Read Online Ruff Way to Go by Leslie O'Kane - Free Book Online Page B

putting up with the delay.”
    “Glad I
could help. I’m just sorry it didn’t make any difference.”
    “I don’t
know if the missing dog is related to the murder or not, but I’d sure like to
know if those were his paw prints in... the blood.”
    “You saw
bloody paw prints?” Russell asked, his voice rife with alarm.
    “I guess I
didn’t tell you. I found her body.”
    “God. No,
you didn’t tell me. That must have been terrifying.”
    “Yes.”
    Russell said
nothing, but the color was starting to rise on his cheeks, which seemed to
happen to him whenever he was nervous about something. “Maybe it’d help if you
could get away and get your mind off of what happened for a while. I was
wondering if you’d like to join me on a trip with my friends this weekend.”
    “A trip?” Uh
oh. What would this involve? An over-nighter? I liked Russell quite a bit,
but dearly hoped that he wasn’t about to put a damper on our relationship by
trying to rush things.
    “Yeah. We’re
going rock climbing.”
    “Rock
climbing? “ I repeated, making no effort to disguise my distaste for the
sport. Sadly, Russell would have had a better chance trying to rush things.
    “Nothing
intense, I promise. In fact, one of the guys is bringing his girlfriend and
this is going to be her first climb. Have you ever gone before?”
    I shook my
head, thinking of how unlikely it was that a dog lover with a pathological fear
of heights was going to meet a rock climbing enthusiast with a pathological
fear of dogs.
    “If you’re
at all interested in giving it a try, I could give you some pointers tomorrow
morning before we head out. We could meet first thing at Boulder Rock Climbing
Club. It’s right across from the Y. They have an interior wall.”
    “I can’t,
Russell. I have a pretty intense fear of heights.”
    He paused,
then chuckled. “That balances things out nicely. Me with my fear of big dogs
and now you with this. Maybe we can be chased up a cliff by a pack of wild dogs
someday and go loony together.”
    I laughed
and Russell turned and then pulled into a parking lot. “We’re here.” Our eyes
met. Neither of us moved for a long moment.
    I’m not sure
which one of us initiated the kiss; probably it was mutual. At the soft
sensation of his lips on mine, my heartbeat quickened. I felt a surge of
unexpected warmth that made me want to respond too intensely. Uncertain about
my feelings and his, I drew away.
    Our gazes
locked for a moment. In the blink of an eye, his face changed to that of the
one man I’d been physically intimate with and who’d broken my heart. Though the
image left me as quickly as it came, I was shaken.
    I turned my
face away and said, “I can’t do this. I’m so sorry, but my going out on a date
tonight is...really bad timing.”
    Russell
sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he settled back behind the driver’s
wheel. “Of course it is. This was stupid of me. I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t
apologize. I’m the one who should have known better than to try to go out on a
date tonight.”
    “Let me get
you some dinner anyway.”
    “No. I’m
not—”
    He started
the engine. “Taco Bell drive-through okay? Even if you’re not hungry, you could
order something for your mom. In case she hasn’t eaten.”
    I was
touched by his kindness, but only gave him a feeble nod when he looked in my
direction.
    Less than an
hour later, the three of us, counting Mom, were washing down Taco Supremes with
Coors Lights, laughing our heads off at Mom’s embellished stories of intrepid
flight students. The dogs had been banished to the back deck, where they were
lined up, noses to the glass door.
    Russell and
I avoided each other’s gaze, and he’d avoided his fear of being around my dogs
by positioning his seat so that his back was to them. And yet, I was beginning
to feel strangely on edge in his presence.
    The next
morning I, as usual, had no clients scheduled; because most people don’t take
time off from