Good Guys Love Dogs (30 page)

more to offer than work. The part of
him that had final y

begun to build a bridge back to his
son.

He felt good with her. Alive. Like a
man living his life

rather than just racing his way
through it.

Sitting under the stars of a clear
autumn night, he let

himself admit that his son was
right. For the first time in

seventeen years, his heart ruled his
head. His confusion over

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INGLATH COOPER

Colby had nothing to do with Rachel.
As much as it should

have, it didn't.

Colby terrified him. With her, he
felt things he'd been

determined never to feel again.
Ashamed as he was to admit

it, Rachel made things easy for him.
With her, there had never

been any threat of putting his soul
on the line.

But Colby left him defenseless. She
made him want to do

exactly what his son suggested a few
minutes ago. Through

her, he rediscovered some vital and
critical links to who he

was and what he wanted his future to
be. She made him yearn

for things he never knew he wanted.
Little things that had

nothing to do with money or status.
Quiet moments and days

fil ed with laughter and sil iness.
She had shown him that

some of life's best pleasures were
found in the simple things.

In watching a baby calf be brought
into the world. In bathing

a dog in tomato juice. In learning
the two-step on a crowded

dance floor.

He realized then that it would be
wrong to marry Rachel.

On some level, maybe he had known
that for a long time.

He didn't know what the future held
for Colby and

him—or if it held
anything at al . She wasn't even speaking to

him now. But he wasn't the same
person he'd been when he

arrived in Keeling Creek. He'd come
here to change his son

and ended up changing himself. With
inexplicable conviction,

he knew there was no going back.

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45

he next morning Colby waited at the
breakfast

T table for Lena to come down. Her
stomach jangled

with nerves, and she debated about
the best way to handle

this situation. She wasn't anywhere
close to reaching a

conclusion when Lena came in, went
straight to the

refrigerator and poured herself some
juice.

With her back to her, Lena said,
“I wasn't completely

honest with you last night, Mom.

Colby leaned forward in her chair.
“About what? Lena

turned around, clasping her glass in
both hands and not quite

meeting Colby's gaze. “I
got the pil s because of Luke, but

we're not. . .we haven't. . . .

“I see. Are you
talking about it?

Lena shrugged. “Not
exactly.

“Then why did you
say they were for him?

“That's the only
way a girl can get a guy! Lena's eyes

fil ed with tears, and Colby had to
force herself not to go to

her.

“Why do you think
that, Lena?

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INGLATH COOPER

“It's true.
That's al guys care about.

“Did he say that?

“No. But he took
Melanie Cundiff to the homecoming

dance, and everybody knows she puts
out.

“Oh, Lena. I
think you and Luke need to have a talk. I'd

be wil ing to bet things aren't what
you think they are.

“Why do you say
that?

“Because he seems
like a nice boy, she said, meaning it.

She'd flown off the handle last
night. In the light of day, she

would admit that she'd been lashing
out at Ian in frustration

over what was going on between them
as much as she had

been over Luke's part in Lena's
sudden interest in sex. And

that was grossly unfair.

Lena didn't say anything for a few
moments. “I'm sorry

for what I said last night. About
not turning out like you. I

didn't mean that, she said at last.

Some of the sadness inside her
lifted with Lena's

apology. “Thank
you. I needed to hear that.

From the uncomfortable look on
Lena's face, Colby

knew she was aware of how deeply she
hurt her.

“Since we're
clearing the air, Mom, have you talked to my

father?

Colby blinked, surprised by the
question. “Lena, I—

“You got in touch
with him, didn't you?

“Lena—
Colby began again.

“Mom, just tel me
the truth. Until now, I've been too

scared to ask you. But I'm a big
girl. I can take it.

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GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS

For a moment, Colby considered not
tel ing her daughter

the truth, but she didn't want any
more lies between them.

“He wanted some
time to think.

“He hasn't cal ed
back, has he? The question held a

mixture of pride and fear, giving
Colby a glimpse of the little

girl she had once been, and in many
ways, stil was.

“No, honey, he
hasn't, she said, aching for her. Above

all else, this particular chapter of
their lives would have to be

closed before the two of them could
real y begin to mend

their relationship. Colby wanted
that so much. That meant

Lena had to have some kind of
resolution with her father,

whether he wanted it or not.

Lena looked down at the floor. “He
doesn't want

anything to do with me, does he?

Colby pressed her lips together,
wishing to take the pain

away from her, suffer through it
herself. “It's not that. It's—

“It
is
that,
Mom. Just admit it. There's something wrong

with me!

Wheeling around, she tore out the
back door before

Colby could stop her.

That was it. Colby decided she
wouldn't wait another

minute for that asinine—

She grabbed the phone and punched in
the number she

had memorized so Lena wouldn't find
it. Three rings, and the

housekeeper picked up, tel ing her
that the Jamisons were on

vacation.

Colby slammed down the phone so hard
her arm tingled.

She stood at the sink and stared out
the window, wishing only

to get her hands around Doug's
selfish, self-centered neck.

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46

n Friday night, Colby and Lena
headed for Blue

O Mountain Lake. Colby received a
mysterious

phone cal from Frank on Monday
inviting Lena and her to a

surprise party for Phoebe. She'd
wanted to ask him if this

was about guilt, but curbed her
tongue. He made her

promise not to breathe a word to
Phoebe, and she could

only hope that whatever problems the
two of them had been

having were no longer cause for
concern.

“Whose house is
this? Lena asked as they pul ed into the

driveway of the address Frank gave
them.

“I don't know,
Colby admitted. It was the first thing

Lena had said during the entire
drive. She'd been quiet and

withdrawn over the past few days,
staying in her room when

she wasn't in school. Colby wanted
to ask her if she'd

talked with Luke, but she'd
refrained from doing so, hoping

Lena would discuss it with her when
she was ready.

Colby's own spirits had been pretty
low, too, but she'd

tried not to let it show. She didn't
have a right to feel bad,

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GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS

anyway. Ian had never been available
in the first place, so it

wasn't as if she'd real y lost
anything.

But it sure felt that way.

She marveled at the house as she and
Lena got out of the

car. Sprawled across an enormous
lot, it looked like a beach

bungalow, bright and cheerful, with
a white fence enclosing

the perimeter. Obviously brand-new,
the yard was stil

covered in straw, bits and pieces of
building paraphernalia

scattered here and there.

At the front door hung a sign that
read:

Welcome Everyone!

Please go in and make yourselves
at home. The bartender wil be

happy to get you something to
drink. Food's set up in the kitchen and

living room.

I'l be arriving with Phoebe
around seven. Please take this sign

down about ten minutes before.
Knock her socks of with a big

“Surprise!

Frank

Inside, Colby smiled and said hel o
to the familiar faces.

Parents and teenage children al but
fil ed the living room

and kitchen. Lena wound her way
toward Mil ie, who stood

in the kitchen next to a bowl of
chips. Colby soon

discovered that she and Lena weren't
the only ones in the

dark about the party. No one seemed
to know who owned

the house.

The furnishings were incomplete,
although most of the

basics were in place—a
sofa, some chairs, the kitchen table.

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INGLATH COOPER

The living room opened onto a deck,
where several couples

were talking, looking out at the
lake beyond.

She had just asked for a glass of
white wine from the

bartender when she glanced up and
spotted Ian in the

kitchen. Standing next to him:
Rachel. Colby's heart dropped

somewhere within the vicinity of the
floor.

The bartender handed her the wine
with a smile. She

took it, tried to smile back and
failed miserably. She couldn't

pul her gaze off the two of them.
How right they looked

together. So right it hurt. It
shouldn't have, but it did.

Colby thought of the things she'd
shared with this man in

the past few months and realized
that he had become a part

of her life. There was no taking any
of it back, pretending it

never happened. And because of her
own stupidity, she had

to stand here and watch him with his
fiancée.

Ian and Rachel left the kitchen,
moving in her direction.

Rather than turn and run, as she
would have liked to, Colby

stayed where she was, fixing a smile
on her face when

Rachel said, “Oh,
hello. You're the pie lady, aren't you?

Colby stuck out her hand. “You
have a good memory.

Hel o, Miss Montgomery.

“Rachel, please.
After all, it won't be Montgomery

much longer.

The dart, intended or not, stabbed
hard. She glanced at

Ian. He looked every bit as
uncomfortable as she felt.

Optimist that she was, she might
have even cal ed it

miserable had she not been aware of
her own bias. “I don't

suppose you have any idea why
Frank's having a surprise

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GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS

party for Phoebe in a house no one's
ever seen before?

she asked, desperate to fil the
silence.

He shook his head, his gaze holding
hers with pained

intensity. “Not a
clue.

“Shhh! Mary
Simmons, Phoebe's sister, stood by the

window, peering around the edge of
the curtain. “I think

they're here, she said.

Everyone hustled for a place to
stand where Phoebe

wouldn't see them immediately. Colby
stayed where she was.

Unfortunately, so did Ian and
Rachel. The guests were pin-

drop quiet. The car engine outside
cut off, then two doors

slammed. Phoebe's voice rang out,
“Frank Walker, what

on earth is this al about?

“Be patient,
honey, he said.

The doorknob turned, and Phoebe
stepped inside the

hallway, Frank behind her.

“Surprise! ! The
room erupted in a roar. Phoebe let

out a startled scream, one hand
going to her chest. She

looked at the roomful of people in
front of her, then back

at Frank, grinning ear to ear, and
promptly burst into tears.

Frank put a hand on her shoulder.
“Now, Phoebe, that's

not exactly the reaction I was
hoping for.

Laughter rippled through the crowd.
Frank held up a

hand, then leaned forward and kissed
Phoebe on the

mouth. “Happy
fifteenth anniversary, honey, he said, one

hand sweeping the expanse of the
room. “You're standing

in your present.

Phoebe looked down at the floor,
then up again,

realization dawning. “This
house is my present?

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INGLATH COOPER

Frank nodded, looking so proud Colby
thought he might

actually split at the seams. “You
always wanted a summer

house. I'm a little late for this
year, but now you know where I

was al those nights when you were
wondering.

Phoebe stared at him for a moment
before her tears

started again. She took off down the
hal to their right,

leaving Frank at a loss. Knowing
what lay behind the tears,

Colby went after her. The bathroom
door off the master

bedroom was closed, and she heard
Phoebe's sobs

interspersed with hiccups. She
knocked. “May I come in,

Phoebe?

She turned the knob, and the door
swung inward.

Phoebe sat on the side of an
enormous tub, a wad of tissue

in her hand. She looked up. “How
could I have been such

an idiot, Colby? I thought he was
having an affair, and he was

building me a house.

Colby sat down on the tub and put a
hand on her

friend's shoulder. “You
made an honest mistake.