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OFCOURSE,ITgot around Catelow that Cody had a new dog. Abby heard it secondhand, because Cody hadn’t come to the ranch in several days.
“Is he mad at us or something?” Lucy asked Abby with real concern.
“I think maybe he’s just very busy,” Abby said cheerfully, even though she didn’t quite feel it.
“He’s got a new doggie, too,” Lucy said sadly. She petted Snow, her constant companion. “I thought maybe he’d like to show it to us.”
“Dog’s in a cast,” Hannah interrupted. “He found it on the side of the road. It had been hit by a car and was in a miserable condition.” She glanced at them. “One of my cousins is the groomer trainee at the vet’s.” She shrugged. “She said the dog was in the biggest mess she’d ever seen, but when they cleaned him up, he was surprisingly handsome.”
“A boy dog?” Lucy asked.
“A boy dog,” Hannah replied. “And he’s named Alexander.”
“What an odd name,” Abby said, trying not to show how much it hurt her that Cody had apparently had second thoughts where she was concerned. She’d heard about the latest visit he had from the blonde state trooper, too, and it had hurt. Until then, she hadn’t realized how much emotional capital she had invested in the sheriff.
“I’d love to see his dog,” Lucy sighed. “Hannah, did your cousin say what sort of dog it was?”
“A malamute,” Hannah replied. “They’re like huskies but much bigger,” she added. “But probably mixed with husky because he’s got blue eyes.” She smiled.
“I’ll bet he’s a nice dog,” Lucy said.
ANDHEWASNICE. Cody found him to be a charming companion for his lonely evenings. The dog followed him everywhere he went in the house, cast and all, and sat looking at him lovingly the rest of the time.
“You’re the best accidental find I’ve ever had, Alex,” he told the old dog and reached down to pet him.
Alex looked up with worshipful eyes, as if to say, that makes two of us.
“When you’re healed, we’ll go walking.”
The big dog howled.
He chuckled. Huskies and malamutes never barked. They howled.
“I’m glad you agree,” he told the animal.
He turned on the television, hoping he wouldn’t be called out. It was Friday night and he had no place to go. He ground his teeth together. Of course he had a place to go, but he’d been away long enough to be uncomfortable about calling Abby and inviting himself over. She might slam the door in his face, especially if she’d heard about the blonde trooper’s latest visit. It was all over town.
He was puzzled by his own behavior. He’d enjoyed being with Abby and Hannah and Lucy, but as time passed and he and Abby grew closer, he grew more wary. You never knew people until you lived with them, he considered. Abby seemed to be an honest, kind, sweet woman. But Debby had seemed like that at first, too. Then she’d turned his life upside down. His pride was still smarting from her affair with her mentor in Denver.
“Maybe Abby’s not like that,” Cody told Alexander while they watched TV. “But how do you know?”
Alexander looked up at him with laughing pale blue eyes and wagged his tail weakly.
Cody reached down to pet the dog. “You’ve been through the wars, haven’t you, old man?” he said affectionately. “Don’t worry. You’ll be safe here.”
Alexander sighed and laid his chin down on his extended front paws.
“Safe,” Cody murmured to himself. He glanced around at the living room and the dining room, and wondered if he’d ever feel safe. He seriously doubted it.
HORACEWHATLEY’SHOUSEKEEPER, Julia Donovan, came by the jail frequently to bring slices of homemade pies and cakes to her employer. She was very shy and she hadn’t much to do with Cody or the jailer.
“I heard what happened to Mr. Whatley,” she told Cody on one visit. “You know, about the seizure.” She bit her lower lip. “It’s okay if you want to have somebody look at the stuff I cook for him,” she said in her soft voice. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind. I don’t want anything to happen to him, but you don’t know me from a bug, Sheriff Banks,” she added with a faint smile. “So you can check the food anytime. It’s okay.”
He chuckled. “Miss Donovan, you’re the last person I’d ever suspect of trying to off her employer. Really.”
She forced a smile. “Thanks. That’s nice.” She sighed. “I can’t believe anybody would accuse Mr. Whatley of trying to rob anybody. I mean he has money of his own and he’s just the nicest person you’d ever want to meet.” She looked up and caught the sheriff staring at her. She flushed. “He’s really good to all of us who work for him. Paid vacations, sick leave, insurance.” She laughed unsteadily. “My late husband was brutal to me. Mr. Whatley isn’t like that. He’s a gentle man.”
“Yes, he is, and I don’t believe he robbed anybody, either, Miss Donovan, but that’s off the record,” he added. “I have to deal in facts. He was accused by a supposed eyewitness.”
