When no one could eat the last piece of pizza in the box, Roxie invited, “Cookies and ice cream for dessert?”

“Please, don’t be offended,” Nate said, “but I have no room for one bite of anything more.”

“Me too.” Loren closed the box. “Sir Charles would love to have this, but sorry, fellah. Pizza is not on your diet.”

“How can you ignore that look?” Nate ruffled the dog’s ears.

“Hard willed.”

Nate pushed back his chair. “Thank you so very much for this unplanned evening. All I did was deliver a rug. I hope I can see you again, and perhaps next time, I can be the host.”

“That would be lovely.” Roxie gave Loren the look that said, See the man out.

The nod said she got it.

“Again, thank you.” Nate extended his hand. Roxie shook it with a wide smile.

Loren told Nate, but she was looking at her mother, “I’ll let you know when we’re baking cookies.”

“Great.”

“Let’s go around the house.” Loren led the way.

Lord, I sure do have a good feeling about this. Roxie picked up the pizza box, stuffed it in the trash, and took the tray, including the last piece, into the house, humming as she went. She wrapped the pizza in aluminum foil, the glasses went in the dishwasher, and she was just refilling the pitcher when Loren and Sir Charles wandered back in the kitchen.

“Nice guy,” Roxie said.

“He asked me and Sir Charles to go biking around the lake on Sunday afternoon.”

“Really?”

Loren rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mother, I agreed to go.” But Loren was not wearing the leave-it-to-my-mother look. She actually looked interested. Roxie floated up the stairs to her bedroom. Maybe, just maybe, this was the first step to another answered prayer.

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

You got everyone contacted about the morning UFO group?”

“Yes, sir.” Roxie snapped a smart salute.

“Come on, you don’t have to be sarcastic.”

“Then easy on the orders.” Roxie rolled her eyes and shook her head. Some days MJ was more sergeanty than others. “Just reminding you. This is an all-volunteer organization.”

“What got into you?” MJ jerked to a stop as she did so often, her basset at the end of his leash, tail whipping as he nosed out something. “What did you find now?” She yanked a plastic bag out of her pocket, ready for cleanup. “Oh, no. No, Looper, leave it.” She stooped down and pushed the dog’s nose away. “Looper, leave it.”

“What did he find now?”

“A baby bird. Must have fallen out of the nest.” She looked up into the tree but the new leaves hid a possible nest.

Sir Charles nosed his friend and sat down to wait it out.

“Is it alive?”

“Barely.” She cupped the half-naked little one in her hands. “What can we do?”