Nothing Lasts Forever Read Online Free PDF Page B

reason the dog was on guard tonight, cautious of her surroundings. “Penny,” she cooed. “What’s wrong?”
     
    “Does she always act this way?” Marge asked, her eyes on the dog.
     
    Abby shook her head. “Not always, unless she’s leery of someone or something. It could be she senses some animals out in the surrounding woods.”
     
    Marge grunted. “It’s a good idea to have a guard dog like her with you. Maybe I should get one myself.” She reached over to pet Penny, but the Shepherd sat back on her haunches and a deep growl started in her throat.
     
    “Penny!” Abby got off the chair and kneeled down in front of her. She reached up and placed her hand on either side of Penny’s face. “That’s enough Penny.” Abby reprimanded her some more, but the dog stood her ground.
     
    “Don’t scold her. She’s doing her job,” Marge told her.
     
    “I better take her back to our camp. Thanks for the wine. Good night Marge.”
     
    “Good night dear. Oh by the way, I’m going to do the mansion tour in the afternoon tomorrow if you want to come along. Stop by around 3 and we can go together.”
     
    “Maybe I will. I get done volunteering at 2 so I’ll see you then.” Penny seemed glad to head back to the RV site as they retraced their previous path. The last road ran parallel to the tree-line but Penny acted as if nothing was out there. Her skittishness disappeared after they left Marge’s site, which made Abby wonder why she acted that way. She couldn’t be leery of an old woman, that seemed so weird.
     
    Then Penny began to pull on her leash. Her tail began to wag and a small moan escaped from her throat. The closer they got to the campsite, the more excited she became. She acted that way when Jon would come home after a long day at the center. Jon!
     
    Abby let the leash fall to the ground when she couldn’t contain Penny any longer. The dog bounced towards the bulky figure in front of the RV. Jon sat in the lounge chair, his feet kicked back. Penny jumped on his lap like a little lap dog. The only problem was she was about seventy pounds heavier than one.
     
    Air left his lungs as Jon began to wrestle with her. Abby stood in the dark watching the two, her heart wrenching at the way her dog fell in love with the man she loved. She wanted to jump on him too.
     
    She giggled.
     
    He looked up as she began to run towards the patio. He grinned and shooed Penny as Abby landed on Jon’s lap. She began to roll off but then he pulled her back in to his arms. Her face settled in his chest as he kissed the top of her head. His face lingered there for a moment. She heard him take a deep breath. “I needed this today.” His arms tightened around her.
     
    “What’s wrong love?”
     
    Jon held her, his face nestled in her hair. He let out a deep sigh. “I’m heartbroken.”
     
    Abby leaned back. She reached up to caress his cheek. “What happened?”
     
    “I fell in love today.”
     
    Abby sat up straight as goosebumps began to prickle on her skin! He fell in love with Sallie! Oh God, please, no! She stared at him, unable to utter a word.
     
    Jon rubbed a hand over his jaw. He gritted his teeth and leaned his head back. He began a small swirl of circles with his fingers along the edge of her shoulder. “I watched them perform a craniotomy on a little five year old boy today. You want to know why he had to have this type of surgery?”
     
    Abby nodded her head, his pain raw and open and yet relieved it wasn’t Sallie he fell in love with. Was that selfish at a time like this?
     
    “His mother wasn’t paying attention. She’s a crack whore. While she was high and fucking a man for money, this precious child should’ve been in pre-school. She didn’t have time for that. Instead, she let him wander through the house while she locked herself away in her bedroom and he found his way to the balcony alone. An ice cream truck was driving by and he got so excited, he jumped up on the loose