“So let me get this straight,” Hayley Foxworth said, staring at Rafe. “We leave for a month and Dunbar takes down about half the county and the governor?”
“And does it with the help of Sloan Burke? The Sloan Burke?” Quinn added.
“And this guy,” Rafe said, nodding toward where Hayley was tugging gently on Cutter’s right ear. The dog sighed happily, clearly overjoyed to have his first people home. “But yeah, that sounds about right. Oh, and we’re building a house.”
Quinn blinked. Hayley laughed. “We are?”
“Well, Drew is. For the Days. I already cleared it with Charlie. And we may be paying some college tuition, too.”
Quinn laughed.
“Always glad to contribute to education,” Hayley said breezily, secretly delighted at this evidence of how wholeheartedly Rafe had taken to the Foxworth mission.
“It’s for a friend of Brett’s,” Rafe explained. “And an investment for us. His daughter may be the help Ty needs.”
“Good enough. So I gather the dogsitting went well?” Quinn asked.
“You could say that.” Rafe’s voice took on an undertone that made Hayley stop laughing and focus on him. “Brett’s got his own bark now.”
Hayley laughed. “Guess that makes him officially one of us.”
Rafe said, in that same tone, “And he and Sloan, they’re...together.”
“You mean together together?” she asked, brows rising.
“Damn,” Quinn said, staring at Cutter. “He did it again.”
Rafe nodded. “And it’s good for Brett,” he said, clearly anticipating Hayley’s first question. “Really good. And for her. You’ll see when you see them together.”
“Well, well,” Quinn said.
“I told you someday he’d find someone who’d lift that darkness,” Hayley said, feeling like clapping her hands in happiness for her friend. She caught the glint of her wedding ring. She moved her little finger to touch it, savoring the feel of it and letting what it symbolized fill her up once more.
“Apparently it took someone who’d lived in darkness herself,” Rafe said softly.
Hayley’s glee faded a little, although she kept the smile on her face. You, too, my dear friend. Someday.
She dug her fingers into Cutter’s thick coat. The dog sighed contentedly. She bent over him and whispered in that right ear. “Work on that, will you, my lad?”
Cutter whuffed softly in return.
Hayley chose to think of it as “Mission accepted.”
She had no doubt this one would take a while, but she had utter faith in the uncannily clever dog that had changed her own life and the lives of so many others. But for now, she thought, she would take him outside with one of his beloved tennis balls and let him be just a dog for a while.
He could go back to saving lives and hearts later.
* * * * *
And if you loved this novel, you’ll enjoy these other
suspenseful stories from Justine Davis:
OPERATION UNLEASHED
OPERATION BLIND DATE
OPERATION REUNION
OPERATION MIDNIGHT
Available now from Harlequin Romantic Suspense!