by Theresa Weir
As they turned into the kitchen, the numbness still hovered around Logan. Though the sun shone brightly, the day felt oppressive. Tinged with gray. Maybe something in the atmosphere. Maybe another storm was coming.
He stepped inside the bathroom, bent down, and picked up the test stick. The marking still showed on the stick, a minus symbol. He stared at it for a long moment before dropping it back in the trash, because he couldn’t deny the rush of sorrow squeezing his heart.
* * *
Tires rolling on gravel woke Dog up from his nap in the barn. The girl’s mother had banished Dog here again, because they were “expecting company,” and she didn’t want him to “stink up the place.”
Dog was glad to get away from her sharp voice that cut into his ears like the edge of a flat stone, but he should be inside to guard the house. As the car neared, he smelled the people inside, a woman and a man—he could tell the differences in their scent—and there was a stronger scent.
Dog peeked through the space between two wall boards in time to see a tall man open the rear door and take out a cage. A small animal was inside the cage, white and fluffy. Dog couldn’t tell by looking at it if it was a dog or cat, but he smelled dog. His nose was never wrong.
“Erin’s going to be so happy,” a woman said, and the door opened.
The woman went in first, the man with the cage following her.
The next second, Dog heard the girl squeal, then the woman laughed and said, “I knew you’d love Snowball. We bought her for you.”
Chapter 19
The scare was over, but the repercussions continued.
It changed Logan.
It changed Maddie, too.
He became more polite, more distant, spending more time upstairs and less downstairs. Yet he still came down for his story every night. And every night, he smoldered like a brush fire about to burst into full flame, sending her to bed aching and wanting.
And now, days later, he showed up in the kitchen before she went to work, still smoldering.
He was killing her. Slowly.
Not really, of course…it just felt like he was driving her crazy by slow degrees. She was always so practical, but around him, her practicality was blown away. Far, far away.
“Where’s Zach?” he asked.
“On the bus going to school, like he does every morning.” She put a slice of pumpkin bread into a baggie for her morning snack.
“Can you meet me at lunch today?”
She dropped the baggie into her purse and hoped the pumpkin bread didn’t get crushed. “I could, but why should I?” As she said it, she realized how hostile she sounded. She frowned. She didn’t mean it that way. She just meant… Oh, she didn’t even know what she meant.
The slow crazy was speeding up.
“It would be to your advantage,” he said.
She looked at the wall clock shaped like a cartoon duck. “When people say that, the advantage usually heads straight to them.”
“You’re turning into a cynic.”
“Maybe I’ve caught that from you.” As soon as she said the words, she clamped her teeth shut. Now she sounded bitter, and that’s not what she wanted to be.
“Perhaps you have,” he said, not showing any emotion. “Are you coming to lunch with me or not? Your choice.”
She sucked in a breath then exhaled shakily. “Sure, I’ll be there.”
He gave her the name of a restaurant she was familiar with in Eagleton. Nodding, she put on her shoes then headed to her car where she realized she’d put on her other pair of slippers instead of her shoes and had to go back for them.
He was in the exact place she’d left him two minutes ago.
His phone was ringing, the sound coming from upstairs. The notes from “Witchy Woman.”
She paused, but the darkness in his eyes had her backing away, though he kept his lips together, not saying anything.
Until she reached the door.
“Do you know that if you don’t want to receive calls from a certain number, you can block it?” she asked.
Without waiting for an answer, she wrenched open the door. And thank God, the door didn’t stick, and she was out of there before he could say anything. She had the feeling when she was at lunch with him, she wouldn’t have much of an appetite.
* * *
Dog was free, but as he ran, his leg hurt, the one he’d injured. It was better now than before he found the man in the barn, but it had never healed right. Despite the pain, he kept on running.
The girl would cry, he knew it, but she had the new puppy. A little fluffy thing the mother liked to put on her lap. She said it was a ball of trouble, but it reminded her of a dog she had when she was little.
The dog made both of them happier. When they were happier, the man was happier, too.
And then the woman would look at Dog, and her face would tighten. Dog could feel her temper building, could smell the bitter edge in the scent coming off her skin. He knew about angry people.
And he knew about people who weren’t angry, too. People who tried to help him.
But they weren’t his human.
He needed his human, and all he had to do was follow the scent in the air to find him. A small wisp of a smell that was there for him alone.
He slowed, limping, on the road where there wasn’t any snow. Every now and then, a few cars raced by him. One stopped, and a woman called to him, but he ran up on the snow. He wouldn’t come down, not even when she held food out and called to him, “Eat! Eat! Eat!”
He knew what “eat” meant. That had been one of the first words he’d learned.
Finally, she set the food on the snow then got into her truck and drove away. Dog quickly ran to the food and gobbled it up. Then he ran again. He had a long way to go to reach his human. He’d been through three winters already, and this was the first time he’d smelled him. He feared if he didn’t reach him soon, his human might go away, and he’d never smell him again.
* * *
Caroline had been giggling all morning, shooting Maddie looks that made her nervous as she said good-bye. The nervousness stayed with her as got into her car and drove to Eagleton. It was better to think about Caroline than Logan, especially since she was meeting Logan at the Audubon Restaurant in the Audubon Hotel. The old Victorian hotel was one of the loveliest places in town. The restaurant was the best in the area, but Maddie’s mind kept switching from Caroline to the rooms in the hotel.
She’d heard that two people could easily fit into the bathtubs.
That they jetted out warm water.
That they were romantic in an old-world way, some of them with satin sheets and lace drapes. It was the go-to place for wedding nights, anniversaries, and one-night stands for the wealthy.
Logan was very wealthy.
But why not just ask her to meet him at home? His home, she reminded herself. Unless he was hoping to seduce her. After all, she’d said no more sex, and he seemed to agree.
She’d meant what she said.
But if he leaned over her and breathed on her neck…
She sighed.
If he lowered his voice and told her that he loved the small squeaking sounds she made when she orgasmed…
A breathy moan came out of her mouth.
If he even picked up her foot and insisted on giving her another foot rub…
She mewed like Ginger when she wanted to be petted.
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. She had it bad. The hotel was in sight already, and she slowed. The fifteen-minute drive had flown by, and thoughts of Caroline had flown out of her head.
Telling herself it wasn’t likely that he’d invited her to seduce her—a man as sophisticated as him had to know that it wasn’t the locale that mattered—she marched into the restaurant. He was at the table already, turning to look at her, as if he’d sensed her.
Right. In her dreams.
She told the greeter that she saw her table then headed to it, realizing Logan was
n’t alone. A man was seated across from Logan. Tall, bulky, and dark-skinned, he looked like a former athlete. He wore a suit that fit him well, and he appeared to be in his forties with a receding hairline, his black hair in a buzz cut. As she reached the table, both he and Logan stood.
“Maddie, this is Bert Wittaker.” Logan said.
Bert’s hand engulfed hers, and he reminded her of a big dog that looked dangerous but was really gentle. Most of the time. They greeted each other, and she took a seat and glanced at the manila envelope on the empty setting across from her.
“What’s this about?” she asked, noting there was a cup of coffee waiting for her.
“It’s about changing your life,” Logan said.
She looked down at the menu in front of her then back at Logan. “So we’re not eating lunch?”
His eyes gleamed with humor. “I always feed my victims first.”
“Lovely. What’s the most expensive dish?”
Bert laughed, but Logan just looked at her with the burn back in his eyes. Seducing her without saying a word. She picked up the menu and opened it. If he weren’t so damn rich, she really might order the most expensive meal in the place. But it would mean nothing to him, so she may as well order what she liked best.
She ended up ordering the crab cake appetizers and tomato soup for her meal. The first because it was a long time since she’d had good crab cakes. The second was comfort food.
The waitress collected their menus, and as soon as she left, she turned to Logan. “Now do you want to tell me what’s in the envelope?”
Bert looked at Logan, who nodded. “I’m an investigator.” He lowered his voice so it wouldn’t carry to the nearby tables. “Logan hired me to find out why a certain Duane Frickmann lost his previous position as a town administrator.”
She switched her gaze from him to Logan. “Ammunition,” Logan said. “The more you have, the better a chance of getting in the best shot.”
“What if I don’t want to take a shot at him?”
“Then you’re a quitter, and I don’t think you’re that.” He held her gaze. “This is for Zach. I didn’t think you’d let your hurt feelings matter more than your son.”
She stiffened. Damn him. He was right.
“What do you have?” She turned back to Bert. “Is it a woman?”
“Nope, money.” He handed her the manila folder. “He and the town treasurer were in it together.”
She grimaced then read the pages quickly. The numbers were in the high six figures, and she had to stop herself from exclaiming. Finally she looked up. “How come he’s not in jail?”
“He and the treasurer paid back every penny they stole,” Bert said, “plus interest, and the town agreed to not prosecute them.”
“They didn’t want to embarrass themselves.” Logan’s voice was as dry as her throat.
She took a sip of her tea as Bert said his informant had told him the town board hadn’t shared this information with the town or the local sheriff. It was all done through lawyers.
“Did the town give him a reference?” she asked.
“I doubt it.” Bert said. “If he pulled the same trick again, it’s possible they’d be liable. He’s lucky he’s not in jail.”
“Then this information isn’t available to anyone?” she asked. “How did you get it?”
He grinned, his teeth white. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”
“A football player?”
“Never mind. Let’s just say that I have a few rabid fans, and they’re likely to tell me anything.”
“It’s the celebrity thing.” Logan grimaced. “It melts brain cells. So what are you going to do with this?”
She kept her gaze on Bert. “You know I’m going to look you up when I get back to the office.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“Do you work nearby?”
“Minneapolis. One of the reasons Logan hired me for this.”
“He has his own agency,” Logan said.
“I could tell that by the way his suit fits him.”
Bert shouted a laugh, either not noticing or not caring about the way people looked at him, their faces lighting up.
“I’ve been thinking lately that I could do something more interesting than being a town administrator.” She gave him her you’re-going-to-like-me smile. “Are there any positions open in your agency that I could fill?”
“My card is in the report.” He gestured at the folder. “Send me your resume.”
Logan tapped his fingernails on the table. Bert turned to him. “You got a problem?”
“No problem here.” Logan narrowed his blue eyes at Maddie. “He’s not going to pay you anywhere near what the town will pay you.”
Before she could say anything, Bert leaned toward him, inches from Logan’s face. “If you’re trying to stop me from hiring her, you just made a big mistake. You know I always rise to a challenge.” He turned back to Maddie. “Definitely send your resume. You’re a smart woman, and I can tell you’re honest. Two of the top qualities I look for in an employee. I’ll find something for you, and I guarantee the pay will make you happy.”
Her face warmed. “I’ll do that. Thank you.”
The rest of the meal went by quickly, and she talked and laughed, but it felt as if she were split in two. One part of her talking, and the other part marveling at her nerve and the possibilities ahead for her.
This must be similar to what Oscar winners said afterward, that they couldn’t remember saying their speeches. As if speaking through a fog.
Then she was standing and telling the men she had to go back to work. Bert reminded her to take the folder with her. Logan said he’d bring it home for her, and Bert grinned, his eyebrows raised. Logan gave him a glance that should have singed Bert’s eyebrows off, and the big man just grinned wider.
She grinned too, feeling as if this were all a game. And for once, she was on the winning side.
* * *
“What happened to the vampiress?” Bert asked.
Logan spit the coffee he’d just sipped back into the cup, and Bert roared with laughter. A big man with a big laugh and a big personality.
He was still sniggering when Logan said, “Last I heard, she was about to be married.”
“No shit. I didn’t think she’d ever remove her claws from you.”
“You didn’t like her?”
The humor in Bert’s face blanked, his eyebrows contracting. “She’s some kind of a throwback to Cleopatra. Or maybe the Sirens.”
“The dark queen,” Logan said.
“The evil Disney queens. I can see that. So she finally retracted her hooks and let you swim free.” He gestured toward the empty chair. “I think you caught a good one there.”
“She’s not mine.”
“Maybe not. But you want her.”
“She’s not that kind of woman.”
“I don’t know what you mean by that. If you want to pay me to check it out, I wouldn’t complain.”
“I bet you’d check it out.”
Laughter sparked in Bert’s eyes. “You want to slug me, don’t you?”
“Nah. I don’t want my fist broken. Besides, you’d be wasting your time. She wouldn’t want you.”
“Is that another challenge?”
He froze for a couple beats of his heart then shrugged, as if she meant nothing to him. “I’ll pass. If I said yes, you’re so competitive you’d probably go after her.”
“Smart of you to back down.” Bert winked at him. “I’d do more than just go after her. I’d win her, too.”
Logan sat back, not saying anything, knowing deep inside, wherever that place of knowing was, that Maddie wouldn’t give in to Bert, no matter what Bert did. She wanted just one man.
Him.
And he wanted her, but he was no good for her—and she was too good for him. He was writing now, and as soon as his screenplay was done, he would be gone like snow in summer.
Chapter 20
/> Dog ran down a country road at a quick, steady pace. He liked the country better than cities. In cities, there were more cars and people and other dogs. Cities didn’t have places for him to lie down. No places to hide while he rested. Twice today, he’d been chased by cars. In the city, he’d been chased by cars, bikes, and people on foot.
So far, he’d outrun and outsmarted them, even with his bad leg. But it hurt to run on it too long.
Some days he wondered if he’d ever reach his human. But he never stopped. Never. His human needed him, and he needed his human. Being without his human was a hole inside him.
And this morning, the sky was bright and, even though it was cold enough for Dog to see his breath, the sun warmed him. This morning, he could smell his human more sharply than the other mornings.
He was getting closer. Eagerness was building in him, like snow, with one snowflake landing on another until it was as high as his tail. He ran faster and faster and—
A horn blared. He jumped, and a car sped by him, so close he felt a rush of hot air, and then the bad smells from the back end of the car rushed into his face. Swerving to get away from the smell, he put too much weight on his sore leg. He tumbled to the road, stones sticking past his matted fur and into his legs. Pain tore through him, and he lay there, whimpering.
Then he stopped whimpering and got to his feet and ran again. Slower than before, limping more than before, but still going.
As long as Dog could smell his human, nothing was going to stop him.
* * *
The perfect Saturday morning was going to make it harder for Maddie to leave Angel Lake. The sun was bright, and the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven filled the house while they put up the tree. She even prevailed on Logan to go to the store to get ornament hooks so she could decorate the tree.
“They have them at the grocery store?” he asked.
“They have deodorant at grocery stores, don’t they? Why not hooks?”
His expression looked pained, and she laughed at him. So did Zach, flopping off the chair and onto the living room carpet.
Logan left, and she wondered what his sophisticated friends would say if they saw him at the store buying ornament hooks. Then she decided they went to stores and bought things for themselves, too, and she started setting her decorations around the house. The Drummer Boy music box, the angel kicking a football, the nutcrackers, the Santas, the train…
