Rowdy let out an excited bark, her tail swishing from hip to hip. Ryder chuckled. “Like to fish, girl?” he asked, but her nose was already lifting skyward to the seagull.
Kinley nodded at the shepherd. “She’s really enjoying herself. Too bad you can’t keep her.”
Turning away to set his own pole, Ryder shook out his shoulders in a feeble attempt to shed the tension and his sudden frown. “I don’t know if I’m ready for a dog,” he said. “Especially one that’s as big a bed hog asthisone.” Last night, he’d made no less than three attempts to keep the bed to himself. He’d made Rowdy a perfectly comfortable bed on the floor out of old blankets and a cheap comforter.
“You let her sleep on the bed?”
“Why does that surprise you?”
Kinley gave him a look that said it all.
“It’s not like Ilether. She decided my bed was more enticing than the one I created for her. I gave up after the third time.” He discovered Rowdy was an expert at ninja-crawling into bed. He had no clue how long she’d cuddled against him each time before he woke up.
“Shelikesyou.”
Ryder flashed Kinley a smirk. “Can you blame her?”
As he talked Kinley through baiting her circle hook and letting her line freespool into the deep water, he found himself more relaxed than he’d been in weeks. Months, maybe. She’d always had that effect on him when they were younger. Nothing ever felt tense or awkward between them.
“You look lost in thought, Officer Grant.” A teasing sparkle danced across her eyes. “Deepthought.”
Despite his best efforts to forget what Chase said yesterday at the fire hall, Ryder couldn’t shake his words. If there ever was a chance for him to see what could be with Kinley—She’s not staying. “Thinking about the past, that’s all.”
“I heard what happened,” she said, the sparkle fading, compassion replacing it. “With Mercedes.”
Ryder turned his back to her, taking his time with the rig and bait. Though the urge to avoid the subject altogether tugged at him, he decided for once not to give in. “Have you ever stood in front of a crowded church when everyone turns to see the bride approach? That bridal march plays. And plays. And plays. Slowly, every one of those heads turns to the front of the church instead, as if they expect the groom to know why no one ever walks down that aisle?”
“That wasn’t fair of her, Ryder.”
“I know. I should’ve seen it coming. How she was always talking about her dream to be a famous actress. Never mind that shenever oncetalked about taking any specific action to make it happen, until that note she left behind. And no, she didn’t clean out my bank account. I know that’s the most popular rumor. She did help herself to a healthy portion of what was in there, though.”
“You never reported the money stolen?” Her question held more curiosity than judgment. A refreshing change from what he’d endured from people in town.
Ryder shook his head. It felt oddly therapeutic to talk about this with someone who wasn’t there that day. Someone who hadn’t had the time to create their own exaggerated version of events or make unfair assessments. He missed this easy friendship with Kinley; dreaded losing it already. He didn’t examine those feelings too closely. “Do you want to know the ironic thing of it all?”
“What’s that?”
“She left me her engagement ring.” The stupidity of what he did still haunted him. He looked out across the blue waters, wishing he could take that one thing back. “The ring was worth more than twice what she took.”
“She didn’t pawn it?”
“No.” Ryder offered his hand to Rowdy’s insistent nudging nose, not surprised with the extra sniffing that followed. He’d washed his hands after baiting his hook, but it wasn’t enough to remove all traces. “She left it behind formeto pawn. Her one act of kindness in such a—”
“Craptastic situation?” Kinley offered.
Ryder huffed a laugh. “Exactly.”
“Do you still have it?”
“Nope.” He nodded toward the water. “I threw it in the ocean.”
Kinley’s expression morphed from blank, to shocked, to amused. Her light laughter offended him at first, but the more it grew, the harder it was to resist. He joined in, the two of them laughing so hard his belly ached when they were finally through. He spotted the tears that sprang to the corners of her eyes. When he caught his breath, he said, “If I’d kept the stupid ring, I’d have a bigger boat.”
“What’s wrong with this one?” she asked.
“It doesn’t have a cabin, for one.”
Kinley raised a challenging eyebrow at that. “You have a hard time taking a day off work, from what I hear. What on earth would you do with a cabin on a boat? Don’t feed me some line about spending a week or two out on the water.”
