Page 70 of No Good Deed

Her eyebrows zoomed up. “Good for me. Strange that I helped you with it, yet I have no idea what it is.”

He danced them over to the back door and then led her to the back porch. The stars and the crescent moon were enough to see the barn and the fields beyond. “You opened up my mind to some possibilities. Levi, who we call Oz, is a farmer at heart. He grew up in Kansas growing corn and baling hay.”

“You want him to start a farm here?”

“If he wants to. I was thinking more about hops than corn, though.”

“Hops?”

He grinned at her. “Hops. That barn back there should have room to contain a brewery. And the saloon can be refurbished to its former glory. It won’t need a name changed, although Phailed Saloon has a nice ring to it.” He waited to see what she would think. Hoped she would agree. Her instant smile had his nerves settling.

“It’s perfect. It’s exactly the kind of gathering place this town needs. You’ve got the No Fail Diner for the mornings, and the gossip runs. But you’ve had nothing for the evenings. It’s going to take a lot of work if you’re going to refurbish the saloon, the barn, and this house, as well as demolish those buildings on Phail Way.”

Troy shrugged. “It will take some time, but there’s no rush. Your ideas have already excited everyone in town. They’re all going to pitch in and help where they can. Everyone helped when Lia wanted to open Doc’s. They’ll do it again. We can hire Aisling from Midnight Lake when we need an expert, but between Sean and the other guys, we’ll have a lot of the grunt work covered.”

“You still haven’t told me how the other two fit into your grand plan.”

“Heath’s call sign is Slick and the name’s appropriate. He can be the frontman for the business. He’s never met a person he can’t charm, but he’s genuine, not slimy. He’s got a degree in business, runs some kind of financial empire, and he’d be a great asset.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“And Garrett. Scooby’s a quiet guy who loves animals. He never says much about himself. His K-9 partner died on our last mission overseas. Garrett’s never got over the guilt at that, even though it wasn’t his fault. Shaggy died helping Scooby and Arrow clear a girls’ school. I think he’d enjoy doing the refurbishing and building. I’m hoping I can talk him and Slick into being brewmasters, but getting Scooby here will be the trickiest.”

“You’ll figure it out.”

Her complete confidence gave him a boost. “I hope so. I’m worried about him. About them all. I want to give them a place, a home.”

“You will. I think you’ve got the perfect plan.”

He sure hoped so.

CHAPTER 25

Christmas Phail

Piper worried her bottom lip as she and Troy drove to Kimi’s. The vet had asked them to bring Oreo in but hadn’t given them details.

Had someone come looking for Oreo? On the day before Christmas Eve? If his original family wanted him back, Piper’s heart would shatter. She’d never had a dog as a kid, had never really longed for one. But she loved this little guy, and she didn’t know how she would face it if Kimi had to take him back.

There were a few other cars in the vet’s small parking lot when they arrived, but Piper ignored them. Maybe it wouldn’t be awful. How could she give Oreo up the day before Christmas? She’d have to send all his presents along with his family.

Troy shut off the car and reached over to gently turn her face to his. “No assuming the worst.”

“But—”

He cut her off by leaning in to kiss her softly. “Let’s see what Kimi has to say first.”

He was right, but she didn’t want to get out of the car. If she didn’t see Kimi, she couldn’t hear the bad news.

She didn’t move until Troy opened her car door and took her hand. She cuddled Oreo to her chest and rose. They didn’t say a word as they moved along the path to the back.

As they approached the barn, her dread increased, and Oreo whined. Probably picking up on her nerves. Troy put his arm around her and she took a few deep breaths to settle herself. The dog’s happiness came first, and he might be thrilled to see his family again.

Troy put his hand on the barn door and looked down at her. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. We’ve got this.”

She nodded, mostly because he looked as stressed as she felt.

Troy opened the door and ushered her inside. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from the bright snow outside.

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