4
Savannah’s tires rolled slowly along the rutted lane that led to Drew’s house.
Through every gap in the trees, she could see fields of dried corn stalks stretching in all directions; green combines moved like giant grasshoppers along their edges, blowing dust into the air as they went.
Harvest was finally underway in Mason County.
She pulled up in front of Drew’s cabin, which was dark beyond the windows, though that didn’t surprise her.
She hadn’t expected him to be home, and besides, he wasn’t the one she’d come to see.
Ryker’s gray head lifted from the floor of the front porch as she shut off her engine and then opened her door.
She was greeted by the rhythmic thump of his tail against the wood and the happy bark of a dog seeing one of his favorite people.
The animal rose to his feet and trotted down the stairs to where Savannah stood.
“Hello, handsome!” she crooned, crouching beside him.
He licked her face and neck as he wiggled in excitement.
“How’s my favorite boy? Huh? How is he?” Ryker turned in quick circles, first one way and then the other.
Then he raised his leg and peed on one of her front wheels.
“Oh, nice, thanks for that,” she commented, but the sarcasm was lost on him.
Instead, he dashed back up the porch stairs and returned a moment later with a rope toy, completely unrepentant.
Savannah couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, I see how things are. I’m just your throwing arm, huh?” She eyed the plaything that dangled from his jaws; it was clearly brand-new. She hadn’t brought any toys with her when she’d dropped Ryker off two weeks ago, so somebody else had bought him this.
Interesting.
Ryker carried the toy a few steps away before dropping it and sitting down expectantly, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and bits of drool dotting the dirt near his feet.
Savannah picked up the rope and threw it as far as she could toward the tree line.
Ryker took off like a flash, which gave her time to sit down on a wide, flat tree stump and make herself comfortable before he returned.
There were perfectly good chairs on the porch, but it felt presumptuous to be that close to Drew’s house without him there.
Not more presumptuous than being there uninvited in the first place, but she chose to overlook that. Drew was out working somewhere, unlikely to return until after dark, and she wasn’t doing anything but playing in the yard with the dog—a dog she had said she would help him take care of, after all.
Ryker brought the toy back and laid it across her lap.
It was then that Savannah noticed an automatic dog feeder nearby—one of the more expensive models that portioned food and protected the excess from other animals.
Savannah smiled. If Drew was spending money to make this dog comfortable, maybe he would come around to the idea of keeping Ryker after all—which was good, since she hadn’t had any luck finding him a more permanent home.
Not that she’d tried all that hard, but still.
Savannah tossed the toy again in the opposite direction.
“Go get it, boy!” she shouted. The dog happily obliged again and again until he finally collapsed in a panting heap at her feet, exhausted but content.
She slipped off one tennis shoe and rubbed the bottom of her socked foot against his side; then she tucked her other foot underneath herself.
“You should have been at the clinic today,” she told the dog.
“You wouldn’t believe the Scottie this lady brought in!
He was all belly rubs and treats while she was watching, but the second she turned her back, he bared his teeth at me, and I swear he hissed.
It sounded a lot like the cat we had to tranquilize earlier this week. ”
Savannah sighed and grazed her thumb over a bandage on her forearm, thinking of the brand-new gash underneath—courtesy of said cat.
She loved her job, but it wasn’t all puppy snuggles and purring kittens, that was for sure.
“I had dinner at Abby’s house before church last night.
You know, Dr. Madden?” she told Ryker, who raised his head at the veterinarian’s name as if he recognized it.
“I know, I know, she’s my boss,” Savannah went on, “but she’s really nice, and it turns out it’s hard to make new friends as a grown-up.
Most of the people I knew before have moved away—except for Drew’s family, of course—and unless you work together or go to church together or something like that, you just don’t see people the way you do when you’re a kid. ”
Ryker grunted and rolled over, apparently trying to spread the belly rubs evenly—like a rotisserie chicken.
“Besides,” she added with a shrug, “I know I’m a lot for most people; not everyone can handle it. It’s just a hazard of being me.”
Ryker sneezed.
“I know, right?!” Savannah exclaimed, as if the sound were a normal part of their conversation.
“I am awesome! Thanks for reminding me.” She bent double and reached toward the ground to scratch the dog’s ears, and he stretched his neck up to help her find the best places more easily.
He scrambled to his feet a moment later, and Savannah heard the roar of an approaching vehicle through the trees.
She sat up and watched as Drew’s truck tore into the clearing, gravel flying.
It came to a stop just beyond where she was parked, and the driver’s door opened.
Drew jumped to the ground without bothering to turn the engine off.
The front of his gray shirt looked wet and dark, like he was covered in something he shouldn’t have been, and he reached up and yanked it over his head before Savannah could warn him that he had an audience.
He thundered up the porch stairs and disappeared into the house without sparing her or the dog a backward glance.
The door slammed behind him, and Savannah let out a quiet laugh, her cheeks flushing hot.
That was far more of Drew Tanner than she’d expected to see today.
Or any day. “I don’t think your daddy is very happy,” she murmured as she took Ryker’s face in both hands.
She rubbed her palms over his ears, and his mouth fell open in a goofy canine smile.
The front door crashed open again seconds later, and Drew, now wearing a different shirt, took the stairs two at a time on the way back to his truck.
He grabbed the still-open doorframe and swung his tall body into the driver’s seat, and it was only as he reached to close the door behind him that he seemed to notice the girl and the dog sitting in plain sight.
He paused for a full five seconds, and Savannah held the gaze that was part annoyance, part surprise.
Finally, she lifted her hand in a wave, and the motion seemed to bring him back to the present moment.
He yanked his door shut, shaking his head as his mouth moved in some unheard comment.
Then he jerked the gearshift into reverse, and the truck backed swiftly away before turning and tearing back the way it had come.
Savannah kept her eyes on his taillights as they disappeared through the trees. When he was out of sight, Ryker barked into the now-still air, as if voicing the obvious question.
“Beats me,” she replied. Then, she grinned. “But a girl can appreciate the show, can’t she?”
The dog barked again and licked the underside of her chin. Savannah laughed before wiping the drool with the back of her wrist and reaching for his toy where it lay on the ground near her feet. “Well, thanks, boy. I love you, too.”
Drew stepped out of the small church’s auditorium and paused in the foyer.
Savannah was standing near the glass doors, rummaging through her purse, and beyond her, he could see rain crashing down against the pavement outside.
One look said the storm had gotten harder since the service began, and water had long since started to pool in the lower places.
He swallowed hard and straightened his shoulders.
Be a gentleman, not a bridge troll, he told himself.
Then he crossed the lobby in four long strides.
Savannah looked up in surprise when he held out his hand, palm up.
“Give me your keys,” he demanded. Inwardly, he cringed. Don’t sound like you’re robbing her!
“What?” Savannah asked.
Drew cleared his throat and tried again. “Give me your keys. Please.”
Savannah glanced outside at the storm and then back up at him as comprehension dawned. “Oh, no, you don’t have to do that. Really, I can do it myself.”
“Just give me the keys!” Drew blurted, his nerves growing taut. How had he managed to butcher this already?
This time, Savannah obediently produced a key ring from her bag and placed it in his outstretched hand. The corners of her mouth twitched as if she were trying not to smile. “You’re being unusually nice to me today,” she observed. “Normally, you grunt and then make yourself scarce.”
Drew looked down at the assortment of keys in his hand and quickly located the one he’d need for her car. Then he looked out through the glass door without addressing her taunt.
“Over there,” she said, answering his unspoken question. She pointed toward the right side of the parking lot’s center aisle. “Halfway down.”
He nodded swiftly and pushed open the door, as eager for distance as he was for motion. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he be in this woman’s presence for more than two minutes without feeling the walls closing in around him?
He jogged across the still-dry concrete under the awning before running out into the driving rain.
The stinging drops seemed to come from both above and below, and he was drenched through in seconds.
The taillights of Savannah’s car flashed as he unlocked the door, and he folded himself inside as quickly as he could.
It was a tight fit, but he managed to drive the car back under the canopy without getting his knees stuck beneath the steering wheel.
Savannah was waiting outside for him when he climbed from the vehicle. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it,” she said, her smile now obvious.
Drew made a sound in response but stopped abruptly, remembering her earlier barb about his grunting.
Do not be a bridge troll! he repeated. He wet his lips and opened his mouth to speak.
“You’re welcome,” he answered aloud. When her grin only grew wider, he became acutely aware of the way his dress clothes were sticking to his skin and the excess water that was streaming from his hair down the center of his back. “What?” he asked uncomfortably.
“I’m just wondering what was chasing you the other day when you came racing down your own driveway and stripped off on the porch.”
Drew felt the back of his neck grow hot, and the blush spilled immediately into his face. He reached instinctively for the brim of his ball cap before remembering he wasn’t wearing it. “I didn’t know you were there,” he mumbled, looking everywhere except at her.
“Don’t apologize. It wasn’t a hardship,” she replied, all but laughing now.
Drew resisted the urge to scuff his boots against the ground. She was teasing him, he knew it; he just didn’t know exactly how he felt about it.
“Besides, I’m the one who should be sorry,” she went on.
“I should have asked before just showing up like that. You should be able to take your clothes off in your own yard if you want to.” This time she bit down on her bottom lip, and Drew felt his attention drawn there as if by a powerful force.
He suddenly wanted to say something funny, something to draw her laughter the rest of the way out. Something a normal person would say.
“Well,” he croaked before clearing his throat again, “at least I didn’t have motor oil on my pants.”
Savannah’s expression froze for a moment, then she laughed. “Andrew Tanner, did you just make a joke?” she cried.
Drew ducked his head, pleased that he’d made her happy. She laid a hand on his damp forearm, and he felt the heat of her palm through his sleeve. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” she assured him.
“What? That I made a joke?” he asked.
“No,” she clarified. Then her smile softened, and she pinned him with a look that made his insides squirm. “That you’re only growly on the outside.”