Happily Ever After Read Online Free PDF Page A

sign of the mutt. The road behind him curled around the far-off jagged cliffs like a black ribbon. He scanned the other
     stretch of highway. Again, empty. Joe put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. No blur of brown, no whining lump in the
     ditch. Relief crested over him. The dog must have headed home.
    Joe climbed back in the cab and had just shifted into drive when something banged against his passenger door. Joe glimpsed
     two muddy paws smearing his not-so-clean-anyway window, and a long pink tongue dangled sideways out of a grinning canine mouth.
    “Howdy, boy,” Joe said to the lop-eared dog as he leaned over and opened the door. A large, dark chocolate Labrador retriever
     scrambled inside and stared at him with droopy, nut brown eyes. The dog panted in heavy gusts, and drool dripped from its
     mouth.
    “You’re messing up the truck,” Joe said with a mock frown. He reached out a tentative hand. The dog watched, clamped his snout
     shut, and sniffed. Joe obviously passed inspection, for the mutt laid his muzzle into Joe’s palm. With his other hand, Joe
     found the soft spot behind the dog’s ears and rubbed vigorously. The Lab groaned happily.
    “Well, you’re not a stray,” Joe said. “You’re somebody’s pal. What’cha doin’ out here?”
    The dog had hunger in those glassy, sad eyes.
    “Stay put.” Joe climbed out of the cab. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled into the woods, “Anybody lose a dog?”
     The wind devoured his words;the trees hissed in reply. Joe pushed a hand through his short hair. Well, he couldn’t just leave
     the animal in the woods. He climbed back in the truck.
    “It’s not much farther to Deep Haven. We’ll see if anybody there knows you.”
    The dog settled down on the seat, laying his massive head on grimy paws. He sighed deeply.
    “Feeling lost, bud?” Joe pulled out and gunned the truck to sixty-five, laying a hand on the dog’s matted fur. “Aren’t we
     all?”

2
    No way!” Mona’s sharp tone wiped the eager smile off Liza’s face, and even Chuck frowned, as if she’d used foul language.
     She softened her voice. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want anybody here, meddling in our plans.”
    “A handyman is hardly a meddler, Mona,” Chuck soothed. “You need help. You can’t possibly finish all these repairs by Memorial
     Day, and as much as I would like to help, it’s over my head. You have to hire someone.”
    Mona walked to the bay window. The sun dappled the buds of the jasmine bush in the front yard in sparkles of white, and a
     spring breeze filtered through the cracked window, mingling with the pungent odor of the drying varnish on the oak stair rail.
     Maybe they were right. She and Liza needed more than their four hands to get the place spruced up in less than six weeks.
     Why hadn’t she quit work sooner and moved here in January?
    Money. The answer burned in her chest. Because she needed every last penny to get the Footstep on its feet. Mona hung her
     head. “Okay.”
    “What was that?” A teasing edge accompanied Liza’s tone.
    Mona peeked at Liza over her shoulder and sent her a half glare. “We’ll hire a handyman. But only temporarily, and he has
     to be willing to work cheap.”
    “We could offer him lodging. We have the apartment above the garage.”
    Mona turned, rubbing her chin with the back of her hand. “That’s a good idea.” The one-room efficiency had a quaint round
     window that peered over the front yard and a kitchen nook just big enough for the sink, stove, counter, and fridge. Equipped
     with a pullout sofa and a table, it could be the perfect pad for a college student or a nanny. Or a handyman.
    Liza beamed in victory and stuck a hand out to Chuck. He grabbed it and pumped, and Mona realized they had been in cahoots.
    “You double-teamed me,” Mona growled.
    Chuck clamped a wide, gentle hand on her shoulder.“It was the only way to win.” His eyes crinkled when he smiled, and her
     anger