Read Online Holiday in Your Heart by Susan Fox - Free Book Online Page A

process his first meeting with Brooke in almost two decades.
    As he pulled into the parking lot of the garage, the truck’s headlights illuminated Caruso lurking by the closed doors of the service bays.
    â€œGood God, dog,” he said when he climbed out of the truck. “You could be somewhere warm and dry.”
    He’d found Caruso waiting there when he came to work at seven in the morning, and then the animal had disappeared on his own business. Now, as Mo walked closer, Caruso regarded him warily.
    â€œGuess there’s no point trying to take you back to the shelter, is there? You’d just go climb a tree again.” He shook his head, having to admit that Caruso intrigued him.
    The dog didn’t retreat, but held his ground until Mo stood beside him. The creature tossed his head, rotating it up and back as if he were looking over his shoulder. Then he gazed up at Mo. The dog didn’t have that pleading “puppy-dog eyes” expression common to so many dogs. Instead, his brown eyes held a question, maybe a challenge.
    Mo bent to run a hand over the animal’s head, surprised and pleased when Caruso welcomed the gesture. “I live in a tiny apartment. Even if I had the slightest inclination to adopt a dog, and even if my landladies agreed, you’d hate it.”
    Caruso cocked his head and made that warbly howling sound, kind of like a coyote or wolf call combined with whale song. This was one strange animal.
    Mo sighed. “Hang on a minute.”
    He unlocked the shop door, went inside, and hunted around for an old wooden box and some clean rags. He took them out and around to the side of the shop where the roof ’s overhang created a dry space underneath. The dog followed and, when Mo stepped back, went to sniff the box.
    â€œIf Hank fires me for this, I’m going to be royally pissed at you,” Mo said gruffly.
    Caruso hopped into the makeshift bed and again gazed at Mo.
    â€œIf that’s a thank-you, then I guess you’re welcome.” Should he feed the beast? No, as resourceful as that dog was and as healthy as he looked, Mo guessed he was proficient at finding food. As he turned to go, he found himself saying, “See you in the morning,” and he was actually looking forward to it.
    He went into the office to lock up the keys for the truck Hank had let him borrow. A phone sat on top of the counter. Mo stared at it, thinking Maribeth .
    That was ridiculous. He wasn’t a guy who had people in his life to phone at nine o’clock on a night when a bunch of confusing stuff was going on. Mind you, last night he had asked Maribeth for assistance, and she’d offered exactly what he’d requested. She’d given him perspective and wisdom, and then spoken to Brooke on his behalf.
    He could sure use some more perspective and wisdom. Not to mention a big mug of hot chocolate. Most especially not to mention big, expressive green eyes and a face and body that were pure pleasure to look at.
    Okay, so that was what he’d like. But how about her? The woman had better things to do with her time than listen to him blather. Though when she’d phoned him at Hank’s around noon to tell him that Brooke had agreed to see him, she had said that she hoped things went well. Maybe she’d be curious.
    Hell, if he phoned, she could always tell him she was busy.
    Would it be stalkerish to look up her phone number in the customer file? Yeah, maybe. Instead, he trusted his fate to the Caribou Crossing Phone Directory that resided on a shelf in the office. Sure enough, she was listed.
    Feeling more awkward than he had in a long time, he dialed her number and listened to the phone ring. When she said hello, he said, “Maribeth? It’s Mo Kincaid. I, uh, looked your number up in the phone book.”
    â€œMo?” She didn’t sound pissed off, and that was something. “Are you back from Brooke’s? How did it go?” In fact,