Page 67 of The Moment They Can Never Forgive
JD studied her. “I don’t suppose you know how to drive a computer.”
“Drive a computer? Don’t you mean operate?” Leah said.
“Well, can you?” JD’s eyebrows drew together in a scowl.
Slick in trousers and a fitted T-shirt, the man was all class. Beard and brows neatly trimmed, the latest leather sneakers on his feet. Cill was the same, if a little more eclectic.
“I can, yes.” The dog licked her again.
“I need someone two days a week. You can do school hours,” JD said. “Start next week.”
“Do I get to say yes or no?” Leah asked.
“No.” JD then walked away.
“I’ll think about it!” Leah called after him.
Cill clapped her hands, looking happy, and then went back to massaging Bradford, who had watched the entire scene play out with a smile on his face.
“You people are weird,” Leah muttered, carrying the dog back out to reception and then to her car. After placing him in the back seat, she then drove to Calloways.
“Hey there, Leah.”
“Hi, Mr. Calloway.” She waved at the man who’d been greeting her since she’d come in here for gum as a kid. He was stacking something on a shelf.
“Nasty business, that stabbing,” he said as she grabbed a basket to pick up a few things, including dog food. Leah wasn’tsure how the dog would do in the car, so she didn’t want to be long.
“Stabbing?” She found the dog food and grabbed a bag of biscuits.
“Dan.”
“Pardon?” She whirled to face Mr. Calloway.
“A man broke into our storeroom, and Dan confronted him. He cut our deputy’s hand open with a knife, but he overpowered the man and arrested him.”
She knew about his injury, just not exactly how it had happened. The thought of anyone hurting Dan made her feel nauseous.
“I’m glad they caught him.”
Mr. Calloway smiled. “We have dog bowls beside the food, if you’re wanting one of those too.”
“No thanks. We’re good!”
She was sure there would be something to feed him in at the house. They’d had a dog once, and her father threw nothing away.
The bell above the door had him moving back to the counter. Leah grabbed her things and followed. After paying, she got back in her car. The dog was now in the passenger seat and gave her an accusing look.
“Hey, I went to get you food.”
He tilted his head slightly as if studying her.
“Yeah, well, I haven’t got me figured out either yet, so you have no hope.”
She thought about what Mr. Calloway had said, about Dan being stabbed. What if it hadn’t just been his hand? What if the blade had struck his heart? The thought slipped in before she could stop it, sharp enough to leave her unsettled. She told herself it didn’t matter, that itshouldn’tmatter, but the ache in her chest betrayed her. No matter how she tried to deny it, DanDuke was becoming important to her again, and that was the last thing she needed.
“I’m an idiot, dog.” He did the head tilt again as she drove them back to the farm. “And you need a name.”
Turning into her driveway minutes later, Leah studied the land. It needed work, and now that she knew Hudson could be happy here, it was time to do something about that. This place showed signs of disrepair. Her father had neglected what needed doing in favor of doing what he wanted, which wasn’t much.
