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.
280
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.
283
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.
285
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.