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to point it out, however.

    The sun was just kissing the horizon awake when a gentle knock sounded at Brenna’s door, followed by a frenzy of barking. Brenna padded across the hardwood floor of her cabin, wishing she had taken the time to at least comb her hair when she got up.
    Not that it mattered. As soon as the door opened a crack, Hank launched himself at her and began to lick her face. No one was ever as happy to see her as Hank.
    She gently pushed him off and he ran into the house. He lapped the main room three times, kicking up area rugs as his nails scratched against the floor. He bounded into the bedroom, and Brenna heard the springs on her queen-sized bed give a groan when Hank landed on it with a thud.
    She could see him through the doorway, feet in the air and head on her pillow, looking as happy as a dog could be without a juicy bone in his mouth.
    “I can see he’s going to suffer real separation anxiety while I’m gone,” Nate said.
    Brenna turned to see him enter the cabin, lugging a leash, two bowls, and a bag of food.
    “I’ll show him your picture every day,” she offered.
    Nate grinned. “He’ll probably think you’re trying to punish him. My cell phone number is taped to his bag of food if you need to reach me.”
    “Any special instructions?” she asked.
    “I’d say don’t spoil him, but what would be the point?” he asked.
    “Indeed,” she agreed.
    “Seriously, thank you,” Nate said. “It helps knowing he’s in good hands.”
    An awkward silence fell between them while they watched Hank wrestle with Brenna’s pale blue cotton sheets. He looked as if he were burrowing into the bed for a long doze.
    “Lucky dog,” Nate said.
    Brenna turned to find his steady gray gaze regarding her. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, like where was he going and why? But caution held her silent. Nate was deeply private and she felt as if he’d let her into his world more than most. She didn’t want to get the boot by being too inquisitive.
    So she smiled and said, “Call anytime you want a Hank update. I’ll either be here or at the shop and I always have my cell phone on me.”
    “I will,” he said. “Bye, Hank, be good.”
    Hank barked and wiggled farther down into the bed.
    Brenna followed Nate to the door, and when he opened it, a sliver of warm June air brushed by her.
    He stepped onto the porch and turned back to face her. Again, Brenna felt awkward. They were friends, but not like she and Tenley were friends. If Tenley left town for a few days, Brenna would hug her. She had no idea what to do with Nate, so she settled for a small wave.
    He lifted his hand to wave back. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something more but then shook his head. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he turned on his heel and walked down the three front porch steps onto the grass beyond. Brenna closed the door and moved to the window to watch him walk toward the communal parking lot they all shared. It was cold comfort to think that he didn’t know what to do with her either.
    As soon as she stepped away from the window, Hank bounded out of her bed. He paced back and forth in front of the door, leaving her with no doubt as to what he wanted.
    “Okay, okay, I’ll take you for a W-A-L-K,” she said. She spelled the word, knowing from previous experience that Hank would go mental if she said it out loud. Judging by the way his ears pricked up and his tail wagged, however, she feared he was becoming quite the speller.
    “Just a quick one,” she said as she went to get dressed. “I have to meet Tara and her mother in the shop this morning, and I still haven’t got any ideas for the wedding favors.”
    Hank barked. Brenna appreciated his vote of confidence. Too bad she didn’t believe him.

Chapter 3

    Brenna was twenty minutes late. Normally, this would not be a problem, but when she pulled into an empty spot in front of Vintage Papers and saw the silver Lexus next to her, her