said a quick thank you to the Almighty for the idea and grabbed the phone again, dialed the number she’d memorized ages ago—and stomped on the gas.
Chapter Two
“Here’s our very own TV star!” Georgia said when Lily walked into the diner. “Does your dad know what got you on the evening news this time?”
“No, thankfully.” Lily plopped onto a stool at the counter and sighed. “But I’ll have to keep him away from television, at least ’til this whole ‘daring rescue’ nonsense is old news.”
Georgia clucked her tongue. “In all fairness to the reporters, from what I saw, you did risk your life to save that mutt.”
Shrugging, Lily rolled her eyes. “I borrowed a rowboat and paddled to the middle of Lake Meredith. Hardly what I’d call life-threatening.”
“Yeah. Right. Without knowing if the dog was vicious, or diseased.” She punctuated her opinion with a haughty harrumph. The redhead aimed a bony forefinger at Lily. “You can’t fool an old fool, so quit tryin’, girlie!”
Then Georgia’s brow furrowed. “How’d the soggy ol’ fleabag get out in the middle of the lake in the first place?”
Grinning, Lily shrugged again. Leave it to Georgia to put a brand-new spin on things. “Near as anyone can figure, she fell off a boat. When her leash got tangled in a buoy wire, she couldn’t get loose.” She frowned. “Guess her collar fell off in the struggle. Weird thing is, none of the boaters on the lake claimed her.”
“Maybe she didn’t fall. Maybe somebody tossed her overboard.”
Lily gasped. “Why would anyone do such a horrible thing! Especially considering she’s a beautiful, well-behaved, intelligent golden retriever.”
“Maybe she has the mange.”
“There isn’t a single solitary thing wrong with her. She’s positively perfect.”
Georgia leaned closer and whispered beside a cupped palm. “Maybe she witnessed a murder and the killer had to get rid of her so she couldn’t identify him.”
Lily laughed. “That would be pretty spectacular, even for a dog as smart as Missy.”
“Oh, ho! Don’t be so quick to judge. I read a novel where a dog could communicate by spelling stuff, using Scrabble tiles. Now that was one brilliant canine.” She narrowed her eyes. “Hey, wait just a minute. Did you call her ‘Missy’?”
Lily nodded.
“I thought she didn’t have a collar.”
Another shrug. “She didn’t. But, how she got into the lake, who owns her, her medical history—it’s all a mystery. So I called her Miss-Terry.”
“Miss-Terry, I get it,” Georgia said. “Missy for short.” Then she added, “Not the smartest move you’ve ever made.”
Lily held up one hand. “I know, I know. If I do find her family, it’ll be harder to give her up now, because I named her.” But then, it always was hard to give up an animal once she’d rehabilitated it. Eagles and hawks, lizards and snakes, fawns…it didn’t matter what species; Lily inevitably went through a period of mourning when her work with the animal was done.
She glanced at Georgia’s cast. “What’s this I hear about your leg not healing properly, about your needing surgery?”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“One of the park rangers is married to your doctor’s receptionist. She called on his cell phone while we were debating how to save Missy. He mentioned my name, and she wanted to know if I was the girl who used to waitress at Georgia’s Diner. I said no, that was my sister, Cammi. And she asked if he’d heard about your leg.”
Georgia stared in silence for a moment. “Well, I guess it’s true what they say.”
“Bad news travels like wildfire?”
“’Zactly.”
“So,” Lily pressed, “what does the doctor hope to accomplish with an operation?”
It was Georgia’s turn to shrug. “Oh, who knows? Robert probably wants to do it so he can pay off that fancy sports car of his.” Chuckling, she added, “Either that, or he wasn’t kidding when he said the bone isn’t knitting like it’s supposed to.” She shook her head. “Says he’ll have to put a pin or two in there, hold things in place.”
Lily patted her hand. “I’ll add you to my prayer list. That’ll get the job done.” She gave Georgia a look. “‘Robert’?”
Georgia blushed but ignored the question. “So tell me, what brings you to town? It isn’t like you to stay away from your menagerie so long.”
“Well,” Lily began, looking left and right, “I wanted to run an idea by you. If you agree, maybe I can solicit your help.”
“Oooh,” the woman said, rubbing both hands together. “Sounds like a conspiracy. Count me in!”
“Hear me out, first. You might decide it’s the worst idea since Custer took his last stand.”
“Then, time’s a-wastin’, girl. Spit it out!”
Lily told Georgia about her plan to unite the golden retriever with Nate. “Missy has such a sweet-natured temperament. If Max will allow it, she’d be great company for Nate.”
Georgia pursed her lips, chin resting on a bent forefinger, considering the idea. “Y’know, I think you’re right.” She met Lily’s eyes. “There’s plenty of space in my apartment, even for a dog Missy’s size. It’s just the three of us, after all, rattling around in six big rooms.” She nodded. “I think it’s a terrific idea. That poor li’l guy hasn’t had it easy, being alone with Max since his mama died.”
The mere mention of Max’s wife made Lily bristle, waking feelings of jealousy. She felt petty and silly, too, because Max had never so much as given her the time of day. “If I’m not being too personal, how did his…” She struggled to get the word out. “How did his wife die?”
“Killed herself. Pills.”
Georgia said it so matter-of-factly, Lily didn’t know how to react. “Suicide? But, why?” With a man like Max for a husband, and a son as great as Nate, why would any woman in her right mind—
“She never was wrapped too tight,” Georgia said as if she’d read Lily’s mind. “A bubble off plumb, as my daddy used to say.” She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “I told Max she’d be trouble, but would he listen? Nooo. He had to be the big brave hero, try and rescue her.”
“From what?”
“That’s just it. The girl was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her mama took her to New York every summer, to outfit her for school. She’d do just about anything to be the center of attention. Guess when li’l Nate came along and stole her thunder, she just plain couldn’t handle it.” Crossing both arms over her chest, Georgia shook her head. “Spoiled brat, if you ask me.”
“Did she…did she leave a note?”
“But, of course.” Sarcasm rang loud in Georgia’s voice. “How better to command center stage again, even if it had to be from the grave! She made good and sure Max would spend the rest of his life blaming himself for her death. And so far, she’s succeeded.”
“What do you mean, she succeeded?”
“First, he hasn’t been out on a date since before he met her. And second, he won’t go anywhere or do anything that might even hint at having fun. As if that’s not bad enough, he’s totally given up on God.”
Well, that explained the ever-so-serious expression on his handsome face. Explained his stern attitude toward Nate, too. “Sad,”