sidewalks, she half expected to see Jesse James sauntering down the street, six-guns strapped to his hip.
Both a U.S. flag and a Texas flag flew proudly over the neatly manicured courthouse lawn. A clot of people clustered outside the Funny Farm restaurant.
On the south corner sat the Twilight Playhouse, the framed posters advertising an event that had already come and gone. As a gangly teenager she’d gotten herfirst kiss in that very theater. She smiled. In a shop window, she saw an intricately designed, peach and navy blue quilt displayed. Looking at it made her feel…What did she feel? Emma’s stomach gave a happy little squeeze, and one word branded red-hot inside her head.
Home.
That was crazy. How could she feel such a flash of warmth for a place where she’d lived for little more than a year? The same place where she’d found out that her father wasn’t really her father, that she had no anchor, belonged nowhere, to no one.
The bus rumbled on through the square to the makeshift bus depot several blocks away. She was the only one who got off. The driver unloaded her suitcase and left her standing beside a sheltered bench next to a convenience store that, according to the prominent signs, sold wine, beer, condoms, and lottery tickets, along with bus passes. Ah, the shadier side of small-town life.
Okay, she had directions to the B&B tucked inside her pocket. It was supposed to be on Topaz Street. If memory served, that was only a couple of blocks north.
She bent down to tug up the handle on her suitcase and that was when she saw him, staring coolly at her with icy blue eyes. She inhaled sharply and took a step backward. He came straight toward her, moving slowly, deliberately.
Panic struck her heart. Oh no!
Her knees trembled. All the air left her body in one hard gasp. She froze, unable to move. She was deathly afraid of dogs, and this one was looking at her like he wanted to eat her for dinner.
He dropped down low on his haunches, ears laid back against his head, his eyes never leaving her. He wasn’t a huge dog, but neither was he small, and she had a feeling if he stood on his hind legs he’d be as tall as she. He was lean and wiry and looked like he’d move very fast. She couldn’t decide if his coloring was white with black patches or black with white patches. Closer he crept, stalking her like prey.
Emma let out a little squeak of terror, and abandoning her suitcase in the parking lot, she started toward the convenience store, but the second she made a move, he was there, coming between her and the building, cutting her off.
She took a step backward.
He moved forward.
She tried to holler for help, but dread constricted her throat and she couldn’t push out even a whimper.
Her fear of dogs had developed when in one of her many appearances as Annie, the producer had insisted on using a real dog instead of the prop variety. The mutt had taken an instant dislike to Emma and bit her every chance he got. While the nips were minor (he never broke the skin, but damn, it still hurt) the attacks were so sudden that she cringed whenever she got near the dog. The more she cringed, the more the ornery little beast lunged at her. She tried complaining to the director, but it was his pet. He told her to suck it up or he’d be happy to replace her. She’d needed the money, so she’d stayed in the play, but from that time on whenever she got near a dog, her old fear response kicked in.
The dog kept coming.
She took two more steps backward. She didn’t dare turn her back on him. If she turned her back, she justknew he’d jump on her, knock her down, and rip her throat out. If he was going to attack, she wanted to see it coming.
Blood strummed through her ears, pounding loud and fast. All she could think about was his sharp white teeth sinking into the soft flesh of her ankle.
The dog never lost focus. His gaze never strayed. He herded her from the parking lot of the convenience store, maneuvering
Both a U.S. flag and a Texas flag flew proudly over the neatly manicured courthouse lawn. A clot of people clustered outside the Funny Farm restaurant.
On the south corner sat the Twilight Playhouse, the framed posters advertising an event that had already come and gone. As a gangly teenager she’d gotten herfirst kiss in that very theater. She smiled. In a shop window, she saw an intricately designed, peach and navy blue quilt displayed. Looking at it made her feel…What did she feel? Emma’s stomach gave a happy little squeeze, and one word branded red-hot inside her head.
Home.
That was crazy. How could she feel such a flash of warmth for a place where she’d lived for little more than a year? The same place where she’d found out that her father wasn’t really her father, that she had no anchor, belonged nowhere, to no one.
The bus rumbled on through the square to the makeshift bus depot several blocks away. She was the only one who got off. The driver unloaded her suitcase and left her standing beside a sheltered bench next to a convenience store that, according to the prominent signs, sold wine, beer, condoms, and lottery tickets, along with bus passes. Ah, the shadier side of small-town life.
Okay, she had directions to the B&B tucked inside her pocket. It was supposed to be on Topaz Street. If memory served, that was only a couple of blocks north.
She bent down to tug up the handle on her suitcase and that was when she saw him, staring coolly at her with icy blue eyes. She inhaled sharply and took a step backward. He came straight toward her, moving slowly, deliberately.
Panic struck her heart. Oh no!
Her knees trembled. All the air left her body in one hard gasp. She froze, unable to move. She was deathly afraid of dogs, and this one was looking at her like he wanted to eat her for dinner.
He dropped down low on his haunches, ears laid back against his head, his eyes never leaving her. He wasn’t a huge dog, but neither was he small, and she had a feeling if he stood on his hind legs he’d be as tall as she. He was lean and wiry and looked like he’d move very fast. She couldn’t decide if his coloring was white with black patches or black with white patches. Closer he crept, stalking her like prey.
Emma let out a little squeak of terror, and abandoning her suitcase in the parking lot, she started toward the convenience store, but the second she made a move, he was there, coming between her and the building, cutting her off.
She took a step backward.
He moved forward.
She tried to holler for help, but dread constricted her throat and she couldn’t push out even a whimper.
Her fear of dogs had developed when in one of her many appearances as Annie, the producer had insisted on using a real dog instead of the prop variety. The mutt had taken an instant dislike to Emma and bit her every chance he got. While the nips were minor (he never broke the skin, but damn, it still hurt) the attacks were so sudden that she cringed whenever she got near the dog. The more she cringed, the more the ornery little beast lunged at her. She tried complaining to the director, but it was his pet. He told her to suck it up or he’d be happy to replace her. She’d needed the money, so she’d stayed in the play, but from that time on whenever she got near a dog, her old fear response kicked in.
The dog kept coming.
She took two more steps backward. She didn’t dare turn her back on him. If she turned her back, she justknew he’d jump on her, knock her down, and rip her throat out. If he was going to attack, she wanted to see it coming.
Blood strummed through her ears, pounding loud and fast. All she could think about was his sharp white teeth sinking into the soft flesh of her ankle.
The dog never lost focus. His gaze never strayed. He herded her from the parking lot of the convenience store, maneuvering
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