“You've barely
looked up since you got here. Stacey
leaned against the doorjamb, taking
a sip of her own Coke.
“I can't seem to
get Lena out the door these days.
“I take it you
two are still at odds?
Colby ran her thumb across the
condensation on the
side of the can. “She's
like a different child or something.
Stacey shrugged. “Maybe
that's just it. She's not a child
anymore. Is there a guy in the
picture?
“She did mention
someone this morning. Some new
boy at school. But that's the first
time she's said anything. I
don't know what to do.
“Kids go through
a stage a week at that age, Stacey
said, waving a hand.
Colby grinned. “I'm
surprised you can remember that
far back.
The doorbel dinged outside the
examining room. Stacey
stuck her head around the corner and
said, “Be right with
34
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
you. She turned to Colby then and
mouthed a whistle
along with a silent “Wow!
“What is it?
“
Major
hunk
sighting! Stacey stage-whispered before
heading to the front desk. Petey
followed, tail wagging.
Colby heard her greeting someone in
a far more welcoming
tone than even good-natured Stacey
usually managed.
Colby put the Coke on the counter
behind her and began
cleaning up the instruments she'd
used earlier.
“Dr. Williams?
She swung around, finding herself
face-to-face with the
hunk in question. The man nearly fil
ed the doorway in both
height and breadth. Dressed in faded
jeans, a crisp-looking
cotton shirt and leather loafers, he
had dark, thick hair with
a few flecks of gray at the sides.
His eyes, in startling contrast,
were blue. And his face—
He had the kind of striking good
looks that turned
women's voices to squeaks.
“May I help you?
she asked, a little shaken by how
much he reminded her of Doug.
“Your sign said
you don't begin appointments again
until three o'clock, but she's got a
briar in her paw, the
man said in an accent so neutral she
knew he wasn't from
around here. “Could
you take a look?
Only then did Colby notice the yel
ow Lab standing by
his side, her right paw suspended in
midair.
Uncharacteristical y rattled, Colby
knelt down in front of the
dog, smoothing a hand across her
back. “What's her
name?
35
INGLATH COOPER
“Smidge.
She looked up at him, trying not to
smile. “Smidge?
“She's my son's
dog. He named her that because she
was such a little puppy. You can see
that didn't last.
“No, it didn't.
Colby gently picked up the dog's paw.
She careful y turned it over and pul
ed the pads back to see
where the briar had lodged. It was
stuck in the middle,
fairly deep. Smidge whimpered.
“Sorry, girl.
Let's get that out for you. She stood up
and added in a calming voice, “I'm
going to put you up
here where I can see you now. Easy,
girl.
She bent over to pick up the dog
just as the man
leaned forward and said, “I'l
get her. Their heads col ided
with a
thwunk.
Colby saw a
few stars. They both stood up
and began to apologize at the same
time.
“It's al right.
Colby held up one hand and rubbed her
forehead with the other, amused.
“I'l get her. I'm used to it.
Real y.
The man stepped back, nodding in
surrender. She
picked up the dog and placed her on
the table.
“Sit, Smidge, he
said in a kind but authoritative voice.
Smidge sat, stil dangling her right
paw in front of her
and keeping her sorrowful gaze on
the man.
“She's a little
wary of being here, he said. “She got
into a box of hot chocolate once and
had to stay at the
hospital for a few nights.
“It's okay,
Smidge. I'll fix you up and send you right
home.
Smidge's pink tongue lol ed to one
side.
36
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
“She thanks you,
the man said.
“I think you're
right. Colby had a habit of judging
people by how they treated their
animals. So far, he made
the A-list.
He real y didn't seem anything like
Doug. It was just the
confidence with which he carried
himself, the way his clothes
proclaimed him comfortable with
status, the fact that he
obviously came from a very different
place than Keeling
Creek. Or maybe the situation with
Lena had her making
comparisons.
Focusing on the task, she went to
the cabinet behind the
table and took out a pair of
tweezers and an antibiotic
dressing. Holding Smidge's paw with
one hand, she
extracted the briar while the man
rubbed the dog's head
and kept her calm.
Colby doused the wound with
peroxide. “There, she
said. “I'l wrap
it up and give you an antibiotic for her. We
don't want to let an infection set
in. She'll need to take the
entire course.
“You're very good
with animals, the man said. “But
then, why wouldn't you be? he added,
looking
embarrassed. “You're
a vet.
She smiled and put the tweezers in a
jar of disinfectant,
saying over her shoulder, “Comes
with the territory. She
seems to like you pretty well, too.
“I can't do any
wrong with Smidge.
“That's the great
thing about dogs. Colby unrolled a
package of gauze and snipped off a
strip. She began
wrapping it around the still-tender
paw, her touch light.
37
INGLATH COOPER
“Wish the same
were true of kids, the man said.
“You and me both.
She looked up. “You must have a
teenager in your house, too.
“As a matter of
fact, I do. Don't tell me you're old
enough to have one yourself.
She made sure the gauze was secure
and that Smidge
couldn't work it loose too easily.
“I've been told she's
probably just in a stage, but if it
doesn't pass soon, I'l look
plenty old enough.
“I know what you
mean.
“There. Colby
stepped back. “That should take care
of it. Keep an eye on it. Change the
gauze daily. If you
notice any redness, swelling or heat
in the paw, bring her
in immediately.
“I'll do that. He
lifted the dog down from the table,
setting her gently on the floor and
patting her head.
“Good girl.
Smidge looked up, her tail thumping.
“She should be
fine. Colby wiped her hands on her
jacket, annoyed with herself for not
letting her gaze quite
meet his. She'd been off-kilter
since the moment he'd
walked in the door.
“I'm Ian
McKinley, by the way. He stuck out his
right hand. “We've
only been in town for a couple of
weeks.
“Welcome to
Keeling Creek, Mr. McKinley, she said,
gripping his hand with her own and
wondering why that
name sounded familiar. “I
hope you and your family wil
like it here.
38
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
“I hope so, too.
He let go of her hand, though his
gaze stayed fixed on her for a
second longer. He glanced
away, then backed toward the door.
“Come on, Smidge.
Let's get you home so you can put
your paw up for a
while.
Colby smiled and followed them
through the doorway.
“Don't forget to
make sure she takes the ful seven days'
worth of medicine.
“I won't. He
raised his hand in a wave before stopping
at the front desk to pay Stacey, who
beamed a thousand-watt
smile his way. He took out his wal
et and smiled at her,
apparently oblivious to the
admiration in the young
woman's eyes.
Colby went into the examining room,
wondering about
the man and what he was doing in
Keeling Creek, the
familiarity of his name still
nagging at her.
The door dinged. She waited another
second or two to
make sure he'd left before she went
back out.
“Incredible or
what? Stacey asked from behind the
computer.
Colby ignored her dreamy-eyed
receptionist and went to
the door. She watched Ian McKinley
get into the same
black Mercedes she'd seen at the
high school that morning.
Ah. Ian McKinley was Awesome Luke's
father.
39
5
olby Wil iams was the first person
Ian McKinley
Cmet in Keeling Creek who didn't
look at him as if
he'd just stepped out of a flying
saucer. She'd been polite
but asked none of the questions he'd
been getting from
almost everyone he met. People were
curious. He got that.
He was the outsider, after all, in a
small town. Very
small. He still hadn't gotten used
to that, or to the
quietness. Police sirens were
background noise in New
York City. He couldn't remember
hearing one since he
and Luke moved here two weeks ago.
Flicking on his blinker, Ian turned
off Main Street
onto 152 and headed out of town.
So far, Smidge was the only one who
had happily
adjusted to the move. She loved it
here. Her tail had
barely stopped wagging since they'd
first let her out of
the car.
Luke? Another matter altogether. He
hated it here
and made no secret of the fact.
40
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
There were times when Ian still
couldn't believe
he'd actually packed up everything
and left the city. But
the night Luke was arrested opened
his eyes in a big
way. Luke had always been an
exemplary student, never
got into any trouble. Seeing him in
the police station
shook Ian to the core, Luke's
accusations of his
deliberately not spending time with
him the biggest
curve of all. It sickened him to
think his son had been
suffering those kinds of feelings
and he hadn't realized
it. After that night, Ian knew only
that he wanted to be
the father he'd always intended to
be.
Judge Watley Townsend took Luke's
case under
advisement, putting him on one
year's probation with
the admonition that if he got into
similar trouble again,
the incident would go on his record.
After the hearing,
Ian met with the judge in his
chambers. Not sure how
his request would be received, he
said, “Your Honor,
with your permission, I'd like to
move Luke out of the
city for his senior year in high
school. I've bought a
home in a small town in Virginia
where he'll be exposed
to a different way of life.
The judge peered at him over the
rims of his
tortoiseshell glasses and said,
“With all due respect, sir,
what makes you think Luke's
surroundings will have any
effect on his behavior?
“I grew up in one
of the roughest parts of this city,
but when I was about Luke's age, I
spent some time in
Virginia at a football camp.
Needless to say, things were
a little different in that part of
the country. It made an
41
INGLATH COOPER
impression on me I've never
forgotten. I realize that
temptation exists everywhere, but I
believe a change of
scenery would be good for my son.
And I've realized
recently that I've let my work get
in the way of spending
as much time with Luke as I should
have. I've decided
to take a one-year leave of absence
so I can do that.
The judge's eyebrows rose above his
glasses.
“You're a single
parent, Mr. McKinley?
“Yes, I am.
The judge sat for several long
moments, thrumming
his fingers on the top of his desk.
“If you think your
time and attention can make a
difference in your son's
life and where he goes from here,
then I'm not going to
stand in your way. I'll grant
permission for him to leave
the state under the terms of his
probation. But I'll want
him to report to an officer there on
a regular basis.
If Ian had been pleased by the
judge's response, no
one else had been. His partners at
CCI were less than
thrilled at the prospect of his
taking a leave of absence.
Rachel even less so. Since they'd
been engaged only for
a few weeks, she couldn't believe he
wanted to put
things on hold for a year. He'd
explained to her how
important it was to him to try to
get his relationship
with Luke back on track, but she'd
accused him of
overreacting, telling him that the
situation wasn't as dire
as he perceived it to be.
Nevertheless, Ian saw it as a
turning point—and
he believed it had happened for a
reason. Luke was almost a grown man,
and Ian felt as if
42
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
this might be his only chance to
right some of his
wrongs before the boy moved out on
his own.
When Rachel realized she wouldn't
change his