Keeping Cole's Promise

But he had an audience. The ladies working with Paws for Love were on one side. EW was on the other. So he took a deep breath of searing Texas air and got inside the truck.

“Thought you could use a ride.” EW didn’t glance in his direction but raised a hand in a wave to the ladies. “You got the job.”

“I could have walked it, but yeah, I did.” Walking was easy. Depending on EW or anyone would get him in trouble, but it was nice to ride in this heat. Neither one of them said anything else until EW rolled past the entrance to the trailer park.

“This definitely deserves a beer, EW, but let’s not go to the new gas station.” Cole wasn’t sure he was ready to walk in those doors yet.

“Groceries, kid. Maybe some lunch.” EW shook his head. “Too early for beer anyway.”

Was EW done drinking? None of his business. “And a new shirt,” Cole said.

EW nodded and that was it. Cole turned his face into the hot wind blowing in through the window because in half a second he was going to do something shameful like cry.

He had a job and a place to live. Nothing could stop him from keeping his promise now.

CHAPTER FOUR

REBECCA TURNED AWAY as EW’s rusty truck puttered out of the parking lot. The cool air inside the building did nothing to chill the heat in her cheeks.

As soon as the glass door closed behind her, the silence in the tiny lobby was uncomfortable.

“So, that was all the business we had to take care of today, right?” Rebecca said airily as she retreated behind the counter to grab her tote. She wanted out. She did not want to examine her reaction to Cole Ferguson. The file of applications was easy to find, so she waved it and set it on the counter; then she bent and picked up everything Cole had dumped on the ground. “Great. I have a contractor coming to install the cabinets and new appliances, the moment I’ve been dreaming of for years.”

“You have nothing else to say? What’s with the personality transplant?” Jen asked.

Sarah leaned against the counter. “Explanation, please. You’re the one who’s all about saving the world and making a difference. You had an easy opportunity here and you... What would you call it?”

“Freaked. She freaked out,” Jen said. She frowned and then straightened. “Did he threaten you or something?”

Rebecca dropped the tote on the counter. “No. Not with words but...”

Her best friends in the world immediately stepped forward. “Not with words?” Jen asked.

“I mean, no, he didn’t threaten me. On purpose.” Rebecca rubbed the throbbing spot right in the middle of her forehead. Her attempts at explanation were only making things worse. “He was completely polite but insistent.”

“Because he was desperate. I’ve been there.” Sarah nodded.

“Except you aren’t the size of a large green superhero, complete with clothes ripping at the seams.” Rebecca pressed both hands to her cheeks. “Sorry. He rattled me. I don’t know what else to say. Add his history and it’s a bad idea to have him around.”

“But you saw how patient he was with Freddie.” Sarah raised both eyebrows. “There’s no way you feel the same way now.”

Their confusion felt like disappointment to Rebecca. She was letting them down. Her role had always been to lead them to do the right thing, sometimes kicking and screaming. This time, she’d failed miserably. The sharp sting made it hard to find the right words.

“There’s no rule that says bad people can’t like dogs, you know.” Jen smoothed her hair behind her ear. “Or even that dogs can’t like bad people.” Her own dog had come through some serious neglect and possible abuse with a firm love for people.

“Coming from you, the pessimist’s view is no surprise,” Sarah snapped.

“Oh, yeah,” Jen said as she straightened to her full, unimpressive height. “And let’s talk about you ignoring your board’s direction. You didn’t have approval to hire him in the first place.”

“Well, you should have brought that up then, dear board member,” Sarah said sweetly. “You or Rebecca could have played that card if you want to be sticklers about our board of directors. We have a done deal at this point.”

Watching them glare at each other got old fast. “Sarah’s right,” Rebecca said. “She’s in charge here and her offer was smart. A probationary period will help us all decide whether he fits.” She still couldn’t figure out how they’d make him go if he wanted to stay, but that was a problem for another day.

“Fine. I’m here to help Les and Shelly with the outdoor pens.” Jen flexed her muscles. Les was the retired veterinarian who did most of the day-to-day care at the shelter. He and Shelly were an item. “Nothing like trying to teach a classroom of kids all hopped up on summer break the difference between convex and concave polygons to make me want to hammer something.”

“I have bills. Bills, bills, bills,” Sarah said with a sigh. “Save me some hammering.”

Relieved no one was examining her failure closely, Rebecca clasped her hands together. “Once my kitchen is up and running, I’m planning a dinner party no one will forget. Rack of lamb or...something in one oven. Chocolate soufflé in another.” Double ovens. It would be heaven, a luxurious, over-the-top heaven she could never have afforded without the lottery win. She could almost picture her mother’s dismay.

“You need to get out more,” Jen muttered. “No one should get that excited over a kitchen remodel.”

“We could all go out to eat so you don’t have to work so hard. Daniel and Steph would love some Tex-Mex before they fly to Lima. Can you imagine? A whole year before they’ll be back.” Sarah shook her head. “And Steph’s been so busy in Austin, I’ve barely seen her.”

Rebecca didn’t want to spend any time thinking about her brother and Stephanie being so far away for so long. Their work for HealthyAmericas, a program that matched doctors to underserved communities in Central and South America, was so important, but she loved having everyone close. Flying to Lima herself for a visit would take more bravery than she had and a prescription for really strong drugs.

At some point, she was going to have to see about getting both.

“But I love my new kitchen.” Rebecca frowned. “I want to use it.” For all the guilt she was experiencing over spending some of her new fortune on such a selfish project, she looked forward to using the new kitchen every single chance she got. The guilt could be overcome with the smell of baking bread. Probably.

Sarah and Jen shook their heads. Between them, they could barely boil an egg. What did they know of the joy of brand-new appliances?

At least they could poke fun at her without arguing with each other. “I’ll be a little less rich thanks to the big donation they’re taking to HealthyAmericas. Steph should be cooking me dinner.”

Jen wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Nobody wants that.”

“Think this dinner is actually about something else, like a big announcement?” Sarah asked and fluttered her eyelashes.

Rebecca snapped her head around so fast a sharp pain landed at the base of her skull. “Announcement? Like what?” An engagement? Stephanie and Daniel had known each other forever and Stephanie had been half in love with him all that time, but it had only been a few months since Stephanie blackmailed her way in to a trip to the Andes to see his work in exchange for a big donation. Surely they weren’t that close.

Were they?

Rebecca shuffled through the junk in her tote to find her phone. With one quick punch, she had Stephanie on the line. “Are you and Daniel getting ready to make an announcement?”

Stephanie cleared her throat. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

Confused about whether she should be relieved or disappointed, Rebecca said, “But you guys are good, right?” They seemed so in love. That had to be true.

“What is going on with you? Of course we’re fine. Your brother is currently pricing an X-ray machine and happier than a pig in mud. I’m planning my first newsletter. We’ve got a website up. I’ll email you the address. No worries, Bex. We’re great. Any announcement...well, you’ll be the first person I tell. I promise.” Stephanie laughed. “Your brother just turned a nice shade of pink. We’ve only been ‘us’ in Texas. Daniel still expects me to wither up and die when we go back to Peru. Little does he know, I have plans. Big plans. Opening that office in Lima, setting up networks of doctors serving in the remote areas of the Andes...I’m going to be too busy for any withering.” She was silent for a long minute. Rebecca wondered if there was some silent communication going on. “He’s got questions, but me, I have the answers.”

Rebecca eased back, aware of the tension in her shoulders. Daniel had made a terrible decision and had gone around the Holly Heights hospital’s rules to help a patient. His big head had caused him to say things there was no coming back from so he’d retreated. All the way to South America.

On this visit, he seemed happy. Fulfilled. Like he’d found the work he was meant for.

She didn’t want him to blow a good thing with her best friend by being stupidly noble. Thank goodness Stephanie had things under control. She’d always been the brave one in the group.

Jen was a soft center covered by a hard shell. She’d fought for everything she had and used that fierceness to protect her friends and family whenever necessary.

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.

Cole watched the white tip of his tail disappear through the door before he turned to go.

“I’ve got your check ready,” Sarah said. She darted around them into the lobby and trotted in and out of her office. “Thanks so much for everything you’ve done this week.”

Cole folded and refolded the check while he studied it. “Might be able to get to the flower beds next week.” He forced himself to look up. “If you want. Gonna take some time to clear the old stuff out.”

Rebecca was standing on the other side of the counter, right behind Sarah. She didn’t look up from the papers she had in her hand. Too afraid he’d frown at her or something.

“Maybe. Let’s talk on Monday.” Sarah tipped her head forward. “You know you don’t have to do everything this month, right?” She smiled. “You’ve been such a huge help around here. Next week, let’s talk about a training program. We’re having a big adoption drive in Holly Heights and it would be awesome to have some well-mannered candidates.”

“Sure. I could draw up a schedule to work with more dogs than Freddie.” He’d enjoy that. The new dog, a German shepherd mix, might have the smarts to become a service dog. Right now the animal was unpredictable, lurked in the corner of his kennel with watchful eyes. That made him dangerous. Some basic training would be needed before he could be evaluated, but Cole would like to give it a shot.

Sarah nodded. “Good, but I meant training me and Shelly. The volunteers.” She glanced at Rebecca and cleared her throat. “So on the days you’re not here, we can keep the process going.”

Work with the giggling girls? The dread that swamped him was immediate. He’d never trained people to do anything except leave him alone. His hesitation must have been apparent.

“Please?” Sarah folded her hands together.

A Hillman begging him for help. Add that to the fact that she’d thanked him for doing his job and he’d be willing to try anything she asked. Cole nodded and shoved open the door.

“Hey, have a good weekend,” Shelly called.

Cole waved his hand as he slid inside EW’s truck.

EW raised two fingers and then backed out of the spot. “Running like the bogeyman after you, young fella. Everything okay?”

“Too much...niceness for one day.” Cole hung one hand out the door and closed his eyes as the hot breeze dried his skin.

The prospect of staring at the walls of the trailer while the heat beat down on the roof didn’t thrill him. Besides, he didn’t need a lot of time to worry about what the next week might hold. He’d either pass or fail. Worrying wouldn’t change a thing.

“Got any jobs you need help with?” he asked as he slouched against the seat.

“Yep.” EW drove right past the entrance to the trailer park. When he didn’t slow down at the closest gas station, Cole relaxed a bit. It didn’t matter where they were headed. Anywhere with company was going to be better than time alone.

EW pulled into Junior’s Bait and Tackle where a neon sign shouted We Cash Checks.

“Beer?” Cole asked as he opened the door.

EW pursed his lips. “Well, that’s not a terrible idea, but get the bait first. Some Cokes. We’re goin’ fishin’. Found a nice shady spot yesterday that’s bound to work.”

Cool water. Shade. Silence. EW was a genius.

The uncontrollable smile that curled Cole’s lips felt good. He’d worked hard for his first week out in the open. With EW’s help, he might enjoy a weekend.

CHAPTER FIVE

“NOT A SINGLE WORD?” Sarah shook her head. “You really don’t like him, do you?”

Rebecca blew out a frustrated breath. “Just... You won’t understand this, but some people, normal people, can be intimidated by making conversation with others they don’t know. We don’t have anything in common. Besides, he was here for less than ten minutes.”

And she’d been watching him for about five minutes longer than that, but nobody needed to know that part. When her students Alyssa and Madison had joined her at the window to see what she was staring at, she’d nearly died of embarrassment.

Then he’d caught them watching.

Rebecca was pretty sure she was actually a ghost at this point. No one could survive the flaming heat of embarrassment that had swept over her and live to tell the tale.

Up close, his power was scary. She’d been amazed at how easily he’d finished the cleanup of the yard that would have taken her a solid month to slog through. He’d mowed and trimmed the huge expanse. The trash that had accumulated there when it was not being used had all been removed. And he’d done it in heat that made stepping outside a test of endurance.

Rebecca would never have imagined the man who’d barged in that first day could be so gentle with the animals.

Cole had doubled the shelter’s capacity with his strength and focus and hard work. In one week, he’d made a change that was going to impact the shelter for years to come. Not just the shelter, either. Holly Heights would be better off, too.

She’d almost chased him away. Why? Irrational fear. How humbling that was to consider.

“What? Did I miss something?” Rebecca ran a hand through her curls self-consciously when she realized Sarah and Shelly were watching. She hadn’t said any of that out loud, had she?

“We’re waiting on you to finish the conversation in your head,” Sarah said with a smirk. “What I said was that you have never once in the years I’ve known you had trouble making conversation with strangers. And we know Cole. So give me another excuse, but this time put it in the form of a question. Just for fun.” Sarah started humming the Jeopardy theme.

Shelly was coldly patient. For the first time since Rebecca had met the older woman who’d kept the shelter afloat until Sarah stepped up, Shelly’s mouth was pursed with displeasure. “That boy is doing the work of two men for this place, I’ll have you know.”

Hearing sweet Shelly, the grandmotherly type who enjoyed the cat room above all else, voice Rebecca’s own thoughts made it hard to stand still. Rebecca wanted to duck behind Sarah or at least hold up both hands as a shield. Then Shelly glanced at Sarah. “I’ll go let the first group of dogs out.”

She narrowed her eyes at Rebecca and marched down the hallway.

“Oops. I should have waited until his biggest fan had left the room.” Sarah shrugged. “We’re one week in. Les and Shelly both believe Cole is better than Christmas, payday and a Cowboys win all combined.”

Rebecca nodded. “Great. I’m glad. And I don’t dislike him.”

“No, you vibrate with nerves whenever he’s around.” Sarah braced both arms on the counter. “What’s the deal?”

Telling Sarah about her disastrous attempt at breaking up a fight wouldn’t explain all the reservations she had about Cole, but it might be enough to buy her some understanding.

“At school, I did a stupid thing. I tried to stop a fight between two boys.” Rebecca squeezed the counter tightly. “Together those boys might make one of Cole Ferguson, but that didn’t stop Eric from pinning me against the lockers, his hand wrapped around my throat. If he hadn’t come to his senses, he could have hurt me. And...I don’t know. That first day, when Cole walked in, he surprised me, rattled me.”