“I—WHY, I—MICHAEL—?”
Emily looked helplessly at Michael, willing him to provide an answer to Thalia’s astonished question.
He smiled that easy lawyer smile, the one nobody in their right mind would trust. “We’re here to discuss custody,” he said smoothly.
Luke gave a snort of laughter. Thalia was puzzled. “Custody?”
“Of Dog.” Emily picked up the fiction. “Michael ran into a little pothole on his road to dog ownership. We’ve got a few issues to work out.”
Michael added insincerely, “Care to join us?”
Thalia and Luke looked at each other and smiled. For the first time, Emily realized they were holding hands, and her romantic heart melted.
“Don’t feel you have to,” she said. “I’ll bet you want to be alone.”
“We wouldn’t mind it,” Luke admitted. “Before we go, how’s that dog doing, anyway?”
“Fine,” they said in unison.
“I got back the test results and planned to call Monday. But I can tell you both now, he’s basically a healthy animal.”
Michael’s grin was so broad Thalia seemed surprised by it. “That’s good to know,” he said.
Emily felt a grudging relief, too. Dog’s life had been a hard one. Besides, she’d never wish any animal ill.
Even one she didn’t particularly like.
Luke lifted a hand in farewell. “On that happy note, we’ll run along. Talk to you in more detail Monday, Michael.” The couple moved away, walking so close together that their shoulders touched.
Emily sighed. “I’m so happy for those two.”
“Yeah.” But Michael didn’t look happy. He muttered, almost under his breath, “I hope they know what they’re getting into.”
“Aha!”
“What aha?”
“You don’t believe in marriage.” That conclusion now seemed crystal clear.
“Not much.” He picked up his hamburger. “Let’s finish eating and get out of here, okay? I just remembered something I have to do.”
Yeah, right, she thought, but she obediently returned to her dinner.
“THANKS FOR A NICE EVENING,” Emily said, loitering just inside her front door. It had begun to snow lightly on the way to her house, and now she wrapped her arms around her waist and shivered. “You said you had something to do, so if you have to go—”
“Yeah, I do.” So why didn’t he? Michael tried to convince himself that he didn’t have the foggiest idea why he lingered.
He did, though. Seeing Luke and Thalia had shaken him up. Regardless of what the future held, they were happy in the here and now.
As Michael was. The past few days shuttling between his real life and Emily’s, sharing his concerns for Dog with her, had filled a void he hadn’t even realized he had.
So he said, “I’ll bring the custody papers over tomorrow.”
“On Sunday?”
“Sure, why not? How about early afternoon?” That would give him time to prepare the document, which he hadn’t done to date.
“I guess that will be all right.” She leaned harder on the half-open door.
He cupped her chin and tilted her face up. “Good night, then, Emily. Thanks for everything.”
He intended a quick peck on the mouth, or maybe even on the cheek, but the instant he leaned toward her, he seemed to lose his compass. His lips touched hers, lightly at first. He wasn’t as strong as he’d thought, though. An urge he’d ruthlessly tamped down ever since they’d hauled Dog out of the trash bin grabbed him and wouldn’t let go.
The kiss heated up in a flash. He couldn’t be sure if she was actively participating or simply being swept along by his intensity. Whichever it was, the kiss was definitely worth waiting for.
Even when she shoved herself out of his light embrace, glared at him and shouted, “Goodbye!” in no uncertain terms.
SHE SLAMMED THE DOOR almost in his face.
She was ashamed of herself for doing it, but her temper had simply gotten the best of her. How dare he kiss her! How dare he presume so much!
How dare he make her like it?
Stamping around, she got the cats as stirred up as she was. By the time she flung herself into bed, she was seething.
She didn’t want her relationship with Michael Forbes to go any deeper. He was not the kind of man she enjoyed being around. He was too cynical and tricky, for starters.
At least, he had been, up until he found Dog. Now he seemed to be changing right before her eyes. But she’d never believed a leopard could change its spots, and she didn’t believe Michael could change sufficiently to satisfy her. He was what he was, and they’d been on opposite sides of every fence for far too long.
She just wished he hadn’t kissed her.
Tossing and turning, she finally looked at the glowing dial of the bedside clock. Two o’clock. She groaned and fumbled for the pillow to pull it over her head. What had happened to her ability to fall asleep in a nanosecond? She wasn’t accustomed to this insomnia. She couldn’t stand it!
Neither, apparently, could Rosie and Patches. Rising in unison from the foot of her bed where they usually slept, they walked over her legs a couple of times to register their strong objections, then jumped to the floor and disappeared into the dark.
It was all Michael’s fault.
She’d been thrashing around for another half hour before she realized that Dog hadn’t made a sound all night. Maybe there was hope for him after all.
Was there hope for her?
“SIGN RIGHT THERE.” Michael pointed. “And then again here.”
She hesitated, strangely reluctant to formalize their arrangement. On the other hand, what did she have to lose?
She signed.
He folded the papers, looking well satisfied with himself. “That’s that,” he announced. “We now share joint custody of Dog.”
“I suppose.” A yawn sneaked up on her and she covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry,” she exclaimed. “I didn’t mean to do that, but—” Another yawn overtook her.
A slight smile hovered around his mouth. “Am I to deduce you didn’t sleep well last night?”
“You could jump to that conclusion, if you want.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sure once Dog gets used to his doghouse he’ll stop keeping you up.”
“Oh, he didn’t keep me up.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “That is…”
He waited. Finally he said, “If it wasn’t Dog’s fault, was it mine?”
“Yours?” She stared at him in consternation. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I kissed you,” he said blithely. “I couldn’t help myself, Emily. You looked so darn cute, and you’ve been so helpful—with Dog, I mean. I lost my head.”
She laughed incredulously. “You? Lawyer Forbes? I don’t believe you’ve ever lost your head in your entire life.”
“Is that a compliment or an insult?”
“You decide.”
“I’ll take it as a compliment, then, although I don’t believe that’s how you meant it.”
“Just don’t do it again.”
“What? Take what you say as compliments?”
“No, kiss me.”
“Glad to.” He reached for her.
She hopped back in alarm. “Stop that!”
“But—”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“But you said, kiss me.”
“I said, don’t do it again, period. Kiss me, I meant.”
“If I had you on the witness stand, I think I could break down that story.”
“But I’m not, so don’t try.”
“Even if—”
A banging on the front door interrupted them and she started. “Good heavens, now what?” she wondered aloud, hurrying to answer what sounded like an urgent summons.
Little Davy Robinson stood there, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wide. “Come quick!” he cried, pointing to the open gate. “Your dog got loose and I think he’s running away or something!”
“DAMN DOG,” Michael muttered under his breath as he trotted down the snowy street, looking right and left for his missing canine. “Just when things were getting good.”
“Dog!” Emily cried. “Here, Dog! Where are you? Please—”
“I’ll help!” Davy joined in the chase.
Emily stopped running and caught the boy’s hand. “Thanks, but you’d better go back home. I’ll bet your mom’s looking for you.”
“Ah, Emily—”
“I’m sorry, Davy, but I don’t want your mom to worry. I’ll come let you know when we get Dog back.” She smiled encouragingly. “Thanks for letting us know. Uh, do you know how he got loose?”
Davy nodded eagerly. “He busted a board. I saw him. He was chasing a cat.”
Emily groaned. Just what she needed in her backyard: an escape artist. “Thanks, Davy. You go on home, now. I’ll talk to you later.”
The boy turned back, muttering under his breath. Emily looked around just in time to see Dog come dancing out of the small park a block ahead. The animal dashed up to Michael, then shied away. Tail wagging, he took off again, glancing back over his shoulder as if to tease the man into following.
Michael took off running and Emily hurried after him. Dog and man disappeared into the trees in the park and she slowed her pace. The sun blasted down on her, warm out of all proportion to the actual temperature, which must be in the fifties. Patches of snow still lay about, with considerably more in the shadows of the trees. Over to one side, several kids tossed a Frisbee around and a number of adults strolled the paved walkways.
Emily whirled to find Dog hurtling toward her, Michael in hot pursuit. She flung out her arms and stepped into the dog’s path.
Dog neatly sidestepped without losing either balance or speed.
Michael didn’t.
Hurtling into her, he wrapped his arms around her and took her to the ground with him. They landed on a mound of snow, Emily on top. She struggled to free herself.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she cried. “Michael!”
Belatedly she realized he was gasping for breath. “Michael? Speak to me!”
“Let me catch my breath,” he gasped. “That damn dog!”
For some reason, that struck her as funny. Here they were, two mature adults outwitted by a lone stray and wrestling around in a snowbank. Her grin turned to laughter.
At that moment, Dog pranced up. Bending forward, he licked the side of Michael’s face. Emily lunged for the animal, who darted nimbly back out of reach.
“Ow!” Michael dragged her back down. “Those elbows hurt.”
“Sorry. I thought I had him that time. If you’ll just let me up—”
“Why? I kinda like you right here.” He wiggled beneath her, reminding her that they remained in intimate contact with her body sprawled on top of his, virtually from head to toe.
“I don’t like it,” she said, although she did. “Don’t forget why we came here.”
“To fool around in a snowbank?”
“To catch a runaway mutt!”
Dog darted in for another teasing feint. Michael grabbed, in the process tossing Emily off into the snow. She let out a screech of protest. Dog jumped over Michael, shoved his cold nose in Emily’s face, then took off again with head and tail high.
Michael sat back disgustedly on his heels. “Well, hell,” he said. “So this won’t be a total loss—” Looking into her face, laughing, he leaned over and kissed her.
Emily couldn’t believe it. Kissing her at her front door was bad enough, but kissing her in public was unforgivable. There were people around. They’d be seen. She didn’t want to be the subject of gossip.
While she debated her options, she might as well kiss him back. But before she could figure it all out, she felt the wet slurp of Dog’s tongue on her cold cheek. Go away, she thought. Not now. I’m busy!
“Got you!”
Michael was talking to Dog, not to Emily. She opened dazed eyes to find the man sitting up beside her prone body, his arm around the animal’s neck. He grinned.
“Fooled him, didn’t I.” He roughed the dog around affectionately. “Dumb dog doesn’t think I can walk and chew gum, I guess.”
Or kiss and spring dog traps.
Emily sat up in disgust. “You fooled him, all right.”
“Damn straight.” Michael looked very pleased with himself. “About what happened…”
She raised her brows. Was he going to apologize for using her as dog bait?
“I didn’t mean to knock you down like that. When I ran into you, I just automatically grabbed hold.”
She gave him a sweet smile. “Luckily, I landed on something soft—you.”
He said, “Ouch!” and gave her a rueful grin. “You aren’t hurt, are you?”
She wanted to say, My ego’s bruised, but instead simply shook her head.
“You’re a good sport, lady.”
“Among other things.” She climbed to her feet. Brushing snow off the seat of her pants, she regarded man and dog. “Davy said Dog broke a board. I’m taking that to mean the fence.”
“I’ll fix it.” Hanging on to Dog’s collar with one hand, he unbuckled his belt with the other and dragged it free of the belt loops. Slipping it under the collar, he fashioned a makeshift leash.
“Great. Fix it. There’ll always be something else.” And she was getting darned tired of it, too.
As if sensing her mood, Dog edged toward her. Before she could stalk away, the miserable mutt licked her hand. Then she compounded the situation by looking down into those big brown beseeching eyes.
“See?” Michael said. “He’s sorry, and so am I.”
Then she made the mistake of looking into the second set of big beseeching eyes.
For the first time, she felt real stirrings of affection—for the dog, not the man. She cleared her throat. “Whatever. Let’s get him back home and see how much damage he’s done this time.”
She marched out of the park, back straight.
“THE FENCE IS FIXED.”
Emily looked up from the stove and the pot she was stirring. “Do you think it will hold him this time?”
“Oh, sure.” He looked down at his muddy hands. Dog had knocked down the board and then chewed on it for a while before taking off. “Mind if I wash up before I go?”
“Be my guest.”
Cool, he thought. She was real cool about that little encounter in the park. One of these days he was going to have to get her to admit she wasn’t any more indifferent to him than he was to her.
But what the hell. The chase was his favorite part.
On the way back to the kitchen, the black cat crossed his path. Completely without superstition, he scooped her up and carried her along—Rosie, he thought the name was. He walked into the kitchen holding the cat against his chest and stroking the fluffy fur.
Emily’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe she let you do that.”
He grinned. “I have a way with females.”
She rolled her eyes. “Apparently. Rosie doesn’t normally like to be handled by strangers.”
“I’m not a stranger. She’s seen me around.” He set the black cat on the floor; she twined around his legs a few times before heading for the cat food dish in the corner.
He looked around the cozy kitchen then, taking in the pot simmering on the stove, the luscious aromas of tomatoes and onions and other good things wafting through the air. His mouth watered for another of her home-cooked meals, but would it be prudent to start hinting around? He’d already tried her patience.
Still, he wasn’t sure he could force his feet toward the door and leave all these attractions behind.
“Uh—” he licked his lips “—is there anything else I can do for you?”
She gave him a slanting glance. “Can’t think of a thing.”
He sighed. “Nothing at all?”
She paused with her hand on a cabinet pull. “One thing, maybe.”
He brightened. “Name it.”
“You could eat a bowl of this vegetable beef soup I’ve been working on all day. If you don’t have other plans, of course.”
“You’re joking, right? Your homemade meals are worth any number of other plans.”
She laughed and he could see the stiff set of her shoulders relax. “Michael, you’re such a fraud. You were just waiting for me to invite you.”
“That’s true.” He watched her carry two large soup bowls to the stove. “Can I set the table?”
“Silver is in that drawer.” She pointed with her chin, both hands busy serving the soup. “Crackers are in that cupboard. Glasses are on that shelf.”
“And all’s right with my world,” he said, and started pulling out utensils. He owed Dog a nice big steak bone for this one.
IT WAS NEARLY EIGHT O’CLOCK before Michael left.
It was nearly eleven o’clock before Emily went to bed.
It was nearly one o’clock before she gave in and got up. Sitting on the side of her bed with her head in her hands, she wondered what in the world was causing this unfamiliar insomnia.
It couldn’t be Michael.
Why would she lie awake thinking about a man she’d known most of her life and disliked the entire time? No, it had to be something else.
It was her crummy social life, that’s what it was. She was getting tired of her own company. She hadn’t been dating anyone special for at least six months. She spent too much time alone with her cats—make that pets, since the temporary addition of Dog.
She felt restless and unfocused because she needed a social outlet, she decided. The next guy who asked her for a date would get a resounding yes!
Unless that guy was Michael Forbes, which seemed unlikely. He might cozy up to her to get a good meal but he wasn’t really interested in her.
Any more than she was interested in him.
THALIA DROPPED BY Sew Bee It on Monday. Emily was just unloading fabrics, including the beautiful pale pink satin specially ordered for Thalia’s wedding dress, and was delighted to see her friend.
She spread the luscious fabric across one of the cutting tables. “Isn’t it gorgeous?” she demanded.
“Wow!” Thalia’s eyes were wide and she looked impressed. “I’ll say it is.”
“It will make up beautifully in that pattern you liked.” Emily refolded the fabric and rerolled the bolt.
For the first time, Thalia looked doubtful. “I don’t really know, Em. Luke’s getting impatient. I’m not sure there’ll be time for you to make it before—”
“Oh, yes I will! I’m determined to do this for you, and Luke, too. I’ll get started right away.”
Thalia still looked uneasy. “I love the idea of the dress, truly I do, but I hate to rush you. It doesn’t seem right.”
“Of course, it does.” Emily waved away all objections. “This is something I really want to do.”
“Okay.” Thalia’s expression turned sly. “Although I’m surprised you have time.”
“I’ve got the same amount of time I’ve always had.”
“But a lot of it these days is being taken up by Michael—and Dog, of course.”
Emily stifled a groan. “Okay, what are you getting at?”
Thalia gave an elaborate shrug. “Nothing, except three people have dropped into Mom’s flower shop this morning and mentioned that they saw you kissing Michael at the park yesterday.”
“I didn’t kiss Michael!” Emily glared at her friend.
Thalia looked confused. “But weren’t you rolling around in the snow kissing—”
“Absolutely not!” Emily turned away, determined to cut off this turn in the conversation.
Behind her, she heard Thalia’s incredulous gasp and then she said, “I get it. He was kissing you. Is it a matter of semantics, Em?”
Emily’s shoulders slumped. “Can we talk about something more interesting?”
“There is nothing more interesting. Honestly, this is all over town—kissing in the park in broad daylight!”
At last Emily turned around, feeling sheepish and off balance. “Okay, you caught me. But it was nothing, really. We were chasing that darn dog. When we ended up in that snowbank, things just sort of happened.”
“Things.”
“Don’t tease, Thalia.”
Thalia seemed to realize that she’d reached the outer limits of Emily’s patience because she pulled up immediately. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “It’s just that you and Michael are such an unlikely pair.”
“More unlikely than you know.”
“You do have a dog in common.”
“But not for long. Michael swears he’ll find another place just as fast as he can.”
“As a matter of fact, I might know of a possibility for him. I can give you a name and number. In the meantime, maybe the two of you can get better acquainted,” Thalia suggested. “You know, I never disliked Michael. I just never felt he cared to be my friend.”
Emily nodded her understanding. “He still seems that way, but I think it might be partly because he doesn’t like people getting too close.”
“Knowing his mother, I can understand why.”
Emily looked at her friend in surprise. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I do know his mother—or did. She represented my parents in a few legal matters. She’s apparently an excellent lawyer but so cold. Mom said she almost had a case of frostbite by the time everything was straightened out.”
Emily felt a sudden sympathy for the little boy growing up with such a parent. No wonder Michael wasn’t all touchy-feely.
But that didn’t make her like him any more.
Again she changed the subject. “Come look at the evening shoes I got on my lunch hour,” she said, leading the way behind the counter. “They were on sale at Clark’s and I just love them.”
BY THE TIME EMILY REACHED home that night, the temperature had dropped to a chilly thirty-two degrees. After she’d fed all the animals, checked the mail and prepared dinner, it had plummeted to twenty.
It’s going to snow, she thought happily, peering out the window. It didn’t usually snow much in November. By the glow of the porch light, she watched Dog walk across the yard to the food and water dishes in front of his doghouse.
She felt an unwelcome sympathy for him. The water was probably already frozen, and the food, too. She really should let him in to eat in the warmth of the kitchen.
No, darn it! She’d refill the dishes later, but she wasn’t going to let him in. Every time she did he got into trouble.
By eight-thirty, the thermometer registered a mere fifteen degrees. She really had to do something.
What she did was open a can of dog food and spoon it into a foil pie pan, which she placed near the back door, along with another dish of water. She’d let Dog in just long enough to eat and she’d watch him every single minute. But that was all she’d do.
Dog was there almost before she could get the door open. As if drawn by a magnet, he skidded up to the food and water and pounced. The whole lower half of him wagged in time with his tail; this dog was one happy camper.
She sat on a chair to watch, not trusting him as far as she could see him. He really was a loveable doofus who obviously meant well, even if he did goof up a—
The telephone rang. It was Michael.
“I’m just checking up on our dog,” he said cheerfully.
“What do you want to know?”
“Has he been in any more trouble today?”
“None that I know of, but the day isn’t over.”
“Hey, that’s no way to talk. He’s not a bad dog.”
“I hear affection in your tone. Emily, you’re softening.”
“I am not!”
“You are. I’m a trained observer of the human scene and I recognize these things.”
“Well, recognize this—I’ve got a lead on a house for you.”
“You do?”
“It’s on the north side of town, a small single-family home with a fenced yard. Thalia told me about it.”
“Who owns it?”
“Someone I don’t know. I wrote everything down, though. Hang on a minute, will you?”
Putting the phone on the counter, she scooted into the living room where she’d left her purse. Digging into it, she extracted the scrap of paper upon which she’d written a name and phone number.
Anything she could do to get him into a place with a yard, she was more than willing to do. She dashed back into the kitchen and stopped short, her mouth open in horror.
Dog sat in the middle of the room, bright-eyed and happy, a silver slipper dangling from his mouth.