Read Online Nighthawk & The Return of Luke McGuire by Justine Davis, Rachel Lee - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Justine Davis, Rachel Lee
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now, she remains as she is!”
“I can’t have my dog running off like this!”
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about what your dog does. Surely other dogs in the vicinity come into heat from time to time. Mop will just have to learn to deal with it. Moreover, you seem to have an unusual amount of trouble keeping your animals on your side of the fence! Maybe you should check for gaping holes. Surely this dog can’t have climbed through the wire!”
She had a valid point, and it was enough to make him pause before he said something terminally stupid. “He must have jumped.”
“And Cromwell, too? If you’re having this much trouble with jumping, perhaps you should make your fence higher.”
“Maybe,” he acknowledged grumpily. The last thing he wanted to do right now was check the fence line again. He’d just done that ten days ago. But the inescapable fact was that he must have wire down somewhere. He’d never known Mop to jump before.
“By the way,” Esther said more pleasantly, now that she felt she was winning, “what do you call the other dog?”
“Bucket.”
“Mop and Bucket?” And suddenly she couldn’t hold it in anymore. The entire thing was too amusing, and laughter spilled out of her helplessly. “Mop and Bucket!”
Slowly, almost reluctantly, a smile dawned on his harsh face. “It was Paula’s idea.”
All of a sudden she felt deflated, but she couldn’t understand why. He must be married. That should have been reassuring, but somehow it wasn’t.
He looked down at the dog. “Mop, come.”
Mop thumped his tail as if to acknowledge the command, but he didn’t move.
“Am I going to have to get a rope and drag you?”
At that, Mop sighed heavily and rose to his feet.
“Now come on!”
Looking as if he were going to execution, the dog obeyed. Craig paused a moment, looking at Esther. “Are the flowers okay?”
She looked down at the beds around the porch, thinking that they looked perfectly healthy to her. And then she understood. “They’re beautiful. Thank you so very much for planting them.”
He nodded. “Next time just shoo Cromwell off. If you don’t want to get close, use a broom. She’s scared to death of brooms.”
A chuckle escaped Esther. “Really. How did she learn that?”
“From my sister. Paula caught Crom in the kitchen garden last spring and lit into her with a broom. Crom now has the greatest respect for Paula and brooms.”
His sister! Relief washed through her in an exhilarating wave. “She sounds like a woman after my own heart.”
Craig cocked his head. “Maybe so.” He touched the brim of his hat with his forefinger, then started to turn away. He paused, looking at all the sacks in her Jimmy. “Are those groceries? Let me help you get them inside.”
“That might be difficult considering we have two lovelorn dogs.”
His smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “I can tie Mop to the fence if you can leash Guinevere.”
“Done.”
Even in heat Guinevere was a well-behaved dog. She accepted being leashed to the newel post with nothing more than a reproachful look. Mop was less docile, barking a few times after being tied to a fence post. He settled down, though.
Craig’s help made quick work of the groceries. It felt strange to have a man in her house, though. Outdoors his presence was commanding, but indoors it was…overwhelming. He seemed to fill rooms in a way that made it impossible to ignore his presence. Her house, which had seemed large to her, now felt full to the rafters. Esther told herself that was simply because she wasn’t used to having anyone else there.
“Can I offer you some coffee?” she asked when he set the last bag on the counter.
“Just a glass of ice water, please.”
The kitchen was a large room in the style of ranch kitchens, and she hoped someday to put a big table in it. For now she had a small dinette that looked even smaller when Craig folded himself into one of the chairs.
She
“I can’t have my dog running off like this!”
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about what your dog does. Surely other dogs in the vicinity come into heat from time to time. Mop will just have to learn to deal with it. Moreover, you seem to have an unusual amount of trouble keeping your animals on your side of the fence! Maybe you should check for gaping holes. Surely this dog can’t have climbed through the wire!”
She had a valid point, and it was enough to make him pause before he said something terminally stupid. “He must have jumped.”
“And Cromwell, too? If you’re having this much trouble with jumping, perhaps you should make your fence higher.”
“Maybe,” he acknowledged grumpily. The last thing he wanted to do right now was check the fence line again. He’d just done that ten days ago. But the inescapable fact was that he must have wire down somewhere. He’d never known Mop to jump before.
“By the way,” Esther said more pleasantly, now that she felt she was winning, “what do you call the other dog?”
“Bucket.”
“Mop and Bucket?” And suddenly she couldn’t hold it in anymore. The entire thing was too amusing, and laughter spilled out of her helplessly. “Mop and Bucket!”
Slowly, almost reluctantly, a smile dawned on his harsh face. “It was Paula’s idea.”
All of a sudden she felt deflated, but she couldn’t understand why. He must be married. That should have been reassuring, but somehow it wasn’t.
He looked down at the dog. “Mop, come.”
Mop thumped his tail as if to acknowledge the command, but he didn’t move.
“Am I going to have to get a rope and drag you?”
At that, Mop sighed heavily and rose to his feet.
“Now come on!”
Looking as if he were going to execution, the dog obeyed. Craig paused a moment, looking at Esther. “Are the flowers okay?”
She looked down at the beds around the porch, thinking that they looked perfectly healthy to her. And then she understood. “They’re beautiful. Thank you so very much for planting them.”
He nodded. “Next time just shoo Cromwell off. If you don’t want to get close, use a broom. She’s scared to death of brooms.”
A chuckle escaped Esther. “Really. How did she learn that?”
“From my sister. Paula caught Crom in the kitchen garden last spring and lit into her with a broom. Crom now has the greatest respect for Paula and brooms.”
His sister! Relief washed through her in an exhilarating wave. “She sounds like a woman after my own heart.”
Craig cocked his head. “Maybe so.” He touched the brim of his hat with his forefinger, then started to turn away. He paused, looking at all the sacks in her Jimmy. “Are those groceries? Let me help you get them inside.”
“That might be difficult considering we have two lovelorn dogs.”
His smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “I can tie Mop to the fence if you can leash Guinevere.”
“Done.”
Even in heat Guinevere was a well-behaved dog. She accepted being leashed to the newel post with nothing more than a reproachful look. Mop was less docile, barking a few times after being tied to a fence post. He settled down, though.
Craig’s help made quick work of the groceries. It felt strange to have a man in her house, though. Outdoors his presence was commanding, but indoors it was…overwhelming. He seemed to fill rooms in a way that made it impossible to ignore his presence. Her house, which had seemed large to her, now felt full to the rafters. Esther told herself that was simply because she wasn’t used to having anyone else there.
“Can I offer you some coffee?” she asked when he set the last bag on the counter.
“Just a glass of ice water, please.”
The kitchen was a large room in the style of ranch kitchens, and she hoped someday to put a big table in it. For now she had a small dinette that looked even smaller when Craig folded himself into one of the chairs.
She
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