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“There, that’s good to see you relax a little and laugh and smile. That’s more the way I remember you.”
“I think you just wanted to get your way.”
“No. If I just wanted to get my way, we wouldn’t be here right now. We’d be upstairs in my room.”
She laughed and shook her head, trying to make light of his flirting and pay no attention to it.
At their table she looked over the menu. She selected grilled salmon this time and sipped her cold water while Aaron drank a beer.
“See, it’s good to let go of the problems for at least a brief time. You’ll be more help to others if you can view things with a fresh perspective.”
“I haven’t done much of this. The calls for help have been steady although it’s not like it was at first. We’ve had some really good moments when families found each other. That’s a triumph and joy everyone can celebrate. And it’s touching when pets and owners are reunited. Those are the good moments. Frankly, I’ll be ready to have my peace and quiet back.”
Her phone dinged and she took it out. “Excuse me,” she said as she read the text message and answered it.
Their dinner came and they talked about the houses that were being rebuilt by his company and the families who would eventually occupy them. With Aaron she had a bubbling excitement that took away her appetite. She didn’t want him to notice, so she kept eating small bites slowly. Before she was half-through, she got a call on her phone.
“Aaron—” She shrugged.
“Take the call. I don’t mind.”
She talked briefly and then ended the call. “That’s Mildred Payne. She’s elderly and lives alone. Her family lives in Waco. Her best friend was one of the casualties of the storm. She just called me because her little dog got out and is lost. Mildred’s crying and phoned me because I’ve helped her before. I’m sorry, Aaron, but I have to go help her find her dog.”
He smiled. “Come on. I’ll get the waiter and then I’ll take you and we’ll find the dog.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to be with you and maybe I can help.”
“I need to run to my suite and get my coat.”
“I’ll meet you in the lobby near the front door in five minutes.”
“Thanks.”
“Wouldn’t miss a dog hunt with you for anything,” he said as they parted.
She laughed and rushed to get her coat. When she came back to the lobby, Aaron was standing by the door. He had on a black leather bomber jacket and once again just the sight of him made her breathless.
His car was waiting outside and a doorman held the door for her as Aaron went around to slide behind the wheel. She told him the address and gave him directions. “You’re turning out to be a reliable guy,” she said. “I appreciate this.”
“You don’t know the half about me,” he said in an exaggerated drawl, and she smiled.
“To be truthful, I’m glad I don’t have to hunt for the dog by myself. I do know the dog. It’s a Jack Russell terrier named Dobbin. If you’ll stop at a grocery I’ll run in and get a bag of treats because he’ll come for a doggie treat.”
“I’ll stop, but if we were home and I was in my own car, we wouldn’t have to. My brother has a dog and I keep a bag of treats in the trunk of my car. That dog loves me.”
“Well, so do I,” she said playfully. “You’re willing to hunt for Dobbin.”
“When we find Dobbin, we’ll go back to the Cozy Inn and I’ll show you treats for someone with big blue eyes and long brown hair—”
“Whoa. You just find Dobbin and we’ll all be happy,” she said, laughing. “Seriously, Aaron, I appreciate you volunteering to help. It’s cold and it’s dark out. I don’t relish hunting for a dog, and Dobbin is playful.”
“So am I if you’ll give me half a chance,” he said. She shook her head.
“I’m not giving you a chance at all. Just concentrate on Dobbin.”
“I’ll only be a minute,” he said, pulling into the brightly lit parking lot of a convenience store. He left the engine running with the heater on while he hurried inside. She watched him come out with a bag of treats.
“Thanks again,” she said.
“Hopefully, Dobbin will be back home before we get there. You must get calls for all kinds of problems.”
“I’m glad to help when I can. I’m lucky that my house didn’t have a lot of damage and I wasn’t hurt. Mildred had damage to her house. She’s already had a new roof put on and windows replaced. She has a back room that has to be rebuilt, but she was one of the fortunate ones who got help from her insurance company and had a construction company she’d worked with on other jobs, so she called them right after the storm.”
“That’s the best way. Make the insurance call as soon as possible.”
“It worked for Mildred.” They drove into a neighborhood that had damage but not the massive destruction that had occurred in the western part of Royal. Houses were older, smaller, set back on tree-filled lots. Stella saw the bright beacon of a porch light. “There’s her house where the porch light is on. Mildred is in a block where power got restored within days after the storm. Another help. There she is, waiting for us and probably calling Dobbin.”
“He could be miles away. It’s a cold night and she’s elderly. Get her in where it’s warm and I’ll drive around looking for Dobbin. Hopefully, he loves treats.”
When they reached the house, Aaron turned up the narrow drive. A tall, thin woman with a winter coat pulled around her stood on the porch. She held a sack of dog treats in her hand.
“Thanks again, Aaron. You didn’t know what you were in for when you asked me to eat dinner with you. I’ll get her settled inside and then I’ll probably walk around the block and look. She said he hadn’t been gone long when she called.”
“That’s good because a dog can cover a lot of ground. I have my phone with me. My number is 555-4378.”
“And mine—”
“Is 555-6294,” he said, startling her. “I started to call you a couple of times, but you said you wanted to say goodbye, so I didn’t call,” he said.
That gave her a bigger surprise. She figured he had all but forgotten the night they were together. It was amazing to learn that not only had he thought about calling her, he even knew her phone number from memory. He had wanted to see her again. The discovery made her heart beat faster.
“Stella—”
Startled, she looked around. He had parked and was letting the motor idle. She was so lost in her thoughts, for a moment she had forgotten her surroundings or why they were there. “I’ll see about Mildred,” she said, stepping out and hurrying to the porch as Aaron backed out of the drive.
“Hi, Mildred. I came as quickly as I could.”
“Thank you, Stella. I just knew you would be willing to help.”
“I’m with Aaron Nichols, who is Cole Richardson’s partner. They own one of the companies that has helped so much in rebuilding Royal. Aaron will drive around to search for Dobbin.”
“I appreciate this. He’s little and not accustomed to being out at night.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find him,” Stella said, trying to sound positive and cheerful and hoping they could live up to what she promised. “Let’s go inside where it’s warm and I’ll go look, too. You should get in out of the cold.”
“You’re such a help to everyone and I didn’t know who else to turn to. There was George, my neighbor, but their house is gone now and he and his family are living with his sister.”
They went inside a warm living room with lights turned on.
“You get comfortable and let us look for Dobbin. Just stay in where it’s warm. May I take the bag of treats with me?”
“Of course. Here it is.” Mildred wiped her eyes. “It’s cold for him to be out.” Gray hair framed her long face. She hung her coat in the hall closet and stepped back into the living room.
“I’m going to walk around the block and see if I can find him. Aaron is looking now. We’ll be back in a little while.”
Mildred nodded and followed Stella to the door.
“This is nice of you, Stella. Dobbin is such company for me. I don’t want to lose him.”
“Don’t worry.” She left, closing the door and hurrying down the porch steps. “Dobbin. Here, Dobbin,” she called, rattling the treat sack and feeling silly, thinking Dobbin could be out of Royal by now. She prayed he was close and would come home. No one in Royal needed another loss at a time like this.
“Dobbin?” she called, and whistled, walking past Mildred’s and the lot next door where a damaged house stood dark and empty. The roof was half-gone and a large elm had fallen on the front porch. Away from the lights the area was grim and cold. She made a mental note to check tomorrow about Mildred’s block because she thought this section of town had already had the fallen trees cleared away.
“Dobbin,” she called again, her voice sounding eerie in the silent darkness.
A car came around the corner, headlights bright as it drove toward her. The car slowed when it pulled alongside her and she recognized Aaron’s rental car. He held up a terrier. Thrilled, she ran toward the car. “You have Dobbin?”
“Dobbin is my buddy now. He’s waiting for another treat.”
“Hi, Dobbin,” she said, petting the dog. “Aaron, you’re a miracle man. I’ll meet you on Mildred’s porch.”
“Get in and ride up the drive with me. I’ll hold Dobbin so he doesn’t escape.”
She laughed, thinking it was becoming more and more difficult to try to keep a wall up between them. All afternoon and this evening he had done things to make her appreciate and like him more.
She climbed into the warm car. “I’ll hold Dobbin,” she said. When Aaron released the terrier, he jumped into her lap. Aaron drove up the drive and parked.
“Come in and meet Mildred because she’ll want to thank you.”
“Here, you might as well give Mildred the bag of treats. I’ll carry Dobbin until we get to the door,” Aaron said, taking the dog from her.
On the porch Aaron rang the bell. In seconds the door opened and Mildred smiled. “You found him. Thank you, thank you.” She took the dog from Aaron and the bags of treats from Stella. “Please come in. I’m going to put him in my room and I’ll be right back. Please have a seat.”
When she came back, Stella introduced everyone. “Mildred, this is Aaron Nichols. Aaron, meet Mildred Payne.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am. Dobbin was in the next block, sitting on a porch of a darkened, vacant home as if waiting for a ride home. I had a bag of treats, so he came right to me.”
“Good. He doesn’t like everybody.”
“Mildred, we’re going back. It’s been a long day and I still have some things to do.”
“I wish you could stay. I have cookies and milk.”
“Thanks, but we should go,” Stella said. Mildred followed them onto the porch, thanking them as they left and still thanking them when they got into the car.
“Now you’ve done your good deed for today,” Stella said when he backed down the drive. “It was appreciated.”
“It was easy. I think you’ve become essential to this town.”
“No. I’m just happy to help where help is needed. And I’m just one of many helping out. The Texas Cattleman’s Club has been particularly helpful, and you and Cole have certainly done more than your fair share.”
“Your life may have changed forever because of the storm. I’m surprised you haven’t had job offers from people who saw you on television.”
“Actually, I have from two places. The attorney general’s office in San Angelo has an opening for an administrative assistant and another was a mayor’s office in Tyler that has a position that would have the title of office manager.”
“Are you interested in either one?”
“No, I thanked them and turned them down. My friends are in Royal and I’ve grown up here so I want to stay. Besides, they need me here now.”
“Amen to that. I’m glad you’re staying here because we’ll be working together and maybe seeing each other a little more since we’re both at the Cozy Inn.”
“Did you get your suite changed to the sixth floor?”
“Indeed, I did,” he said. “I’ll show you.”
“I’ll take a rain check.”
“Oh, well, it’s still early. Let’s go have a drink and a dance or two.”
She hesitated for just a moment, torn between what she should do and what she wanted to do.
“You’re having some kind of internal debate, so I’ll solve it. You’ll come with me and we’ll have a drink. There—problem solved. You think you’ll be back in Royal tomorrow night?”
“Yes,” she said, smiling at him.
When they got back to the hotel, Aaron headed for a booth in the bar. The room was darker and cozier than the dining room. There was a small band playing and a smattering of dancers.
Over a chocolate milk shake, she talked to Aaron. They became enveloped in conversation, first about the town and the storm and then a variety of topics. When he asked her to dance, she put him off until later, relieved that it did not come up again.
“Our Texas Cattleman’s Club friends want an update on the progress here. Cole is good about keeping in touch with both groups.”
“I think you’ll be surprised by how much they have rebuilt and repaired,” she replied.
“Good. I’m anxious to see for myself what’s been done.”
“You’ll be surprised by changes all over town.”
Later, she glanced at her watch and saw it was almost one, she picked up her purse. “Aaron, I have to fly out early in the morning. I didn’t know it was so late. I never intended to stay this late.”
“But you were having such a good time you just couldn’t tear yourself away,” he teased, and she smiled at him.
“Actually, it has been a good time and the first evening in a while that has had nothing to do with the storm.”
They headed out to the elevator and rode to the sixth floor. The hallway was empty and quiet as Aaron walked her to her door.
“Let me take you to the airport in the morning and we can get breakfast there.”
