Page 5 of No Good Deed

Laughter preceded Kimi’s arrival from the back area of the barn. “Thank you. Not everyone appreciates a barn, no matter how clean it is.”

Kimi wore her typical jeans, work boots, and a flannel shirt over a T-shirt. She smiled in greeting. “Hey Troy.” She turned to Piper. “I’m Kimi Twinishe. What brings you here today?”

Piper gently uncovered the dog. “I was driving into town, and found this little guy trying to cross the road. He’d climbed out of the ditch, and collapsed.” She swallowed hard and whispered. “I thought he was dead.”

Troy pulled her into a side-armed hug and squeezed her shoulder.

She leaned her head into his shoulder. “I didn’t know what to do. I don’t know anything about dogs, so I wrapped him in my sweatshirt and brought him into the car. I gave him some water and then I brought him to Phail General, and Troy.”

Troy finished up the story. “We gave him a little of the food I keep in stock and more water. He ate and drank then lay down to sleep.”

The dog lifted his head and looked up at Piper. Then he wriggled in her arms, and she laughed. “Hey, Oreo. Are you feeling better? This is Kimi. She’s going to check you over.”

The dog wiggled again as Kimi expertly picked him up and cuddled him to her chest. His head immediately swiveled to check on Piper. She smiled and reached over to scratch him on the head. “It’s okay, Oreo. She’s going to take care of you.”

Kimi nodded. “That I will. I’ll also check to see if he has a chip. There are no obvious injuries, so I hope he’s simply hungry and scared.”

Piper gnawed on her lower lip, and Troy heard himself saying to Kimi. “You’ve got my number. Can you let me know?”

Kimi nodded. “Will do.” She lifted the dog so they were at eye level. “Now, let’s have a look at all the things.” Then she turned and walked back into the clinic area of the barn.

Piper heaved out a sigh and her eyes misted with tears before she blinked them back. “Okay. That’s good. I’m glad she’s going to help him.”

Troy wondered if she was trying to convince herself of that. She’d seemed to bond with the dog and didn’t enjoy letting him go with Kimi. Hoping to bring back her smile, he gestured to the barn door. “Why don’t I take you for some lunch, and we can make a plan. Or would you rather head to the B&B? We can easily meet up tomorrow if that works better for you.”

She blew out a breath and peeled her gaze off the clinic entrance. “Lunch sounds good. What kinds of restaurants do you have here?”

Troy laughed as he pulled the barn door closed behind them and headed back to the car. “Restaurants might be a little grand for our town. My cousin Ginny owns the local eatery. The No Fail Diner.”

Piper stumbled, and he steadied her with a hand. “Are you serious? One diner? And it has the word Fail in its name?”

Her shock had him laughing. “I’m serious. Come on, you’ll love it.”

Her expression told him she didn’t feel his confidence.

CHAPTER 3

Good Call

Piper had half-convinced herself that Troy was pulling her leg about both the size of the town and the name of the diner. Now that she wasn’t concentrating on Oreo, she found out he’d been completely serious.

The town didn’t have an online presence, so she’d had to picture it in her mind. It was much smaller than she’d expected. She’d lived her entire life in various suburbs of Chicago. While they’d been tiny compared to the city, they were exponentially larger than Phail. It would be like comparing Wrigley Field to the size of a baseball.

The drive from out of town at Kimi’s to the diner took less than five minutes. She could barely lock up her apartment and reach street level in five minutes. “Maybe we should advertise short commute times.”

Troy laughed as he parked behind his store. “Good starting point.”

She got out of the car before Troy got to her door, which made him frown. Sexy man had a definite chivalrous side. After seeing his reaction, she wished she’d waited for him to open her door.

The No Fail Diner sat on the same street as Phail General, along with Phail Phoods. It all made Piper smile. “Is this the main street in town?”

Troy nodded and placed his hand on her lower back to guide her to the diner. “Sure is. Phail Way.”

A laugh burst out of her. “Of course, it is. This town obviously has a good sense of humor.”

Troy grinned as he held open the door. “Definitely. Wait until you see inside.”

She tried to prepare herself, but whatever she might have expected, it wasn’t what she found. The No Fail Diner was laid out like most diners. A long counter. Booths along the window and side wall. A pass-through window to the kitchen where she could see the cook at work. Chalkboard menus.

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