“He’s my hero.” Sally laughed at the cute expression on Max’s face. “Every now and then a girl likes to be saved.”
Todd didn’t say a word as he walked toward Max.
Sally didn’t know what she’d said to annoy him, but he didn’t look happy. “Are you sure you want to come for a walk? I’ll understand if you’ve got other things you need to do.”
“Walking is fine.”
By the time Sally caught up to Todd, he was standing beside the creek, watching Max splash in the water.
“You’re lucky you’ve got the creek. Dad had to buy extra water for his ranch last week.” She thought that was a nice, safe, reasonably intelligent observation to make.
Todd glanced quickly at her, then back at Max. “The water in the creek is from Emerald Lake, further up the valley. It’s one of the reasons I bought the ranch.”
“What were the other reasons?”
“It’s quiet. No one bothers me out here.”
Sally clamped her mouth shut. She wasn’t exactly quiet and she knew it. There were lots of things she valued in life, but silence wasn’t one of them. Being left alone sounded a bit weird and creepy to her. “Don’t you get lonely?”
Todd whistled and Max’s ears pricked to attention. “Being alone and lonely are two different things.”
“Maybe, but you didn’t answer my question.”
Max lumbered through the water. He stood beside Todd, tongue hanging out and water dripping everywhere. With a casual shake of his enormous body, he managed to shower them with enough water to drown in.
Sally jumped behind Todd, sheltering behind his wide shoulders.
“You can come out now,” Todd said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Are you sure it’s safe? Max sometimes surprises me with a double shake.” She looked at Todd’s face. “You thought I didn’t know what he was going to do, didn’t you?”
A blush skimmed along his jaw. “I was waiting for the shrieks.”
“I’m a country girl. We don’t scare easily.” Sally didn’t wait for Todd. She started walking along the bank. Max followed her, happy to listen to her chatter as she filled him in on what had happened since he’d left.
Unfortunately, Max had the attention span of a squirrel. A rustle in the trees was enough to send him leaping through the grass toward his next adventure.
“Sounds to me like The Bridesmaids Club has got a major distribution problem looming,” Todd said from behind her.
Sally waited for him to catch up. “I didn’t know you were interested?”
“Hard not to be when two of my friends are engaged to women you work with. Every time we get together they mention the boxes of dresses that keep arriving.” Todd looked toward the trees Max had disappeared into. “I’d better go and see what Max’s up to. He’s still getting used to the ranch.”
Sally didn’t wait to be asked to go with him. She kept a steady pace beside Todd, listening for any sign of Max. A bark pulled them deeper into the trees.
Todd whistled and listened. Max replied with another bark, but didn’t seem to be making any effort to come out of his hiding place.
“He’s found the tree house again,” Todd muttered. He whistled and called Max’s name.
After one last bark, Max appeared from behind a tree. He stopped in front of Sally and looked up at her as if he was expecting a treat.
She patted her pockets and grinned. “You’re lucky I remembered.” She pulled out a small plastic bag and passed Max a strip of chicken jerky.
“He’ll want to go home with you.” Todd didn’t sound impressed.
Sally shook her head. “It’s just a treat.” She slipped the bag back into her pocket and watched Max. “I was wondering if you’d be happy letting me visit Max once a week?”
Todd was quiet for so long that Sally didn’t know if he’d heard her. “I could come to your ranch when it suited you? And it wouldn’t have to be for long. Thirty minutes would be fine.”
“You didn’t mention anything about visitation rights when I agreed to look after him.”
Sally felt her cheeks grow warm. “I know. I didn’t think I’d miss him so much. It’s okay if you say no. I’d understand. But I’d really appreciate being able to visit him. I could even look after him if you need to go away on a vacation or something.”
Todd threw a stick across the grass. Max ran after it, barking when it landed a few feet away from him. “Once a week is okay. You’ll need to call me first. I can’t guarantee I’ll be here.”
“Thank you.” Sally grabbed hold of Todd’s arm. “You won’t regret it, I promise. I’ll be so quiet that you won’t even know I’m here.”
Todd looked down at her hand and frowned.
Sally stepped back. “Sorry. How does nine o’clock on Saturday morning sound for my first official visit?”
Max bounded up to Todd and dropped the stick at his feet. Todd patted his head, then threw the stick again. “Saturday is fine.”
A weight lifted off Sally’s shoulders. “I won’t be any bother, I promise.”
Todd didn’t look convinced. “We’d better keep walking. Max will get tired of racing around soon.”
Sally stuffed her hands in her pockets and glanced at Todd. “What else did Logan and Dylan say about The Bridesmaids Club?”
Todd’s mouth tilted into a lop-sided smile. “If I told you, I’d get into trouble.”
“What’s a little trouble between friends?”
“More than you can imagine,” he said softly.
***
Todd turned off his cell phone and stared across the front yard of Pastor Steven’s home.
“Is everything okay?” Dylan stopped beside him, staring at the same view.
“Detective Munroe called. The thugs that attacked us won’t be leaving prison until their court case.” A few weeks ago, Todd had asked Dylan to go to New York with him. They hadn’t gone to see the tourist hot-spots or catch a show on Broadway. They’d gone to track down the men who had killed Todd’s wife and son. It hadn’t ended well.
Dylan crossed his arms in front of his chest. “At least it gets them off the street.”
“Yeah, but for how long?”
“Does it matter? Nothing will bring back your family.”
Todd looked down at his wedding ring. There wasn’t much he could say to Dylan’s blunt assessment of his life. The first six months after his wife and son had been murdered were the worst of his life. Each day had come and gone in a hazy fog that he couldn’t pull himself out of. He’d quit his job as a pilot, bought a property in Montana, and hid himself away from the world.
He’d hit rock bottom a year later. The only thing that had saved him was Pastor Steven’s support group. It had been set up for guys with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Todd had felt like a fraud, until he’d heard how the other guys were living. They had different triggers, different experiences, but the impact on their lives was the same. About the only thing he’d felt for the first few meetings was relief that there were other people as mixed up as he was.
A young boy rode along the sidewalk past Pastor Steven’s front fence. Someone had attached a bright orange flag to the back of his bike. It flapped in the breeze, reminding Todd of the same colored flag he’d had as a kid. And maybe, if his son had lived, he’d have had the same type of flag flapping behind him to keep him safe.
He yanked his mind back to the present and ignored the boy on the bike, ignored the curling fingers of guilt squeezing his heart tight. He wouldn’t think about what could have been. All that mattered was where he was now.
“How’s Max working out?” Dylan asked.
Todd changed gear, imagined the leggy Irish wolfhound darting across the yard toward him. Max didn’t go too far on the ranch without Todd beside him. He was still getting used to the open spaces, the fields that surrounded them. “He seems happy enough. He’s taken a liking to the new foal.”
Dylan smiled. “They’d be about the same
size. Maybe Max thinks he’s found a little sister?”
“Or another animal to get into trouble with. Yesterday he was herding the chickens closer to the corral. Starlight nearly got her nose pecked by Millie.”
“Your hen is a menace.”
“Tell me about it,” Todd sighed. “She thinks she owns the ranch and all of the animals in it. Max hasn’t figured out that she’s in charge yet.”
“He’ll get there eventually. I hear Max has got another admirer?”
Todd glanced at Dylan. “What do you mean?”
“I mean your weekly visit from Sally Gray. Annie said she’s been going out to your ranch to see Max.”
News traveled fast in Montana, especially the type of news you didn’t want circulating. “She’s visiting Max, not me.”
Dylan grinned. “A woman doesn’t drive for thirty minutes to see a dog.”
“Sally does.” He didn’t know why Dylan thought it was such a big deal. People did things like that all of the time. The fact that he didn’t get many visitors shouldn’t have made any difference. But it did.
He’d known Sally for all of three weeks and in that time he’d learned more about her than he knew about himself. From the moment she left her truck, to when she drove away, she talked non-stop about anything and everything. It seemed to him that once she decided to do something, she kept at it until she’d done it, or until she’d convinced someone else to do it for her.
“And does Max appreciate seeing Sally?”
“You could say that.” Max went crazy when her truck parked in the front yard. By mid-morning each Saturday, she’d arrived at the ranch with a basket of muffins or cookies. He tried telling her that she didn’t need to bring food, but she didn’t listen.
“You’d better watch out.” Dylan didn’t bother to hide the amusement in his voice. “She’ll fill your ranch with shelter animals.”
Pastor Steven tapped Todd on the shoulder. “You wouldn’t be talking about Sally Gray would you?”
“Not you, too?” Todd sighed. “She visits Max, not me.”
Pastor Steven’s eyebrows rose about a foot off his face. “She comes out to your ranch?”
Todd could have kicked himself. “You didn’t know?”
“Not yet, although from the grin on Dylan’s face I’d say the news wasn’t far away.”
Todd glared at Dylan. “I offered to look after Max. He’s an Irish wolfhound that was left at the shelter. He’s too big for her apartment.”
Pastor Steven looked between Todd and Dylan. “And she visits Max on the ranch each week?”
“Yep.” Todd tried to figure out if it had been a trick question.
Dylan snorted at the surprised look on Pastor Steven’s face. Todd poked Dylan’s shins with his cowboy boots.
“Oww. Keep your feet to yourself.”
Pastor Steven ignored both of them. “Sally’s organizing the annual pet adoption day at the church. She was going to call me and let me know how many water bowls we need.”
Dylan moved until he was out of striking distance of Todd’s boots. “I’d say to prepare for the worst. All of the animals from the shelter are arriving at the church tomorrow.”
“You’re kidding?” Todd knew how many animals they had at any given time. Transporting them across town, settling them into a new environment, and making sure they didn’t run wild would take a team of people to manage.
“He’s not far from the truth,” Pastor Steven said to Todd. “Sally’s setting up an outdoor adoption center in my backyard. You could help her.”
The events at Pastor Steven’s church were legendary. It didn’t matter what God people believed in, or if they didn’t believe in anything, they were all welcome to come and enjoy each other’s company. The guys in Todd’s support group had encouraged him to help out at some of the events, stretch his comfort zone and act like a normal person. Not that any of them were world experts at being normal, not by a long shot.
So far he’d dressed up as a Thanksgiving Day turkey, driven an ancient fire truck to a Christmas party with Santa sitting in the passenger seat, and escorted a dozen fairies to the annual masquerade ball. But this time was different. He wasn’t sure Sally would welcome his help.
He’d deliberately not said much when she’d visited Max. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, he did. And it wasn’t that he didn’t have anything to say to her - he had plenty he wanted to say. But his problem with Sally had absolutely nothing to do with her. It was him.
She made him think of what life could be like with someone else. She made him remember what life had been like before the two people he’d loved most in the world had died.
Pastor Steven was waiting patiently for him to say something, to do what he normally did and offer to work behind the scenes. Todd couldn’t do that. Not this time. “Sally’s probably got all of the volunteers from the animal shelter helping her. She won’t need me.”
Dylan pushed off from the rail he was leaning against. “Maybe, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. You can talk about it with the other guys. I’ve got to leave. Someone’s selling a commercial dishwasher in Billings and Annie wants to have a look.”
Annie O’Leary was Dylan’s fiancée. In another couple of weeks she’d be starting her own catering company from inside a warehouse Dylan had bought. Todd didn’t know much about the business, but he did know that Annie was a great cook.
“Dylan’s right,” Pastor Steven said. “I’m going to be overrun with semi-wild animals that have got a mind of their own. We could do with all the help we can get.”
Todd shoved his hands in his pockets and stared moodily at the man who never took no for an answer. “I’ll think about it,” he muttered.
“You do that. While you’re thinking about it, you can come inside and have dessert. Dylan’s got an excuse for missing Tess’ chocolate mousse and vanilla bean ice cream. You don’t.”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re bossy?”
Pastor Steven grinned. “All the time. Just goes to show that I’m in good company.”
Todd wasn’t going to disagree. Pastor Steven’s home was currently full of bossy men who knew how good Tess’ homemade ice cream tasted. If he didn’t move fast, there wouldn’t be any dessert left. “This doesn’t mean I’m going to look after Sally’s animals,” Todd warned.
“Of course not,” Pastor Steven said as they walked inside. “It means you’re going to eat dessert. We can talk about the shelter animals later.”
Todd didn’t say anything. Sometimes silence was more effective than disagreeing, especially when it came to things that weren’t good for him.
***
Sally opened her front door and stared at Todd. “Is Max all right?”
He took a moment to appreciate her purple leggings and tight red t-shirt. She had the kind of soft, curvy body that a man could curl himself around on a cold winters night, hug close and never let go.
He cleared his throat. “Max is fine.”
“Oh.”
He didn’t need to be a genius to work out what was going through her head. She looked puzzled, confused about why he was standing on her front porch.
He cleared his throat. “Pastor Steven said you’re organizing the pet adoption day this year. I was going to call you, but I haven’t got your phone number. I thought I’d stop by and see if you need my help tomorrow.”
Sally smiled and his heart stuttered. Each time her gaze connected with his he felt light-headed and off-center. He didn’t like the feeling, didn’t want to be attracted to anyone. His life was a mess and no one, including an animal obsessed school teacher, deserved to be pulled into what was going on.
Sally stepped back from the door and waved him into her living room. “You’d better come inside before you create a stir with my neighbors. Mrs. Finch keeps a sharp eye on everyone who comes and goes from the street.”
Todd looked over his shoulder before stepping inside. A lace curtain on the house opposite Sally’s fell back into
place. “Does she have motion detector cameras in the street?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Sally closed the door. “She’s always waiting at her fence when I come back from my morning walk. It’s kind of nice to know that someone cares.”
Todd wasn’t so sure. He’d moved away from New York because everyone cared too much. “I thought your family lives in Bozeman?”
“They do. Mom and dad own a ranch about twenty minutes from here. Sean and Matthew are two years older than me and live at home. Nathan married Amy last year and Liam is a lawyer in Vancouver.”
“Four brothers?” No wonder Sally was fearless. She would have learned to stand up for herself before most kids knew how to walk.
Sally shrugged her shoulders. “I got used to it. Do you want a cup of coffee?”
“I can’t stay. I’ve got things to do.” He didn’t want Sally thinking he’d come here to spend time with her. All he needed to know was whether she needed help tomorrow. Then he’d go back to his ranch, get his painting gear out and start work on his half-finished bedroom.
The soft thud of something hitting the floor had Sally moving quickly across the room. She disappeared through another door and said, “Muggles, keep off the counter.”
A cat that was bigger than most small dogs shot across the living room, escaping up the narrow flight of stairs in the entrance way. Another cat that Todd hadn’t noticed appeared from behind the sofa. The orange tabby stretched and yawned.
“Sorry about that.” Sally opened a door that overlooked her backyard and the tabby cat ran outside. “I’ve got three cats; Muggles, Tabitha, and Jetson. Out of all of them, Muggles is the most mischievous. He wants to know what I’m doing every minute of the day.”
Todd looked around the living room. A tank of orange goldfish swam in the corner, with a smaller tank sitting beside it. He walked across the room and stared at the two turtles sitting on large rocks. “You could open a zoo.”
Sally sighed. “That’s what mom says. Dad’s banned me from bringing more shelter animals out to his ranch.” Her green eyes gleamed and he stepped away from the turtles.
Head Over Heels (The Bridesmaids Club Book 3) Page 3
