Colton's Secret Bodyguard

“I’m almost done here,” Dinah said. “Maybe another time?”

“How have things been?” Rylan asked.

“Oh, you know. The usual chaos.” Dinah smiled at Bree. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“What about Boo?”

She shook her head. “Not good.”

“Who’s Boo?” Bree staggered slightly as she spoke. The reason turned out to be Papadum, who, having discovered one of his best friends was nearby, had barged his way into the kennels and straight into the back of her knees.

“Boo is a goose,” Rylan explained.

“Is he ill?” As Bree stooped to pet Papadum, the other dogs charged through the gap he’d made in the barrier. Dinah calmly shooed them outside, so she could finish her cleaning.

“No, he’s in mourning.” Bree gave him a look that said she wasn’t quite sure whether to believe him. “Seriously. Geese mate for life, but Boo’s partner, Lucy—they are wild geese and Dinah chose the names—was struck and killed by a car a few weeks ago. Boo was devastated. When the rest of the flock moved on, Boo stayed at the very spot where Lucy died.”

“That’s so sad.” Bree looked from Rylan to Dinah. “So you rescued him?”

“We did. Although it wasn’t easy,” Rylan said. “In fact, it was one of the hardest things we’ve done. We couldn’t leave him where he was, right at the side of a busy road...but Boo didn’t want to come with us.”

“I still have the bruises.” Dinah rubbed her thighs reminiscently. “He was one unhappy gander.”

“The problem is that Boo is still pining for Lucy. He doesn’t want to eat or drink. He spends most of his time huddled in a corner,” Rylan said. “We’re worried that he could die of a broken heart.”

“Can I see him?” There was a sheen of tears in Bree’s beautiful amber eyes.

“Sure. I was planning to check on him.” Rylan turned back to Dinah. “Anything you need?”

“Nothing I can think of.” She paused before returning to her work. “Nice to meet you, Bree.”

They left the kennels and headed toward the creek. April weather could be unpredictable but, although there was a light breeze, the sun was shining and the sky was cloud free. Since it could be snowing heavily three hours from now, Rylan and Bree had both dressed in layers. As they walked, she removed her hooded sweatshirt and tied it around her waist.

“Kasey said everything is fine at the gallery,” she said.

“You sound like you don’t know whether to be pleased or disappointed about that.”

She smiled. “It’s nice to at least be able to pretend I’m indispensable to the firm I created.”

“Take it as a compliment. You’ve built up systems where everyone knows what they’re doing. You can take a break without it all falling apart.” They walked on in silence for a minute or two. “Does that feel strange?”

“It’s probably the circumstances,” Bree said. “It’s not like this break was planned.”

They reached an area of the creek with a high bank. Rylan jumped down and held out a hand to help Bree. Boo was a Canada goose, a large wild bird with a black head and neck, white cheeks and a brown body. He was hunkered in close to an overhanging rock and didn’t respond when they approached him.

“Can I touch him?” Bree asked.

“He’ll let you stroke his head.” Rylan demonstrated by gently running a finger over the gander’s feathers.

She knelt on the stony ground, silently stroking the sorrowful bird. Boo’s long neck drooped under her touch.

“Imagine how it would feel—” there was a catch in Bree’s voice “—if everything you believed about your future was suddenly snatched away from you.”

Where had Rylan heard something like that just recently? He frowned in an effort to remember. Oh, that’s right. It was when Judith, the server at Arty Sans, had talked about a conservation group who had tried to preserve the original buildings that had become the Diamond.

“Boo should have a friend,” Bree said.

Her understanding of the bird’s plight felt like cold fingertips touching Rylan’s heart. He knew what loneliness felt like. How it could eat you alive and spit out the pieces. How it left you aching to feel warm hands embracing you, or a sympathetic shoulder to cry on.