Page 68 of Ruff and Tumble

“Mom?” Regina opened a side door painted to look like a gingerbread cookie. “Dad? Where are you? Hailey’s here with your new puppy. She’s a looker, so be careful.”

Nalawasa looker, and Hailey had no doubt that she’d be one of the first puppies adopted after the show aired, but she was also in a new place with hundreds of exciting smells. Her keen ability to sniff out dropped pieces of food kicked in before they’d made it all the way through a neatly organized mudroom to the kitchen beyond. With a nose pressed firmly to the floor and her tail stiff with excitement, she took off in pursuit of her quarry—anyquarry.

“Oh dear.” The leash fell from Hailey’s clasp, and the puppy took off. From the looks of it, this was a very clean and well-run home. The Bennetts might not take Nala’s sure-footed enthusiasm very well. “Reggie, will you see if you can grab hold—”

She didn’t have an opportunity to finish. No sooner had she crossed the threshold into the kitchen than she was being pulled into yet another hug.

Cole’s mom held the embrace much longer than most people could get away with, heedless of the puppy snuffling around her kitchen floor. There was nothing awkward or strange about it, nothing that made Hailey feel as though she was anything but welcome.

“Thank you for coming,” Paula said, the words muffled by the press of her mouth against the top of Hailey’s head. “I feel so much better having you here today. We all do.”

“Would you like to meet Nala?” Hailey asked as soon as she was released and once again gained control of her crushed lungs. Her color felt heightened, but for once in her life, it wasn’t because of embarrassment. This flush was nothing but pleasure. “She’s a little hyped up right now, but that’s because of the drive. She’ll settle down once she has a chance to gain her bearings.”

“Of course she will,” Paula said with nothing but earnest reassurance.

Regina finished removing her outerwear and entered the kitchen with a purpose in her step. “Hey, Mom.” She kissed both of her mother’s cheeks in greeting. “Is Mia upstairs?”

“In the playroom watching cartoons, I believe.” Paula bent down and patted Nala, who found much to interest her in the flour-covered apron placed at nose level. The puppy wriggled and licked and used her big brown eyes to her advantage. “What a darling she is. Julian can take her for a walk after the game. He’ll hate it, but it’ll be good for him.”

“What’s that?” came a shouted reply from the next room.

“It’ll be good for you to walk the dog!” Cole’s mom shouted back. She shook her head. “He can hear me just fine, but I’m being punished for the egg-white omelets we had for breakfast. Head in there, hon, and take him these carrot sticks.”

A plate of immaculately cut carrots was placed in Hailey’s hand. She felt a little overwhelmed by all the warmth and noise of this house, but Cole’s mom winked and gave her a light push. “Go on. He won’t throw the carrots atyourhead.” She laughed and pursed her lips before adding, “Well, he might, but you won’t mind that. It means you’re one of us.”

“Thank you.” Hailey got up on tiptoes to press a kiss on Cole’s mother’s cheek, unable to resist the impulse. The older woman smelled of roses and sandalwood. “I appreciate this more than you realize.”

Cole’s mom laughed and returned the kiss. “Well, aren’t you the sweetest thing to ever walk through my door. It’s only a puppy.”

She wasn’t thanking her for Nala, but explanations were impossible.

“I hope I’m not intruding,” Hailey said as she entered the next room, which looked to be some kind of television room and den rolled into one. “I brought you a…snack?”

Cole’s dad glanced up from the recliner chair he was seated in, an exact facsimile of the one he’d been in at Regina’s house. He smiled when he saw Hailey and frowned as soon as he noticed the plate in her hand. “Drat that woman,” he muttered, but he gave an impatient wave until Hailey handed him the plate. “Does this look like food to you?”

“Carrots are very good for your cholesterol.”

“Bah.” His grunt of displeasure said everything, but Hailey noticed that he picked one up and ate it. He also patted the recliner next to her, accepting her presence here with the same ease and friendliness that his wife had. “Come and sit with me. Tell me what you think of this next play.”

Hailey sat on the arm of the chair rather than the seat, but her attention was soon sucked into the television. Even though it was far too early for the Lumberjacks’ game to start, the screen depicted—what else?—football. The reception wasn’t great, and there was a grainy quality to the footage that made her think it wasn’t of recent origin.

As she watched the crimson-colored jerseys move around the field, she found that age didn’t much matter. It was a good game—a great one, if that throw from the quarterback was any indication—and she found herself getting sucked in.

“Holy crap,” she said as the spiraling throw shot down the field like a bullet. It landed in the hands of a waiting wide receiver with so much strength that the receiver gave a slight start before catching himself and hurtling toward the end zone. “That was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. These are the Mountain Lions, right? From Pullman? College ball?”

“They sure are.” Julian cackled. He held out a carrot for Hailey, who took it and crunched down before she realized what she was doing. “You’ve got a good eye.”

She did have a good eye, and there was something about the way the quarterback—number eight—moved to accept his team’s enthusiasm that gave her a start. Cole had played for the Mountain Lions during his college career, but that couldn’t be him. The images were too old, the helmets too outdated. In fact, they looked like they probably used a similar football to the one encased in glass on her mantel.

Hailey popped the rest of the carrot in her mouth and leaned closer to the television, her eyes narrowed as she watched the next few plays. Everything about number eight looked and felt like Cole. The way he moved and the way he threw, even the way he did a little victory dance when he made a good play.

She wasn’t sure when it clicked, but she whipped her gaze from the television to the man next to her, her eyes wide. “That’s you,” she said, no hint of a question in her voice. “You played for the Mountain Lions. You were better than Cole.”

Julian’s deep, cackling laugh confirmed her suspicion and made her realize what she’d just said. Her color rose, but she didn’t—as she might have in the past—cover her mouth or backtrack in the name of embarrassment.

“I know I shouldn’t say that, but it’s true.” She shook her head as she took in the man next to her, his large frame at one with the chair. “You were amazing. Did you go pro?”

“I told Paula there was a reason I liked you,” he said, chuckling again. “And it’s not because you’re eating these damned carrots for me. Keep watching.”