Read Online 3 Can You Picture This? by Jerilyn Dufresne - Free Book Online Page B

yelled his greeting.
    Seeing the two of them, Clancy pulled on her leash until I let go, and she ran up the stairs to greet her friends. After she gave them each doggie kisses, she rolled onto her back so they could apply some well-placed belly rubs.
    Georgianne looked up, “I wanted to ask you, Sam, if you would like to play cards tonight. My regular group is playing, but it’s a special night because my sister is here and she adores card games. Please say you’re free.”
    Normally I’m quick enough with the excuses, but not this time.
    “Sure, what time?” All was right in my world. I could afford to spend time with Georgianne. Plus, I’d get to see Gus.
    “Come over at seven. Would your children like to play?”
    Thankfully, for them, I was able to say that I thought they were both busy. They loved Gus and Georgianne, but I thought the card game with old folks might be asking too much of them.
    I was finally able to extract Clancy from their ministrations and took off. Today we went on our normal walk through the lovely neighborhood we lived in. It seemed it had been a long time since I was able to talk to Clancy like I’d always done.
    “So, girl, what did you think about staying with George?”
    I had to grin at her smile.
    “Me too, Clancy. Me too.”
    I marveled at the blooming flowers and the squirrels and bunnies scampering on the park-like lawns. Even though these sights were almost daily occurrences during my summer walks, I still felt immensely lucky.
    Out of the blue the hair stood up on my neck. Something was wrong somewhere. My stomach was tied up in knots and I felt dizzy enough that I had to sit down on a bank. It was daylight, so I shouldn’t have felt threatened, but I did. Clancy’s low growl told me she was getting the same vibes I was.
    I looked back and forth, back and forth, but nothing was there. Just the cars on Maine Street, a busy thoroughfare as usual. The sidewalks were empty, which was kind of strange, but not too much out of the ordinary on a work day in a residential neighborhood. I willed myself to relax my shoulders, which were up around my neck.
    Breathe deeply, Sam. Just breathe deeply.
    That calmed me enough that I was able to stand up. I brushed the grass and dirt off my butt and told Clancy everything was going to be all right. My vibes were still telling me something was wrong, but I couldn’t see anything.
    Starting to walk again, I felt Clancy pull behind me and she began barking frantically. I couldn’t hold her, and as I turned around to see what she was going after, I saw a blue hoodie on a figure escaping over a high wooden fence in a side yard. Clancy stood at the fence barking, but she couldn’t jump over it. I was okay with that. If something ever happened to her, they’d have to bury me along with her.
    “Clancy, get over here right now!” I seldom used that commanding tone of voice with her, because she usually knew how to behave. And it seemed that once more she might have saved my life, or at least saved me from something unpleasant. She looked at me, barked one more time for good measure in the direction the blue hoodie had taken, then came back to me. I knelt and hugged her, telling her over and over how much I loved her. She’d been with me since she was a pup that my kids picked out at the Quincy Humane Society. I couldn’t imagine my life without her.
    A few months ago, Clancy had been poisoned, along with many other dogs, some of whom died. I’d been frantic, and George had comforted me. It was the moment when I first knew that I loved him. I wasn’t able to explain it.
    Clancy accepted my love and my thanks. Once I was able to walk again, I turned around to go home—this time we didn’t walk all the way to my job at the Quincy Community Clinic, like we typically did.
    “Omigod, girl. I wish I knew what just happened.” My mind was full of confusion. “I have to trust our instincts and figure that the guy was up to no good. Right? Even