Chapter 2

Samantha entered her home and immediately closed and locked the front door. She opened the closet and hung up her coat and turned around and went to her bedroom, at the back of the house. Once there she changed out of the outfit she'd worn to the doctor's office and got into something a lot more comfortable, slacks, loafers and a loose blouse. As she buttoned the last button she heard the door bell on the front door.

"Now who could that be?" she wondered.

It took only a couple of minutes to retrace her footsteps and open the front door. There she was greeted by James Beech, her neighbor and hired hand of over 40 years.

"James," she said once she realized who it was. "What brings you over?" she asked.

"Just checking to see if you're ok," he answered.

"And why wouldn't I be ok?"

Closing the door behind him, James entered the living room and sat down on the sofa, as if he owned it.

Samantha had known the man for over 45 years and felt comfortable around him, so his actions were'nt anything to upset her. In fact she sat on the sofa right next to him. He wasn't just her hired hand, but a friend who'd been right there whenever she needed someone to talk to.

"How's Buster doing?" he asked. He'd just used the first trigger.

"Buster's just fine, James. I've not let him in yet, as I just got home.

Buster is the Great Dane James had given to her to help keep her safe when she was home alone. At first she'd tried to turn down the offer, but the animal had quickly taken a liking to her, and her to him as well. While he wasn't technically a house dog, she allowed him to stay in the house whenever she was home. At night he slept at the foot of her bed but during the day he spent most of his time in his pen and custom-made dog house in the back yard, in a fenced in area that encompassed the back patio.

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm so glad that the two of you are finally getting along so nicely."

"I'll admit that I really didn't want a animal around the house, but Buster's proven to be such a nice companion that I'd really hate to see anything happen to him. He's kept me company many a night and I've really gotten quite fond of him and I feel safe and secure when he's in the house with me, as well as when he's outside. He's always the first to let me know when someone's coming up to the house."

"Why don't you let him in for a while. I'd love to see him while I'm here. If you don't mind, that is."