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He thought he’d eaten an Italian dinner once by that name.
“Her name is actually Pinocchio. I call her Nocchi for short.”
Now he’d heard everything. A tiny black dog with a barely visible nose named Pinocchio. Okay, that was weird. Weirdbadandugly.com. Garrett stuck his face closer to the carrier to get a look at the animal. He rubbed his eyes and peered in again. The dog was actually wearing a dress. Not only that, but a denim sailor-type cap festooned with a matching bow sat a little crookedly on her head. Now he’d seen everything. Talk about your froufrou dogs. This was just wrong. No animal should have to suffer that type of humiliation. Garrett leaned in farther and squinted. “Is there something wrong with her, um, eyes?” he asked, pointing.
“Huh? Oh, that.” With a defensive jerk, Lauren pulled the carrier away from him. “She’s—” Lauren lifted her chin “—cross-eyed.”
Certain he had misunderstood, Garrett leaned toward her. “She’s what?”
Her chin rose another notch. “I said Nocchi is cross-eyed.” Her expression dared him to challenge her.
He thought she was about to add, “You got a problem with that?” But she didn’t. He bit the sides of his mouth to keep from laughing.
She turned back to her pooch. “Poor thing. She was dropped as a pup, and they said she’s been that way ever since.” Lauren stuck her fingers through the grated door of the carrier and stroked Nocchi. “I do have to be careful moving the furniture.”
Garrett shuddered.
Lauren missed it; she continued to stroke her dog. “She’s a shih tzu,” Lauren explained. “She never makes any noise—” Nocchi suddenly yipped and jerked back, making Lauren almost drop the carrier.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Nocchi,” Lauren cooed, checking the dog over. She looked back to Garrett. “I think I poked her in the eye.”
Garrett looked at Lauren’s long, manicured nails. He wondered if the dog would ever see again.
Lauren hurried on. “She’s housebroken and won’t be a problem, I promise.” The woman lifted those Emerald Bay eyes to him.
How did women do that? It seemed they had an internal button marked “charm weapon” that they turned on when they needed it. Garrett winced inside, but his lips rose at the corners. There was a strict “no pets” policy—why would Macy and Molly tell her a dog was all right? He sighed. He couldn’t turn her away. She was the one normal applicant in the group. Well, at least she appeared normal. Still, the dog was questionable.
“That’s fine, Miss Romey—”
“Please, call me Lauren.” Her eyes twinkled.
Oh, sure, now that I’ve accepted her dog, it’s Lauren. “Lauren,” he repeated. “If you want to step into the front room, I have your key on a desk there.”
As they walked down the hall, Garrett heard her footsteps behind him and wondered what she would think of the place. A woman like her no doubt stayed in only the nicest inns and hotels. He squared his shoulders. Why should he care what she thought? Woods Inn could rival the best of them.
She gasped as he led her into an enormous room with a massive stone fireplace that stretched to a cathedral ceiling. He glanced back at her and followed her gaze from the brown beams arched above to the dark warm carpet beneath their feet. Though the room was large, the subdued lighting that shone from corner lamps gave it a sort of cozy feel. Well, that was what his girls had told him, anyway.
“This is very nice,” Lauren said as though she meant it.
“Thanks. My girls offer the feminine touch with the plants and fluffy pillows, all that. If I had my way, I’d have bear heads mounted on the wall.”
Lauren grimaced.
Garrett laughed. “Yeah, that’s kind of what my daughters thought.”
“How old are your girls?”
“Macy is nineteen and Molly is sixteen,” he said. “Macy had a childhood illness that caused her to start school late.”
“Won’t be long until you will have an empty nest—well, except for your visitors.”
He thought a moment. “It’s funny. My wife and I were working hard to make the adjustment easier—you know, dating, still making time for each other so that we wouldn’t grow apart and then be strangers once the girls were gone. With my wife’s death, I’m afraid the adjustment won’t be quite as easy.” He didn’t like the vulnerable feeling that swept over him. Walking over to a large wooden desk, he made a couple of notes in the log book and handed Lauren a key. “Would you care for a snack before you settle in? It’s on the house,” he said with a smile.
“No, thank you. I’m pretty tired.”
“Here, let me help you to your room,” he said, grabbing her luggage.
In silence they climbed the small spiral staircase together. Garrett opened the door to her room, allowed her entrance and placed the luggage just inside the door. She turned to him. “I will need to take Nocchi out. Is there a preferred area?”
He thought a moment. “You’d better let me know when you’re ready. I have a black Lab outside.” Alpha dog, he wanted to say. The thought made him feel proud, even a trifle studly. “Bear is chained, but I don’t want him to startle Nocchi.” One look at Bear, and she’d wish she’d left her dog at home.
“Thank you,” she said before closing her door.
He turned to go back down the stairs, feeling a tad ashamed of his thoughts. What had gotten into him anyway? He was grumpy, that’s what. He didn’t appreciate the position in which his girls had placed him. Not one bit. As Garrett walked down the stairs, he wondered how on earth he could endure the next couple of weeks with five strange women and a cross-eyed hairball.
Chapter Three
A sense of restfulness greeted Lauren the moment she stepped into her room. The pleasing scent of cinnamon wafted from a dainty dish of potpourri. Compliments of Garrett’s daughters, no doubt.
She wondered about these girls who had lost their mother. Her heart squeezed with compassion for them. She looked forward to meeting them. They had to be beautiful if they resembled Garrett in any way. Thick dark hair crowned his head with soft curls, stopping short of wide, dark eyes. She would not have been surprised to learn he had Greek ancestry. His manner seemed cautiously friendly, almost business-professional with a smidgen of warmth thrown in for good measure.
She didn’t need to be thinking about the hotelier’s good looks.
She lowered Nocchi’s carrier on the floor and glanced around. Earth tones covered the bed, plump pillows and window tops. Color-coordinated pictures depicting woodsy scenes hung here and there against the pine-paneled walls. A heavy wooden rocker with thick cushions added the perfect touch to this rustic yet inviting bedroom. At one corner a door led to a good-sized bath area, complete with a roomy shower.
Lauren took a deep breath. She was glad she had come—this was exactly what she needed. Picking up her cell phone, she decided she’d call Gwen, since Candace had already left for London.
Punching the numbers, she waited while the phone rang.
“Hello?” Gwen answered with her usual enthusiasm.
“Hi, Gwen. This is Lauren. Just wanted to let you know I made it to the B and B and it is wonderful, just as you and Candace said.”
“Oh, I’m so glad, Lauren!” Gwen said, her chewing gum snapping as she talked. “I think you’re going to have a wonderful time.” She popped a bubble. Lauren couldn’t understand for the life of her why Gwen—a grown woman—still insisted on chewing bubble gum. To her credit, she did try to chew discreetly, but a bubble here and there always managed to pop during a conversation, giving her all the grace of a junior high school student. “I’m praying for you.”
“Thank you.” Despite her gum and party attitude, Gwen had a way of making those with whom she talked feel as though they were the most important people in the world. Lauren’s heart warmed as the two discussed her trip to California and how much fun she was sure to have. “I don’t know what I’d do without you and Candace.”
Gwen’s gum stopped snapping and she seemed to grow pensive, something she didn’t do often. “We have a special friendship. We’re always here for you, just as you’ve been there for us. “Now,” she said, her perky voice back in place, gum popping, “you get some rest while you’re there, okay? No more doom and gloom!”
“Will do. And Gwen?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lauren put her cell phone on the nightstand and lifted her luggage onto the bed. Nocchi whined, obviously wanting out of her prison.
“Oh, dear, I forgot about you, didn’t I?” Lauren walked over and opened the small door of the carrier. Scooping the eight-pound, black shih tzu into her arms, Lauren cuddled the dog, then scratched the white stripe that went from just under the dog’s chin down to her belly. “I’d better take you outside before you get too comfortable.” Nocchi snuggled her head into Lauren’s neck, a gesture that brought them both sheer pleasure.
“Okay, let’s go.” Lauren adjusted Nocchi’s hat, latched a leash onto her collar, walked her out of the room and down the stairs. She saw the owner bent over paperwork at his desk. Nocchi veered a little too far over and bumped into a stand. Garrett looked up.
“Sorry,” Lauren said to Garrett while tugging at the leash to pull Nocchi to her. She rubbed Nocchi’s noggin. “Is this a good time to take her out?”
“No problem.” He stood and started toward the back door. “Come this way,” he called over his shoulder.
Lauren followed him through the dining room, into the kitchen and out the back door, taking in his long strides, tall, lean frame, sweatshirt and jeans. Something about him made her want to put on a sweat suit, scrunch into a blanket and cuddle with someone under the stars. Jeff Levinger’s face popped into view, causing an ache in her heart. Six months, and she still hurt as if they had broken up only yesterday. People don’t just fall in and out of love—it takes time to get over the pain. She remembered her promise to herself to wait a year before starting another relationship. Not that there was a problem. She didn’t exactly have men waiting in line to take her out.
“Why don’t you hold on to Nocchi, and I’ll keep Bear chained, but we can let them get to know each other a moment. Would that be all right?”
His voice chased away the ache in her heart—for now. “Well…” She bit her lip and thought a moment. “I suppose it would be all right.” She followed him over to the doghouse, where a black Lab ambled out of the opening, his tail wagging. A good sign, she thought.
Nocchi started barking like crazy. Lauren and Garrett worked to calm their dogs.
Once Nocchi quieted, Lauren listened as the man soothed his dog. That spoke well of him. Men who were good to animals were true heroes in her book. This trip might be worthwhile after all.
“I think Bear’s ready,” Garrett said, motioning for Lauren to bring Nocchi over.
Carefully she stepped close to Bear and squatted down so the dogs could sniff one another while Nocchi stayed in her arms. Bear’s tail continued to wag. Nocchi sniffed back, her tail wagging with a trace of caution.
“You want to put her down? I’ll see that Bear behaves.”
“If he doesn’t, I’m afraid I’ll have to hurt you,” she said with only a hint of teasing before gently placing Nocchi inches from her on the ground.
Garrett studied her a moment. Almost as if he considered taking her on.
“I’m kidding.”
“Good thing. I haven’t worked out in a while.”
“Oh, now who’s the comedian?” she kidded before adding, “Like I could hurt you.”
He straightened his back. Had she imagined it, or did she see him flex?
“Well, you could try,” he said, quirking an eyebrow and flashing a biceps.
They both laughed. “Hey, it seems they’re hitting it off,” Lauren said, looking at the dogs. “Guess you’re safe.”
“Well, would you look at that?”
“You’re surprised?”
“You have to admit they’re very different. I’ve never seen Bear take to a little dog before. I knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but I didn’t expect him to actually like her.” The two dogs appeared instant friends.
“Must be the clothes. I mean, an outfit can make all the difference,” Lauren said while examining a slight chip in her red nail polish. “I looked a long time before I found a clothing site for dogs on the Internet that I could be happy with.” She looked up to find Garrett gaping.
Garrett snapped his mouth closed. Men just didn’t appreciate the finer things in life.
“She’s a little self-conscious about the whole cross-eyed thing, so I thought some nice doggie clothes would make her feel better.” Lauren smiled. “Isn’t that right, Nocchi,” she cooed, patting the dogs’ head.
He stared at her a moment then lifted a weak smile.
They engaged in a friendly chat while they watched the dogs interact. Lauren told him she was a corporate attorney from Indiana. An ex-corporate attorney who had lost her job, she should have said, but why throw in the gory details? Besides, she was still a corporate attorney, just an unemployed one.
Garrett told about his wife’s dream of owning a B and B, and he talked about his daughters. By the time they heard the car doors in the parking area, they had gleaned quite a bit of knowledge about each other.
Lauren took Nocchi for a little walk around the grounds, while Garrett went into the house to greet everyone. When Lauren stepped inside, she heard the chatter coming from the house and hoped it wouldn’t be that noisy all the time. She really did need some peace and quiet. They were still standing around talking when she walked into view. The moment everyone saw her, all talk came to a complete stop.
Lauren scooped Nocchi into her arms, more for comfort than propriety, and looked up. “Hello.” The odd mix of women looked none too friendly, from her point of view. Of course, she had to tell herself she was stressed and probably overreacting.
The wide grin on Garrett’s face encouraged her. Everyone looked from him back to her. He walked to her side and gently grabbed her arm, a gesture everyone seemed to notice. “Ladies, I want you to meet Lauren Romey.”
A cold chill seemed to sweep across the room like an arctic blast. No one in the room was smiling but Garrett. She didn’t know what was going on, but there was a definite competitive feel in the air.
“Hello,” she said.
Garrett gently guided Lauren around the room. “Lauren, this is Gracie Skinner.” Lauren felt a trifle intimidated by the tall, thin beauty with perfect hair and teeth. This woman could model for any upscale New York agency. Lauren wondered why Gracie would be at the B and B, and decided she must need a break, too. “Gracie comes from Castle Mountain, Tennessee,” Garrett said.
“My, my, what a funny little dog,” Gracie said, pointing at Nocchi’s hat.
Why couldn’t anyone appreciate Nocchi’s upscale appearance?
Gracie locked eyes with Lauren. “Howdy, Lucy.”
“Um, it’s Lauren,” she corrected.
“Oh,” Gracie said with a fake laugh, “ain’t I bad?” She waved her hand and walked away.
Suddenly the woman didn’t look so beautiful.
Garrett pulled Lauren to the next woman. “This is Ellen Little from Tangly, Ohio.” Though she was a bit skinny, the woman’s red hair had a shine that could rival a washed apple. She put a hand to her meager chest and took a deep breath. Behind her trendy glasses her eyes were an interesting green, almost the color of a budding leaf. After pushing her glasses back up her nose, for a fleeting second she lifted her eyes and upturned mouth. “Hello,” she said in a near whisper, barely extending her hand. Maybe she was intimidated by Miss Model’s presence, too.
Moving on down the line, Garrett said, “This is Billie Gibbons from Goosefield, Montana.”
“Hello,” Lauren said, thinking an attacker would be hard-pressed to take on this one. Still, the way the woman’s brown hair curled around her eyes and face made her appear soft and reachable.
“How ya doing, kid?” Billie asked, pulling Lauren and Nocchi into a bear hug and giving Lauren a stiff pat on the back. She wondered if she ought to cough in response. Nocchi squirmed, no doubt to get some air.
“This is Nikki Spartan from San Francisco.” This one scared Lauren. Her skin was as pale as bleached muslin, yet she seemed to have a thing for black—black spiked hair with blond tips, black lipstick and a black leather jacket and pants. Lauren felt as if she should be searching her pocket for pepper spray while she tried not to stare at the woman’s silver nose ring.
The woman’s lip curled in typical Elvis fashion. “Nice dog,” she said with a grunt.
Okeydokey, Lauren thought, mentally rolling her eyes. She was ready to make a hasty retreat to her room.
“And these are my daughters,” Garrett said with obvious pride, pointing to two strikingly beautiful teenagers. Their friendly faces made her instantly feel better.
“This is Macy, who will be leaving me and going off to college in the fall.”
“Hello,” Macy said.
Lauren beamed at the budding woman standing before her. Black ringlets started at her crown and spiraled down to her shoulders. Her fringed curls stopped short of her eyebrows, emphasizing her dark liquid eyes—eyes that appeared to hold a touch of sadness. “Hello, Macy. So nice to meet you.”
“And this is the squirt—I mean Molly.” He aimed a mischievous wink at Lauren.
“D-a-a-a-d!” his youngest daughter said, shoving him playfully on the arm.
“Nice to meet you, Molly.”
“Hi.” Looking every inch her sister only with straight hair landing midway down her back, Molly lifted a smile. “Glad you could make it.”
Why did everyone think she wouldn’t make it? Had Candace told them she might not come? “Thank you” was all Lauren said. Though each woman looked distinct in appearance, Lauren had to admit each one was attractive in her own way—even Goth Woman. As the women began to chitchat among themselves, Lauren made excuses to Garrett and his daughters and left for her room.
She trudged up the stairs. It seemed odd to her that there were only women guests. She thought that couples normally frequented these kinds of places, especially in a quaint town such as Bliss Village, fairly close to Lake Tahoe. Something told her there was more to this vacation than met the eye. Oh, well, she was there to please her friends and get some much-needed R&R. She would soon go home and search for another job. Another life.
Once inside her room, she removed Nocchi’s hat and dress, then settled her on the floor. Lauren plopped onto the bed, falling back into the plump softness of the pillows, and tucked her hands behind her head. A restful two weeks awaited her. No more thoughts of court hearings, client contacts, billing logs, job hunts, or—most important—Jeff. Rest. Sweet rest.
A time of starting over.
Garrett’s image popped into her mind, though she couldn’t imagine why.
The morning sun blazed through Lauren’s window, waking her. She glanced at the clock and couldn’t believe she had slept until eleven o’clock on a Sunday. Back home she’d have already attended the worship service and be halfway through Sunday school by now.
Normally an early riser by nature, she figured she must have needed the sleep. She snuggled farther into her covers, relishing her moment of laziness. The bed held her like a comforting hug. That’s how she used to feel in Jeff’s arms.
Until he dumped her.
Lauren threw off the covers with a yank. “With my best friend!” She looked at Nocchi. “He broke our engagement to be with Camilla. Supposedly my best friend. Well, she had been my best friend all through school until college. How could he do that to me?” Fresh tears formed, and Lauren shoved them away. At least she had Gwen and Candace. Theirs was a true friendship. “I will not waste my tears on you today, Jeff Levinger.” She stomped across the floor, grabbed her things and headed for the shower.
Jeff, Camilla and Lauren had grown up together. “The Three Musketeers,” they had dubbed themselves in elementary school. As they had entered high school, Jeff’s and Lauren’s feelings had changed toward one another. A budding romance had developed, but still they had included Camilla in many of their outings. She was their friend, after all. No one could separate them. They had made a pact years ago that nothing would ever come between them.
Jeff and Camilla had lied.
As those thoughts filled her mind, Lauren scrubbed herself clean with a vengeance, stepped out of the shower and pulled on a sweat suit.
True, Jeff and Lauren had broken up while in college. She had attended law school in Nevada while Jeff and Camilla had gone to law school in Indiana. The distance had made it impossible for Lauren and Jeff to keep up their relationship. But once she had returned to Indiana after law school, she and Jeff seemed to pick up right where they had left off—or so she had thought.
Please, God, help me to forget him. Help me to forgive them. Even as she prayed those words, she wasn’t sure she was ready to let go of her anger.
Lauren scrunched a little gel in her wet hair and lightly dried it. Afterward, she read her morning devotions and had a time of prayer. Next she placed Nocchi in a red checkered gingham dress with a matching bucket hat. Nocchi seemed to enjoy her wardrobe. She never tried to scoot out of the hat or clothes—a dog after Lauren’s own heart.
Lauren latched the leash to Nocchi’s collar. Deciding she would make a list of what she wanted for her next job, she grabbed her laptop and headed outside to do some work.
Silence met her when she arrived downstairs. How odd. She glanced at her watch. Maybe everyone had gone to church.
She made her way to the kitchen, picked up a muffin and a small bottle of apple juice. A white square piece of paper on the counter caught her attention. “Lauren, after the early church service, we’re coming home to change, and then we’re going a block down the road to play tennis at a small park area. If you’re up to it, come join us. Garrett.”
That charmed her—Garrett took his girls to church. She read the note again. Interesting. Did most bed-and-breakfasts plan events for their guests? She had never stayed in one before, so she had no clue. It certainly seemed to offer more than hotels.
Though she appreciated their invitation, she decided to see if she could find a place to think and work a little while. Shoving through the back door, she and Nocchi followed a trail toward the woods. Maybe they’d find a fallen tree or a stump on which she could sit.
The early-afternoon sun sailed brightly overhead warming her face, while a slight breeze moved a few scraps of clouds across the blue sky. Lauren stepped carefully through the yard, noting the green bushes thick with colorful flowers. Not one to have a green thumb, she had no clue as to the names of the flowers, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying them. Most floral names she couldn’t pronounce anyway. She walked over to a huge pot stuffed with assorted plants of all shapes and varieties. Bending over, she took a deep whiff. “Oh, Nocchi, it’s wonderful here.” The dog lifted her nose in the air as if trying to catch the scent.
Walking farther on the path into the woods, Lauren stopped when she found a bench. “How great is this?”
Nocchi scanned the area for a moment, then finally settled near Lauren’s feet. A lozenge of sunlight draped over the animal’s fur, resembling a bright-yellow ribbon. Lauren basked in the scene for a moment, then turned her attention to the laptop. She pulled it from the case and turned it on. Her wireless card didn’t work out in the woods, but she didn’t need it anyway for what she had to do.
After waiting for everything to boot up, Lauren clicked open a new document in order to make a list of steps to take in her job search once she got home. She stared at the screen, her mind going through the few remaining law firms in town where she hadn’t yet sent a resumé. No doubt she would have little luck if her former boss had anything to say about it. True, she had made some huge blunders her last several cases, and true, her mind had been preoccupied with grief over her split with Jeff, but to fire her? Given her meticulous past work record, it seemed a little drastic. She felt sure the fact that one of the senior partners was Jeff’s dad entered into play.