THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

a week ago.” Scott picked up another puppy.
    The yellow lab licked at Kasey’s nose. “Puppy breath. There’s just nothing better than puppy breath. I have got to get my camera.”
    “You can take pictures later. They won’t be going far for a while. Let me show you the boats.”
    “Okay.” She kissed the puppy on the nose. It reached its tiny paws toward her face. Kasey nuzzled it one last time, then followed Scott out to the dock.
    Kasey felt a tug of regret. “That makes me miss our black lab, Dutch. I left him back at the other farm. Everyone thought he was too old to uproot. He’ll get way more attention there from familiar folks, too. It was the right thing to do, but it was hard. I miss him.”
    “I bet.” Scott took her hand and helped her step onto the floating dock. “Steady there.”
    “Two boats,” she said, looking from the big pontoon boat to the bright glitter-bottomed boat.
    “Yep.”
    “That one has quite a bit of bling on it, doesn’t it,” she teased.
    “The fish love it.”
    “You’d think it would scare them away.”
    “They like shiny stuff.” He leaned back against one of the dock posts. “Do you like to fish?”
    “I’ve got my fair share of fishing stories, and I have to admit I do like shiny stuff.”
    “Ahhhh. There’s nothing like fishing early in the morning as the sun just peeks over the horizon. So peaceful, you can hear the fish wake up.”
    “Sounds nice.” She looked out over the water. Trees hung over the edges of the river, lush and green. “It’s pretty down here.”
    “I grew up on this river. I never tire of it.” He glanced at his watch. “We’d better get back up to the house. Folks should be here soon.”
    “Okay.”
    They hiked back up the steep incline to the house. People were already in the kitchen, making themselves at home.
    Scott opened the screen door.
    “Hey.” Scott cuffed a guy on the shoulder, then hugged the woman next to him.
    “That your famous marinade?” the man asked.
    “You better believe it. Y’all would run me out on a rail if I didn’t produce the best steak in town, as promised.” Scott turned away from them, then looped a black apron over his head and tied the strings behind him.
    He faced them and everyone laughed.
    Best Mooin’ Marinade was embroidered on the front of the apron in bright red. Beneath it was a caricature of Scott with a chef’s hat, grill fork, and a sheriff’s badge, chasing cows.
    “You like?” he asked.
    Scott reached for Kasey and pulled her in to the group. “This is Kasey. She just moved in over on Nickel Creek.”
    “The house they’ve been renovating for like a year?” a tall, lanky brown-haired man asked.
    Kasey extended her hand and shook his. “Yep. That’s the one.”
    He gave her a firm handshake. “I’m Dusty. I did the tile work over there.”
    She brightened. “You’re kidding.”
    “Bathroom and kitchen,” he said, satisfaction in his eyes.
    “It’s lovely. It’s so nice to meet you.”
    He smiled and tilted his head toward the woman who stood by his side. “This is my bride, Angie.”
    “Nice to meet you, Dusty and Angie.”
    “Angie made this apron for me,” Scott said. “She’s quite talented with that embroidery machine.”
    “Did you design it, too?” Kasey asked.
    Angie nodded.
    “Beautiful needlework. I love the detail.”
    She blushed. “Thanks.”
    “I did some work over there on Nickel Creek, too,” said the shorter of the two men “I hauled all the debris from the demolition away. They gutted that place.”
    “Chaz was telling me about it. I never saw the house before it was done. My husband surprised me with it.”
    “How romantic,” Angie said, elbowing Dusty. “Why don’t you ever think of sweet stuff like that?”
    Ignoring his wife’s comment, he shifted his attention back to Kasey. “Aw, man. You should have seen it. What a mess. We hauled junk for three days before they could even start the demolition. We all thought the guy was nuts. I couldn’t believe it when I came back to do the tile work. That place is a miracle makeover.”
    “I wish I had pictures of it before the renovation,” Kasey said, feeling more comfortable with them already.
    “Is your husband coming over later?” Dusty asked.
    Kasey took in a sharp breath. She’d been fine up to that point.
    Scott jumped in. “Remember that accident over the summer? The pickup truck in the Nottoway and the missing child? That was Kasey’s husband and