Free Foxfire by Carol Ann Erhardt Page B

was funny. She took off
after him like she meant to chomp off his leg, but what she did was
much better.”
    Brad looked at her questioningly.
    “She scratched his precious car.” Grace
dissolved in laughter.
    Brad guffawed.
    When he caught his breath he said, “Serves
him right. If I'd been here, I might have put a bullet hole through
the fender.”
    “Well, he is an attorney. I'll probably get a
bill for damaging his property.”
    “I don't think so. He was on your property
and he'd have to explain why. Wouldn't the press love that
story?”
    They shared another laugh.
    “I'd better head for home and call Harri.
She's probably biting her long purple fingernails to the nub. Now
you stop worrying about Tyler being your boss. And don't put him in
the same class as Connor. Give him a chance.”
    “A chance for what? He'd run like a gazelle
if he knew the truth about me.”
    Brad kissed her forehead. “I think you're
wrong. There's one way to find out, you know.”
    “It doesn't matter. He's not looking for a
relationship and neither am I. It's just that he has this way of
making a woman feel...special, and I needed that after Connor's
put-down. It'll pass.”
    “How about me taking my two favorite women
out for dinner tomorrow night? Maybe Harri can relieve your mind
about Tyler.” He wiggled his finger in front of her face as he did
frequently. “I'm still not convinced that his being your boss is an
issue.”
    Grace hugged him. “As it happens, I am free
tomorrow night. You're impossible, but I still love you.”
    “And I'm grateful, darlin'. See you
tomorrow.”
    Grace held open the door while Brad slipped
out. “Thanks, Brad.”
    “You bet.”
    Then he was swallowed up in the dark, his
flashlight jumping through the trees as he made his way back
home.
    ****
    The next morning, Adam caught up with her as
she walked to work. “Hi, Adam.” She waved, hoping he wouldn't
expect her to stop and talk.
    “Hi, Grace. I hear you're working at the
clinic now.”
    “Yep. Isn't that great? Now I can walk to
work. In fact, that's where I'm heading now. Don't want to be
late.”
    He hurried to her side, keeping step with
her. “Tyler isn't there. Had an emergency call. Lainey Miller's dog
got hit by a car.”
    “Oh, no! How awful.” A shiver ran down her
spine. She could imagine how terrible it would be if something like
that happened to Tiffany. She subconsciously stroked her dog's
head.
    Tiffany studied Adam without growling.
    “You never know what'll happen if you don't
keep an eye on your pets. When they run wild, bad things can
happen.”
    An icy hand reached out to squeeze her heart.
Adam's statement sounded like a threat.
    Then he turned and walked away with a
mumbled, “See ya, Grace.”
    “Yeah, see ya,” she whispered.
    She continued on toward the clinic, trying to
forget about Adam. Tyler had given her a key, so she let herself in
and checked the appointment book. While she was slipping into her
lab coat, Tyler came in through the back.
    “I thought you weren't here. Adam
said  “
    “Yeah. I had to take care of an injured dog.
Ms. Miller's Dalmatian got loose and a car hit him. Nothing
serious, just bruised him up a bit, thank God. He'll be fine in a
few days.”
    Tyler squeezed her shoulder as he passed and
Grace felt the tingle clear to her toes.
    “Thanks for opening up, Grace.”
    “You're welcome. That's part of the job.”
    He smiled, a tired heavy-looking smile that
did little to erase the grooves between his brows.
    “Grace, I wanted…”
    Whatever he'd been about to say was
interrupted by the clanging bell announcing their first
patient.
    Grace kept herself busy for the next three
hours, periodically removing Muffin from her chair. Tiffany had
stubbornly refused to stay in the clinic, and it made Grace
nervous. She had never worried about Tiffany before, but Adam's
words taunted her. He clearly didn't like her dog, but would he
hurt her? She'd always thought of Adam as shy and kind of