by Lisa Jordan
Caleb dropped onto a white plastic yard chair and waited.
Stars sparkled against the early morning sky with soft light smudging the horizon. A hint of a breeze ruffled his hair and cooled his face. The Turners’ house next to his corner lot sat in darkness.
At least Riley’s barking hadn’t disturbed them.
Having moved to Shelby Lake less than a month ago, he’d bought the one-story ranch with a large fenced backyard on a quiet residential street.
Once things settled down, he’d get to know his neighbors Shawn and Pam Turner. Maybe invite them over for a barbecue. They had a daughter a little older than Ella. Shawn was a fellow cop with the Shelby Lake Police Department, and Pam taught third grade at Ella’s new school.
But first he needed to finish unpacking and get the girls’ swing set assembled. Maybe they’d even like a swing hanging from the sturdy oak shading the patio. The yard called out for summertime picnics, roasting marshmallows over an open fire and running freely without having to worry about city traffic.
Down the road, once his heart healed from his ex-wife’s betrayal and desertion, he’d consider finding someone who wanted those same things, someone who realized he was enough.
Maybe.
Right now, he was just too exhausted to think about sharing his heart again.
But that didn’t stop Zoe James’s face from flashing through his mind.
If he hadn’t been so focused on the girls, he would have recognized her much sooner, especially with that butterfly necklace she never took off.
Once she realized who he was, though, she retreated inside a polite shell. For a few minutes, she laughed easily with his daughters. The sound of her laughter and the joy in her smile were exactly as he remembered.
No one else had those green eyes with glints of gold that wandered into his dreams every now and then. Eyes that touched his soul. Eyes belonging to his college roommate’s girlfriend and Caleb’s former secret crush.
Seeing her again unleashed a memory of another time, another place...a memory he didn’t allow his mind to visit because the pain of that time nearly undid him.
She had gotten under his skin from the moment they met at Bartlett University during his junior year, when she had been a freshman needing a tutor in algebra. Despite the hours they shared in the library, she had fallen for his roommate when the twerp serenaded her like in some cheesy romantic movie.
Zoe’s engagement to Kyle the same weekend he and Kyle had graduated had nearly ruined him, so he dropped all contact with her on purpose. Marrying Valerie on the rebound hadn’t done either of them any favors. Focused on his law-enforcement career and his family, he’d lost touch with his college buddies as well.
That seemed like a lifetime ago, but seeing Zoe again stirred up a lot of memories, particularly the ones he had created with her, such as walking her back to the dorm after tutoring, celebrating her exam success with ice cream, and that night at the go-kart track after Kyle ditched her to go out with someone else behind Zoe’s back.
Maybe he’d be able to get to know her all over again.
As friends.
Being new in town, he could use a friend.
Riley ran to Caleb, pulling him out of the past, and stared at him with eager eyes. Caleb reached down and lifted him, rubbing his furry head. “Good boy.”
They went back into the house. Caleb snapped off the light and locked the door. He reached into a bag of dog treats and tossed one to Riley, who caught it and scurried under the coffee table to devour his snack.
Even though his eyes burned, he probably wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep. He hadn’t slept a full night in the past year. Nightmares or unexpected shooting pain often woke him out of a deep slumber.
Caleb headed for the couch and reached for his laptop, only to have the power cord come up short. He stared at the chewed cord, then at the pup whose muddy-brown eyes were the picture of innocence.
“Dude, really? I bought you a pile of chew toys. Why my cord?”
Riley rested his chin on his paws and whined.
“I get it, man. I do. You’re lonely, too.” Caleb set the laptop on the floor and lifted the little bundle of fur out from under the table. “It stinks, doesn’t it?”
Riley trembled in his arms and clawed at his T-shirt as he tried to crawl up his chest.
Why hadn’t he waited until they were more settled to get a dog?
The delight on his daughters’ faces as they played with the puppies at the Canine Companions booth had sealed the deal. After Valerie walked out on them, Ava had clammed up, refusing to speak. He missed her chirpy, chatty voice.
He’d lasso the moon out of the sky and serve it to her on a platter if it would help her speak again.
That’s how he’d ended up with a puppy on his chest.
Caleb stretched out on the couch and readjusted the dog. Riley settled into the hollow of Caleb’s neck, warming his neck with his puppy breath.
As he curled an arm around the little body, warmth flowed to Caleb’s heart.
For a moment, the loneliness that was his constant shadow evaporated.
Why hadn’t he been enough for Val? He had been committed to making their marriage work, even after he realized her dependency on alcohol came first in her life.
Maybe he should have tried harder to get her more help to stay sober.
She’d checked out of their marriage long before he ended up in the hospital, recovering from surgery after one bullet shattered his femur and another took out his partner during a drug raid gone bad. Valerie, the one who promised eight years ago to stay by his side in sickness and in health, deserted him and the girls for some idiot she’d met online.
He’d do whatever it took to create a stable home again, and help his daughters heal from their mother’s abandonment. He’d make sure they knew they were enough.
The good news was the past disastrous year hadn’t kept him from still wanting the Hallmark version of marriage and family.
Someday.
But right now he lay on the couch in a half-unpacked house with little girls who cried out for their mom in their sleep and a puppy that whined and chewed everything in sight.
He needed help.
It took a lot for him to admit that, but a twelve-pound fur ball had him licked.
Once daylight broke, he’d call Canine Companions and request Zoe’s dog-training services, which he had read about in the adoption packet he received with Riley. The girls needed to know how to handle their new pup safely and with care. After all, how hard could it be?
And the thought of seeing Zoe rekindled a spark he thought had burned out. As he closed his eyes, memories tumbled through his thoughts. The way Zoe’s eyes lit up when she laughed. The way she hid behind her chestnut-brown hair when she was embarrassed. The butterfly-shaped birthmark on the inside of her right wrist was another way she stood out from the other girls he knew.
His crush on her was so long ago. Besides, she probably had her life together and didn’t need a train wreck like him crashing into it.
Riley scampered down the hall, his nails clicking on the laminate flooring. He ran back into the living room with one of Caleb’s ties in his mouth. Of course it had to be an expensive silk one.
Caleb grabbed it out of his mouth, traded it for a rubber chew toy and carried the tie back to his closet. Halfway down the hall, he stepped in a warm puddle. “Riley!”
He made it to his room and fell forward on the bed, burying his head under the pillow.
He needed a hot shower, a heavy dose of caffeine, then he’d put in a call to Canine Companions.
Too bad there wasn’t a service for broken single dads to help them come back to life after they’d lost everything.
Chapter Two
Working with animals rem
inded Zoe she wasn’t a total failure.
“Fetch it back, Winston.” She tossed the tennis ball over the German shepherd’s head.
The dog bounded after it, his tags jingling on his collar, and returned with the ball in his firm jaws. She held out her hand. “Release.”
Winston dropped it on her open palm.
“Good dog.” She wrapped her arms around his solid neck and patted his fur. “You’re such a good boy.”
He barked, then licked her cheek with his coarse tongue.
For as long as she could remember, Zoe had preferred stuffed animals to dolls. As a child, she’d set up animal clinics and offer free checkups to her assorted teddy bears, unicorns and puppies.
She understood animals, especially dogs, and they understood her. They could look deep in her heart and see she was sorry for her actions. And they didn’t continue to cast blame on her.
Working at Canine Companions gave her a sense of fulfillment. Not only was she able to use her skills, but also she was getting paid to do something she truly enjoyed.
Canine Companions owner Leona Billings believed dogs were an important part of a family, and her center reflected her values. The bright, leash-free, doggie-daycare play area, with its tiled floor, climber cubes with steps and comfy cots, offered their canine friends plenty of socialization and free play as well as structured walks and exercise.
In addition to the doggie daycare, Canine Companions offered training, grooming and shelter for rescued stray or surrendered dogs, which were housed in the other building until they could be placed in their forever homes.
Today they cared for six dogs in the daycare—Winston, the German shepherd; Maisy, an aging cocker spaniel; a tiny Maltese named Emma, who arrived dressed in a pink dress covered in daisies; Penny, a black Chihuahua-dachshund mix, snoozing on one of the cots; Max, a black-and-white poodle mix and Earl, a Tennessee Brindle, who sprawled in front of one of the climbers, chewing on his rubber bone.
The door to the play area opened, and Travis, Leona’s twenty-two-year-old son and Zoe’s coworker, popped his head around the door. “Yo, girl. What’s up?”
“Playing with the pups. How’s it going with you?”
Dressed in a royal blue Canine Companions T-shirt and faded jeans with his long tea-colored hair pulled back into a ponytail, he moved into the room, closing the door behind him. Penny and Max rushed over to him. He scooped them up, one in each arm, before sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Going good. Ma wants a word. Got time to chat with her?”
“Sure. Can you hang out here with the dogs while I’m gone?” What could Leona want in the middle of her shift?
“Can do.”
“Great.” Zoe pushed to her feet, brushed off her jeans and bumped knuckles with Travis as they traded places.
She closed the door behind her, shutting out the barking, and followed the paw-print decals on the floor that led to Leona’s office at the end of the hall. The scents of bleach and dog were replaced by coffee and cinnamon.
Zoe knocked on Leona’s open office door.
Leona looked up from her laptop, smiled broadly and waved her in. “Hey, Zoe. Having a good morning?”
“Yes, they’re an energetic bunch today, but it’s all good. We’re going for a walk in a bit.”
“Great. Glad to hear it. Want some coffee or tea?”
“Coffee would be great, thanks.”
Leona left her desk that was tucked in the corner of the room and crossed to the table near the windows. She poured coffee into an “I Heart Dogs” mug and handed it to Zoe.
She cupped her hands around the warm ceramic mug and tried not to feel like she had been summoned to the principal’s office. Her mind raced, trying to think of different reasons why Leona wanted to talk with her. Was her job performance suffering? Was she being fired?
Her stomach knotted, and she forced her hands to remain steady. She closed her eyes and drew in a soothing breath. No sense in getting worked up until she had details.
Focus on something else.
Leona’s office looked more like a family room with red-and-tan-plaid couches and matching chairs, end tables piled with dog magazines and a large-screen TV tucked in an oak cabinet used for training videos. Beige valances hung over large picture windows that overlooked the fenced-in backyard.
Not even five feet tall with an apple-shaped body decked out in a leopard-print blouse and matching shorts, with a shock of spiked purple hair, Leona had the kindest heart in Shelby Lake. In the year Zoe had been employed at Canine Companions, she’d learned Leona was a woman of second chances and fairness.
Her boss understood the need for redemption after serving time a couple of decades ago before she’d found God, a wonderful husband, and started her family. Except for her sons, all of the Canine Companions employees were people to whom Leona had offered a second chance. Her compassion kept them wanting to stay on as staff.
Leona refilled her own cup and carried it to one of the couches. She kicked off her sequined flip-flops, then tucked her feet under her tanned thighs, not one to stand on formality. Instead she embraced her staff as family—she was all some of them had.
She waved a hand for Zoe to sit. “I just got off the phone with a man who attended Paws in the Park last weekend with his family. He was quite impressed with the way you responded to his daughters.”
Sully. Had to be him.
Zoe sat on one of the matching chairs next to the couch and melted against the cushions. The busyness of the day caught up with her as she sipped her coffee. “I didn’t do much. I helped the girls handle the puppies safely.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Zoe. You know your stuff when it comes to animals. I watched you with this family. So I’m glad he called and mentioned it, too.”
“I appreciate his kind words. You could have sent me a text or something. No need for a trip to the principal’s office.” She smiled to show the hint of teasing in her tone.
A throaty laugh burst from Leona’s lips. “Having spent my fair share of time in the principal’s office as a teenager, I can understand how you may be feeling, but rest easy. You’re not in any trouble. In fact, I’m about to offer you a promotion.”
“A promotion? Really?” She sat up and set her coffee mug on the table next to her chair. “But I haven’t been here that long.”
“You’ve been here long enough for me to see your potential. I believe what I’m offering will be a good fit for your abilities. As you’re aware, Mr. Sullivan adopted Riley for his daughters. He’s had the little guy for a few days now and it’s chewing everything in sight. He’d like you to help them train the puppy.”
The thrill she felt at Leona’s initial mention of the promotion vanished. “Leona, as much as I’d love to help you, I can’t.”
The image of Sully’s two girls playing with the puppies swirled into her thoughts, pulling out emotions she’d suppressed for a long time.
“Sweetie, there’s no reason why you can’t be around children. Besides, Mr. Sullivan said you two were old college friends. He asked for you specifically. Talk to him, tell him what happened so it doesn’t come up later, then seriously consider taking the job.”
Zoe reached for her cup and traced her thumb over the words on the mug. The desire to work with Sully and his daughters ballooned in her chest until she feared her lungs would burst. But once he learned the truth... “The minute he finds out about my past, he’s going to take his pup and sprint in the other direction.”
“You don’t know that.” Leona pulled off her red-rimmed glasses and used them as a pointer to punctuate her words. “You need to start having faith in people again, Zoe.”
“Second chances in this town are about as real as the Tooth Fairy.” She disliked the edge that steeled her words, but several encounters over the past year had proved he
r point more than once.
“Not everyone feels that way, Zoe. Give this family a chance.” Leona scooted to the edge of the couch and slipped her feet back into her shoes. “Besides, wouldn’t you rather your friend hear it from you rather than neighborhood gossips?”
“I guess.”
Leona crossed to the window and peered outside. “Well, you have about two minutes to think about what you’d like to say because he just pulled into the parking lot.”
Zoe stiffened as her heart bounced against her ribs. “Thanks for giving me time to prepare.”
“If I had given you any more time, then you would’ve talked yourself out of doing it. Buck up, girl. You can do this. I believe in you.” Leona placed a hand on her shoulder for a moment before heading for the door, leaving Zoe alone to stare at her reflection in the cooling cup of coffee.
A few minutes later, voices down the hall reached Zoe’s ears. She set her cup on the table and stood, brushing the dog hair from her royal blue Canine Companions polo shirt. She didn’t know why she bothered. Once Sully learned her story, he wouldn’t want her services anyway.
She wiped her palms on her thighs as Leona ushered him into the room.
For a second he hesitated in the doorway, the breadth of his shoulders filling the space. He wore an unbuttoned blue plaid shirt over a gray T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing muscular forearms. His faded jeans rode low on his hips. Black Chuck Taylors completed his casual look.
Dear God, let him give her a chance.
When he saw her, a smile spread across his face. He ran a hand over his wind-tossed hair and walked over to her. He extended his hand. “Zoe, good to see you again.”
“Thanks, you too.” She shook his hand and forced herself not to reach out and hug him, which had been their usual greeting years ago. Times had changed. They were practically strangers now. And after today, she’d probably never see him again.
She motioned toward the couch. “Have a seat.”
