would be a threat. Not to him so much, but to the dogs.
He's protective, she thought.
He looked back to Doc. "I have a little work to do around the barn.”
Doc set his lemonade down next to him. The glass was empty and the large square ice cubes rattled against it when it hit the table. He reached for the large walking stick that was leaning against the faded yellow siding, and ran his hand along the indentations in the wood.
"Wait one second,” Doc said as he walked in side. A few seconds later he walked back out with a gray rectangular object in his hand. Doc ran his hands over the coarse features. ”You got another whetstone anywhere? This thing couldn't sharpen a star in the night."
Katie smiled at the expression, making a mental note to jot that down later.
Kyle pulled the brim of his hat back down with his right hand, straightened the back with his left, and turned to walk back to the barn.
Doc stood, walking stick in hand. "Miss Price would like to spend a little more time with the dogs today. Perhaps she could help you out."
"If it's all right with you," Katie added quickly. "I don't even need to do anything, just watch really."
Kyle looked back at her, his eyes digging into hers. "How do you expect to write about something you don't understand? And how do you expect to understand something by simply watching?"
She was so taken aback at his words that she didn’t know what to say or do.
She absolutely hated the way he looked at her. It was like his eyes judged her as a person even as his words judged her as a writer. But the truth was, he was partly right: how could she possibly write anything worth reading just by watching? She needed to be with the dogs, to be around them and interact with them. To understand their personalities, their strengths, their shortcomings. To find out the answer to the one question that kept repeating over and over in her mind. What is so special about these dogs, anyway?
From somewhere behind them a phone rang, breaking the silence, and Doc walked quickly into the house—almost urgently, Katie thought. She could clearly make out his voice as it carried through the house and onto the front porch.
"Hello. Calm. Mr. Perry, calm. I will be there in fifteen minutes. Do nothing until I get there. Nothing."
Doc walked back out with a coat in one hand and a dark green battle bag in the other. There was a white circle with a red cross in the center on one side of the bag. It looked like a type of army medical bag. Doc looked at Kyle as he descended the steps. "Mrs. Perry is in labor. I’ll be back when I'm back. You’ll be cooking dinner for Miss Price tonight."
Katie went to tell him that wasn't necessary, but a quick glance from him stopped her.
"Keep Miss Price with you while you finish your work. I'm sure she has lots of questions about the dogs." His tone was commanding and stopped the protest Katie was almost certain Kyle was on the verge of uttering.
Doc turned back to Katie. “There’s a sandwich and some lemonade in the fridge. Feel free to help yourself.”
With that, Doc hopped in his old blue and white short-wide GMC and drove off.
Chapter 9
The barn entrance consisted of heavy double doors on a rusted, sliding track. The wheels had dug a rut into the ground, which had the effect of causing the door to tilt and bow slightly. Each door was pulled wide open and secured to the wall with a latch.
Kyle was a few paces ahead of Katie when she reached the threshold. He peered into the barn and looked around momentarily, then spun quickly to face her.
He stared straight at her, so close and still that she could even make out the small hazel prisms in his brown eyes. He leaned in closer.
Katie jumped back. "Umm, what are you doing?"
"You smell," he said plainly.
"I what?" Katie asked, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger.
"Your perfume."
"Oh. Sorry, it’s a habit."
Kyle began to unfold a red bandana that wrapped around his
He's protective, she thought.
He looked back to Doc. "I have a little work to do around the barn.”
Doc set his lemonade down next to him. The glass was empty and the large square ice cubes rattled against it when it hit the table. He reached for the large walking stick that was leaning against the faded yellow siding, and ran his hand along the indentations in the wood.
"Wait one second,” Doc said as he walked in side. A few seconds later he walked back out with a gray rectangular object in his hand. Doc ran his hands over the coarse features. ”You got another whetstone anywhere? This thing couldn't sharpen a star in the night."
Katie smiled at the expression, making a mental note to jot that down later.
Kyle pulled the brim of his hat back down with his right hand, straightened the back with his left, and turned to walk back to the barn.
Doc stood, walking stick in hand. "Miss Price would like to spend a little more time with the dogs today. Perhaps she could help you out."
"If it's all right with you," Katie added quickly. "I don't even need to do anything, just watch really."
Kyle looked back at her, his eyes digging into hers. "How do you expect to write about something you don't understand? And how do you expect to understand something by simply watching?"
She was so taken aback at his words that she didn’t know what to say or do.
She absolutely hated the way he looked at her. It was like his eyes judged her as a person even as his words judged her as a writer. But the truth was, he was partly right: how could she possibly write anything worth reading just by watching? She needed to be with the dogs, to be around them and interact with them. To understand their personalities, their strengths, their shortcomings. To find out the answer to the one question that kept repeating over and over in her mind. What is so special about these dogs, anyway?
From somewhere behind them a phone rang, breaking the silence, and Doc walked quickly into the house—almost urgently, Katie thought. She could clearly make out his voice as it carried through the house and onto the front porch.
"Hello. Calm. Mr. Perry, calm. I will be there in fifteen minutes. Do nothing until I get there. Nothing."
Doc walked back out with a coat in one hand and a dark green battle bag in the other. There was a white circle with a red cross in the center on one side of the bag. It looked like a type of army medical bag. Doc looked at Kyle as he descended the steps. "Mrs. Perry is in labor. I’ll be back when I'm back. You’ll be cooking dinner for Miss Price tonight."
Katie went to tell him that wasn't necessary, but a quick glance from him stopped her.
"Keep Miss Price with you while you finish your work. I'm sure she has lots of questions about the dogs." His tone was commanding and stopped the protest Katie was almost certain Kyle was on the verge of uttering.
Doc turned back to Katie. “There’s a sandwich and some lemonade in the fridge. Feel free to help yourself.”
With that, Doc hopped in his old blue and white short-wide GMC and drove off.
Chapter 9
The barn entrance consisted of heavy double doors on a rusted, sliding track. The wheels had dug a rut into the ground, which had the effect of causing the door to tilt and bow slightly. Each door was pulled wide open and secured to the wall with a latch.
Kyle was a few paces ahead of Katie when she reached the threshold. He peered into the barn and looked around momentarily, then spun quickly to face her.
He stared straight at her, so close and still that she could even make out the small hazel prisms in his brown eyes. He leaned in closer.
Katie jumped back. "Umm, what are you doing?"
"You smell," he said plainly.
"I what?" Katie asked, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger.
"Your perfume."
"Oh. Sorry, it’s a habit."
Kyle began to unfold a red bandana that wrapped around his
Similar Books
