Good Guys Love Dogs (32 page)

“Then we'll
change things when you get back, she

said quickly. “You
won't work as much. We'll go away

more.

“But that's just
it. I don't want to keep leading a life

I have to escape from.

Rachel drew in a deep breath, then
let it out slowly.

“And I'm part of
that life.

“You deserve
someone who wants the same life that

you want. I'm not that man anymore.

“Stop, she said,
looking away and pressing the

back of her hand to her lips. “You
can deny it all you

want, Ian McKinley, but you're in
love with that

woman. And unfortunately, I can't
fight her, because I

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don't know what her weapons are.
Apparently, she has

something I don't.

“Rachel—

She held up a hand. “I
guess I knew this was

coming when I flew down here this
afternoon. I just

didn't want to let myself admit it.
I'll sleep in the guest

room.

Ian stood in the dimly lit kitchen,
listening to the

sound of her footsteps on the
stairs. He heard the

bedroom door open, then click
closed. He felt a wave of

sadness for the hurt he'd caused
her. He waited for a

surge of regret to swamp him, but it
never came.

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49

olby had just gotten out of the
shower Saturday

Cafternoon when the phone rang. Lena
and Millie

were at a track club meeting, so she
grabbed a towel and

ran for the bedroom.

It was Phoebe. “You
sound winded, she said.

“I just got in
from the clinic a little while ago. I was in

the shower. So how was your
anniversary?

“Wonderful.
Better than wonderful. Oh, Colby, I'm

such an idiot. Al those things Frank
did, the new suits, the

working out, they were all for me.
He thought he'd started

to let himself go, and he didn't
want me to lose interest in

him.

“So much for Dr.
Green's theories, huh?

“Yeah. Things
aren't always what they seem.

Sometimes people do things for one
another just because

they love them, right?

“Right, Colby
said, truly happy for her friend despite

her own misery.

“I have a big
favor to ask of you, Phoebe said.

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“What's that?

“Frank had to run
to town for something at work. He'd

planned to come back out to the
lake, but he's stuck there

and I don't have a ride. Could you
come get me?

Colby had spent the morning working
on a golden

retriever who had eaten rat poison
and was near death when

brought in. Luckily a dose of
vitamin K and a transfusion

saved the dog's life. It had been a
stressful case, and Colby

had planned to spend the afternoon
relaxing. But she

couldn't very wel leave Phoebe
stranded. “Sure. Lena's at

Millie's for the night, so I don't
have anything to do for

the rest of the day.

“Great. Can you
be here around five so I can finish

cleaning up?

“No problem. See
you then.

The drive out to the lake was a
pretty one, but it gave

Colby too much time to think. Too
much time to wonder

what Ian and Rachel were doing. Too
much time to

remember how painful it had been to
see them together last

night.

After she'd left Ian on the deck,
she'd been miserable

for the rest of the party. As soon
as she could do so, she'd

said goodnight to Frank and Phoebe,
al too conscious of the

knowing look in her friend's eyes.
She knew she had no

right to feel as she did, but the
feelings were there,

nonetheless.

She almost passed the turnoff to the
lake house and

swung in quickly. She parked in the
driveway and got out.

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INGLATH COOPER

She knocked twice, and when no one
answered, rang the

doorbell. “Phoebe?
she cal ed out.

She knocked again. Stil no answer.

A car engine sounded from the end of
the driveway.

Colby turned around. Maybe that was
Frank. But a second

later, Ian's car appeared in the
bend. Her stomach

dropped.

He parked behind her truck and got
out, looking as

startled as she felt. “I
didn't expect to see you here, he

said, a note of uncertainty in his
voice.

She did her best to mask her
feelings, even though the

wound stil felt raw. “Phoebe
cal ed and asked me to pick

her up, but she's not answering the
door.

“That's strange.
Frank cal ed a little while ago and

asked if
I
could pick her up.

“Oh. Wel , maybe
we had some kind of

misunderstanding, but no one seems
to be here.

Ian jogged up the steps and pushed
the bell again. Still

no answer. He turned the knob and
opened the door.

“Phoebe? he
called out.

They stepped inside the house. The
lamps were on,

and music played, soft and alluring.
A wonderful aroma

drifted toward them. Someone was
cooking.

“What's going on?
Colby asked. They went into the

kitchen, where a bucket of icy
champagne sat on the island in

the center of the room, an envelope
propped beside it.

With a sinking feeling, Colby pul ed
out the card and

read it in silence.

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Just so you know, Frank refused
to participate in this. So if it

works, he gets none of the
credit. If it fails, I guess I'l take al the

blame. I'm hanging up my
matchmaking hat after this, Colby.

Real y. I promise.

The Jacuzzi's of the master
bedroom. Dinner is in the oven. The

champagne is right in front of
you.

No need to worry about Lena,
since you said she's spending the

night at Mil ie's. And, Ian, I'l
make sure Luke knows where you

are.

Phoebe

Colby closed her eyes and sighed.
“This time I really

wil have to kill her.

“What is it? Ian
asked.

She handed the note to him. He read
it, then looked

up and said, “Frank
must have told her.

“Told her what?

He paused and then, “Rachel
and I aren't getting

married. I told him when he called
to see if I could pick

up Phoebe.

Surprise ricocheted through her.
“You're not?

He shook his head. “No.

“Why? she asked,
taken aback.

Ian put the card on the counter and
looked at her for

several long moments before
answering. “When I asked

her to marry me, it wasn't for any
of the right reasons.

After Sherry died, I guess I stopped
believing in fairy-tale

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INGLATH COOPER

love. What Rachel and I had always
seemed like more of

a merger than anything else.

“Oh. She felt hot
and cold at once. This was the last

thing she'd expected to hear.

“But then I met
someone who made me believe

again.

“You did? she
asked, her voice little more than a

whisper.

“Yeah, I did.
She's incredible, this woman. She's

smart and funny and warm, and man,
does she know how

to kiss. . . .

“She does? Colby
managed to whisper.

He nodded, a smile touching his
lips. “And as much

as I tried, I couldn't stop thinking
about her. She's the

kind of woman a man waits his whole
life for, and when

he finds her, he just knows it's
right, no matter how

much he tries to deny it.

She wanted to believe him. But the
old wariness still

warred inside her, questioning her,
torturing her with

what-ifs. What if this was just
temporary? What if his

feelings changed, the way Doug's had
changed? What

if—

“I can read your
doubts, he said softly. “I know

how much he hurt you. And I know how
hard it's been

for you to put that behind you. But
I think that's one of

the things that drew us together. My
hurt was different

from yours, but it had the same
effect. We've both

refused to really let ourselves feel
anything all these years.

Somehow, someway, I was waiting for
you.

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GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS

Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Ian— she began,

unable to go on. She couldn't
believe they were really

here. That he'd said these things to
her. But he had. The

armor with which she'd shielded
herself from him these

past months fell away, and she stood
before him now,

fully aware of how desperately she
needed to hear those

words. How very much she wanted him.
She could no

longer pretend otherwise. To herself
or to him.

She slipped into his embrace, her
arms locking

around his neck, her cheek to his
chest. His arms secured

her to him. In that moment, she felt
as if she'd been

headed here all her life. She knew,
without doubt, that all

these years, she had been waiting
for this one good man

to come along. This man who found
such satisfaction in

simple things, in laughing just for
the sheer joy of it, in

kissing. Ah, in kissing. This man
with whom and from

whom she wanted so much more.

“I wanted to call
you this morning, he said, his voice

low and uneven. “But
I didn't think I should so soon—

“Phoebe's never
been known for her patience.

Ian smiled. “Right
now, I'm glad about that.

“I won't admit it
to her, but so am I.

Darkness had descended outside, and
the lamps in

the living room shadowed the kitchen
with light.

Ian nodded toward the champagne.
“It would be a

shame to waste that now that we're
here. Would you like

a glass?

“I'd love one,
Colby said, welcoming the diversion.

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INGLATH COOPER

He found a dishcloth in one of the
drawers, pulled

the bottle out of the ice and
wrapped the towel around it.

He loosened the foil, then the wire
and pointed the cork

toward the ceiling. “Heads
up. The cork zinged out of

the bottle, slammed off the ceiling
and whizzed back past

them. They both ducked, shoulders
colliding, champagne

sloshing from the bottle and onto
their clothes as their

surprised laughter filled the room.

“You could take a
girl out with a power shot like

that, she said.

Ian grinned. “Packed
a little more punch than I

expected. He reached for the glasses
that Phoebe had

thoughtfully placed next to the ice
bucket. He filled them

both, then handed one to Colby and
raised his own in a

toast. “To
meddling, good-intentioned best friends.

Colby smiled. “Here,
here.

The champagne tasted crisp and cold
and glorious.

She stood here inches from this man
she had fallen for

without even wanting to, and this
was the only place on

earth she wanted to be.

Another song started on the CD
player. This one,

too, slow and easy, and it flowed
over Colby's skin like

the finest silk. Goose bumps danced
down her arms.

“Rumor has it
you're a pretty incredible dancer, he

said.

“Well, I'd hate
to let Phoebe's efforts go to waste.

He put his glass on the counter,
reached for hers and

set it down, too. And then he
reached for her. She moved

into his arms, and there, in the
middle of the kitchen

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GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS

floor, they swayed and flowed to the
beat of the music,

their steps in perfect unison.
Torture of the sweetest,

most painful kind. He held her
loosely, but with every

turn, their knees would brush or his
thigh would graze

her hip.

At some point, he stopped moving,
and from the

look in his eyes, she knew he'd
found the dancing as

intoxicating as she had.

“I think I might
die if you don't let me kiss you, he

said.

“Good. Because if
you don't stop talking about it and

just do it, I think I might die,
too.

A smile on his lips, he pulled her
to him, his hands

splaying across her waist, his palms
wide and

encompassing and urgent. Her own
hands sought the

back of his neck and wound through
his thick, soft hair.

His head dipped toward her, and his
lips grazed the

curve of her jawline. Gentle,
butterfly kisses at first, soft

and easy. Her eyes closed and her
breathing quickened as

his hands skimmed the length of her
arms and cradled

her neck while his thumbs brushed
the hollow of her

throat. He cupped the back of her
head and kissed the tip

of her chin. She turned her mouth
toward his, needing

his kiss. But still he evaded her
and tortured the soft spot

beneath her right ear. His tongue
tested and tasted the

lobe, and a thousand shivers danced
up her spine.

“Ian. His name
slid past her lips, softly pleading.