"Bob had his toe taken off," Dash said, appeasing her need to know even as he continued what he was doing. "Im not sure what did it. Normally, I would say it was bitten off." He held her arm up and examined it, turning it at different angles. Gently, he prodded the skin around the punctures. His eyes shot up to meet hers when she let out a little hiss.

"A couple of over the counter pain meds and Ill be fine," she said, moving to take her arm back.

He rewrapped it then moved behind his desk. "Here," he said, handing her a piece of paper. "Dr. Sangers number and address. Shes expecting you in twenty minutes."

Matty frowned but took the paper. Part of her wanted to protest, but another part of her knew how helpful it really was to be hooked up to a local doctor for a non-emergency appointment; most doctors preferred to spend their time with repeat patients.

"Tell me about Bob," she said, sitting down.

"Like I said, normally I would say an animal bit it off. But whatever separated his toe from his foot probably wasnt teeth, the wound was too clean."

"What else would do that? And which toe?"

"The first toe and a knife would do it, but it was probably either an old trap or maybe even some glass?" he answered. She didnt like the hint of doubt she heard in his voice.

"You dont sound certain."

He shrugged. "We may never know what did it, but its a good thing it was clean since it made it easier to stitch."

"Does that mean I get to take him home with me?"

Dash shook his head. "We dont know what did it, so Im running some blood tests. I have him on antibiotics, but I want to check for a few other things, too. And Ill want to run the tests again in twenty-four hours."

"Cant I bring him back in?"

"Id rather keep him here since hes still groggy from the sedative."

Matty felt like she was abandoning Bob, but what else could she do? She knew Dashs reasoning made sense, but she also knew he wouldnt be above keeping Bob if he thought she would spend her time taking care of the injured dog rather than taking care of herself.

"Fine," she said, sounding every bit as disgruntled as she felt.

A small smile touched Dashs lips. "Youll take care of that?" he asked, gesturing with his head to her arm.

"I said I would."

"Promise?" he repeated her earlier demand.

"Yes," she grumbled as they stood. Dash rounded the desk and came to her side. He meant to usher her out, she had no doubt, and she should have gone with it. After all, she was only in Windsor to take care of the animals and write. Flirting with the locals, especially one that unsettled her as much as Dash, wasnt in the cards. But as she took one last look at him with his strictly business attitude, her inner imp, goaded by guilt-induced frustration, decided to make an appearance. She turned toward him, bringing them inches apart, and put her hand on his chest. She felt his skin jump beneath her touch.

"I heard about your little family curse, Dash," she said, looking up at him.

He looked down at her hand resting against his shirt and said nothing.

"If you ask me, its crazy," she added.

His head tilted and his eyes met her gaze. "Maybe."

"What if it is? Crazy, that is," she clarified. Her fingers had inched up and she brushed them against the skin of his neck.

"And what if it isnt," he countered.

"Do you want to know what I think?" she asked, leaning into him just enough for her body to brush against his button-down shirt.

He gave a tiny, hesitant nod, as if unsure whether or not he did want to know. Smart man.

She smiled. "I think it doesnt matter if we think its crazy or not, but Id bet wed have a hell of time finding out."

She brushed a fingertip across his lower lip then went up on her toes and replaced her finger with her lips in a soft, barely there kiss. She held his gaze and felt a flood of heat pouring from his body, enveloping her.

She stepped away, point made. "Ill call tomorrow, about Bob."

CHAPTER 8.

AFTER VISITING DOCTOR SANGERS OFFICE to have her wound checked and cleaned again, Matty stopped at the car wash to rid the truck of the remnants of Bobs blood then headed back to Brads. She spent the next few hours scrubbing the patio where Bob had huddled with his wound and calming the rest of the dogs who, sensing something was wrong, seemed to keep looking for their missing friend. In their confusion they did nothing but follow her around as if attached to her hip. While she understood, it was more than annoying to be constantly running into Rufus or Roger, or tripping over Lucy every step or two. Isis, in her usual, detached way, sat quietly at the other end of whatever room or space Matty happened to be in and simply watched.

Still the distraction of the dogs and the cleaning was a good antidote to stewing over her annoyance with Brad, who still had yet to call back. Or stewing over the single, barely-a-kiss kiss she had laid on Dash. And so she was grateful when Chen called and invited her to meet him for dinner in Stockbridge, a town about twenty minutes away. She really didnt want to think about much of anything that had happened that day and he was the perfect answer to that. Talking about China would help her disappear into her book, into a world that was interesting and engaging, but not hers.

On the drive to meet Chen, Vivi called and told Matty that her cousins, Naomi and Brian, had figured out that the bumps on the racing form were braille and composed a ten-digit number. Vivi had run it against a phone number database, but it hadnt turned out to be a legitimate one, and other than that, she had no idea what the series of numbers could mean. Matty, not recognizing the numbers either, asked Vivi to text them to her so she could check them out later, when she got home.

"Are you going out to dinner with Dash again?" Vivi half-teased when their conversation about the mysterious numbers had ended.

"Not even close." And Matty filled Vivi in on her day including her rationale for going to dinner with Chen even though she was feeling a bit wrung out from the past few days.

"Distraction isnt a bad thing, but Im surprised he didnt pick you up. Why are you driving?" Vivi asked.

"He has tickets to a show at Tanglewood later. Hes going with his sister and invited me, but I dont want to be out that late, so were having dinner first and then hes going to the show. I, on the other hand, will be coming home, taking a bath, and having a gin and tonic before hitting the sack."

"Sounds like an exciting night. Then again, after the last few days youve had, it sounds just about right."

"Amen to that," Matty responded. "Look, Im just pulling up to the restaurant, but will you keep looking into the numbers for me? Ill think about it too, but if you can spare the time, Id appreciate it. Its probably nothing, but its just, well . . ." Her voice trailed off.

"Just one of those curiosities?" Vivi finished. "Of course I will. Ian and I are having dinner with his parents tonight, but Ill look tomorrow. My cousins, Naomi and Brian-who could probably figure this out in a flash-are mid-flight right now, so unfortunately I cant get their help right away. But, Ill send them an e-mail tonight so theyll have it when they can access their accounts. It may be nothing, but I agree its definitely curious."

They said good-bye and as she hung up Matty saw Chen approaching her car with a tall attractive woman at his side. He wasnt in a suit this evening; instead, he wore khaki shorts and a button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves. He looked casual and sophisticated. Like he would fit right into her city life.

Like he wouldnt have a clue what to do with chickens. Or cows.

She sighed to herself as he opened her car door then she smiled. "Chen, how nice to see you. Thank you for calling me tonight and Im so delighted to meet your sister."

By the time Matty returned to Brads, her brain hurt. She had a feeling Chen wouldnt be inviting her out to dinner again, but that was fine with her. She sensed hed viewed the evening as a quasi-date, despite the presence of his sister, Mai, while Matty had very clearly treated it as an extension of their interview and information exchange of the other day. And with Mai there, it was two for the price of one as his sister, though not the family scholar, was no slouch herself when it came to Chinese political history.

So, on the one hand, she had pages of notes filled with new material-so many that she hadnt even had a chance to let it all soak in yet-but on the other hand, she was exhausted and doubted Chen would be all that keen on spending time with her again should she have any lingering questions.

Even so, hed been a perfect gentleman, asking after her, knowing what had happened with the body landing in her truck and all; word traveled fast in the small towns of the Hudson Valley when things like that happened. And both he and Mai were even more concerned when she told them about what had happened with Bob. Chen said all the right things and made all the right comments, but in the end, she was glad to be home. Alone. With four dogs, six cows, four cats, six chickens, and two rabbits.

She was lying in a hot bath with a washcloth over her eyes when her phone rang. Hoping it was Brad, she grabbed it and answered, letting the annoyance she felt come through in her voice.

"Hello?"

"And its nice to hear your voice, too," came Dashs response.

She let out a little groan.

"And that sounds even better."

"Hi, Dash," she said.

"Hello, Matty. How is your arm?"

"Its fine. Dr. Sanger cleaned it up, gave me a shot, and said shed talk to you after Bobs blood work comes back to see if she thought I needed anything else."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not now it doesnt. Now that its elevated on the side of the bathtub."

There was a moment of silence. "Youre in the bath."

A mans mind could switch tracks faster than the speed of light when nudity was involved. "Yep, naked as the day I was born. And when Im done, Im going to dry off and slip into bed that same way," she said. The "too bad youre so indecisive or you could be here with me" was left unsaid, if not unheard.

"Youre not very happy with me, are you?" he half asked.

She sighed. "Im tired, Dash. I think I just crammed a semester-long Chinese politics course into a dinner that was just under two hours. My head hurts and you confuse me so, no, Im not that happy with you."

After a long moment she heard a very male chuckle on the other end of the line. "But you wish I were there, dont you?" he pointed out.

He was right, she did. "Good night, Dash."

"Good night, Matty. And take care of that arm."

She hung up the phone and sank her head under the cool water. She wanted this day to be over. She really did.

Matty perused the myriad of birdhouses hanging along a wall in the gift shop across from Franks. Having come to some sort of understanding with Frank-he supplied her with iced mochas but preferred she not order them aloud-she was able to examine the merchandise with her iced drink of choice in hand. She had thought to get a simple thank you card for Brads neighbor, for all the help Elise had given her the day before with Bob, but when she saw the whimsical birdhouses, she changed course and looked for the perfect one.

She selected a hot pink one that complemented Elises mailbox and had it wrapped up. After that, all she wanted to do was pick up Bob, head home, and get back to writing. But shed been in town a few days and hadnt yet stopped at either bookstore-which, in her mind, was too large a sacrilege to ignore. So, reining in her eagerness to see Bob, she popped into the used bookstore first, browsed the packed and somewhat disorderly shelves, and chatted for a few minutes with the clerk, an older woman with a penchant for religious books. Walking out with an old coffee table book of pictures of China under her arm, she crossed the street to the new, much more orderly bookstore. There she introduced herself to the owners, a nice couple in their mid-forties, who turned out to be big fans of hers, insisting that if she had the time she allow them to set up a signing for her. She hadnt gotten much sleep the night before, but meeting her readers had a way of helping the adrenalin kick in. And leaving the store, she felt a good writing streak coming on.

Still smiling from her bookstore visits, she called the vet clinic when she returned to her car. Susan told her that Dash wasnt around, but Bob would be ready to be picked up in thirty minutes. Remembering that there was a burger and soft-serve ice cream stand at the gas station across from the clinic, Matty finished her mocha as she drove and debated with herself about whether to get a cone or milkshake. Indulgence is what it was, but it was that kind of morning.

Despite all the options, she went old school and ordered a chocolate soft-serve cone. As she waited for the woman in the stand to call her name, Marcus and Carly pulled up.

"We saw you as we were driving by and thought wed stop to ask how you were doing," Marcus said, joining her under the canopy.

"Ill be better once I have my ice cream. Can I get you two anything?" Matty asked. They both shook their heads. "I dont really need one either, but Im waiting to pick up one of the dogs at Dashs clinic."

"Something happen?" Carly asked.

Matty nodded and told them what had happed to Bob. "Its been a packed few days, too packed if you ask me. Especially when all I want to do is stay home and write. Im close to finishing," she added.

"After everything thats happened, that sounds like a good plan," Marcus responded. "How much longer do you have to wait before you can pick him up?"

"Hell be ready in five minutes." Dashs voice came from behind Matty.

She spun and faced him. "Where did you come from?"

He gave her a funny look. "My clinic. Im headed out for a call. I just stopped for gas and saw you all."

She narrowed her eyes. "Susan said you werent at the clinic."

"I think well be going now," Carly said, motioning to her partner with her head. Matty thanked them for checking on her and said her good-byes.

"To be clear, Susan tells everyone Im not available unless I specifically tell her I am. But in this case, she was probably accurate. I was out back restocking supplies. You probably called then."

She eyed him for a moment, then realized she didnt really care all that much if Susan had told the truth or not. It would actually have been easier for her not to see Dash today.

"Matty?" he asked.

Her mind must have wandered because he was looking at her, a small frown touching his lips.

"Theyre calling your name," he pointed out.

She gave herself an internal shake and went over to pick up her ice cream. Just taking a bite seemed to make the day a little better.

"You need to get some sleep," Dash said, surprising her by taking her chin in his fingers and tilting her head up to look at him. "You look exhausted. Great, as always, but exhausted," he added with a quick save.

"I missed Bob last night," she said.

He eyed her. "Whats bothering you?"

"Its just been a long few days, Dash," she said, not wanting to rehash everything.

He inclined his head. "Well, Bob will be ready by now. You should go home and maybe the two of you can take a little rest together."

She didnt fight the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. It wasnt every guy who would suggest she cuddle up with a dog and take a nap.

"Yeah, maybe," she said.

"Why dont we go back to the clinic and Ill help you get him into your car. That way you dont have to worry about what to do with your ice cream."