’s raised vegetable garden, supported by a retaining wall nearly three feet high.  The retaining wall ran the length of the yard and ended several feet from the back fence, capping off to form a rectangle.  Concrete bricks formed the perimeter, keeping the soil from spilling into the rest of the yard. 
    Hopping from her spot in the grass into the raised garden was easy enough.  She