Keeping Cole's Promise

The three of them had been friends long enough that they might as well be related.

They’d recently reconnected with Sarah and folded her into the group as easily as cream into coffee, and she was proving to be a savvy businesswoman.

Rebecca was the one who encouraged others, except for Cole—the one guy who’d caused her to collapse with the trembles—and dreamed of double ovens.

How depressing.

Get a grip. All of this is happening because of you.

“Well, okay. I’ll get back to planning a dinner worthy of my two favorite do-gooders.”

“Bread. Lots of bread,” Stephanie said right before she hung up.

Relieved and sad at the reminder that they’d be leaving soon, Rebecca dropped the phone back in her tote. Everyone was moving or growing or changing. Stephanie had gone to Peru because of her. Sarah had a chance to save her shelter because of Rebecca. Even Jen had discovered the love of her life, a pit bull named Hope, in a roundabout way because of Rebecca. She’d stumbled with Cole Ferguson, but the fact that Sarah had been able to step up and do the right thing only showed the power of Rebecca’s good influence.

Right?

“No announcement, but they’re fine. On that note, I’m off to see my beautiful kitchen,” Rebecca said and pasted on a happy smile. Sarah and Jen were bickering on the way down the hall to the outdoor pens. Sarah and Jen at Paws for Love, Stephanie and Daniel in Lima, everyone had work they had to get to.

Except for her.

“That’s because my kids are scheduled for counseling sessions already, and I’ve been prepping my best students for a full year for all their college entrance exams and forms.” Rebecca dropped her tote on the hot passenger seat and slid in behind the wheel. “I’m prepared. I’ve been working.”

Her own defense didn’t do much to lighten the guilty load as she pulled into her tiny driveway. Bill Hayney was already unloading a beautiful refrigerator.

Today she was going to celebrate her renovated kitchen.

No one was criticizing her. Figuring out why she was so defensive should go at the top of her to-do list.

* * *

THE SOUND OF giggling girls on Friday afternoon reminded Cole that it was quitting time. The best thing about starting at the crack of dawn was being able to leave before school got out and the volunteers arrived. Over the past week, he’d settled into an easy routine at Paws for Love, one that limited most of his contact with actual people.

The Texas heat was bad enough to make a man daydream about avalanches and blizzards, but he was doing a good job.

“Here. Drink this.” Shelly handed him a tall glass of ice water, the condensation rolling down the sides in the most perfect way. “You worry me.”

“I’m tough,” Cole grumbled before he tipped the glass and drained it. The sharp cold brought on a brain freeze that was a tiny price to pay for the sweet burn of cold all the way down. He should have taken a break sooner.

As he flopped down in the shade next to the bench Shelly was seated on, he glanced over his shoulder to shoot her a thankful smile, but it died on his lips when he saw Rebecca and two teenage girls staring out the window. All three immediately disappeared and he wondered how long they’d been watching him work.

And why.

“I thought you’d left for the day,” Shelly said. “Otherwise, I’d have brought two glasses of water.”

When Cole realized he’d taken the glass of water she’d made for herself, he straightened up. “Oh, man, I’m sorry. When you offered it to me, I thought...”

She laughed and waved a hand. “You definitely needed it worse than I did. I’ll make another when I go in. This place is starting to shape up.”

“Yeah, I wanted to finish trimming the fence line before I left today.” Leaving early was the best way to avoid conversation with...anyone. Avoiding Rebecca had been on his mind all week. He, Sarah and Shelly worked easily together, mainly because they gave him assignments and left him alone. Alone was how he liked it.

“Sarah’s hustling to have your check ready before you go. Make sure you stop by the office on your way out.” Shelly raised her eyebrows, almost as if she recognized his immediate struggle not to argue that he didn’t need the extra effort.

The money? That he needed.

“Think she’ll let me come in tomorrow?” Cole asked as he wiped his forehead. “I’m making good progress on that second yard. If I can get Les’s help tomorrow, we can put in the gate Sarah wants.”

“You know this is a part-time job, right? You’ve put in more hours than I have this week.” Shelly tapped his arm. “You’re making me look bad, kid.”

“It’s okay. Some of it can be volunteer hours. Free.” Cole shrugged, surprised she was comfortable enough to tease him.

“Take a couple days off. That’s what the rest of us human types do after a long, hard week.” She sighed. “Soak in some air-conditioning somewhere or float in the water or...” She shrugged. “There have to be a million things you’d like to do now.”

That you’re free.

Unfortunately, free time would be dangerous, give him a chance to think things he shouldn’t.

The cough and sputter of EW’s truck floated over the building to their shady spot.

“Sounds like your ride’s here.” Shelly groaned as she stood. “And the new dog won’t wash himself.”

“I’ll be happy to stay and help,” Cole said as he rolled up off the ground. “EW won’t mind.”

“Go. Get your check. Find some weekend. There’ll still be plenty of work here on Monday.” She wrapped her arm through his and pulled him to the doorway. “They won’t bite.”

He grunted as he yanked open the door. She wasn’t talking about the dogs. There was no honor in pretending not to understand what she meant.

“Nope. Just giggle and stare.” He held the door open for Shelly and followed her inside.

“It’s a requirement of being a teenage girl.” She grabbed his sleeve and towed him down the hallway. “The good ones grow out of it.”

Sarah and Rebecca were laughing at the way Freddie rolled back and forth between their two volunteers. One girl would scratch his ears while the other rubbed his belly. Then he’d roll to the other side so they could switch. He was a very happy dog.

When Rebecca covered her mouth to muffle her snorted laughs, Cole shot Shelly a look.

“Hey, he’s a funny dog. That laughter is totally justified, grown-up or not,” she said as her lips twitched.

She was right. This kind of laughter didn’t fill him with uneasy restlessness. Listening to them filled his chest with a weird, warm lump.

Unfortunately, the second they realized he was there, everyone froze. Freddie’s head jerked around and he did an acrobatic spring toward Cole. The instant before he skidded into Cole’s legs, Freddie squatted into an imperfect sit, his tail wagging wildly, the bright white tip a blur.

“Good boy, Fred.” Cole bent to ruffle the beagle’s velvety, floppy ears and scratch under his collar. “Good sit. We’ll work on sticking the landing next week. You be a good boy until Monday.”

The weekend without Freddie and work stretched out like another kind of sentence, solitary without the confinement, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.

He could work for free over the weekend. Just to come in and say hello to his second best friend in the world.

“Here, you guys take him out. See if you can get him to come when you call his name,” Rebecca said softly to the two volunteers. She handed them dog treats and Freddie was ready for his next test.