Read Online Good Guys Love Dogs by Inglath Cooper - Free Book Online
Authors: Inglath Cooper
Ads: Link
the sound of it, Phoebe Walker
was in a lot of trouble with her
friend. Strangely enough,
he hadn't minded the evening, setup
or not. The Walkers
were nice people. “If
it makes you feel any better, I won't be
pestering you. I knew as soon as I
saw your face tonight
that you had nothing to do with it.
“I didn't mean to
be rude, she said quickly. “Now
I'm embarrassed.
“There's no
reason to be, he said, glancing at her with
another unexpected jolt of
appreciation. She was undeniably
pretty. He started to tel her about
his engagement. The
moment felt right, but the words
somehow wouldn't
come, and he couldn't say why.
Except that he didn't
remember ever meeting a woman quite
like Colby Williams.
76
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
And he was intrigued. “It
was a nice dinner. And I'm glad
to have the chance to get to know my
neighbors better.
Silence lingered between them for a
few moments, and
then she said, “What
made you move here from New
York?
“My son needed a
change of pace. We'll just be here
for his senior year, he said, not
wanting to elaborate
further. The last thing he wanted to
do was put a black
mark on the boy in the eyes of the
community before he'd
had a chance to prove himself.
“Oh, she said.
“My daughter mentioned him. He's
made quite an impression on the
girls at Jefferson High.
Glad to hear that maybe things
weren't as awful as
Luke wanted him to believe, Ian
said, “How old is your
daughter?
“Fifteen going on
thirty.
Ian smiled.
“She's a
sophomore, but young for her class. It seems
like yesterday that she just learned
how to walk and—
She stopped, her expression
troubled.
Wondering if her relationship with
her daughter might
have problems of its own, he said,
“It's a tough age. They
grow up before we know it.
“Yes, they do,
she said, sounding resigned. “I'm just
not ready to admit it.
He drove for a few minutes, then
flipped on his signal
light when she directed him to take
the next left-hand
turnoff. “Go on
down to the barn. The lights should be
on.
77
INGLATH COOPER
He stopped just outside the open
door. A man in overalls
and a red-checkered flannel shirt
trotted out to greet them.
“Hurry, Doc.
She's having a lot of trouble.
Colby got out of the car, grabbed
her bag and ran after
the man who had disappeared inside
the barn. Ian sat there
for a minute, thinking about her. He
found her easy to talk
to, intelligent. And apparently able
to handle with grace and
good humor what turned out to be an
uncomfortable
situation for both of them.
He'd nearly slammed her arm in the
trunk. That would
have topped the evening off nicely.
He thought about those
few moments when his fingers
encircled her wrist. The
contact shocked him every bit as
much as it apparently had
her. He recalled now that she had
very smal wrists and
hands. She was petite, probably not
more than five-three.
But somehow he hadn't noticed it
initial y. Something about
her exuded strength and
self-sufficiency.
He got out of the Mercedes and made
his way toward
the barn. A single light hung above
the door, making it hard
to see where he stepped. Farm smel s
permeated the air, a
combination of hay and manure and a
fresh country
breeze. Cows mooed in the fields. A
stretch of mud lay
between the gravel-covered driveway
and the entrance to
the barn. With no way to go around
it, he waded through,
his leather shoes squishing in the
mire. He knew then how
the city mouse must have felt
visiting the country mouse.
Inside, he stopped outside the stal
. A black-and-white
cow lay stretched out on the
straw-covered floor, straining
78
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
heavily. Her eyes looked wild and
pained. Sympathy for her
plight stabbed through him.
Colby looked up at him, pul ing
supplies from her bag.
“Ian, this is
Harry Pasley. Harry, Ian McKinley. He's new in
town. My truck broke down, so
was in a lot of trouble with her
friend. Strangely enough,
he hadn't minded the evening, setup
or not. The Walkers
were nice people. “If
it makes you feel any better, I won't be
pestering you. I knew as soon as I
saw your face tonight
that you had nothing to do with it.
“I didn't mean to
be rude, she said quickly. “Now
I'm embarrassed.
“There's no
reason to be, he said, glancing at her with
another unexpected jolt of
appreciation. She was undeniably
pretty. He started to tel her about
his engagement. The
moment felt right, but the words
somehow wouldn't
come, and he couldn't say why.
Except that he didn't
remember ever meeting a woman quite
like Colby Williams.
76
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
And he was intrigued. “It
was a nice dinner. And I'm glad
to have the chance to get to know my
neighbors better.
Silence lingered between them for a
few moments, and
then she said, “What
made you move here from New
York?
“My son needed a
change of pace. We'll just be here
for his senior year, he said, not
wanting to elaborate
further. The last thing he wanted to
do was put a black
mark on the boy in the eyes of the
community before he'd
had a chance to prove himself.
“Oh, she said.
“My daughter mentioned him. He's
made quite an impression on the
girls at Jefferson High.
Glad to hear that maybe things
weren't as awful as
Luke wanted him to believe, Ian
said, “How old is your
daughter?
“Fifteen going on
thirty.
Ian smiled.
“She's a
sophomore, but young for her class. It seems
like yesterday that she just learned
how to walk and—
She stopped, her expression
troubled.
Wondering if her relationship with
her daughter might
have problems of its own, he said,
“It's a tough age. They
grow up before we know it.
“Yes, they do,
she said, sounding resigned. “I'm just
not ready to admit it.
He drove for a few minutes, then
flipped on his signal
light when she directed him to take
the next left-hand
turnoff. “Go on
down to the barn. The lights should be
on.
77
INGLATH COOPER
He stopped just outside the open
door. A man in overalls
and a red-checkered flannel shirt
trotted out to greet them.
“Hurry, Doc.
She's having a lot of trouble.
Colby got out of the car, grabbed
her bag and ran after
the man who had disappeared inside
the barn. Ian sat there
for a minute, thinking about her. He
found her easy to talk
to, intelligent. And apparently able
to handle with grace and
good humor what turned out to be an
uncomfortable
situation for both of them.
He'd nearly slammed her arm in the
trunk. That would
have topped the evening off nicely.
He thought about those
few moments when his fingers
encircled her wrist. The
contact shocked him every bit as
much as it apparently had
her. He recalled now that she had
very smal wrists and
hands. She was petite, probably not
more than five-three.
But somehow he hadn't noticed it
initial y. Something about
her exuded strength and
self-sufficiency.
He got out of the Mercedes and made
his way toward
the barn. A single light hung above
the door, making it hard
to see where he stepped. Farm smel s
permeated the air, a
combination of hay and manure and a
fresh country
breeze. Cows mooed in the fields. A
stretch of mud lay
between the gravel-covered driveway
and the entrance to
the barn. With no way to go around
it, he waded through,
his leather shoes squishing in the
mire. He knew then how
the city mouse must have felt
visiting the country mouse.
Inside, he stopped outside the stal
. A black-and-white
cow lay stretched out on the
straw-covered floor, straining
78
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
heavily. Her eyes looked wild and
pained. Sympathy for her
plight stabbed through him.
Colby looked up at him, pul ing
supplies from her bag.
“Ian, this is
Harry Pasley. Harry, Ian McKinley. He's new in
town. My truck broke down, so
Similar Books
