Page 10 of No Good Deed

“Only one way to find out.”

The little bulldog proved he could trot along at a good pace as they left the B&B and walked to the corner to turn onto Phail Way. The tiny blue plaid coat he wore made Troy grin every time he looked down at him.

When they turned the corner, he shifted into tour guide mode. “Jim and Carl’s B&B is on the south end of town. There are quite a few side streets that come off Phail Way and turn into quiet residential neighborhoods. Most of the houses are typical middle-class homes. We’ve got a mix of styles depending on when they were built. Sadly, a lot of people have moved away, and many homes are sitting empty.”

“Why did people leave?”

Troy shrugged. “Mostly for better-paying jobs and wider opportunities. I want to build the town in ways that give people more opportunities to stay. And I’d like to create something that makes the town unique.”

Piper nodded beside him as Oreo examined some bushes. “Do you have any ideas in that direction already?”

Troy shook his head. “Not really. Tansy and Joe, who own the Midnight Lake property, have cousins in a town called Bloo Moose. The town has a boardwalk along the edge of the town and the lake. And they have these huge moose statues along the boardwalk and in front of some businesses. The moose wear costumes and hold gear appropriate to the businesses.”

Piper laughed. “That sounds amazing. I’ll look that up and see if we can get some ideas from their town. Indoor and outdoor gathering spaces are good ways to build community within an area. Do you have anything like that here already?”

Troy shook his head. “No. And we don’t have an obvious point of interest yet. If we can develop some ideas for that, it would be a great starting point.”

She gave him a small smile. “Any inclination to change the town's name to something with a happier connotation?”

That made him smile. “Nope. My ancestors named it, and I won’t be the one to tell them they didn’t do a good job.”

“I figured it must be something like that, but I had to ask.”

“We have a good sense of humor about the name, so it’s got to stick.”

She nodded as they walked along. He enjoyed walking and chatting with this woman who interested him. Even if he didn’t plan to follow through on the feelings, it was nice.

He pointed out the doctor’s office and yoga studio, along with the firehall and the nearby I-Phail water tower. That had her laughing. “I see you’re right about the sense of humor. That’s definitely something to work with.”

Across the street were a few empty buildings that had once been businesses. He hated the reminder that the town had seen better days and that he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

They’d almost reached Phail General when Oreo barked twice. He circled the sidewalk and promptly curled up into a ball. Piper squatted down to pat the little dog. “Are you trying to tell me that’s enough of a walk for you?”

Her voice held amusement, not annoyance. Another check in the plus column, as if the woman needed any more. There were already too many for Troy’s peace of mind.

Piper scooped up Oreo and bundled him in her arms. The dog sighed happily and promptly fell asleep.

Snow had been falling on and off most of the day and it started up again as they turned back to the B&B. She smiled at Troy. “I can find my way back if you have something else to do.”

His head shake was automatic. “Not a chance.” He unzipped his jacket. “Why don’t you put Oreo in here? He’s not huge, but he’ll be heavy for you after a bit.”

She unclipped his harness and they popped the dog into the warm space between Troy’s body and the jacket. And if he enjoyed Piper’s hands on him in the most innocent of ways, it couldn’t be helped.

Oreo squirmed a bit and then stuck his head out of the front, making Piper laugh again. “Look at how cute you are? Do you like being snuggled up with Troy?”

Her cheeks immediately flushed, and her mouth rounded as she caught the innuendo in her words. Troy liked both the innuendo and her reaction. He wanted nothing more than to lean down and capture that pretty mouth in a kiss, but he refrained for all the reasons he’d been listing all day.

He was paying for this woman’s expertise. He needed her help and had asked her to come to town for a job. Starting up something with her in those circumstances would make him a creep.

Why did it have to be this woman who made him want more?

CHAPTER 5

Prepare To Phail

Piper slowed her steps as they walked back to the B&B. The man snuggling her temporary dog to his chest fascinated her. He was intelligent, kind, and sexier than any man she’d spent time with. She wanted to extend that time, even if she didn’t plan to take things further. She wasn’t a woman who could jump into sex without investing her heart.

Her heart might be softening for Troy, but her head couldn’t forget she was only in Phail for two weeks.

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