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“I don’t mind cats, but I love Anyu. She’s a lot of company.”
“Do you got any little kids?” she asked, because he seemed very nice.
His face closed up. “Just Anyu,” he said after a minute. “There. See if you can walk toward me. But go slow, so you don’t rip your jacket.”
“Okay.” She moved a little bit at a time until she was finally out of the thorny bushes. “Thanks, mister.”
“You’re very welcome.”
She looked up at him. It was a very long way up. “Are you a cowboy?” she asked.
He chuckled softly. “Sort of. I guess.”
“We got lots of them at home. They’re all very nice. Can I pet your dog?”
“Sure. Let her smell your hand first, though. She’s wary of people she doesn’t know.”
“Okay.” She held her hand out. The husky moved forward cautiously and sniffed. Then she laughed, panting, looking up at the little girl with her bright blue eyes.
The child laughed with joy. “I never saw a dog with blue eyes before!” she said, excited.
“Who are you and where do you live?” he asked.
“I’m Lucy. I live over there.” She pointed to the general direction she’d come from. “It’s a ranch. I live with my aunt Abby.”
His expression was strange. “We’d better get you home,” he said after a minute.
“You didn’t tell me your name,” she persisted.
He grimaced. “That’s probably not a good idea. Not just yet. I might need to...oh, hell.” He ground his teeth together as a woman approached them on horseback. She reined in just in front of them and dismounted, throwing the reins over the horse’s head so they trailed the ground.
“Lucy!” She ran to the child and picked her up, hugging her, fighting tears. “Oh, Lucy, where have you been? I’ve been looking forever...!”
“I got stuck in the thorny bushes,” Lucy explained. “Myra got scared and ran away and I came to look for her. He got me loose,” she added, smiling at the tall man in the low-seated Stetson with the taut face. “His dog is so pretty! She’s a husky and her name is Anyu.”
Abby swallowed, hard, and tried not to show the discomfort she felt. “Thank you,” she said, and meant it. “I was so frightened. She’s never done this before.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Did your dog hurt her paw?” Lucy asked. “Look. She’s limping a little.”
He frowned and looked down. Sure enough, Anyu was favoring her right paw. “Maybe she got a thorn in it,” he said, kneeling down. “She runs like a maniac when I let her out of the house.” He checked the paw, seeing no thorns, but Anyu whimpered when he took her big paw in his hand.
“I hope she’s okay. She’s very sweet. She let me pet her, Aunt Abby,” she added, unaware of the tension between the man and the woman. “I wish we could have a dog,” she sighed.
“Is she all right?” Abby asked, watching the tender way he handled the dog. It was a far cry from the man she’d seen at the hospital so many years ago.
“I think so. I’ll run her by the vet and let him have a look. It could be a stone bruise.” He stood up and turned his attention back to the others.
“Thanks,” Abby repeated, lost for words. “I was at the office. I don’t usually work Saturdays, but Mr. Owens needed some research for a brief he’s writing. Hannah only looked away long enough to get her cake in the oven and Lucy was just, just gone.”
“We had a little girl run away from home last year, following a rabbit.” He grimaced. “That didn’t end quite this well. She was half-dead from exposure and dehydration by the time we found her. The whole sheriff’s posse turned out to search for her, along with the police, the firemen...” He paused, forcing a smile. “It’s a close-knit community. We watch out for each other.”
Abby drew in a breath. “It’s not quite like that in Denver,” she said.
“I don’t like Denver,” Lucy piped up. “I like it here a lot!”
“We’d better go home,” Abby said. She pulled Lucy closer and moved back to the horse.
