Chapter Six
Zach heard the scream. He scrambled out of the trailer’s tack room. For a second he didn’t see Lucy, but then he heard her panting breath from above him. He looked up and saw her standing on top of the trailer. “What are you doing up—?”
“Dog!” She jabbed a finger. “Watch out!”
He glanced down and a shaggy head pushed into his hand. Zach knelt and ran a hand over the brown coat, pulling out a few twigs. “There you are! We’ve got to have a talk about you running off to chase cats!” He stoo
d up. “Lucy, meet Sunny.”
Sunny boomed out another bark.
From on top of the trailer, Lucy let out another yelp. “You could have told me you had one of those things.”
“This?” He waved a hand at Sunny’s friendly face. “You’ll take on a drunk in a bar but you’re scared of dogs?”
“No.” She lifted her chin. “I’m terrified of them. Haven’t you ever seen Cujo—or read the book? Or don’t you read much.”
“Nope. Don’t get the chance much. Come on down. He won’t hurt you.”
“And if I get fleas? Or rabies?”
“You can’t stay up there all night.” He could see her actually thinking about that. She chewed on her lower lips. He looked at Sunny. “Sit, Sunny.” Sunny wagged his tail. “I said sit!” Sunny’s tongue lolled out of his mouth. Giving up, Zach went into the trailer and pulled out a hunk of cheese from the picnic food. He threw the cheese and Sunny went after it. “Best get down before he gets back.”
Lucy scrambled down and started to run for the house. Sunny saw her, let out a bark and chased after her. Zach would have laughed, but Lucy looked pale with real fear.
Running after her, he caught her up in his arms and held her still. “You want a dog to run, then you run. You want to make friend, you’ve got to hold still.” He took her shaking hand.
She clung to him with her other hand and just about tried to crawl up his body. “He’s going to kill me!”
“Maybe with love, not much more.” Holding her hand he moved it over to Sunny’s shaggy head.
Sunny took a long swipe of her hand with his tongue.
Lucy closed her eyes. “Yuch—dog spit!”
Zach felt the tension eased from her. He laughed. “Scratch his ears. He’s a sucker for that.”
Slowly, Lucy reached out and touched Sunny’s ears. “They’re...soft.”
“There—was that so bad now,” he said. And it wasn’t so bad to have her in his arms like this. He liked this feeling. He loved how she tucked right into his hold, coming up to his shoulder and fitting just right. He could stand like this all...
A drop of rain hit his nose. Grabbing Lucy’s hand, he pulled her with him. “Run for it!” Sunny gave a bark and chased them. Lucy ran at his side. They just made the porch when the downpour started.
Lucy stomped mud off her boots and looked up. She started back to the trailer. “The horses. And I didn’t get my saddle in.”
“Stay put,” he told her. Zach headed back into the rain, head bent. He got the horses into the pasture, the saddle put into the trailer and splashed back through the mud.
Back on the porch, Lucy straightened as he approached. Her hair had gone wild on her in the damp, curling around her face. She looked stubborn—and adorable. “I could have done that. That’s an hour’s less pay for me.”
He stared at her, rain dripping off his hat brim. His good mood vanished. Money—that’s what she was thinking about. “I won’t short you on your cash. If that’s all you want.”
She stood still, staring at him, shivering slightly. The rain pelted down around them. From inside the house, Charlie called out, “You two coming in for a hot meal or just standing out there all day?”
A car pulled in the gravel drive, the tires crunching. Zach turned to look at it. Long, black and sleek the Lincoln town car seemed out of place on Charlie’s farm. Next to him Lucy dropped her hands to her sides. He glanced at her. He’d swear he saw more fear in her eyes now than he’d seen when Sunny was chasing her. From the porch Sunny let out a low growl. Zach put a hand on his head.
Voice tight, Lucy said. “I gotta take care of something. Go on in.” She glanced at Zach. “Well, go on.” She took off, heading around the back of the house at a fast walk.
Zach shook his head. Sometime they were going to have to have a talk about what the word boss really meant. Inside, he found Charlie on the couch. Something dark lay on her lap. He looked again and made out the lines of a pistol—a Colt .45 if he wasn’t mistaken. Charlie sat where she could see out the window to the drive.