Love in Bloom by Karen Rose Smith Read Free Book Online

partner.  The team farthest apart wins.  We could do several rounds of it, winners play winners."
    "I suppose these balloons break?"
    He wiggled his brows.  "You bet.  That's the fun part.  Wet hair, wet faces, wet T-shirts--"
    She imagined her shirt molded to her chest and Clay seeing it.  Feeling heat rise to her cheeks, she cleared her throat.  "And what do the winners get?"
    He studied her face thoughtfully.  "We'll decide that later.  Ribbons or buttons."
    "What about baked goods?  You said we need something for everyone.  We could have a baked goods contest.  The prize-winning entries can go to the winners of the games."
    "That's an excellent idea.  And maybe we could have a pie-eating contest."
    "I can treat everyone with antacids after it's over."
    "What else are doctors for?"
    She thought about that a lot lately.
    Clay reached behind the table and pulled open a drawer.  Taking out paper and pen, he pushed it toward her.  "You want to take notes, or should I?"
    "I can."  It would give her something to do so she didn't have to look into Clay's green eyes so often.  They had a most disturbing effect on her.
    "Three-legged races are always good," he suggested.
    She wrote down their ideas.
    Clay leaned back in his chair, rocking it on its two back legs.  "What about a softball game?  One for the kids and one for adults.  Maybe we could sell T-shirts--"
    Barking from out back had Clay's head swinging toward the window.  Spotting Shep running across the yard after a rabbit, Clay swore, jumped up, and ran out the back door, letting the screen door slam.
    Paige took off after him.  The expression on his face had been grim.  But she couldn't begin to keep up with Clay's long-legged stride.
    Shep streaked across the yard, headed for the split-rail fence at the back boundary.  Clay slowed, but when Shep curved to the right, he picked up the pace again.
    Paige suddenly saw why.  The stretch of fence for which Shep was headed wasn't split rail, but barbed wire.  She tried to run faster to help Clay head off the German shepherd.
    Clay yelled over and over, "Shep, heel.  Shep, heel."  But the dog paid no mind.  The furry little creature scurrying in front of him held all his interest.
    When the hare made a circle, trying to figure out which way was safe, Clay reached the fence before the dog.  Paige thought they'd averted trouble, but the rabbit suddenly veered toward the barbed wire and so did Shep.
    The rabbit dashed under the fence.  Before Shep could follow, Clay tackled him.
    By the time Paige arrived, Clay was playfully wrestling with the dog and scolding him at the same time.  "You've got to leave the rabbits alone.  They don't appreciate being scared to death by a big son-of-a-gun like you.  That was probably a mama hurrying home to her babies."
    Paige couldn't believe Clay wasn't yelling and swearing at the dog for the bother and fuss.  There was a strong connection between him and Shep, and a caring attitude on Clay's part.  In the countries where she'd lived, dogs were little more than wild animals.  The villagers hadn't had enough food to feed themselves, let alone their pets.
    Paige wiped her hair away from her forehead while her breathing returned to normal.  Clay didn't even appear winded.  Since she'd met him, she'd seen nothing to suggest he'd been injured in any way.
    Shep looked beyond the fence toward the brush where the rabbit had disappeared.
    Clay said firmly and loudly, "No, Shep.  No."
    The dog whined and gave his master a pleading look.
    Clay repeated, "No."
    Shep sat and cocked his head as if inquiring, "Why not?"
    Clay pushed himself to a sitting position and pointed to the house.  "Back home, Shep.  Go home."
    The dog glanced at Clay, the area beyond the fence, then back at the house.  He took off in the direction of the house.
    Clay moved his arm and Paige thought she saw him wince as he stood and dusted off his jeans.  "I told old man Holtz this would never