Not Since You by Jenna Jared Read Free Book Online Page B

the hall and peered into the foyer.
    The front door was wide open.
     
                 

Chapter Five
     
                  The dog was like a ghost, opening doors with her will alone.
    Or maybe she was more like Houdini, who would also be ghostlike, come to think of it. Carrie shivered, and her stomach plummeted to her toes. What the hell…
                  "I'll be there as soon as I rinse out this paint roller," she told her neighbor.
    When she arrived, Ellie lay on a chaise by the in-ground pool, on her back, with her paws pointed skyward. All she lacked was a set of sunglasses and an umbrella drink. She lazily rolled her nose toward Carrie and wagged her tail.
                  The neighbor, an older man who would have appeared distinguished if not for his loud floral-print shirt, sandals, and knee-high black socks, came out of the house and pointed to the surface of the pool. "There must be a ton of dog hair in there!" he groused. "I'm going to have to call my pool man to come clean it out before it clogs my filter. God only knows what kind of chemicals I'll have to dump in just to get it up to snuff again." He turned to Carrie. "You should keep that animal locked up."
                  "You're right. I should." She reached into her back pocket and wearily pulled out her checkbook. She flipped it open. "How much will it cost to get the pool cleaned?"
                  After that, she managed to drag Ellie home without incident. When they got in the door, she unhooked the dog's leash and locked everything up as she had before, making sure she triple checked each lock this time. Carrie pointed her index finger at the dog and fixed it with what she hoped was a stern glare. "No more adventures." Then she got back to work.
                  Fifteen minutes and one roll of paint later, her phone rang again. A layer of sweat suddenly coated Carrie's palms as she looked around the bottom of the ladder and into the rooms she could see for Ellie. Please be the lawyer, please be the lawyer, please—
                  A woman's harsh voice wiped all hope of that away. "I've got your dog here. She crapped on my lawn. Bring a shovel. Why don't you keep this mutt inside, anyway? There are leash laws, you know."
                  A different neighbor. Same problem. Bad dog.
                  Scary dog.
                  Carrie tried not to think about it as she washed out the roller—again—and marched down the street armed with a spade, a wheelbarrow and a trash bag. Less poop, her foot.
                  This time, when she got El Beast home, she opened the cellar door. "Go," she told Ellie.
                  "Noooaaw." The dog sat down and—Carrie could have sworn—shook its head.
                  "Oh yes you will. I don't need to spend my day chasing you up and down the street."
                  "Rroaow." Ellie slid across the floor and laid her chin on her outstretched paws.
                  "You say that now," Carrie said. "But the minute I get on the ladder, the phone rings. Go down into the cellar." She leaned down to tug on Ellie's collar and heard a faint, rumbling growl.
                  She stood up. Oh, that's so not good.
                  Be the pack leader. That was what Zack had said. She straightened up and glared down at the dog. "Hey. I'm the pack leader. Move."
                  Ellie sighed and closed her eyes. She wasn't going anywhere.
                  So much for pack leader. "Fine. Stay there, then. But. Don't. Leave."
                  The dog grunted and rolled onto her back in a stretched-out, dead-dog pose.
                  Good enough, Carrie supposed.
                  As she passed the front door on the way back to the hallway, she locked it and slid the chain into