The One Safe Place by Kathleen O`Brien Page A

hadn’t seen any other cars out front. Maybe a neighbor had walked over with a sick pet?
    In the small, quiet clinic she could hear him clearly, though he was talking in a voice so gentle and sweet it made Faith smile. She paused, enjoying the sound. It was nice to remember there were such men in this world. Men who stood for all that Doug Lambert was not.
    â€œCome on, sweetheart,” Reed said, his voice a blend of teasing and coaxing. It was, Faith realized suddenly, a very sexy voice. “Why don’t you just relax, and I’ll take that sweater off for you?”
    A pause. A whispering rustle. “That’s right. You don’t need this, do you? There. Doesn’t that feel better?”
    Faith’s eyes widened. Who on earth was he talking to? Now that she thought about it, no neighbors lived within walking distance of Autumn House. Who else would be here? Justine? Suddenly she remembered that Justine hadn’t brought her beaten-up old car to work today. It had broken down yet again.
    Was he back there with Justine? She frowned, rejecting the idea. Justine was only a teenager, forheaven’s sake. Reed was a fully grown man, far too much man for that unhappy little girl to handle….
    â€œHey—it’s okay, little girl,” he said. Faith held her breath, hearing the unwitting echo of her own phrase. “I’m just going to slip this bow out of your hair. You don’t need that, either. You’re pretty enough just as you are.”
    In Faith’s horrified mind, she could see Justine’s blue satin bow sliding across her shining blond hair. Faith began to back up. She had to get out of here.
    She reached out behind her, feeling for the doorknob. She mustn’t make a sound. Her fingers touched something, her feet stumbled, and she collided, back first, with someone who had just come in the door.
    Justine yelped. “Faith! What are you doing here? Man, you scared the hell out of me!”
    Faith turned, bewildered. If Justine had just walked into the clinic, then who was in there with—
    Reed came around the corner, a small poodle in his hands. “Hey,” he said, frowning slightly. “Everything okay?”
    Justine smoothed her hair, adjusting her blue satin bow irritably. She settled herself with a couple of calming smacks on her gum before answering. “Well, yeah, I guess so. Except that Faith just about gave me a heart attack.”
    â€œI’m sorry,” Faith said. “I was just leaving, and we bumped into each other.”
    â€œYou were leaving?” Reed frowned. “I didn’t even realize you’d come in. Did you want to see me?”
    â€œNo, you’re busy, that’s okay.” She glanced at the poodle, which, now that she focused, was the silliest dog she’d ever seen, with white cotton-ball tufts of fur around its chest and legs. It looked like a piece of topiary.
    And it had one ridiculous pink bow tied on one ear. The other ear was bare.
    Reed, who was holding a loose pink ribbon in his free hand, smiled. “You must have needed something.”
    â€œWell, yes, but then I heard you talking to someone—” She tried to keep from looking at the ribbon. “To the dog, I mean. Honestly, it was nothing important, I can just come back another time. I need to get back to Spencer anyhow.”
    â€œI’ll walk you to the house. We can talk on the way.” Reed held the poodle out toward Justine. “Do me a favor? Get Fifi settled for the night. And take that fool bow out, okay? Let the poor thing be comfortable.”
    The excited poodle wriggled its absurd legs, as if it could swim through the air toward Justine, who was eyeing it with significantly less enthusiasm.
    â€œBut Mike will be here soon,” Justine said. “He’s giving me a ride home.”
    â€œHe’ll wait five minutes.” Reed smiled and plopped the poodle into her arms. “I always got