Good Guys Love Dogs by Inglath Cooper Page A

house always be this
quiet once Lena
    moved away?
    She thought about Ian McKinley and
wondered if he
    felt the same way about his son
leaving home. But then, a
    man like that probably had enough
female companionship
    to ensure that he never got lonely.
    She was being sil y. Lena wouldn't
be going to col ege
    for another two years. A very long
time away.
    The phone rang, merciful y diverting
Colby's thoughts.
    She picked up the receiver with her
free hand and managed
    a hel o as the cat swatted it with
her paw.
    â€œI want al the
details. Every single one, Phoebe
    demanded, not bothering with a
greeting.
    â€œYou're just now
getting around to it? Colby asked in
    mock surprise.
    â€œFrank's mother's
been here. I've barely had time to go
    to the bathroom! Well?
    â€œWel , nothing.
If I were smart, I'd disown you as a
    friend.
    â€œYou're not stil
mad at me, are you? Phoebe cajoled.
    â€œI should be.
    â€œI'll admit that,
but can't you just give me the down-
    low anyway?
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    GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
    â€œYou're
impossible. Colby never stayed upset at
    Phoebe for long. Not even in the
fifth grade, when she told
    Ricky Peters that Colby stuffed her
bra. “Besides, he's only
    going to be here for a year. You
forgot to figure that into your
    perfect-for-Colby equation.
    â€œA year! Phoebe
said, disbelieving. “Maybe you could
    change his mind, she added,
rallying. “So, what happened
    after you left here?
    â€œHe watched me
deliver twin calves and then took me
    home, she said, leaving out the part
about the mud bath.
    Even now, the thought of it made her
smile.
    â€œThat's al ?
Phoebe asked, her disappointment
    evident.
    â€œThat's al , she
said, unwilling to give her friend more
    bait than that.
    â€œYou've been out
of commission for too long—
    Phoebe broke off and shouted her
son's name. “Oh, shoot,
    Colby. I'll have to call you back.
Jacob's hanging by his
    knees on top of the swing set. Gotta
run.
    Colby hung up, glad to be spared
Phoebe's inquisition.
    Throughout the church service that
morning, her thoughts
    kept returning to Friday night.
Despite stil being miffed by
    Phoebe's meddling, she had to admit
the night had been
    ful of surprises. Ian had certainly
been more than gracious
    about the whole thing, considering
that he'd been set up and
    al but forced into driving her out
to Pasley's when her truck
    broke down. On top of that, he'd
ended up ruining what
    must been some very expensive
clothes. She could bake him
    a pie as a thank-you. She enjoyed
baking when she had the
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    INGLATH COOPER
    time, derived a certain pleasure in
creating something from
    scratch. Over the years, she'd
gotten pretty good at it.
    Imagining the gleeful look on
Phoebe's face if she
    found out, she almost nixed the
idea. But deciding she
    would go crazy without occupying her
mind and hands with
    something, she went to the pantry
and began pul ing flour and
    sugar from the shelves. From the
back porch, she retrieved
    some of the Red Delicious apples
she'd bought yesterday
    afternoon, and for the next hour,
she got busy putting
    together two homemade pies. While
they baked, she sat at the
    table and leafed through the
newspaper, asking herself what
    was wrong with doing a little
something for someone who'd
    done her a favor. Didn't good
neighbors do that?
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    15
    olby took the left-hand turnoff onto
the road
    C that led to Oak Hil. The driveway
stretched
    ahead for a mile or more, lined with
enormous oak
    trees, most of which were nearly a
hundred years old.
    Oak Hil had always been one of her
favorite
    places. Once one of Virginia's most
prosperous
    farms—tobacco and
wheat its mainstays—it became a
    wel -known horse farm in the
mid-1950s. In the past
    twenty years, the place went downhil
, since the house
    sat empty for so long. She could
hardly resent Ian for
    beating her to it, but nevertheless,
she wished he
    hadn't.
    She stopped in the circular driveway
behind a