Good Guys Love Dogs (7 page)

the floor beneath Colby's feet. She
ran up the steps and

stopped in her daughter's doorway.
“Lena, honey, I'm late.

Are you sure you have a ride to the
game?

Lena leaned over and turned down the
volume. “Yeah.

Millie Mitchell's mom is taking us,
she said in the same

sul en tone that had been there for
the past month.

“You'l be home by
eleven-thirty?

Lena nodded without raising her gaze
from the magazine

in front of her.

Lena spent more time at her friend's
house than she did

at home. Trying to ignore her own
bruised feelings, Colby

said, “I'll see
you tonight, then.

A few minutes later, she backed out
of the driveway and

headed toward Phoebe's place, some
five miles outside of

town. How long would this go on?
She'd asked Lena over

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GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS

and over what was wrong, only to be
given a hostile-

sounding, “Nothing,
Mom.

Colby missed the child she loved.
She felt as though

someone had stolen her best friend.
And she didn't know

how to get her back.

At the Walkers' turnoff, she put on
her blinker and

swung onto the road that led to
their farm. She loved it out

here. Most of Jefferson County lay
in a bowl of land

beneath a ring of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. Now, just before

sunset, they real y did look blue.
Colby eventual y planned to

buy a place outside of town with
plenty of land. She'd been

interested in Oak Hil , the farm
that bordered the Walkers'

place, for years. When she'd learned
that it had been sold a

few weeks ago, she'd been more than
a little disappointed.

Pul ing up in front of the house,
Colby got out and

knocked at the door. A few seconds
later, Phoebe opened

it and greeted her with a hug.

“You're here, she
said. “And on time, too. No last-

minute cal s to make?

“I even left my
calf-birthing clothes in the trunk.

“So you do own a
dress. Phoebe gave her a long look

and a whistle. “Is
that new?

“No.

“That shade of
blue has always been your color. You

look great.

“So do you, Colby
said, nodding at Phoebe's coral-

colored blouse and chunky gold
jewelry. Layered around

the bottom, her dark hair always
seemed to be moving, and

her dark brown eyes rarely hid her
thoughts.

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INGLATH COOPER

“Thanks, she
said. “Come on into the kitchen and

help me check on things.

“Where's Frank?

“He's getting
ready. He'l be down in a few minutes.

“And where's Mr.
Right?

Phoebe shot her a look of innocent
surprise. “What

makes you think there is one?

“I'm fairly
certain there isn't. But when was the last

time you invited me to dinner
without trying to convince me

otherwise?

“You're entirely
too cynical for your age, Colby

Wil iams.

“Hey, I earned my
stripes in the trenches.

“So you've been
out with a few duds. Big deal.

“A few? Colby
folded her arms across her chest and

rol ed her eyes. “Let's
run through some of your more

memorable setups. Harvey Matthison,
who brought his

mother on our first date. And then
Tip LaPrade, who

slipped a prenuptial agreement under
my dessert plate while

I went to the ladies' room. Oh yes,
there was Dr. Payne, who

washed his hands nineteen times
between the time he

picked me up and dropped me off—

“Al right, al
right, Phoebe grumbled. “Several. But

that doesn't mean they're all like
that.

“I wish you would
just accept the fact that I'm not

going to kiss a thousand toads on
the minute chance that I

might eventually find a prince.

“If you cal this
one a toad, I wil official y resign from all

matchmaking duties.

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GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS

“Is that a
promise? Colby asked hopeful y.

“Only if you give
him a real chance. The problem is,

you're looking for faults from the
first moment you meet a

man.

“I hate to
disillusion you, but when they're as obvious

as the San Andreas, they're not that
hard to spot.

The doorbel sounded from the
hallway. Colby heard

Frank's voice and then another male
voice that sounded

somehow familiar.

“Oh good, he's
here, Phoebe said, wiping her hands

on a kitchen towel.

Biting back a resigned sigh, Colby
leaned against the

counter and yearned for the evening
to be over.

Frank appeared in the doorway.
“Hello, ladies, he

said, stepping aside while the man
behind him moved into

the kitchen. Surprise and a tidal
wave of embarrassment

washed over Colby. Ian McKinley.
What was he doing here?

She glanced at Phoebe who looked
extraordinarily pleased

with herself.

“Colby?

She realized that Frank was speaking
to her. “I—yes.

I'm sorry, she said.

“This is our new
neighbor, Ian McKinley. Ian, this is

Colby Wil iams, our local
veterinarian and Phoebe's best

friend.

“Former best
friend, Colby said in a voice only Phoebe

could hear.

The new neighbor moved across the
floor and shook

Colby's hand. He smiled down at her,
something in his

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INGLATH COOPER

expression indicating that he had
been caught off guard by

this as much as she had. “Hel
o again, Dr. Williams. We've

already met, he said to Phoebe and
Frank. “She fixed up

my son's dog for me.

“Please, cal me
Colby.

“Only if you call
me Ian, he said.

“Ian it is. How
is Smidge? she asked, forcing her gaze

to remain level with his and trying
not to look as thrown by

this as she felt.

“Playing it up
for al it's worth.

She smiled in spite of her
discomfort. “Good. She

deserves a little extra pampering.

“How about a
drink? Frank suggested. “We can go

into the den.

A few minutes later, Colby sat in a
chair with a glass of

red wine in her hand, plotting an
appropriate payback for

Phoebe. Nothing horrible enough came
to mind. Of all

people for her friend to have fixed
her up with. To think

she'd met him earlier today and
hadn't known—

Of course, he probably thought she
had
known. This

was getting more amusing by the
moment.

“Isn't that
right, Colby? Phoebe asked.

“I'm sorry? Colby
had no idea where the conversation

had gone.

“I was just
telling Ian that you'd been interested in

Oak Hill for years.

“Oh. So you're
the one who bought it? It's a beautiful

farm, Ian.

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GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS

“It is. Needs
some work, but I hope to get it in shape.

Virginia's a beautiful state. It's a
ful one-eighty from New

York City.

“I'm sure. What
are you planning to do with Oak

Hil ?

“Right now my
main objective is to get the place in

presentable condition. I'm afraid I
don't know very much

about farming.

“Oh, that's too
bad, she said, thinking it an injustice

for some New York City tycoon who
wouldn't know an

alfalfa field from a turnip patch to
get the farm she'd

dreamed about buying herself
someday.

“I need to check
on dinner, Phoebe said, getting up

and heading for the kitchen. “You
stay put and enjoy your

wine, Colby. I'l be right back.

Colby got up from her chair and
forced a smile at the

two men. “I'll go
give her a hand. She's far too thoughtful

to ask for help.

In the kitchen, Colby thumped her
glass down on the

counter. “Phoebe,
this may be grounds for breaking up.

Phoebe looked up from the vegetable
lasagna she was

removing from the oven. “Don't
tell me he's not drop-

dead gorgeous.

“I was too
embarrassed to notice.

“Why on earth are
you embarrassed?

“Because! she
said, throwing up her hands in

exasperation. “He
was in my office with his dog earlier this

week. He probably thinks I knew
about this then.

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INGLATH COOPER

Phoebe lit up with delight.
“Haven't you always said

good guys love their dogs? What more
perfect way for you

two to meet.

“I don't want to
meet anyone!

“Wel , I know you
think you don't. . . .

“This is the last
time, Phoebe Walker! I'm not ever

coming to your house for dinner
again unless you sign a

legally binding statement that there
will be no potential

husbands sitting on the other side
of the table.

Phoebe placed the lasagna on the
stovetop with a

frustrated look on her face. “Once
the single women in this

county get wind of this man, they'll
be knocking the door

down. I was just trying to get you
in the starting gate a little

ahead of the others.

“Do I look that
desperate? Colby said, thinking of

Cindy Stoneway's flat tire.

“No, Phoebe
protested. “I hate to see you alone.

“I'm not alone. I
have my daughter.

“That's not the
same.

Frank appeared in the doorway,
interrupting them.

“Dinner ready?

“We were just
about to bring the food out, Phoebe

said with a bright smile.

Colby grabbed a couple of bowls and
fol owed Frank

out of the kitchen, feeling every
bit like an old racehorse.

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10

olby ended up seated beside Ian at
dinner, with

CPhoebe and Frank directly across
from them.

Once they al fil ed their plates,
Phoebe dimmed the

chandelier above the dining room
table. Although the

ambience hinted a little too
strongly at romance, Colby was

grateful that she didn't have to
look directly at Ian for the

entire night.

By this point, she accepted the
humor in the situation.

It was kind of funny that she'd met
the man on Monday

without any idea that he would be
the main ingredient in

Phoebe's matchmaker soup.

Their seats were close enough that
they kept bumping

shoulders. Every time his jacket
sleeve brushed her bare

arm, she felt as though she'd
encountered a force field of

electricity. She ended up sitting
poker straight in her chair,

keeping her elbows tucked tightly at
her side.

Phoebe smiled at her every now and
then, imploring

her with her eyes to loosen up.

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INGLATH COOPER

If it had been anyone else beside
her, maybe she would

have after a few sips of wine. But
there had been something

about meeting Ian McKinley the first
time that stayed with

her, brought up thoughts of Doug and
the past. Handsome

in the same too-good-to-be-true way,
he drove an expensive

car and obviously had enough money
to buy the farm she

hoped eventually to buy. He simply
wasn't her type. Why

didn't Phoebe realize that?

To his credit, he made every attempt
to make the meal

as painless as possible, asking
about her practice,

mentioning that Mabel Atkins told
him she was the first

female vet the town ever had.

“From
kindergarten on, Phoebe chimed in, “Colby

had the career aspirations. I never
understood what was so

wrong with Betty Crocker.

They al laughed.

“Frank told me
that you're the one who keeps this

place running while he practices
law. With two children, I

would think that takes quite a bit
of effort, Ian said

graciously.

“Wel , I don't
have much time for bonbons, Phoebe

admitted, obviously pleased by the
compliment.

“How do you know
Mabel? Colby asked Ian, taking a

sip of her wine.

“She came to my
rescue when I mistakenly thought I

could do my own housekeeping. Luke
and I were nearly

drowning in laundry when she agreed
to take over.

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GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS

Colby smiled, doubting that a man
like him would be able

to locate the On button of a washing
machine, much less

wash his own clothes. “You're
in good hands with Mabel.

“I've already
gained five pounds since we moved

here, he said, patting his stomach.
“She claims the two of

us need fattening up. I'm trying to
outsmart her by adding a

couple miles to my run every day,
but I think she's on to

me.

“Mabel's known
for her fried chicken at church

dinners, so you're right. You are in
trouble, Colby said.

Again, they al laughed, and Colby
found herself

reluctantly wanting to know more
about him. “Are you a

big runner?

“I try to do six
miles a day.

“You must be in
good shape, she said.

“Not sure I could
run six yards right now, Frank said