As she pulled her van into the small lot beside the low building bearing the name “Daneland Kennels,” she resolved to let the issue rest. She would probably never see her again anyhow.

She got out of the van and stretched. It was a full-blown spring morning and the clear air and blue skies lifted her spirits. She whistled a little as she let herself in a side door with her key.

“Hey, Boss,” a voice called, as she closed the door behind her. “There’s someone out back to see you.”

“Hi, Anne. Sorry I’m a little late.”

The tanned young woman, dressed casually in a plaid flannel shirt, work pants and heavy work boots, smiled back.

“Well, it is Saturday morning,” she replied. When she stood up, the keys which dangled from a belt loop on her right hip jangled. “I understand that, but I’m not sure our friend out back does.”

Dane’s heart lifted. “Is he here already?”

“They got back about half an hour ago. He’s very sassy, too. If he gets any more pleased with himself, there’ll be no living with him,” Anne replied, laughing.

“Where’s Caroline?”

“She went out for coffee. She’ll be back in a minute.”

Dane headed toward the back door.

“Tell her I’m out back. I want to talk to her.”

Behind the low sprawling building, secluded from the highway, were fenced-in runs where the dogs could be safely let out. As Dane stepped into the largest area directly behind the office, a large dog turned at her approach. Dane laughed as she saw the familiar form. “Baron!” she called as the powerful animal raced toward her, barking excitedly. She braced herself as he approached, used to his exuberant greetings after each of their separations. When he pushed his head into her chest, she rubbed his ears and heavily muscled neck fondly. He tried to return her affections by licking her neck, threatening to topple her over with his weight.

“Enough!” she commanded after a moment, staggering back. He sat down immediately, his eyes fixed on her face, his body still trembling with excitement. She moved to the top step and said quietly, “Baron, come.”

He responded instantly, pressing close up against her left leg. She stroked the soft short fur on his back while she lit a cigarette with her other hand.

“So you did it again, huh, boy?” she said. “I sure missed you while you were gone, but you have to do this once in a while. You’re too good to just stay home and keep me company. Besides, I know you love getting out there and strutting your stuff. Not letting it go to your head, are you?”

He put his large, heavy head on her knee and half closed his eyes as she stroked him. She smiled, remembering how small and cuddly he had been as a puppy. It was hard to believe that he had grown into such a magnificent animal, his body nearly the perfect example of his breed. Despite her pride in him as a champion show dog, she loved him best for his gentle loyal spirit. He was special to her far beyond his worth as her kennel’s premier stud dog. He was her dog, before all else. They sat contentedly together, enjoying one another’s company in the warm, still morning.

The door opened behind them, and Dane looked up.

“Hi! Glad to be back?” she asked.

“Oh God, yes! I’m getting too old for the circuit. Sleeping in vans and eating at McDonald’s is killing me, to say nothing of my home life. Anne threatened to take a lover if I left again before June.”

Dane laughed affectionately at the tall, slightly gray-haired woman who sat down beside her. Caroline had been her friend for many years and was the only one she would trust to handle her dogs at shows.

“After all this time you don’t really think Anne would stray, do you?” Dane queried.

Caroline sighed and studied her boots for a moment.

“You know, three years isn’t very long, as these things go. And I am twelve years older than she is. I still worry about it. I don’t think I could start all over one more time.”

Dane placed her hand lightly on her friend’s knee. “You could, and you would, if you had to. But Anne is a lot more mature than her age, and she’s had enough experience to know what she wants.”

“You should know!” Caroline retorted good-naturedly.

“Are you ever going to forgive me for getting there first? After all, it’s you she chose to be with.” Dane didn’t mind a bit that she had lost a lover to her closest friend. It happened all the time, and as much as she had enjoyed Anne, she hadn’t cared when she had left. It avoided complications.

“Oh, I forgive you,” Caroline said, meaning it. “I still can’t figure out what she saw in me though—especially compared to you.”

“Oh, I can,” Dane replied seriously. “You loved her—I didn’t.”

Caroline looked sharply at Dane, surprised by the coldness in her voice.

“You sound like you have something against love.”

“Not so,” Dane said, twisting her finger in Baron’s rich coat. “I don’t have any problem loving this guy.”

Caroline snorted. “Small wonder! He’s an absolute sweetheart. He’d die for you, and he never asks for anymore than a few strokes.” She scratched his black muzzle and smiled. “He just gets better and better. The judges pretend to look at the others, but there was no competition. He just presented himself and stole their hearts.”

“It scares me when I realize how really great he is,” Dane agreed. “Sometimes I forget he’s a lot more than just my dog.”

“So how have things been around here?” Caroline asked.

Dane replied nonchalantly, “Nothing, the same old routine. I’ve put in a bid for a puppy bitch out of Kitty Graham’s new litter. I thought we were ready for a little expansion.”

Caroline nodded her assent. She had a large financial investment in Daneland Kennels, but she was totally comfortable allowing Dane to make all the decisions regarding their breeding program. Her own talent was in training and handling the dogs.

“Sounds good. But I didn’t mean on the dog scene. I’ve been gone six weeks. What’s been happening with you?”

“Not much.”

“Come on, Dane. This is me—the big C. You know I love details. Something, or someone, must have happened while I’ve been away. Give me a break. All that time with straights, I’m dying for a little gossip. Come clean.”

Dane wouldn’t ordinarily tolerate any intrusion on her private life from anyone, but with Caroline, she couldn’t put up a fight. They had been friends too long, and as much as she hated to admit it, sometimes she needed to talk to someone.

“Well,” she began cautiously, “the bar scene hasn’t changed much. More new faces all the time. And it’s getting so you can’t tell who’s for real and who’s just there for the show. There’s so much leather everywhere these days I’m not sure what’s going on.” She paused. “Remember when a handful of us carried signs that said, ‘Radical dykes, in five years we’ll be everywhere’? Well, now it is everywhere. Except I’m not certain it means the same thing anymore.”

Caroline laughed. “I know what you mean. Every time I walk down the street, I see handkerchiefs and keys all over the place. I’ll be damned if I can tell whether they’re for real or not. But at least women are talking about it—and more and more are thinking about it. That’s some kind of progress.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Dane muttered. “I met this woman—a real novice, totally uninitiated. But she was so cool about the whole thing. She’d thought about it, and then went out and tried it. Just like that.”

“Well, what’s wrong with that?” Caroline said. “That’s what we’ve been saying all along, right? It’s just another way that people relate. Not for everyone—but so what?”

Dane lit a cigarette and slowly inhaled. “Yeah, but this was different. She wasn’t some kid out for an adventure—she thinks, you know. And she talks.”

“You mean she wasn’t just a nice body in your bed for a night?”

Dane looked at Caroline, surprised once more by her old friend’s ability to understand her.

“I guess so.”

“So, what did you do with her?” Caroline asked, aware that Dane hadn’t talked about anyone in particular for a long time. She had always hoped that Dane would get serious about someone again, but it had never seemed to happen. Dane kept her feelings deeply hidden, even from Caroline.

“Nothing,” Dane said.

“Nothing?”

Dane smiled ruefully. “Well, I brought her home, of course.”

“Of course!”

“Cut it out!” Dane said. “I’m not that much of a stud, you know. It’s not like I have a different woman in my bed every night!”

Caroline nodded. “I know. But, you don’t do too badly. So, then what happened?”

“She left. And I came here to see you and Baron.”

Caroline looked into Dane’s blue eyes with surprise. “This was last night?”

Dane nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“Well, come on, woman—tell me! What’s she like?”

“I don’t know, just a woman.”

“Just a woman! There is no such thing. Is she young, old, tall, short, fat, thin, butch, femme, right, left—”

Dane grinned. “She’s gorgeous, actually. Black hair, gray eyes and a great body. Rides a motorcycle, likes leather, and she has a brain.”

“Sounds nice.”

“Yes.”

“So—?”

“So what?” Dane asked, pretending not to understand.

“So what are you doing about it? Do you have her number? Are you going to call her?”

Dane was silent for a moment.

“No, I don’t have her number. And no, I’m not going to call her.”

“Why the hell not?” Caroline asked impatiently.

“Because I don’t feel like it!” Dane replied shortly as she stood up and stretched. Baron got up immediately and looked up at her expectantly.

“I think I’ll take Baron through his paces,” Dane said as she walked away. “He’s been taking it easy too long.”

“And you’ve been hiding too long,” Caroline muttered at Dane’s retreating figure.

CHAPTER FIVE

KYLE CLOSED THE door gently behind her and surveyed the room before her. Benches lined the walls, piled high with half-finished pieces and dismantled forms. Paint cans and brushes were neatly stacked in one corner and a central worktable lay buried under current projects. A fine layer of wood dust covered everything, and particles big enough to touch floated lightly on the still air.

She slipped on her coveralls and tuned the radio to the station she was looking for, the one that played all the ‘oldies’. As was often her habit when she had something on her mind, she sought refuge in work. She began hand sanding the top of a table, her thoughts drifting. Scenes from the bar kaleidoscoped in her mind, and she was back in the smoke-filled room, music and bodies swirling around her. Dane’s face appeared before her, imperious in her aloofness, just a hint of a smile lifting the corner of her mouth. Kyle stepped into her arms again, and they danced. The moment flickered by too quickly as they took the cold ride on her cycle through the dark early morning streets. The strangeness of their silent entrance into Dane’s house and the delicate balance of their love exchange stirred unfamiliar emotions. She was excited and yet uncertain. How was she to reclaim that moment of intense union with a woman she barely knew? Somehow, she sensed she would not see Dane again, and that thought saddened her.

Rarely had she been so moved by someone physically, only to have it end so quickly. Usually her sexual involvements were superficial, engaging little of her emotionally. She never missed the deeper aspects of a relationship—she had friends for that. But with Dane, it had not been the kind of sexual encounter she was used to. By the very nature of their exchange, she had been changed. By allowing Dane to restrain her, and then to control her, Kyle had granted Dane a degree of trust she never shared with casual lovers. Why she had done it didn’t matter — the fact was that she had done it, and she had been touched in some way so fundamental to her being that she felt empty now in the ordinary light of day. She wondered if she would ever be content again without that kind of intensity. She feared Dane had released a hunger that could easily consume her.

She sighed and lightly dusted the top of the table. The swirling grain appeared and rewarded her labors. When she applied a light oil, the wood took on a dark warmth before her eyes. She set the piece aside to dry and began on another. She worked steadily for a long time, lulled by the old romantic tunes that filled the air. When she finally straightened up, she grimaced at the cramp in her lower back.

“Too much activity,” she thought to herself, remembering the night before. “Still, it was worth it.”

The phone rang and startled her back into the present.