He stilled, and I held him there, hand still inches from my face. It was all I could do not to press back into his palm and rub against him like a cat, begging for his attention.
Instead, my eyes searched his, melting into his hot chocolate gaze as courage stalled halfway up my chest.
Tell him. Take a chance,my heart whispered.He’s worth the risk.
The surprise in Toby’s eyes faded into an ache, an ache I recognized because I felt it too. It was part hope, part pain—the ache of almost. Two people who were so close yet still so far away.
“Toby,” I whispered, this time refusing to give up.
The hope in his eyes glowed brighter than the pain, and I parted my lips to confess ten years of secrets…
“Archer!” My name reverberated through the quiet room like a bullet, shattering the fragile moment around us like glass.
We jolted apart, the hand that had been holding him burning like I’d been on fire. Heart galloping, I swung around to look for the source of the interruption, wondering why I never noticed how loud the world had become.
“Archer,” Mom called again, not even realizing she’d just interrupted what could have been a moment to define the rest of my life. “Come quick. It’s Marlowe!”
The mention of my dog brought my head up. “What happened to Marlowe?”
“He’s run off,” Mom announced, wringing her hands in front of her. “I’ve looked everywhere. I’ve called to him. I even?—”
“Mom.” My voice was firm, just like the hands I used to grab her shoulders. “It’s okay. Tell me what happened.”
After a stilted breath, Mom shook her head. “You know he’s been pretty restless about being cooped up, not able to run around with you because of his paw.”
I felt Toby move closer to my side, but I didn’t look away from Mom. “Yeah.”
“Well, he was upset when you left tonight, and he ran off.” She started fretting again, wringing her hands while her eyes filled with tears. “I tried to catch him. He’s just so quick. And the farm is so big. He wouldn’t even come back when I offered him treats.”
Okay, so he was on the farm. Probably running all the usual places he liked to explore but hadn’t been able to with his injured paw.
“I’m sorry.” Mom grieved. “Oh, it’s all my fault. I should have watched him better.”
“No.” I was steady. “It’s not your fault,” I vowed. “I knew he was getting cabin fever. I should have known he might do this.”
I should have brought him with me, but I’d hesitated because it was rude to bring an animal into a professional kitchen.
“I know you’re busy, but it’s already dark and cold. It’s supposed to snow again, and his paw…” Mom’s voice trailed off, her eyes wide.
“You did the right thing, Mrs. Hodge,” Toby said, stepping into the conversation effortlessly.
“Connie.” She corrected him even as she sniffled.
“Connie,” Toby repeated. “Of course you had to come. Please don’t worry. We’ll go find him right away.”
“We?” I questioned, already on my way to the door.
“Of course,” Toby said, hurrying after me. “We’ll find him faster if there are more of us looking. Besides, I’ll need to check his paw to make sure he didn’t injure it again.”
Worry coursed through me and quickened my feet. The possibility that he ran off and hurt himself again (or worse)hadn’t even occurred to me. But now that it had, it seemed more urgent than before to find him.
“I’m driving,” I announced.
Toby didn’t even argue, and we ran out into the dark, wintry night to search for my missing dog.
13
Toby
