this morning and filled up her water.
I basically just broke into his house.
I need to fix this now.
Curiosity rails through me. I’m in Dale’s house. I can look around, maybe figure out what truly makes him tick.
So tempting…but no. He made it clear he doesn’t want me hanging around his place.
I’m going to be working with this man.
Not only that, I’m interested in him. Really interested. He’ll never want me again if he finds out what I’ve done.
I walk to the still-open sliding glass door. “Penny, come back in!”
She’s in the far end of the yard, doing a number two. I look away. Got to give her some privacy, after all. Probably a good thing I showed up. Otherwise, Dale might come home to dog poop in his house.
I look around his kitchen.
Yeah, I’ve been here before, and I’m impressed. This house is called a guesthouse, but it’s nearly as big as the main house. At least it appears to be from the kitchen.
Without thinking, I open the refrigerator. It’s stocked with bacon, eggs, deli meats, bread, and a pitcher of orange juice. Will he mind? I’m a little thirsty from the walk over.
I close the refrigerator quickly. If I want juice, I can have juice at the main house. I have no business here. If Dale returns and finds me…
God, he’ll be pissed, and rightfully so.
I quickly walk outside. “Penny! Come!”
When she doesn’t appear, I dart my gaze to the area where she was doing her business. Hmm. The fenced area isn’t overly big, but there are a few little alcoves that aren’t visible from the deck. I walk down the stairs and search the yard, my heart beginning to race.
“Come on, sweetie. Come on, Penny!”
After I search the whole yard and she’s nowhere in sight, my heart drops into my gut. I quickly scan the fence. It’s secure. Then the—
The gate! It’s open!
My skin turns to ice. I didn’t latch it when I came around to the back, and now Dale’s precious dog is gone!
I run out to the front. “Penny! Penny!”
She’s nowhere. My God, she wasn’t outside for long. Where is she?
My heart is beating triple time.
Dale will never forgive me. Not in a million years. And it’ll be longer than that before I’ll forgive myself.
I had no business going into Dale’s house.
No business at all. Sure, I thought Penny needed to go out, but the reality? I was curious. Nosy. I wanted to learn more about Dale.
My dumbass curiosity may have cost Dale his dog.
I continue running along the driveway, calling for Penny.
Nothing but ranch for miles and miles and miles. She could be anywhere.
“Penny! Please come! Penny!”
Dale was obviously here this morning. Penny’s full water bowl proved that. Where is he? He could be back in a minute or in hours.
I have no idea how long I have to find her.
I can go back to the house and get my car, but roads aren’t going to help me. Not on a ranch.
“Penny! Please come!”
I’ve run about half a mile down the road. I stop and rub my hands over my face. Now what? That sweet dog is out here alone, and it’s all my fault. All my fault because I went into his home without permission.
He’ll never forgive me.
I’ll never forgive myself.
I turn and run back toward Dale’s house and then another half mile down the road the other way.
No sign of her.
Tears well in my eyes. At first, the panic kept them away, but now they flow. What have I done?
Nothing else to do. I have to call the local animal control. Have to get others looking for her. Which means I need to go back to the main house and tell Jade.
Tell her that I broke into her son’s house and lost his dog.
I may as well pack up my bags. This internship will never happen now.
I run back to Dale’s house and through the gate into the back yard to take the path back to the main house, when—
“Here you go.” Jade’s voice. “Back home.”
Jade sits on Dale’s deck, a panting Penny at her feet.
“Penny!” I cry. “Thank God!”
Jade’s eyes widen. “Ashley, what are you doing here?”
I can’t help it. I burst into tears.
“What is it?” Jade ushers Penny into the house and gestures for me to follow. She grabs a box of tissues and hands them to me.
The tears of relief continue to flow. Each time I try to choke them back, they start again.
“My goodness,” Jade says. “Come on. You