The Cop, the Puppy and Me by Cara Colter

Author:Cara Colter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

“I CAN’T believe you talked him into coming,” Mabel Winston, chair of the Summer Fest Market Place committee, said.

Sarah let her eyes drift to where Sullivan was in deep discussion with Fred Henry, head of the Fourth of July fireworks team, and Barry Bushnell, head of organizing the opening day parade. She felt a little shiver of pure appreciation.

“He’s even better in real life than he was on the video,” Maryanne Swarinsky, who was in charge of the Fourth of July Picnic Committee, said in a hushed tone.

The whispered comment echoed Sarah’s thoughts exactly. Oliver Sullivan was simply a man who had a commanding presence. It was more than his physical stature, and it was more than the fact he was a policeman.

He radiated a confidence in his ability to handle whatever life threw at him. He was that man, the one you wanted with you when the ship went down, or the building burst into flames. The one who would be coolly composed if bullets were flying in the air around him, if he had his back against the wall and the barbarians were rushing at him with their swords drawn.

But he had shared with her that he did not feel he had handled something life had thrown at him. Sarah shivered again, thinking how truly terrible it must be. Wishing she had been able to relieve him of some of that burden.

But she had noticed, as soon as he had entered the room, there had been a sudden stillness. Then all the men had gravitated to him and all the women had nearly swooned.

“Just look at the way that dog is glued to him,” Candy McPherson, who was running the old-fashioned games day, said. “You know, maybe we should have a dog show. Just a few categories. Cutest dog. Cutest owner. That sort of thing.”

There was no doubt, from her tone, that Candy had already picked the cutest owner.

“We already have six events planned over the four days,” Sarah said. “That’s more than enough. Maybe we’ll look at some kind of dog event for next year.”

Candy looked stubborn. “I could fit it into the games day, somehow.”

“Is he going to take the dog?” Maryanne asked her.

Sarah glanced over at Sullivan again. The dog, worn out from his morning activities, or just plain worn out from adoring his hero, snoozed contentedly, his head on Sullivan’s feet.

Sarah was amazed by what she was seeing in Sullivan. She wasn’t sure what she had expected when he met the committee members. Cynicism, possibly. Remoteness, certainly.

But the playful morning with the dog seemed to have lightened him up. Sullivan looked relaxed and open.

Or maybe it was just hard to keep yourself at a distance when you were surrounded by people like these: open, friendly, giving by nature.

Unaware how intently he was being watched, Sullivan reached down and gave the dog’s belly a little tickle.

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