“I want to meet the new dog,” Mackenzie said, peering through the sunroom windows. She’d spent the past half hour watching Bobby’s meticulous application of paint on the belt buckle, but although she’d kindly pretended to be interested, he knew that her heart had not really been in it.

He looked up from his work to see Clay and a woman standing in the rear yard. The woman had long gray hair plaited in a braid down her back, and at her side sat a huge, handsome German shepherd. The sun was so bright, it cast sharp shadows of man, woman and dog in the sand.

“Is that the dog Clay was talking about?” Bobby asked. “The one with post-traumatic stress or whatever it is?”

Mackenzie nodded, her gaze glued to the yard. “He said they were coming today,” she said. “Poor dog.”

It was Saturday, so Mackenzie was home all day, giving Nola the weekend for her real estate business. She had e-mailed her friends, talked to them on her cell phone and read books to Rani, who was now out running errands with Gina, leaving Mackenzie restless and bored.

“I’m not sure meeting that dog is such a good idea,” Bobby said. “Remember, he attacked someone.”

“I’ll call Clay and ask him.” Mackenzie whipped out her cell phone and dialed a number. Bobby thought of stopping her, telling her not to interrupt him while he was working, but he knew Clay wouldn’t mind. Clay had done a great job of involving Mackenzie in his dog training, and it seemed as though she was a true help to him.

They both watched Clay unclip his cell phone from his belt and raise it to his ear.

“It’s me, Clay,” Mackenzie said. “I’m in the sunroom.”

Clay turned toward the house, and Mackenzie waved at him through the window.

“Can I come out and meet Wolf?” she asked. She waited for his answer, then broke into a pretty smile. “Sweet!” She flipped her phone shut and turned to Bobby. “He said it’s fine.”

“I’ll go with you, okay?” Bobby said, feigning curiosity about the dog, but his real reason for wanting to accompany her was that he didn’t like the idea of her approaching the dog alone. He had little experience with dogs and had never been truly comfortable around them. Surely, though, Clay would not have said it was okay if there was a problem.

Together, they walked out onto the rear porch of the keeper’s house and down the steps to the sand. Wolf stood up as they approached, and Bobby was surprised to see the dog’s tail wagging. Nevertheless, he was glad that the animal was on a leash.

“Avert your eyes,” Mackenzie said to him under her breath.

“What?”

“Don’t look him right in the eyes. It feels like a challenge to dogs when you do that. Like a threat.”

“Got it. Thanks.” Despite his lack of knowledge about dogs, that was one thing he did know, but he wanted to let Mackenzie feel like she knew more than he did. He smiled at Clay and the woman, keeping his eyes on their faces and away from Wolf.

The woman was stunning. She had to be close to sixty, but her hair was thick in the braid running down her back and her smile was very wide, displaying a mouthful of white teeth.

“This is Bobby and his daughter, Mackenzie,” Clay said to the woman.

Bobby and his daughter, Mackenzie. My God. It was the first time he’d heard those words spoken, and although he was certain they were not the truth, they filled him with an undeniable sense of joy and pride. He couldn’t resist resting a fatherly hand on Mackenzie’s shoulder.

“And this is Susan,” Clay said to them.

Susan reached out her hand. Bobby hesitated a moment before shaking it in case Wolf might misinterpret his contact with the woman. Wolf, though, seemed perfectly placid. Almost drugged.

“Mackenzie’s my assistant,” Clay said.

“Can I pet him?” Mackenzie asked.

“Let him sniff your hand,” Susan said. “Then pet his chest. Don’t go for the top of his head.”

Mackenzie nodded, approaching the dog and letting him sniff the back of her hand. She reached low to scratch his chest, and Wolf leaned into her, obviously enjoying the physical contact. Bobby began to relax.

“Clay said he helped you train Wolf years ago,” he said to Susan.

Susan nodded. “He was a great search-and-rescue dog, but he’s become untrustworthy since about two months ago.” She described the terrifying incident Clay had told them about in which Wolf had been shot by the kidnapper. “After he attacked my friend, I considered having him euthanized, but I just can’t do that if there’s a chance of rehabilitating him.”

“He’s so sweet.” Mackenzie was now sitting in the sand and Wolf had rolled onto his back for a belly rub.

“He’s unpredictable,” Susan said. “I wish I knew what was going on in his head.”

“I’d like to have my dad look him over before I start working with him,” Clay said. “Give him a good physical so we can rule out any medical problems.”

“You’ll take him on, then?” Susan asked.

“Yes. Are you willing to leave him here so I can work with him every day? He’ll stay in the kennel.” Clay pointed in the direction of the fenced-in area near the parking lot.

“Of course,” Susan said, “although I’ll miss him terribly.” She sat down in the sand next to Mackenzie and rubbed Wolf’s chest while Mackenzie concentrated on his mid-region. It was clear that Wolf was in doggy heaven. Susan looked up at Clay. “How long do you think he’ll have to be here?”

“That depends on the progress he makes,” Clay said. “I’ll work with him every day, and of course, I’ll only use positive reinforcement with him.”

Susan nodded. “That’s why I wanted you to be the one to work with him,” she said.

Bobby heard the sound of a vehicle on the gravel lane and turned to see Lacey’s car pull into the parking lot. Mackenzie waved to her as she got out of the car. It seemed that a small miracle had taken place the night before, and that the time Lacey had spent in Mackenzie’s bedroom had been a turning point for the two of them. Lacey hadn’t said much about it, but she thanked him for encouraging her to go to the girl. When he came downstairs that morning, he found the two of them making French toast together, an easy camaraderie between them.

He’d felt awkward around Lacey the last couple of days, still reeling from the fact that she’d seen him with Elise in the parking lot. The middle of the night had seemed a safe time to meet, but it was obvious that he would have to be far more careful. Lacey had not bought his lies—of that he was certain—but she seemed willing to let the topic go and he was not going to bring it up again on his own.

Now he watched Lacey pull a scrunchie from the pocket of her capris and use both her hands to gather up her hair and secure it in a ponytail. Then she started walking across the sand toward them.

In an instant, everything changed. Wolf leaped to his feet, a growl forming deep in his throat. Bobby saw Susan tighten her hand on the leash, and Mackenzie quickly stood up.

“Hi,” Lacey called out with a smile, obviously unable to hear the dog’s warning. She was ten feet away when Wolf lunged for her. Susan held the leash with both hands, calling out futile commands to the dog—“Come! Sit! Down!”—all of which Wolf ignored as though suddenly deaf. Lacey froze in her tracks, and Clay grabbed on to the leash, as well. Bobby’s heart kicked into overdrive, and he gripped Mackenzie’s shoulder and pulled her toward him and away from the dog.

“Uh.” Lacey’s smile was nervous now. “This must be the infamous Wolf.”

Susan looked at Clay. “See what I mean?” she asked, bobbing around as she tried to hang on to the leash while Wolf snarled, baring his huge, pointed teeth. Even though Bobby’s hand was on Mackenzie’s shoulder, he could feel her heart pounding beneath his fingers.

Clay nodded. “It’s very interesting,” he said, scratching his chin with his free hand as if trying to solve a puzzle.

“I think I’ll go inside,” Lacey said, taking a slow step backward.

“You look like my friend he attacked,” Susan said. “She had red hair, too.”

“Dogs can’t see color,” Lacey said.

“Well, they can’t differentiate between red and other colors,” Clay said, “but it’s obvious that Wolf feels threatened by you, for whatever reason. It’s great we’ll have a threatening person right here to help me desensitize him when I get to that point.”

“Oh, wonderful.” Lacey’s sarcasm was unmasked. “So pleased I can help.”

Wolf was settling down again. He looked worn-out from his explosion of aggression, but a low growl still rumbled deep in his throat.

They all turned at the slamming of a car door and saw Gina reach into the the van to release Rani from her car seat.

“Tell her not to come out here, okay, Lacey?” Clay asked.

Lacey nodded. With one final glance at the dog, she walked slowly toward the house, catching up with Gina near the side porch, talking with her a moment as she took a bag of groceries from her arms. Bobby saw Gina quickly grab Rani’s hand and look in their direction.

Clay turned to wave at his wife and daughter. The sunlight caught him full in the eyes, which looked like the palest blue glass. Like clear, seawater marbles. Bobby stared at his eyes, transfixed. Suddenly he realized why Clay had looked familiar to him. He knew those eyes, and he knew exactly where he’d seen them before. You did not forget eyes like those.