Bride in Training. Gail Martin Gaymer

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      Emily stood a moment, gathering her wits, then hung the dog’s leash on its hook and gave the boxer a final pet. As she headed for the door, the sound of her cell phone stopped her. She dug it from her purse and eyed the information. Molly. Molly didn’t phone her often. Emily pushed the button, concerned something might be wrong. Maybe something with Steph. When she heard Molly’s voice, she suspected she was right.

      “You didn’t tell me the whole story about Martin Davis.”

      Emily flinched. She’d thought she handled everything well. Fairly well. Martin’s request for her card rang in her mind. Maybe she hadn’t been kind when she said no, but she had to protect herself. “What do you mean? He didn’t bring Nessie back, did he?” She hated to think of him doing that to get even, but that evening, he’d charged out the door as if he’d spotted a tiger.

      “No. No threats, but we have to keep our clients happy. Steph said he was nice enough when he talked with Nick, but he was upset that Nessie chewed the handle on his attaché case. You didn’t tell me that.”

      “I didn’t know.” She shifted the boxer away from the door and opened it. “She must have done it when he came back into the office to ask some questions.” She decided to avoid the details. Emily slipped outside and checked the lock before heading for her car.

      Molly gave a soft chuckle. “Well, that’s not all. The other morning Nick dropped in at Martin’s and heard Nessie had gnawed his Italian leather belt during the night.” Molly’s exhale sounded over the line. “I don’t suppose you warned him.”

      “You should have seen him, Molly. He even smiled when Nessie licked his hand.” She stood beside her car, shifting to keep the sun from her eyes. “She’d been good with us, and I didn’t think of it.”

      “She had toys here, not expensive leather belts and briefcases.”

      Fear of what Molly might want her to do crept through her mind. She hoped she was wrong. “What does he want? Us to replace his belt?”

      The line was silent a moment. “No. He wants training, and he would rather not take classes from me, because of his relationship with Brent. That’s what Nick said. They do business together, and…I don’t know, but he told Nick he’d be uncomfortable. So it’s your job. He doesn’t know you.”

      And Emily wanted to keep it that way.

      “He’s willing to pay extra for private home lessons.”

      “Private? Why?” She’d be expected to spend time alone with him. She couldn’t keep him out of her thoughts now, and she’d only seen him once. Twice. The wedding flashed in her mind.

      “You know men…especially this one. They have pride. He’s probably embarrassed that the dog knows more than he does.”

      Emily stifled a chuckle, thinking of Martin’s know-it-all attitude. Then reality struck. “I’d rather not, Molly.” In the background, a dog’s bark echoed through the phone line.

      “Are you afraid of him, or his reputation?”

      “Probably his reputation. He was a little snarky Thursday.” Her mind tripped back to that day.

      “Maybe he was trying to be funny and failed. You need to understand his bark is worse than his bite, and he doesn’t bark as much as he did.”

      That gave Emily a rallying vote of confidence. “I’m still not convinced.” But she had changed. She had the Lord to thank for that. She’d witnessed Martin had changed, too. His tenderness with Nessie filled her mind and his occasional grin.

      “I can’t force you, but it would be a favor to me, and Steph, too. Martin’s her brother-in-law.”

      Emily let the thought rattle around in her mind. She wanted to protect herself but from what? A man. He wouldn’t give her a second look so what was she worried about?

      A sigh escaped her. “I’ll see what I can do.” She tucked the cell phone between her ear and shoulder as she pulled a hunk of paper and a pen from her purse. “Give me the address and phone number.” Resting the paper against her car, she scribbled down the information. “Got it.”

      “Thanks. I realize this is beyond the call of duty.”

      She could picture Molly’s grin. “I know.”

      She closed her phone and slipped it back into her handbag. Something about Martin irked her but intrigued her at the same time. He had gall, expecting a personal home visit. Dog shelters didn’t provide individual service. They did the best they could to save dogs’ lives by making them adoptable. But Martin had clout, and from all she’d heard, he liked getting his own way…unless that had changed, too.

      A revelation came to her while talking with Molly, and Emily wanted to take care of that first before calling Martin. And she needed to get her mind in order. She wanted the tone of their meeting to be professional.

      Once on the road, Emily realized Martin’s house would be easy to find. He lived next to Steph’s old home, from before she married Nick. Thinking of Steph, her mind clicked back to her first days at the dog shelter. Steph ran her doggie day care in the back of the building while Molly owned the shelter in the front. Both women loved dogs as much as she did, and it seemed like providence when Emily stumbled on the job shortly after the shelter had opened.

      Dogs and three women who loved them. Meeting Steph and Molly had been a blessing.

      Emily slowed as she approached the next corner. She veered into the right lane and turned. Glad she had the idea, she headed for a pet supply store certain that Martin hadn’t planned ahead. Dogs needed toys, things they could chew, and she wanted to pick up a training device to help Martin. He’d said he knew nothing about working with dogs so a quick lesson seemed suitable.

      Shopping took only a minute, and Emily was back in the car. She stared at her handbag. She had to make the call. Thinking of tropical breezes and a lovely sunset, she calmed her thoughts. The technique worked for her. A Caribbean vacation had always been her dream. So romantic. The word jarred her. She forced her mind to a quiet place, then dug into her handbag and pulled out her cell phone.

      After locating the scrap of paper with Martin’s phone number, she faced the keypad. Her fingers hesitated as she pressed the numbers. “Get a grip.” The phone rang and in minutes, Martin’s voice rolled through the line.

      “This is Emily Ireland. Molly asked me to stop by so we could talk. Is today okay?”

      “Perfect.” Relief sounded in his voice. “Do you know where I live?”

      She said she did and hung up as soon as she could. After tossing her phone back into her bag, she turned the key in the ignition, pulled into traffic and retraced the route. Before long, her car nosed into Martin’s driveway. She’d never paid attention before, but today she sat a moment to drink in the homey look of his property.

      Cedar-shake siding gave it a Cape Cod look, except for its sprawling size. Dormers accented the front windows, and a long porch enclosed by a railing added an old-fashioned look. Though the landscape offered low spreading evergreen shrubs beneath the dormer windows, Emily longed to see flowers. In spring, tulips and daffodils blossomed in beds around many homes. Grape hyacinths clustered in borders, but not here. СКАЧАТЬ