Tracking Secrets

by Heather Woodhaven

  “There wasn’t any glass in your car,” he mused. Raven stayed still while he took a second look at the jagged cut. “The barbed wire fence had to be the culprit.”

  “But I lifted her over it. You took her from me.”

  “The second time, yes. The first time, she zipped underneath it in hot pursuit of that squirrel.” Raven’s ears perked at the last word, and she looked around hopefully.

  “Oh.” She worried her hands together. “I didn’t know. She didn’t whimper.”

  “Dogs don’t openly express pain every time. And adrenaline might have played a part.” He straightened to standing. “I’d like to take her to my office and examine her.”

  Alexis nodded rapidly. “Whatever you think is best.”

  She looked slightly pale, come to think of it.

  “Are you okay?” He reached a steadying hand toward her arm. The softness of her skin jolted him, but she didn’t seem too hot or too cold. He wasn’t a physician, but he had spent a short amount of time in medical school before deciding it wasn’t the right field for him. “Can you tell me how you’re feeling? Do you have a problem with blood?”

  “I’m fine.” She shook her head. “I mean, I don’t know. I feel horrible that she got hurt on my watch. It’s my fault. I’ve done everything wrong. Theresa never should’ve entrusted me with the dog.”

  In his opinion, the blame rested with Theresa for asking so much of her friend. “There’s no need to feel guilty. If you’ve never been a pet owner, there’s no reason to think you’d know about breakaway collars.”

  Alexis sucked in a gasp. “I haven’t reached Theresa. I need to let her know what’s happened. That the dog is hurt.” She pointed at Raven, but her eyes drifted to the dried blood on her hand, and her face lost what little color it had left.

  “How about you wash up first?”

  She nodded. “Okay.” She turned to the house. “I’ll get you the keys to my dad’s sedan. I can join you at your office in a few minutes.”

  He hadn’t argued with her earlier, but Nick would not leave a single woman alone without a vehicle all night when there was potential she was still in danger. Officer Jeremy had promised Alexis that an officer would make regular rounds past her house all night, but there was no mention of what “regular rounds” entailed. If they were short on officers, who knew how often someone would actually check up on her?

  Nick was accustomed to making fast decisions. He had the impression that Alexis tended to do so, as well. So he’d argue over the car issue later, after he took care of Raven. Besides, he’d likely need complete focus when arguing with a lawyer.

  “I’ll walk. It’s just across the street. See you in a few.” He bent down and ignored the pinch in his back as he lifted Raven into his arms. For now, he wanted Raven immobile so the bleeding would continue to diminish.

  “Um, okay.”

  He walked across the street. Not a block away, he punched in the pass code and unlocked the employee side door. The undeniable smell of animals combined with soft meows, chirps and barks greeted him. Raven shifted and shivered in his arms. “It’s okay, girl. It’s normal to be nervous, but there’s no need.”

  He set her down to hang out alone in an exam room with a treat while he turned on lights, unlocked the front door for Alexis and gathered his supplies. Raven was so enamored with the brushing chew that Nick could trim the fur and clean the area around the wound without assistance. “That’s going to help your breath, too, girl. Might help Alexis like you,” he said in soothing tones.

  “I’ve never heard of good dog breath winning a girl over.” Alexis stood in the doorway. She’d replaced her skirt, blouse and sandals with jeans, a gray T-shirt and canvas shoes. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail.

  Nick’s stomach heated. “Talking to animals while I work helps soothe them.”

  Alexis stepped closer. Raven wagged her tail at the sight. “I couldn’t reach Theresa.”

  “Well, you tried.” He pointed to the bench. “Please sit there and hold the leash for me.” He lifted the prepared syringe and pulled up the loose skin above the wound to inject a painkiller. “It would help if you kept her head in your lap. I need her calm and still.” He turned to prep the needle for sutures. She frowned with concern. “Don’t worry. I’m fast,” he added.

  She bit her lower lip and nodded.

  “If you stroke her head and talk to her, she won’t feel anything but a bit of tugging.” He told himself he wasn’t trying to win her over to dogs. Keeping the dog motionless was in its best interest.

  “I’m not talking to an animal.” She bent her head and rested her hand on top of Raven. Raven pulled her ears back and looked up at Alexis in response.

  She sighed. “How about I talk to you instead while I look at her?” Her voice took on a soothing quality.

  The research on what dogs could understand was conflicted. Some estimated a Labrador could obtain the same level of vocabulary as a toddler, but other research pointed to the tone of voice as the method for understanding. “I’ll take what I can get.” He needed to keep her talking while he worked, then. Fortunately, he had a ton of questions about her. “Tell me what kind of law you used to practice.” In his peripheral vision he could see her stiffen.

  “Patent law.”

  Well, so far he wasn’t getting her to talk much. Nick prepared the needle for sutures. “Was that your passion? Patent law?”

  She laughed. “Uh, no. It made for a well-paying first job, though. My real hope was to get my feet wet, get some money saved up and then transition to elder law. There aren’t enough people advocating for senior citizens.”

  He loved the lilt in her voice while she talked at the dog. A former lawyer who wanted to fight for the rights of senior citizens would be perfect to lead his team of volunteers. The cops seemed to think she knew most everyone in town. The combination could be the answer to his prayers about the campaign.

  “So why didn’t you?” he asked. They sounded ridiculous talking to each other in higher-pitched, soft voices, but Raven remained calm. Nick had three stitches done. Just a couple more and he would tie it off. Thankfully, there was no way Raven would be able to lick or chew on this part of her back. It should heal nicely.

  Her eyes flicked upward before landing back on Raven. “Life happens. Plans change.”

  There was pain behind her eyes. He knew she was here to help her parents, but she said they weren’t ill and had moved to Arizona. The chief and Officer Jeremy both seemed to respect her, so she couldn’t have done something seedy. Maybe she’d stopped practicing law because a loved one had died, or she’d suffered a bad breakup with a coworker.

  If any of those were the case, needing time to heal before going back into such a stressful career made sense. He certainly wouldn’t be able to handle being a lawyer. “So you’ll be here until you sell your parents’ house?”

  “Yes. That’s the plan for now.”

  A lawyer who enjoyed her job would’ve outsourced the task to a real-estate agent and contractors, wouldn’t she? So that couldn’t be the real reason she was still in town. But it was yet another reminder that she had no interest in putting down roots in Barings.

  “Houses don’t seem to be selling very fast here,” he finally said. He swirled the thread into a final knot. “It’s something I hope to change if we can bring some new business into town. I imagine temp work isn’t exactly challenging for someone with your experience. It’s usually entry-level work. Am I right?”

  She no longer looked at the dog but stared right at him. “I can see you have an excellent bedside manner, Nick. But I feel like you’re trying to lead up to telling me something. Since this isn’t my dog and she doesn’t need some drastic treatment, give it to me straight. What are you getting at?” She raised her eyebrows. “I can tell you right now I won’t be willin
g to temp as your vet tech or even as a receptionist.” She scrunched her nose. “I couldn’t handle being around dogs all day even if you doubled my pay.”

  He grinned. Yes. She was a straight shooter, which was exactly what he needed. “You’re right, but I don’t need another tech or receptionist. I’ve been running my mayoral campaign all by myself. I’ve got only a couple of months before the vote, and I’ve been praying to find someone who knows everyone in this town, who understands laws and policies. I thought it was a tall-order prayer, but here you are. I’m not flush with cash, but I imagine I can pay you as much as a temp job could in this town. Would you consider being my campaign manager?”

  Her jaw dropped and eyes widened. “No. Absolutely not.”

  “Because you’re voting for Gerald?”

  She flinched. “Gerald? No.”

  “Is it the money? We haven’t even talked numbers yet. I could settle for part-time and you wouldn’t leave anyone in the lurch. What’s her name—Theresa? I’m sure we could work something out.”

  She scrunched up her forehead. “It’s not that.” Raven seemed to realize he was done working on her and flopped down to the floor.

  He raised his eyebrows. “Is it because I said I prayed? That I’m a Christian?”

  She stood. “No.” She walked toward the door, turned around to face him, opened her mouth and promptly shut it again. She looked like she was in a daze as she crossed the lobby and rested her hands on the door.

  His heart raced as Raven stood by his side, watching Alexis leave with him. He’d known she might turn him down, but her reaction—almost as if he was too vile to consider—threw him for a loop. She could’ve at least let him down easy. He really was fun to work with, at least according to his employees.

  Her shoulders sagged as she looked out into the street. “It’s not you, Nick. It’s nothing about you. I can see you are a good man, and you might even be what this town needs, for all I know. I just can’t help you.” She swallowed but still didn’t make eye contact. “Thank you for asking.”

  She looked tired and wounded. He wanted to ask, to help, but it seemed clear he’d never be able to breach the invisible barrier surrounding her. In the end, it wasn’t any of his business, though the mystery would drive him crazy. “Fair enough,” he finally said. “End of discussion.”

  She nodded, relief evident as she sighed. “I forgot to bring the car keys with me.”

  “I’m not taking the car. I’m staying here tonight.”

  Her wide eyes swung to meet his. “Why?”

  Several reasons came to mind. The practice had a good alarm system and would elicit a faster police response time than if he went home. The men knew where he lived, which probably meant it wasn’t safe. The most important reason to him, though, was that she wouldn’t have a reason to insist he take the car and she wouldn’t be left without transportation, but he felt sure she’d object if he voiced it aloud. “I have a cot and a change of clothes here. And this way, my receptionist can give me a ride out to the car rental office in the morning.”

  She studied him for a moment. “Okay. Then I’m feeding you dinner. Come over as soon as you can.”

  It wasn’t a question, and for a split second, he almost refused on reflex. People weren’t in the habit of telling him what to do, and as a strong-willed man, he wasn’t in the habit of taking orders...at least without being asked nicely. His stomach, however, rumbled at the thought of dinner, and it was nice of her to think of it. After the day they’d had, they both probably needed extra grace in how they addressed each other. “Okay. If I leave now, it’ll give Keri—the teen who comes to take care of the animals during boarding—a chance to feed and play with them without feeling like she’s being watched.”

  Suspecting that a photo of Alexis and him was out there, circling among drug runners, Nick wished he could say the same.

  * * *

  Alexis moved to open the front door. Why did she need a conscience? Most of her life would likely have been easier without one complicating matters. Being a lawyer certainly would’ve been easier.

  Nick’s supposed reason that he wanted to sleep in the veterinary hospital sounded weak to her. She could see right through him. He was doing it to make sure she had a car. He’d already saved her life...twice. As if that wasn’t enough heroism for the day.

  So, since saying thank you seemed like the understatement of the year, the least she could do was make sure he had more dinner options than wet or dry dog food. But in reality, the last thing she wanted was to spend more time with Nick.

  “Wait up. It’s dark out,” Nick said. “Let me put Raven in a kennel with some food and water, and I’ll walk you out.”

  She bristled. There he went again, making sure she’d stay safe. She wasn’t going to argue, though, because he had a point, but she hated owing him so much. How could she repay a debt to him that kept growing? It had almost killed her to say no when he’d asked for help with the campaign, but she also wasn’t ready to tell him why her help would effectively ruin his chances at the position.

  “I’m going to try Theresa again,” she said. She could hear the edge in her own voice. The Lord might have kept her conscience in good working condition, but He hadn’t curbed her pride yet. Not that she was asking Him to help work on that. No, thank you. She’d already suffered enough humiliation to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, instead of humility, she felt more insecure while simultaneously defensive.

  “Thanks for offering to walk me,” she called out after Nick and Raven. She looked through the glass door at the stars, hoping the Lord could see she had acknowledged and, at least outwardly, amended her prideful attitude. It would be great if the Lord could round up the drug runners who wanted her dead while He was at it.

  A silver station wagon drove down the road. Alexis pulled back from the glass door. The lone streetlight at the corner had never bothered her before, but she’d never felt in danger on her own street before, either.

  The dogs in the back of Nick’s practice sounded happy to see him, assuming barking could sound happy. If Theresa answered the call, she’d be shocked at the background noise. Alexis held the phone up to her ear as it started to ring. Three rings, four...and it connected to voice mail. Alexis didn’t want to leave a message. She opted to text:

  Need you to call. Urgent. Bad things happened today. You need to come back home.

  Alexis studied her own message before she pressed Send. While she didn’t begrudge Theresa a chance at fun and time with her mysterious boyfriend, she really needed to take over the care and decisions for Raven.

  Once again, Alexis’s mind drifted to who the potential boyfriend could be. If Theresa had known him all her life, maybe it was the owner of Barings Heating and Air. When Alexis had temped as a receptionist for the guy, he’d been very eager to know how Theresa was doing. And he was a recent widower, which would cause tongues to wag around town that it was too soon for the man to date. So that would explain the secrecy. Alexis grinned at the thought. They would make a good couple. Theresa deserved a kind, thoughtful man in her life.

  “Good news?” Nick asked. “Something must’ve made you smile.”

  She tried not to react at his appearance. He’d not only put Raven away but also taken the time to change into a light blue dress shirt and brown dress pants complete with a belt. Alexis knew that the clothes did not make the man, but they certainly didn’t hurt. He must have kept extra clothes at the office. Smart, given his occupation.

  “No news,” she said. “Daydreaming about happier things.”

  He raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on his stomach. “Dinner, perhaps?”

  A nervous laugh escaped, and Alexis realized with horror that she’d been twirling the end of her ponytail. While it was just an unconscious habit whenever she got flustered, she knew it looked flirtatious—her girlfriends h
ad teased her about it mercilessly in college.

  She dropped her hand to her side. “I’m afraid dinner is not likely to be dream-worthy.” She pushed open the door, and he followed her to the street. “I’m still using up my mom’s freezer meals and emptying her pantry. She has enough to last until Thanksgiving.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be wonderful.” His stomach growled as if in answer. “Raven is enjoying her food. Keri will be in there soon to give her more attention, as well.”

  They crossed the street to the driveway. In the distance, toward the end of the block, the silver car she’d seen pass earlier sat on the side of the road. She squinted. “Does it look like someone is in that car?”

  “I can’t tell.” His eyes widened in the moonlight. “Should I be concerned?”

  Across from the car were two houses, both rentals. She didn’t know who’d moved into those particular ones since she’d been back, which proved that she didn’t know every single person in the town, despite Jeremy’s assumptions. “I think the events of the day have made me paranoid,” she finally said.

  Her statement wasn’t entirely truthful. She’d been paranoid for months, ever since hearing a confession from a murderer, from someone she’d thought was a nice man.

  Nick kept his gaze on the car. “Paranoid or not, caution should be the order of the day. Let’s get inside and let your cop friend know. Silver Subaru Outback.” He shook his head. “That model’s popularity is basically tied with the pickup truck in Idaho.”

  “It makes sense. Everyone wants all-wheel drive around here. I imagine it’ll be my next vehicle.”

  Her parents’ living room’s bay window faced the driveway and the street. She rounded the corner and pulled the keys out of her jeans to unlock the brown entry door, which faced the garage, making a corridor of sorts between the two unattached buildings.

  Two pots of wilting geraniums sat on either side of the front door. She’d been so busy she hadn’t noticed until now. She glanced up at Nick, hoping he didn’t notice, but he still had his eyes on the street. If any prospective buyers actually came to look at the house, dying flowers probably wouldn’t help win them over.