Baby, Hold On Read Free Page B

quite as powerful as the previous storm, but by all rights, it should’ve done some serious damage.”
    “It didn’t?”
    “Only minor stuff—a testament to how structurally sound the new buildings are. The training facility is as solid as a bunker.” His voice resonated with pride.
    “You’re happy here, I can tell,” Mike offered.
    Barry didn’t bother hiding his grin. “I am. If I hadn’t come back after my injury, I wouldn’t have met Lora again, or become reacquainted with the Armstrong brothers. They donated the land to build the dog training center on the condition that I would run the place. I feel like I hit the jackpot.”
    “You’ve worked for everything you’ve got, and sacrificed more than a man should have to. You deserve a good life.”
    “Thanks,” Barry said. “What about you?”
    “What about me?”
    “Anyone special back in Columbus?”
    Columbus, Georgia, was where Mike was stationed at Fort Benning. “No. You know how it is—too busy, and the travel is erratic.” And now he was too worried about Sheridan to even consider a serious relationship. He was afraid if he took his eye off his dog for even a few minutes, Sheridan would slide further away.
    “All I know is that one of these days, a woman is going to bring you to your knees.”
    “Hey, just because Lora has you in a bind doesn’t mean you have to wish it on me.”
    “Lora has me exactly where I want to be,” Barry said with a goofy grin. “You should be so lucky. Aren’t you up for reenlistment soon?”
    “Six months,” Mike confirmed.
    “I hear they’re offering nice bonuses.”
    “Yep.”
    “What do you think you’ll do?”
    Mike took another drink of water. “I might reclass.”
    Barry’s eyes widened. “Change your specialty? Give up dog handling?”
    Mike shrugged. “Maybe it’s time for a change.”
    “You’re letting this situation with Sheridan get to you. If he doesn’t return to service, it has nothing to do with your ability as a handler.”
    Mike worked his mouth back and forth. “Maybe it’s a sign.”
    Barry gave a little laugh. “Now who sounds eccentric? You and Lacey Lovejoy might have more in common than you think. Come on, old man, pick up the pace!”
    Dismayed by his buddy’s comment, Mike dug in, glad to suddenly be running too fast to necessitate a reply.
    * * *
    By the time he walked through the door of Molly’s Diner for breakfast, Mike had almost put his conversation with Barry out of his mind. He and Lacey Lovejoy had nothing in common.
    The thought was reinforced when he spied her sitting at the counter, chatting with the bald cook, Clancey. Indeed, the woman was hard to miss, since she resembled a parrot with a perm. Inexplicably rankled, he took a seat at the opposite end and buried his face in a menu. But even from here, he could hear her tinkling laugh as she and the man discussed the similarities between, of all things, men and dogs. From the cook’s conversation, he was obviously gay, and the two were having a grand time one-upping each other with their jokes, prompting supportive comments from other customers sitting nearby, mostly single women.
    “He’ll do anything for a treat,” Lacey said.
    “He’ll bury his bone anywhere,” Clancey interjected, to uproarious laughter.
    “He barks when another dog comes into his yard.”
    “He’s loyal when you’re around, but roams when you’re gone.”
    “He sniffs all your friends,” Lacey added, eliciting a burst of applause.
    Mike frowned, not amused at the woman’s sense of humor. He glanced at his watch. Besides, didn’t she have a business to run? Maybe she wasn’t as much in demand as she was purported to be. Maybe she was all smoke and mirrors. Thankfully, the volley ended when Clancey returned to the grill, allowing Mike to peruse the blue plate special in relative peace.
    “Good morning.”
    He looked up to see Lacey standing there, in living Technicolor—a flowing turquoise skirt, a yellow peasant