I shouldered my purse. “Especially for ones that talk.”
“Darn.”
“Thought you were gonna get away with it, didn’t you?” I said, tucking her under my arm.
“Well, of course I did.”
We both laughed, and let me tell you, hearing a dog laugh is a funny sound. It’s sort of like a broken-up howl. It was definitely endearing.
On our way to the truck, that darned cat showed us its rump again.
“What is the deal with that feline?” I said.
“One day I’m gonna find out,” Lady told me. “And when I do, that cat’s in for it.”
Lady growled and I patted her head. “There are other battles to fight.”
“Not to me there ain’t.”
I got Lady secured in the car, and within thirty minutes we were at Hadley’s.
Liam saw us pull up and came over to chat, brushing hair from his face along the way. Liam was a classic preppy, good-looking man with blond hair and blue eyes. He was a good guy who would do just about anything for his friends. He had gone through a rough time not long ago, as had we all when Sadie, my business partner and his girlfriend, had been murdered.
We’d all loved Sadie. Even though I discovered that she was skimming money off the books, I still felt a pang of sadness in my heart whenever I thought about her.
Liam placed a hand on my shoulder. “How’re you holding up?”
My stomach tightened in anger. “Let me guess, you know about Tuney Sluggs’s announcement.”
“I’m pretty sure the whole town does. Doesn’t mean that I believe it, though.”
I nodded dumbly.
He tipped my chin toward him. “I don’t, for the record.”
Lady squirmed in my arms, and I placed her on the ground. “Well, it feels like you’re about the only one. I went into town, and everybody there was giving me accusing stares. They all think I’m guilty.”
“Were these people who know you?”
I watched as Lady bounded through the grass. “No.”
“Then they don’t count for much, do they?”
I couldn’t help but snicker. “I guess not.”
“You guess not or know not?”
It was hard, but eventually the words came out. “I know that they don’t count for anything.”
“Good. Now, take a deep breath and let’s go into the barn and I’ll show you what we’ve done so far.”
A weak smile tugged on my lips. “Great. I can’t wait.”
Liam and the crew were ripping out old boards that needed to be replaced and were also setting about gently taking apart the inner walls of the stables. The barn was coming along fast, and it wouldn’t be too many days away before I’d have to get them tile so that it could be laid and countertops so that they could be installed.
I placed my fists on my hips. “Everything is looking so good, Liam. The guys are hard at work.”
He smiled proudly. “I hoped you’d be impressed. This one will move along quickly.”
