to get some breathing room.
And the giggles slowly died out as Sarah regarded her and the intruder. “Gotta go. Call you later,” she said as she hung up the phone.
Before Sarah could ask or Rebecca could explain, the man said, “Cole Ferguson. I’m here about the job.” He slid the crumpled newspaper on top of the stack of applications and stepped away quickly. One hand ran absentmindedly over his closely cropped hair and he glanced down at Bub. The dog rested against his leg and yawned.
Everyone but Cole Ferguson relaxed a fraction. Rebecca met Sarah’s stare over the desk as Sarah mouthed, “Good people.”
Anxious to get this guy back to wherever he came from so that she could regain her composure, Rebecca said, “I’ve explained the situation. Mr. Ferguson was just leaving.” She raised her eyebrows at him and held a hand out toward the door in case he needed a prompt. He wasn’t listening this time, either.
Cole Ferguson hadn’t moved a centimeter when Jen Neil burst into the tiny office. “I’m telling you, she’s got a business degree and experience with fund-raising. Why would we look for anyone else?” When she realized she was interrupting a conversation already in progress, Jen frowned. “Who’s he?”
“He’s interested in the job,” Rebecca said, “but he’s just leaving.” The way his feet were planted made it clear he wasn’t budging.
Sarah waved a hand. “We’ve got the time. Tell us about your experience. It’s obvious the physical part of the work will be no challenge.” She coughed and then smiled brightly. “And I don’t think we have the right candidate in this stack. No pets, Jen. Your sure bet has no pets, not one to tell me about.” Sarah tapped the last question on the application. “How long is she going to be happy around here? The suit she was wearing when she brought in her application? Had to cost at least eight hundred dollars. Believe me, I know. If it were older, it could be my old suit snagged from the consignment shop. But this place is dog hair and cat scratches and wash-and-wear wardrobe. I need someone who can do more than make phone calls and look pretty.”
“I guess you think you’ve got that covered.” Jen raised an eyebrow.
Sarah stuck her tongue out and they both smiled. Rebecca wasn’t sure whether Jen and Sarah were going to murder each other or run off to lunch together most days. After a rocky past, the two of them were tied together by two great loves: Will Barnes—Jen’s stepbrother, Sarah’s boyfriend and the man charged with matching their lottery winnings with worthy causes—and the need to rescue every stray in the Holly Heights vicinity.
Cole folded both hands in front of him and assumed an impressive, perfectly rigid posture. Did he have military experience?
“I worked with a program for three years. It’s called Prison Partners. We trained rescue dogs from local shelters in basic obedience so that they could be adopted.” He cleared his throat.
Prison? Rebecca did her best not to gasp and point, but her instincts had been right. There was no way they could hire a criminal.
He glanced around the room and rolled his shoulders.
“So that means you were in prison?” Jen asked, her eyebrows set in a firm, disapproving line.
Jen was the one who was convinced Rebecca would lose her millions to the first grifter who came along. Even if Sarah wanted to give the guy a chance, Rebecca and Jen could send him on his way.
Being aligned with cynical Jen was a new, unsettling experience.
“Yes. Just got out,” Cole said in a rough voice. “Aggravated assault. Tried to rob a gas station.” Whatever else he intended to say was swallowed as he clenched his teeth and returned to painfully correct posture.
Sarah tilted her head to the side. “Yeah, it’s coming back to me now. I vaguely remember my father telling me all about it. Your grandmother cleaned our house for a while.”
Awkward silence filled the room until Bub heaved a disgusted sigh.
Everyone took a breath.
“Yeah. I imagine a lot of people in Holly Heights could say that.” Cole tipped his chin up.
“Good character. That was one of the qualifications,” Rebecca said, and pointed at the crumpled newspaper. “Remember? Trustworthy, honest.” Not that there was any way to tell the character of any of the other applicants, but at least they didn’t have prison experience.
“Yeah, well...seems you’re the second criminal I’ve met,” Sarah said with a shrug. “Big Bobby Hillman’s headed for lockup as soon as the police track him down. Surely it won’t be much longer.”
Sarah had gotten pretty desperate for an update on her father. He’d embezzled money from his businesses and disappeared. The Austin police had been getting closer, but Hollister, the Austin detective who’d hounded her for so long, was no longer answering her calls.
Cole’s posture relaxed. She, Stephanie and Jen had all changed their minds about Sarah Hillman since they’d gotten involved in Paws for Love. Apparently, understanding they had something close to being in common changed Cole’s perception, too.
“Nobody was hurt in the robbery. Do I remember that right?” Sarah asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I did a stupid thing, but I’ve learned a lot since. I made a promise. No more trouble. Getting this job would help me keep it.” Cole shifted back and forth and managed to make eye contact with everyone in the room except Rebecca. Bub gave his hand a slurp.
Something about the way his lips softened changed his whole face. Broody disappeared, replaced by humor and affection.
“We haven’t even interviewed the others yet,” Rebecca said. “What if there’s the perfect person in that stack?” She held up both hands. “I’ll get an application. If you measure up, we’ll call you back.” Offering a compromise wasn’t the best solution here, but he wasn’t leaving otherwise.
“Listen...” Cole stopped. His hands tightened into fists. “I know a guy with a record seems like a bad bet. Let me show you what I can do.”
Sarah rested her elbows on the desk. “What did you have in mind?”
Cole straightened his shoulders, as if his confidence grew the closer they got to real work. “Show me your biggest headache. Give me an hour. I’ll have him sitting on command.” He patted his pockets. “But I’ll need some dog treats.”
If he was the kind of guy who made it a policy to always carry dog treats, Sarah would hire him then and there. The former mean girl had a weak spot the size of Texas for her animals.
“Our biggest headache barks when he’s happy, sad, excited or bored, chews on everything that sits still for two seconds, has the attention span of a two-year-old and is the sweetest beagle you’ll ever met,” Jen drawled.
“Wait a minute. The deadline for applications was Friday.” Rebecca held up a hand, the breathlessness hitting again as Cole turned to study her. “We’ve got plenty of candidates.”
“You know how much I love rules, Rebecca.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “Besides, if he can do what he says he can, I want to see it.” She held out a hand to urge them all out into the hallway. “Cole, I believe it’s time you met Freddie. If you want a test to prove your skill, he’s your dog.”
GETTING WHAT HE wanted when he’d set out on foot from the trailer park that morning made Cole feel good. Every step he’d taken to get to Paws for Love had been a sweaty, exhausting battle between his will and his fear.
Walking two miles in the hot sun was enough to force a man to concentrate on what mattered.
“Here’s our cat room,” Sarah said as they passed two large windows. Cats of all colors