Collared (Going to the Dogs) by Zoe Dawson Page A

is a disaster.”
    He gazed down at her for a moment, his expression sober, before he turned and went back inside. He set the glass on the bar. “I’ll go see Detective Shaw in the morning,” he said.
    She shook her head, her emotions right at the surface as she gazed at him. “No. No, you won’t.”
    He set his hands on his hips ready to argue with her. “But, Harper, this is an important lead.”
    She crossed the room and got right in his face. “If you think that I would value jewelry and a silly, way-too-expensive dog collar more than you, Jeffrey, you’re mistaken. You won’t say anything about this. I won’t have you lose your freedom over a paltry theft.”
    He drew a deep breath, his eyes hard, but Jeffrey couldn’t intimidate her. He would never hurt her. “I don’t like it, Harper. What if this isn’t just a theft?”
    “There’s no evidence to suggest that it’s anything more than that. I’m not going to risk your freedom on some unsubstantiated ‘if.’ You answer his questions and give him no reason to suspect anything about you. He won’t have any cause to dig deeper.” She grabbed his arm when he looked away as if he was going to refuse. “Promise me you’ll do this for me. I couldn’t bear it if you…” Tears gathered in her eyes at the thought of the sacrifice he’d made for her. “Promise me.”
    “Don’t cry,” he said, pulling her against him. “You know that I would do anything for you, Harper. You are one of the most generous and fair women I have ever met. But, you say the word, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make you safe.”
    “I’m telling you what you’re going to do.”
    “And what if this cop is smarter than you’re giving him credit for?”
    “Don’t worry about Detective Shaw. I have plans to keep him busy.”
    He sighed. “That poor man.”
    She punched him in the shoulder. “Go get some sleep.”
    “I still don’t like it. I think we should trust the cop.”
    “No. We can’t do that. We don’t really know him. Leave it up to me.”
    He gave her an exasperated and skeptical look and left.
    Now she had a very good reason to stick to Caleb like glue. Not that she needed a reason. He, all by himself, was sufficient reason to want to plaster herself all over him. But she wasn’t going to ignore Jeffrey’s very astute observation. Harper also had an inkling that Caleb was very intelligent.
    She shivered at Jeffrey’s suggestion to trust Caleb. She had no doubt he was a competent detective, but the thought of giving him something as fragile and, in this case, crucial as her trust…it made everything inside her shout NO ! and resist with all her might. She was the one who took care of everything. She didn’t lean.
    She and Blue trailed to her room and she got ready for bed. Blue grabbed her brush and bought it to her in their evening ritual. After giving it a good, thorough brushing, she found Blue’s doggie brush and gave her a quick grooming. The dog made a happy growling sound deep in her throat.
    As she slipped into bed with Blue settling next to her, she decided she was willing to forego the return of her jewelry. It was true those pieces meant a lot to her. The five necklaces and one pair of earrings were very valuable, and the gems in them would bring in a lot of money for the thief, as well as the gold. But that wasn’t what was important. They had been her mother’s favorites. Harper had kept them in the wall safe so she could wear them whenever the mood struck. They reminded her of her wonderful mother, and it hurt to think that they might be gone for good. But Jeffrey was too important to jeopardize.
    He had done something for her three years ago when she’d been kidnapped that trumped any desire she might have to use mementos to keep her memories alive.
    He’d saved her life at great personal risk.
    There was nothing more precious than that.

Chapter Four
    At ten a.m. Jeffrey dropped Harper off at her brother’s loft and waited