There were a lot of reasons why a man could be labeled a scoundrel, but something about Mrs. Orson’s tiny, resolute frame made Ruby’s heart squeeze. Any man who’d been given the gift of this woman in his life and wasted it, hurt her in any way…

“My family didn’t believe in divorce, so I took what had been offered and tried to make the best of it. I’d have kept doing it, too, if it wasn’t for that dog.” The serene, playful smile was back on her face. “Try as Norbert might, he could never make anything of Wheezy. Oh, he knows all the commands, don’t you worry. And he’ll do them when he feels like it, but he never feels like it when Norbert is in the room.”

Although Ruby had been told not to interrupt, she couldn’t help inserting a question. “But you asked me that day if Spencer had a commanding voice. You said Wheezy responds best to authority.”

“And so he does, when he likes a person. The problem is, he doesn’t like very many people.” She paused. “He likes your Spencer.”

“He’s not my Spencer,” Ruby corrected her.

“After that display out on my front porch, I think we both know that’s a lie.”

Ruby’s cheeks flushed even more than they already were. It might have been the effect of the antihistamine taking hold, but she doubted it. This was shame and embarrassment and unadulterated pleasure all at once.

“You heard what he said,” she protested, pushing that pleasure down as far as it could go. “About allowing Wheezy into the competition, about letting him win. As if there’s no way either of us could imagine success otherwise. As though we’re nothing without him.”

Mrs. Orson nodded and took Ruby’s hand in her own. Ruby loved the way her skin felt, like a well-worn blanket.

Like so many things about this woman, however, looks were deceiving.

“Which is why you and Wheezy are going to be in that show next week.”

“Mrs. Orson, I don’t think you understand—” She tried to take her hand back, but Mrs. Orson held her firm. The soft skin and gentle fingers transformed at once to a predator’s talons.

“As soon as Norbert realized that he couldn’t push Wheezy around, he looked into the breeder. He needed someone to blame… He’s always been a blamer. When he found out they may have lied about Wheezy’s origins, he demanded his money back with reparations. For all I know, he got them. I don’t care. Wheezy and I didn’t stay long enough to find out.”

“You left him.”