Read Online Taken With You by Shannon Stacey - Free Book Online Page A

waiting for somebody to pass me a pregnancy test under the bathroom stall door.”
    “So, off the record...”
    Liz laughed. “No, I’m not pregnant. And, even further off the record, we haven’t been trying yet. Soon, but we wanted to enjoy being married—just the two of us—for a little while first. But we’ve been talking about it a lot lately, so not too much longer. And when it does happen, Rose will know before Fran.”
    Since Rose had practically raised the Kowalskis, helping their dad after their mom died, that was a must. And Rose lived with Drew’s dad, so as a couple they definitely ranked higher on the totem pole than Fran.
    The bell dinged, signaling food ready for Liz to deliver, so Hailey was left alone with her fries and her simmering envy.
    She was genuinely happy for her friends. She really was. They’d found men who loved them and they were married or heading in that direction, and Paige had a baby. Wanting that for herself didn’t take away from her joy for them.
    A couple of times over the last several years, she’d gone so far as to watch the employment market in more urban areas, even though it would mean more bureaucracy in her job. Shaking up her life didn’t seem like a bad idea when it came with a dating pool that included more than the guys she’d grown up with. Fine dining, a movie theater and other places to actually go on a date didn’t sound so bad, either.
    But when push came to shove, she loved her job, her house and this town. And she didn’t simply love being a librarian. She loved her library, and she was afraid if she left, her replacement wouldn’t fight for it the way she did. When the economy was rough, it took a lot of passion and chocolate to get through every budget review and town meeting. She loved the Whitford Public Library too much to walk away from it.
    She just needed to find a GQ guy in the land of L.L.Bean.

FIVE
    “ T HIS IS OUR new home, buddy.” Bear was riding shotgun, sitting up and staring out the window after a long nap. He turned when Matt spoke, his tongue hanging out. “You’ll like it. You’ll have a bigger yard. And a pretty neighbor to look at.”
    He pulled the truck into the driveway and shut it off. The garage was so full he couldn’t pull it in there if he wanted to, and that wasn’t likely to change any time soon. It would take him a while to unpack the boxes of stuff he didn’t need right away, plus he had an ATV, a snowmobile and his lawn mower, among other things. Having a two-bay garage would have been nice, but he probably would have filled that, too.
    After snapping a leash onto Bear’s collar, he went around the truck and opened the passenger door to let the dog out. He listened well, but Matt was aware a new neighborhood would be full of temptation for Bear and he needed to keep a close eye on him until he learned his boundaries. It wouldn’t take long because he was a well-trained dog, but he didn’t want to take any chances.
    “Welcome home, Bear,” he said after the dog had watered a bush and he’d unlocked the front door. Once he’d closed it behind him, he unclipped the leash and let the Lab run.
    Sinking onto his leather couch with a deep sigh of relief, he watched Bear make his way around the downstairs, sniffing every square inch and box.
    It had been a hell of a day. Loading the truck, making the drive to Whitford, then unloading the truck. Then turning around and driving back to Augusta to return the truck and pick up his dog. Now it was almost dark and he felt like he was sitting down—besides in a truck seat—for the first time.
    Judging by the sound, Bear had found his food and water dishes on the mat in the kitchen, so Matt leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
    Woof.
    That didn’t take long. He hadn’t started installing the doggy door for Bear yet, which meant he’d be playing canine doorman until he got it done. And he’d have to supervise the trips outside until Bear learned what was his