Keeping Cole's Promise

by Cheryl Harper

  Jen grunted. “Good. I might have a side job for you. We’ll talk later.” Then she sailed out of the office without saying goodbye.

  Rebecca frowned at Jen’s retreating back until she left the shelter. “What is going on with her?” Rebecca asked.

  “She hasn’t settled into this money thing yet. Working with an interior designer? Can you even imagine what that conversation must be like? I warned her he was the best, because she insisted on the best, but that he would not be easy to work with.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “If she keeps using fewer words than normal, we’re all going to have to learn sign language.”

  With nothing left to discuss, there was only the dread of spending time with Cole. He didn’t have a high opinion of her. Being together more often might not improve that situation. At least Sarah would be there.

  “Should we get started?” Cole asked as he stood, his gaze fixed firmly on Sarah. Tight lips and the frown equaled grim determination. He wasn’t excited about the prospect of teaching Rebecca anything, either.

  That tightened the knot in her stomach. She’d done her best to make amends. Very few people had refused to let her off the hook when she’d done her best to apologize. She was nice to everyone. He should give her a second chance.

  As Sarah stood, the phone rang. “You guys go ahead,” she said, and waved both hands. “Paws for Love. This is Sarah.”

  Rebecca didn’t have to hear the person on the other end say a thing. Sarah’s immediate goofy grin was her uncontrollable response anytime Will Barnes was near.

  “We should get started. She’ll be here for a while.” Rebecca marched down the hall to the room lined with kennels. “Which dogs should we start with?”

  Cole pulled down two leashes. “Grab Princess. I’ve got Freddie. And you’ll need a handful...” His words trailed off as she knocked off the lid of the treat container with one hand. The loud clatter of the metal against the concrete floor was a good sound track for her jumbled emotions.

  Cole didn’t say anything, but his loud sigh spoke volumes. After her pockets were filled, Rebecca marched over to the kennel in the corner where Princess, a sheltie mix, pawed anxiously at the gate. “Hey, girl, want to go for a walk?” Instead of jumping or indicating she was ready, Princess scurried to the back of the kennel and sat, her legs shaking. Rebecca glanced over her shoulder. “Now what?”

  “You saw how I worked with Freddie to get him to come to me. Apply treats. This is part of it.” Cole calmly held the end of the leash while Freddie ran in widening circles, baying his excitement. “We’ll wait for you outside.”

  As soon as Cole and Freddie—and his loud excitement—were outside, Princess seemed to relax. Rebecca remembered how it felt to be cornered. A little space was all the dog needed.

  “Boys. They’re so much trouble, aren’t they, sweetie? Some of them are too loud. Others are way too quiet.” Rebecca snapped the leash on Princess’s collar. When the dog pressed harder against the wall of the kennel, Rebecca broke a treat in half and held it in her hand. It took a minute, but Princess eased forward to snatch it away. “Good girl, Princess.” The dog darted anxious glances at Rebecca as she crunched. “Look, another treat, Princess.” Slowly, Rebecca backed up and coaxed the dog out into the room. Instead of pulling at the end of the leash, Princess hung back, too timid to explore. The loud commotion of the other dogs seemed to be too much.

  Given the choice between Freddie’s enthusiasm and shy Princess, Rebecca would pick the beagle, but the fear in Princess’s eyes was hard to ignore.

  Rebecca slowly encouraged the dog toward the door, using her name and half the treats in her pocket, and as soon as they both stepped outside, both of them sighed with relief. Freddie was doing a perfect imitation of a dog with good manners. Cole’s frown said he was already short on patience.

  “To encourage her to walk with you, start with the leash in your left hand and a treat in the right. Let’s walk, Freddie.” Cole demonstrated with Freddie. The two of them headed off across the grass and made it look so easy.

  “What do you think, Princess? Can we do that?” Rebecca smiled down at the dog, who was licking her lips nervously. When she held up the dog biscuit, Princess tilted her head and everything got serious. Rebecca did her best to mimic Cole’s stance.

  “Let’s walk, Princess.” The dog dragged behind Rebecca until she was forced to stop.

  “Show her the treat. Lower your voice.” Cole glanced down at Freddie. “Let’s walk, Freddie.” The two of them moved in sync in a small square.

  “You know, it’s not fair to judge us on less than ten minutes’ work,” Rebecca snapped.

  “Who’s judging?” Cole stepped back. “You’re the one getting all worked up. I’m not anywhere near you, either.”

  Rebecca rolled her eyes and then bent down to scratch Princess behind both ears. “We can do this.” She stood up, put two treats in her right hand, showed them to the dog and said, “Let’s walk, Princess.”

  Lowering her voice was not quite as successful as she would have liked. Mainly, she sounded like she was fighting a cold, but Princess managed to strut alongside her, her nose half an inch from the treats at all times. “Good girl, Princess.”

  Pride and contentment tangled together in her stomach, making it impossible to control the grin. She and Princess were doing it. Not smoothly, but they were working together. Both of them were learning something new, like a team. It had been too long since she’d done that, picked up a new skill.

  How much more powerful this must have been for Cole in prison. At the reminder that Cole was watching her, Rebecca immediately got so nervous she couldn’t have spoken if the building was on fire. Princess ducked behind her leg to peer out at Cole and Freddie.

  “Good. Give her a treat. She did it.” Cole backed up. Freddie, in a fit of showmanship, did the same thing.

  Rebecca paused. She’d never seen a dog go in reverse.

  Cole waited for her to look at him. “Since I know you need your breathing space, Freddie and I are going to practice over there. Just keep doing the same routine. At a nice, easy pace.”

  Rebecca wanted to inform him she knew what she was doing, but there was no good reason to be so annoyed with him. He hadn’t done a single thing to make her feel awkward.

  She was bringing every bit of awkward to the situation herself.

  “All right, Princess, let’s see what we can do.” Every time she gave Princess the command, the little dog perked up and did her best to follow orders. Eventually, they were able to walk from one end of the play yard to the other without the dog falling behind. “Good girl. One more time.”

  When she gave the “Let’s walk” order again, Cole murmured from behind her, “Lower your shoulders. You look like you’re prepared for a fight. Dogs understand those nerves.” His large hands pressed down on her shoulders, the warm weight easing some of her tension and replacing it with a weird awareness.

  Rebecca gasped for breath and did her best not to show it.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. Again.” He stepped back. “We should let them off the leash to play. They’ve both done well.”

  “Want to run free, Princess?” Rebecca asked as she knelt down to loosen the dog’s leash. “Go for it. Don’t let Freddie boss you around.”

  She and Cole watched the dogs investigate all the new smells in the play yard. Was it time to give in to peer pressure and adopt a dog? A cat might be easier, but it wasn’t difficult to imagine coaxing Princess around the block. She wouldn’t provide much security, but the little dog would be company. Since her friends were pairing off, finding a sidekick who’d never leave her had taken on some urgency.

  Freddie was busy, running up and down the fence with his nose pressed to the ground. Every now and then, he’d woof. He was on the job. No one would sneak up on her if Freddie was in charge.


  “I’m only following orders. Not trying to boss you around.” Cole eased away from her to prop one foot on the fence. “It’s a bad idea to ask me to work with anyone.”

  Rebecca exhaled loudly. “Nope. You’re doing your job. We need you to do your job. I just...”

  He raised his eyebrows but didn’t answer.

  Eventually, Rebecca mirrored his stance, one foot on the fence post. “You made me so mad on Friday. I wanted to let you have it. Give you one of the perfect retorts that have been popping through my brain since I left your trailer.” Why wouldn’t they come when she needed them most? Delivering the best set-down three days later was more pathetic than righteous.

  “Go ahead. Yell, even. If it will make you feel better.” Cole’s resigned voice would have made her smile if they were on better terms.

  “No. But...” Rebecca kicked a clod of grass. Complaining about his attitude didn’t seem appropriate. He was doing his job well and she’d invaded his space. Why was she so mad at him? “You were diplomatic about Major and his chances of adoption in Sarah’s office.”

  “I don’t want to disappoint her,” Cole said, “but I understand your concern.”

  “It’s a safety issue. I don’t want everything the shelter is doing here to be derailed by bad press. If we can work with Major and get him ready, then...” Rebecca bit her lip. “Okay.” She didn’t believe it would ever work. Some dogs were beyond their help. “I could contact the rescue groups you mentioned.”

  Cole nodded. “Sure. Pass the problem on to someone else. Smart.”

  Rebecca had to replay the words in her head for a second before she could react. “It was your suggestion. Remember?” Now was the time for a biting answer, and she couldn’t find one. Again.

  “Yeah, I remember, but I’m also working with him, giving it my best shot before I throw in the towel.” Cole walked away from her.

  She was almost certain he was shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe how out of touch she was. “Hey, wait.”

  Cole stopped but he didn’t turn to face her.

  “I’m the only reason we’re here,” Rebecca snapped as she jabbed a finger in the direction of the run-down building. “Giving all this money away. I’m the one who gave Sarah a shot. I believe in this shelter.”

  “But not me. Or Major—at least, not if it gets scary.” He nodded. “Good for you. Don’t get directly involved. Shows good, safe judgment.”

  Instead of marching off, he propped his hands on his hips and waited.

  If she could gather enough air in her lungs, she might have exploded, but she stood there with her mouth dangling open.

  “You want to talk about people who cut their losses?” Rebecca poked him hard in the chest. “You’re the one who’s certain his problems are bigger than anyone else’s.”

  “Yeah, for good reason.” Cole stared hard at her finger until she stepped back.

  The exhilaration that swept over her when she realized she’d stood her ground made Rebecca dizzy.

  “I have real problems, not a guilty conscience that keeps me from sleeping soundly in my tower.”

  “Is this because I didn’t jump up and down and say ‘yes, hire the convict’? Is that why you’re so angry? Still? I apologized. There were cookies.”

  Rebecca had no idea how to handle anger like this. Even her students hesitated to lash out when she did her best to be supportive.

  “It was rude of me to drop in.” This wasn’t easy for her, especially when Cole said nothing. “Okay, I admit it. I was focused on how I felt more than doing the right thing. There. I’m apologizing again.”

  Cole studied the grass at his feet. “Yeah, fine. I get it.”

  “Do you? Because I have no idea what’s happening here. Are we enemies?” Rebecca ran her hands through her hair. She’d never had an enemy before. She wasn’t sure she’d even had a real critic. All she’d ever done was what people expected of her.

  “No, we aren’t. Just stay...away. I’m not your project.” He waved a hand. “I don’t need your charity, no matter how it looks to you, and I sure don’t need a cause to keep me awake at night.”

  Confused, Rebecca straightened. “Charity? What are you talking about? I haven’t given you anything but a peace offering. Never mind that. Are we really fighting again because I suggested you should do something to help me help those boys?”

  “No, we aren’t fighting, but I haven’t joined the Rebecca Lincoln fan club. It’ll be okay. You don’t have to make another unexpected visit. I made a promise to stay out of trouble. Easiest way to do that? Keep my nose to myself instead of sticking it where it doesn’t belong.” Cole crouched down and ruffled Freddie’s fur. The beagle had had enough of exploring and now was ready for his next treat. “I have trouble sleeping as it is. I don’t need to waste time staring at the ceiling, wondering if anything you said had a bit of truth to it.”

  The small zing of pleasure that shot through Rebecca was illogical but impossible to ignore. Cole didn’t like her, but he couldn’t ignore her, either.

  She dropped down on the bench in the shade and caught Princess as the dog jumped up next to her. “Maybe those kids aren’t a practical use of my time, but they need me more than anything. You pointed out that I was letting my own comfort get in the way. That’s unacceptable. I’m going to stop in to visit Eric this week. I’ll talk with the truancy officer. If we can get him back in school, he could still graduate.”

  “And then what?” Cole asked. “If you get him to graduation, what’s going to happen to that kid the next day? He’s not going to college.” He braced one hand on the post and studied the play yard.

  “The community college has all kinds of technical programs. Maybe he’d like to study culinary science.” Rebecca jerked at Cole’s harsh laugh.

  “Right. I bet Eric spends a lot of time dreaming of cooking.” He shook his head. “You’re the only person who does that.”

  “How do you know?” He hadn’t been around her long enough to say that. One plate of cookies did not a habit make.

  Of course, she had the habit. But he had no proof.

  “Just judging from the grief Sarah and Jen give you.” Cole shook his head. “That kid doesn’t dream. That much I can tell you. Not of anything.”

  The sharp pain in her chest at his words caught her off guard. How could he say something like that? “Everyone has dreams, Cole.”

  “You sure about that?” He didn’t glance at Rebecca but studied Freddie’s face as if the answers to all of life’s questions could be found there. Instead of trembling with fear because the big man held him, Freddie licked his hand and sighed happily.

  “I hope everyone has dreams,” Rebecca said softly. She couldn’t imagine going through life without plans for the future. Life was hard. The sweetness of dreams big and small mattered.

  Maybe it was renovating a kitchen, doing a job she loved or even taking a trip to see one of her best friends during the summer break. Rebecca had dreamed big and accomplished some of those things.

  “How do we make it possible for those kids to dream, Cole?” She scratched Princess and stared out over the immaculate play yards. “That’s what I should be doing right now instead of...”

  Cole shook his head. “You’d have to change their lives from day one.”

  “We can’t help every kid, but we could help one. Or two. Right?”

  “You’re going to do what you want. Obviously.” Cole stood and Freddie followed, ready for his next lesson and dog treat. “I’m going to make it through today. Then I’ll worry about tomorrow. Those kids? They’re a problem for...never. I can’t imagine any day when I’ll have the time, money or—” he waved his hand “—energy to dream for myself, much less a kid. I know too much about what Eric has waiting for him. He’s got to learn to trust only himself and what h
e can do. Usually, that takes a hard lesson. A smart woman would never let herself in for that sort of pain.”

  This time Cole did meet her eyes. She wasn’t sure what she expected. Anger, maybe. He seemed to have anger to spare.

  His eyes were dark and impossible to read. “Work with Princess to teach her to come when she’s called and sit on command. Do those three things—walk, sit and come—every day, but don’t overwork her. Dogs have short attention spans and they need time to rest.”

  Rebecca licked her lips and frantically tried to find a topic to prolong the conversation. She didn’t want this to be a world where anyone had to live without dreams and hope for a better future. He worked hard. Cole Ferguson deserved to believe in his own future. But he was done with the conversation.

  “Let’s walk, Freddie,” he said. Instead of going back and forth in front of her in the shade, Cole headed for the sunshine. Unless she insisted on following, he was going to do the rest of his training away from her.

  “Hey, Cole?” She waited for him to turn. When he did, there was no sign of irritation on his face. Instead, it was blank. “You and Freddie, you make a great team.”

  Cole couldn’t see how Freddie’s perfect posture mirrored his own, but it was one of those images Rebecca knew she’d never forget.

  “This is my job. I can work with any dog.” Cole ran a hand down Freddie’s back. “He’s the first of many.”

  Right. And the man could tell himself that forever, but Freddie was a dog that would stick with him. He and vocal Freddie were too perfectly matched for it to be any other way. Opposites really did attract.

  “I’m going to take your advice. Sort of.” She nodded. “I’m going to work on one kid at a time. Use small steps.”

  “My advice was to stay out of it, but whatever,” Cole muttered.

  “And if I have any ability to do it, time or money or whatever it takes, I want to teach Eric to dream.” She sighed. “I want the same thing for you. Without the hope of something better, this life is too hard.”