“You planned a fantastic event. They were an easy sell.” Todd loved that she stood eye to eye with him. He loved everything about her. Beyond her looks, she was kind, loyal, generous, and fierce. She trained with her older brother, Nolan, a former MMA fighter. He had no doubt she was capable of delivering an ass whooping, but she chose to deescalate. She excelled at talking people into giving up neglected animals.
“Dogs are an easy sell.” Her cheeks flushed. “Everyone supports a K-9 for the sheriff’s department.”
Todd dug into his pocket for his notepad. He tore out the list. “Here are the names.”
“You didn’t have to bring those personally. You could have emailed me.” Cady accepted the paper. Their fingers brushed.
Suddenly hot, Todd cleared his throat. “I was driving by.”
“Well, thanks.” She adjusted her ponytail. “How’s your IRONMAN training going?”
“OK.” Todd swallowed a stammer and forced coherent words out of his mouth. “I’ve done shorter triathlons. I don’t mind the running and road biking, but the swimming . . .” He exhaled. “I hate the swimming. So many laps.” Plus, Todd was lean and had no buoyancy. If he stopped stroking, he sank like a stone.
“You’re training in a pool?”
“I try to swim in the river now and then if I can find a training partner.”
“Can I help?”
“How?”
“Does your training partner need to be in the water?” Even the smudge of dirt on her freckled nose was adorable. “I can row next to you. Make it less boring. Ensure you don’t drown.”
“Always good.” Todd brightened. Spending time with Cady would certainly make the swimming portion of his workouts less painful.
“The offer is open. I love to row.”
“That would be great,” was all he managed to spit out.
A few seconds of silence ticked by.
Cady smiled. “Text me about the training. I’m serious.”
“Thanks. I will. You let me know if you need anything else for the fundraiser.”
“OK.” She smiled with her whole face. Her cheeks scrunched, and her eyes crinkled up at the corners.
Was he really just going to leave? Ask her out for coffee, you dope.
But that smile made his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth. He swallowed. “Bye.”
You are a fucking coward.
He climbed back into his vehicle and stared at the kennel through the windshield.
His own divorce had been low-key, but he recognized in hindsight that it had left a mark. He’d been depressed for years afterward. He’d thrown himself into work but had been unmotivated to improve his personal life. Until he’d met Cady last winter.
He’d wanted to ask her out in the spring, but she’d nearly died at the hands of a killer. He’d decided to wait until she’d recovered. But the waiting had backfired, and he feared he’d been friend-zoned. Now, he didn’t know how to move forward, and his tongue froze every time he saw her.
He started the engine and pulled away. He’d be swimming a lot more, that was for sure. By the time the IRONMAN ran next summer, he’d be Aquaman.
Until then, back to work.
He passed Camilla’s place and turned at the mailbox that read JOHNSON. Homer’s farm was in better repair than Camilla’s. The house was large, white, and freshly painted. A half dozen outbuildings clustered behind a gigantic brown barn. Horses grazed in multiple pastures.
The battered pickup truck sitting in front of the barn told him Homer was at home. Todd parked. No one answered his knock on the front door, so he wandered around the house.
The barn doors stood wide open. He stepped into the cool interior and spied Homer through the back door, hosing the leg of a big bay horse. As Todd approached, the horse startled. The big animal flew backward. Homer tried to hold on to the lead rope but couldn’t control twelve hundred pounds of wild-eyed horse. The bay whirled and thundered down the aisle—directly at Todd.
His heart stuttered.
“Get out of the way!” Homer shouted.
But if the horse made it out the front door of the barn, it was a straight, open lane to the road. Todd didn’t want it to get hurt. He was the one who’d scared it. He balanced on the balls of his feet, poised to dive out of the way at the last minute, just in case.
Then he raised his arms as the horse galloped toward him. “Whoa there. Whoa.” He prepared to leap sideways, but the horse slid to a stop a dozen feet short of him, snorting and pawing at the dirt aisle.