She closed and locked the front door behind her, leaning against the molding with her eyes cinched shut. Perhaps she should call her younger sister Janice to come up for a visit. The girl was such a wild one, running with boys all over town. At twenty the girl was a sophomore at Cal State Los Angeles, still giving her mother gray hairs with her wild escapades. What was done to Linda in sexual repression somehow had no bearing on her sister. Yes, she'd call Janice up tomorrow. The girl was on spring break. She was sure her sister would enjoy coming out here and going riding.

Besides, Janice would be the company she needed right now in the house until she could get a better grip on herself. Right now things were so foggy, so… so confused!

"What!" Linda jumped nearly out of her skin when she felt something cold and very wet brushing up against her leg.

At first the woman thought it was a trick of her imagination. But, peering down, she saw the big black and gray-body of Chad, the three-year-old German Shepherd her aunt had purchased just before Linda's arrival for protection. Linda shivered, drawing her hands up and pressing her fingers against the base of her throat. She had never liked the animal. He seemed too independent, almost threatening whenever she was around. Aunt Jane had difficulty controlling him and often spoke of getting rid of the animal when she had more time. Perhaps Linda wouldn't be going out of the way in helping her aunt sell the beast… or sending him off to the pound. Did they have a dog pound here? She was sure they did. In any case, he wasn't going to spend the night here with her. There was something awful in the way he was staring at her now, pushing his shoulders against her legs, panting against her knees.