No Good Deed: A Small-Town Romantic Suspense Novel

4. Dont Fail Me Now

Flummoxed.

Piper had read the word in books. She knew what it meant, but she’d never experienced the feeling before. She was completely and totally flummoxed by everything that had happened since she’d spotted the dog on the road.

Over the past month, she’d had far more bad luck than good. She’d hoped for something different from this temporary job. It had been a chance to breathe, a chance to think about her next steps, and it appeared that it was going to be exactly that.

While she’d always enjoyed living in Chicago, it now held far too many bad memories. She’d wanted something fresh and new, so she’d bought her first car, packed her life into it, and headed out on an adventure.

She still didn’t have a clue what she would do after these two weeks were over, but she was going to take a break from the worry. For now, she would dive into this job and enjoy her time in Phail.

How could she not?

A kind, sexy man was her companion for the next two weeks. She was staying in a gorgeous room filled with tranquil blues and greys, and incredible furniture pieces that appeared to be antiques.

Jim and Carl had shown her the amenities, pointing out the relaxing sitting room that included a giant fireplace, a baby grand piano, and comfy looking chairs and couches. And if her imagination had her thinking about cuddling on that couch with Troy, so be it. This was her time off from real life and if she wanted to fantasize, she would.

While Jim had helped her settle in, Carl had arrived with a tray holding hot cocoa and a plate full of homemade chocolate chip cookies that were far too good to resist. They’d left her to have a nap and freshen up and told her to come down whenever she wished to enjoy the crackling fire.

Her room had a shelf that contained a wide variety of books, and she found two she would enjoy and moved them to her nightstand.

She moved to the windows to check the view. From one wall, she saw the street and other nearby homes. All well-kept and homey. From the other, she saw more houses, some empty lots, and an elderly couple walking hand in hand through the softly falling snow.

It was peaceful and lovely and as far from Chicago as it might be possible to be.

What view would her next home have? She’d never imagined anything but a big city. Her degree was in urban planning. She’d spent hours and hours dreaming of how to improve urban spaces.

But after a half-dozen hours in Phail, she wondered if it might be time to try small town life.

Here?

What would she do for a job? In their communications, Troy had said the town couldn’t pay for an urban planner, and after seeing the size of the town, she believed him. She couldn’t expect these people to chip in from their own paychecks to pay her.

And she was supposed to be shoving aside her worries for the week. Apparently, a straight month of nothing but worries made that difficult. Determined to focus on the positives of this cozy town, she changed into warm socks and curled up on the comfortable bed. She wrapped the throw around her and snuggled in for a moment. A nap sounded like an excellent idea.

A while later, a soft knock on the door had her jerking awake. “Yes?”

“It’s Jim. Sorry to disturb you, but you have a visitor downstairs. Actually, you have two visitors downstairs.”

Visitors? That seemed highly unlikely, but she couldn’t imagine Jim making it up for his own amusement. She opened the door to find him smiling. He waved her to follow him and moved toward the stairs. When they reached the main room, he gestured to the chair by the fireplace.

The veterinarian she’d met earlier sat in the chair with Oreo on her lap. When Kimi looked up, the dog followed suit. As soon as he spotted Piper, he yipped, jumped from Kimi’s lap, and galloped across the hardwood toward her.

Piper dropped to her knees, and when the little guy reached her, she scooped him up. His little tongue reached out and licked her face. Laughing, she sat on the floor and cuddled him to her. “You’re okay.” She looked up at Kimi. “He is okay, isn’t he?”

Kimi stood and crossed to them. She leaned down to scratch Oreo behind the ears, making his tail wag like it was on a motor. “He is just fine. He looks to be a purebred French bulldog, and he’ll need some extra TLC for a few days. Smaller meals, but more often than normal. Then he’ll need to have that slowly changed to a regular schedule. Nothing too major. I’ve left the instructions with Carl for you.”

“For me?”

Kimi nodded and picked up her coat from where it rested over the back of a couch. “Yes. I’ve also left a dog bed, a harness, and everything else you’ll need. I stopped at Troy’s and picked up the bowls and food he’s already used.”

Piper looked from the vet to the dog and back. “But he’s not my dog.”

Kimi grinned at her. “He pouted after you left him with me. Kept looking at the door, waiting for you to return. When you walked in here, he reacted with joy. So did you.”

“But I’m only here for two weeks. And I’m currently out of a job and living in my car.” That sounded pathetic. “Until I find my next job and place.”

Kimi smiled and buttoned up her coat. “We’ll figure that part out later. For now, he needs some care and recovery time. You can provide that. He’s been well trained, but there’s no chip. I’ve put out notices on social media and to vets in surrounding towns.”

“But…” Piper’s voice trailed off. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say.

Kimi tilted her head. “Some idiot probably chucked him into the ditch, and left him there to die because he got tired of taking care of him.”

Piper’s arms tightened around Oreo, and he wiggled up to lick her again.

Kimi nodded. “Happens a lot on quiet country roads. I’d like to do the same to some humans and see how they like it. Jim and Carl are fine with dogs staying here, and this guy can stay with them when you’re out. French bulldogs make excellent house and apartment dogs. They don’t need much exercise and are quiet and friendly. He’s taken to you and I can see that you’ve taken to him. But if you really don’t want him with you while you’re here, I’ll take him back. No problem.”

Piper blew out a breath and thought about losing touch with her little buddy again. A soft snore told her he’d drifted off again, and she couldn’t resist dropping a kiss on his head.

Kimi laughed. “That’s what I thought. I left instructions with the guys and they have my number. Text me if you need anything. Have fun.”

And the woman whirled out with a flourish.

Piper patted the sleeping dog and was surprised at the connection she felt. She’d never had a pet. She and her parents had always lived in apartments that didn’t allow pets.

She didn’t know the first thing about caring for a dog, but she would figure it out. Especially seeing as the vet had left instructions.

“What do you think, Oreo? Do you want to be my dog for now?”

Oreo wiggled into a more comfortable position and kept snoring.

She kept patting him and smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Looked like she had a dog. At least temporarily.

Phail was proving to be full of surprises. Good ones for a change.

* * *

The next afternoon, Troy walked in the front door of the BB and heard laughter coming from the kitchen. He left his snowy boots along with the backpack he’d brought in the lobby, and followed the happy sounds.

When he heard a dog yip, he picked up the pace and swung through the door to find Piper and Jim on the floor, playing with the little dog she’d found on the side of the road.

Carl waved at him and gestured for him to come in and sit at the counter with him, watching the other humans play with the dog and a ball.

Piper looked up at him with the widest smile he’d seen yet. “Hi. Kimi dropped Oreo off here for me to take care of while I’m in town. Jim and Carl have talked me down from complete panic.”

He grinned. “You don’t look like you’re in much of a panic to me.” In fact, she looked happier than the day before, although there were still shadows in her eyes. Obviously, she’d had a good night’s sleep and her stress levels had dropped.

She shrugged. “They’re pretty good at this.”

Troy laughed. She was absolutely right. These two didn’t panic easily or often. Never, as far as he could remember. They were as steady a pair as Troy had ever seen. “So Kimi figured you were the one to take care of your Oreo.”

She nodded. “I’ve never had a dog. Or any pet. She left instructions, but I’m still nervous. I read up on French Bulldogs last night, but what if I mess up?”

He smiled at Jim and Carl. “You’ve got good backups in place. You’ll be fine. Oreo certainly seems to think so. Do you still want to take a tour of the town or would you rather stay here with your new guy? Things can wait another day.” The disappointment he felt at the thought of canceling surprised him. Piper Keenan intrigued him far more than she should.

She gnawed her bottom lip again and looked at the dog. “What do you say, Oreo? Would you like to go for a walk?” Then she glanced up at Troy. “Would that be okay?”

Troy nodded while Oreo bounced over to her and licked her hand. Piper laughed. “Apparently, he knows the word walk. Kimi brought him a little coat, along with a harness. How about we try it and see how it goes? I don’t know how far his little legs can go, though.”

“Only one way to find out.”

The little bulldog proved he could trot along at a good pace as they left the BB and walked to the corner to turn onto Phail Way. The tiny blue plaid coat he wore made Troy grin every time he looked down at him.

When they turned the corner, he shifted into tour guide mode. “Jim and Carl’s BB is on the south end of town. There are quite a few side streets that come off Phail Way and turn into quiet residential neighborhoods. Most of the houses are typical middle-class homes. We’ve got a mix of styles depending on when they were built. Sadly, a lot of people have moved away, and many homes are sitting empty.”

“Why did people leave?”

Troy shrugged. “Mostly for better-paying jobs and wider opportunities. I want to build the town in ways that give people more opportunities to stay. And I’d like to create something that makes the town unique.”

Piper nodded beside him as Oreo examined some bushes. “Do you have any ideas in that direction already?”

Troy shook his head. “Not really. Tansy and Joe, who own the Midnight Lake property, have cousins in a town called Bloo Moose. The town has a boardwalk along the edge of the town and the lake. And they have these huge moose statues along the boardwalk and in front of some businesses. The moose wear costumes and hold gear appropriate to the businesses.”

Piper laughed. “That sounds amazing. I’ll look that up and see if we can get some ideas from their town. Indoor and outdoor gathering spaces are good ways to build community within an area. Do you have anything like that here already?”

Troy shook his head. “No. And we don’t have an obvious point of interest yet. If we can develop some ideas for that, it would be a great starting point.”

She gave him a small smile. “Any inclination to change the town”s name to something with a happier connotation?”

That made him smile. “Nope. My ancestors named it, and I won’t be the one to tell them they didn’t do a good job.”

“I figured it must be something like that, but I had to ask.”

“We have a good sense of humor about the name, so it’s got to stick.”

She nodded as they walked along. He enjoyed walking and chatting with this woman who interested him. Even if he didn’t plan to follow through on the feelings, it was nice.

He pointed out the doctor’s office and yoga studio, along with the firehall and the nearby I-Phail water tower. That had her laughing. “I see you’re right about the sense of humor. That’s definitely something to work with.”

Across the street were a few empty buildings that had once been businesses. He hated the reminder that the town had seen better days and that he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

They’d almost reached Phail General when Oreo barked twice. He circled the sidewalk and promptly curled up into a ball. Piper squatted down to pat the little dog. “Are you trying to tell me that’s enough of a walk for you?”

Her voice held amusement, not annoyance. Another check in the plus column, as if the woman needed any more. There were already too many for Troy’s peace of mind.

Piper scooped up Oreo and bundled him in her arms. The dog sighed happily and promptly fell asleep.

Snow had been falling on and off most of the day and it started up again as they turned back to the BB. She smiled at Troy. “I can find my way back if you have something else to do.”

His head shake was automatic. “Not a chance.” He unzipped his jacket. “Why don’t you put Oreo in here? He’s not huge, but he’ll be heavy for you after a bit.”

She unclipped his harness and they popped the dog into the warm space between Troy’s body and the jacket. And if he enjoyed Piper’s hands on him in the most innocent of ways, it couldn’t be helped.

Oreo squirmed a bit and then stuck his head out of the front, making Piper laugh again. “Look at how cute you are? Do you like being snuggled up with Troy?”

Her cheeks immediately flushed, and her mouth rounded as she caught the innuendo in her words. Troy liked both the innuendo and her reaction. He wanted nothing more than to lean down and capture that pretty mouth in a kiss, but he refrained for all the reasons he’d been listing all day.

He was paying for this woman’s expertise. He needed her help and had asked her to come to town for a job. Starting up something with her in those circumstances would make him a creep.

Why did it have to be this woman who made him want more?