Read Online Down Home Carolina Christmas by Pamela Browning - Free Book Online

pointedly.
    At that, Luke backed off a bit. “I can’t have a dog, but I can certainly provide temporary quarters when an animal is being mistreated,” he said self-righteously.
    â€œShasta is not mistreated. She’s homeless, that’s all. Has she been with you all night? I’ve searched everywhere for her.” She figured she had at least as much right to be angry as Luke Mason.
    Luke nodded. “She spent the night in my room on a down-cushioned bench belonging to the previous residents. Oh, and I bathed her and fed her, too.” He seemed right proud of himself, which only ticked her off.
    â€œDo you have any idea how upset I was when the Calphus boys called and said Shasta wasn’t here at the station this morning when they came by? You had no need to kidnap her.”
    Luke held up his hands as if to deflect the torrent of words. “Wait a minute, wait a minute. Who are the Calphus boys? It’s not their dog, is it?”
    â€œI already told you, she’s a stray,” Carrie began after drawing a deep breath, but then she realized that as an outsider, Luke wouldn’t know Mike and Jamie and their situation.
    â€œLook,” Carrie went on, speaking more kindly this time. “The boys and I were worried sick when we couldn’t find her.” She reached in through the Ferrari’s open door and tugged at Shasta, but there was no budging her. The dog resisted, panting all the while through a big, openmouthed doggy grin. Then the shameless mutt slid sideways on the seat until she was lying down, rolling over on her back and gazing up at Carrie, daring her to remove her from Luke Mason’s car.
    â€œI’m sorry if I caused any trouble,” Luke said. “Your dog wolfed down a great breakfast this morning—three orders of link sausage from the Eat Right Café. Oh, and I gave her all my grits. I’ve discovered I hate grits. They taste like cooked goose bumps.”
    She suppressed a grin. “Do me a favor and make an effort to get Shasta out of your car while I go call Mike and Jamie to tell them she’s safe.”
    â€œOkay, you little rascal,” Luke said to the dog. “Get out of there. Come on.”
    Carrie left Luke prodding and pulling while she went into her office to use the phone. By the time she had finished explaining to a jubilant Mike and Jamie, Shasta was lying in the doorway.
    â€œThanks for bringing her back. The boys are probably riding their bikes over here right this minute.”
    â€œWill they take her home? I don’t like the idea of her wandering around.”
    â€œTheir mom won’t let them keep her. I’ll leash her to a stake out back under the big tree if that makes you feel any better.” She paused, deciding that if she moved only a foot this way and Luke moved only two feet that way, their heads would be perfectly aligned to pick up where they’d left off at the casting call. Then she was ashamed of herself and sighed. “Okay, so we’ve sort of solved the dog problem. Now, don’t you have a movie to make?”
    Luke stared at his feet for a long moment. “I’m glad you mentioned that. Whip Larson, our producer, asked me to give you this.” He yanked a sheaf of folded papers out of his back pocket and handed it to her.
    Silently, keeping an eye on Luke, Carrie opened the packet and perused the lines of fine print.
    â€œThis seems to be a contract,” she said.
    â€œThat’s exactly what it is,” Luke told her with an air of smugness that she found most unappealing. “All you have to do is sign on the dotted line, pass go and you collect twenty thousand dollars. Plus an extra five if you’ll sell Whip the Marilyn Monroe calendar. He’s a collector.”
    The fact that someone had gone to the trouble to draw up the contract without consulting her made her furious, and she felt her face flush.
    â€œJust sign on the dotted line and