He spun around guiltily when Janey spoke from the doorway.
"Hey, Emmett, can you just—" She stopped."Oh, wait, are you leaving already?"
He cleared his throat."Yeah.I need to get out of here today.I—"
Janey stepped into his office with a puzzled smile."I think you should stay here and work."
His heart started to pound.Did she know where he was going?Did she think it was a bad idea?He relaxed a little when she laughed and added, "I know the girls are away this weekend — which means you're going to head home and do all the spring cleaning you can while they're not under your feet.Right?"
He stared at her.
That was exactly what he should do and he knew it.But he wasn't going to tell her what he had planned instead.
She raised her eyebrows."Why do you look so guilty?I hope it's because you intend to go home and take a nap and not clean anything."
He smiled at that."You know, that's not a bad idea."
"It's a wonderful idea, even if I do say so myself.But before you go — do you mind coming to look at something with me?"
"What is it?"he asked.He felt bad when she looked a little embarrassed.
"It's probably nothing, but I just want you to reassure me that it's not something."
"Where are we going?"he asked as he followed her outside.
"To check the window to my office."
"Why, what's wrong with it?"He'd had all new windows fitted on the clinic building a couple of years ago and was hoping the units weren't starting to fail already.
"There's nothing exactly wrong with it, but I was out here earlier walking one of the puppies who's in for observation and I noticed this."She reached up and pointed to where the window opened."See that?"
Emmett stepped closer.He ran his fingers over a gouge in the frame.
"What do you think it is?"Janey asked.
"I don't know," he said after a moment.He didn't want to tell her what he really thought.He should have known better, though — Janey was nobody's fool.
"Do you think someone tried to break in?"
"Hopefully not," was the only honest answer he could give.
She blew out a sigh.
"The alarm system's all hooked up," he reassured her.
"I know.It just worries me — if someone does get in, all the animals who are here overnight are going to be terrified."
He smiled through pursed lips."Are you just trying to persuade me again that we need a pair of Rottweilers living here?"
"Oh—" She grinned."I'd forgotten about that idea.But you can't say it's a bad one, can you?I heard there was a break-in at Parker Johnson's place up by Great Falls last week.Apparently, they cleaned out his whole ketamine supply."
Emmett pursed his lips.Rural veterinarians had become a real target for the drug trade in the last couple of years.
"I think we're safe out here," he told her."But if it worries you that much, maybe we should get those Rottweilers.Or German Shepherds — whoever's most territorial."
She laughed."You shouldn't have said that.I'm going to spend my whole weekend checking the shelters."
"Don't spend your whole weekend doing it.And tell Rocket I apologize — but it's not really my fault."
