Remaking Morgan by Terry Odell

Author:Terry Odell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery romance, police procedural, small town police, romantic suspense, child prodigies, rescue and shelter dogs, mixed race characters and couples, Oregon, gender identificaton
Publisher: Terry Odell
Published: 2019-09-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

SPEAKING IN SOOTHING tones, Morgan clipped Bailey’s borrowed leash to his borrowed collar. “You’ll get your own pretty collar when Cole comes by. And a nice leash, too.”

Bailey stood poised on the edge of the seat.

“Come on, Bailey. This is your new home, boy. It’s not much now, but you’ve hit the jackpot with creature comforts. It’ll be crazy while they fix things up, but when it’s done, the two of us will have great times together.”

He tilted his head and pricked up his ears. Then, he jumped onto the ground with no indication of pain.

“Atta boy, Bailey. Let’s take a walk around the grounds.” The vet had said to use his name often, and he seemed to be responding.

Bailey explored, sniffed, and marked his new territory. When they approached the spot where she’d found him trapped in the shrubbery, she wondered what he’d do, but he’d either forgotten or didn’t care.

Inside the house, she let him off the leash and watched as he explored. Was he housebroken? Derrick hadn’t been sure. The dog sniffed, moved from room to room downstairs, but didn’t pee. Maybe he’d had an indoor life somewhere in his past.

“Want to sit outside, Bailey?” Morgan carried the quilt she and Cole had used for their indoor picnic to the front yard and spread it on the patchy grass and sat. The clinic had played classical music in the kennel area, so she opened her music library. After several long moments staring at the screen, she tapped shuffle and the classical playlist. If she’d never wanted to hear classical music again, she wouldn’t have put it on her phone.

A lump expanded in her throat, as Debussy’s “Arabesque” flowed from the speaker.

Tears she couldn’t hold back flowed down her cheeks.

Bailey gave another head tilt, then lay down beside her and rested his head on her thigh. She rubbed him gently behind the ears.

It’s been long enough. You can enjoy the music again. Associate it with good things. With Bailey. New Life on Elm Street, right?

Cole drove up a few minutes later. Bailey’s head lifted, and he looked at her as if to ask if she was all right, if he should ward off the intruder. Wiping her eyes, Morgan rose to her feet. “It’s okay, Bailey. He’s a friend.”

Cole got out of his car, looked her way, then jogged over. “Are you all right?”

She swiped at her eyes again. “Fine. Memory tears.”

With a skeptical gaze, Cole went to his car and started unloading Bailey’s supplies.

Morgan, Bailey’s leash looped over her wrist, rushed to help. “See, Bailey. I told you you’d have more things than you know what to do with.”

“Where do you want it all?” Cole asked.

“Living room will do for now. We’ll be moving things around once the repairs get underway.”

“You hire anyone yet?”

“Been busy,” she said. “Boxes are all sorted. Getting references and quotes for the repairs and the fence is next on my to-do list.”

“Anything good in the boxes?” Cole hefted a forty-pound bag of dog food onto his shoulder and moved toward the door.

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