by Liwen Y. Ho
Izzy’s eyes widened. “Do you plan on coming back?”
Running a hand through his hair, he contemplated his answer. Was he serious about returning to Romance? He’d made the comment glibly, and now that Izzy was asking him directly, he wasn’t sure what to say.
“You were joking, right?” she guessed. “Of course you were.”
“Uh, yeah.” He exhaled, relieved to have the decision made for him. What had he been thinking anyway? His life was a state away, and in some respects a world away in the music industry. There was nothing for him here in Oregon, especially if Izzy wasn’t interested in him. And even if she were, he couldn’t stay here forever. “Hey, let's go try that hay ride you were telling me about.”
“Actually, I think there’s something else you’ll enjoy more.” She stood up and motioned for him to follow. “Come on, let’s go.”
5
Izzy
Izzy led Chase past the hay ride and several more food and craft booths, making a right onto Main Street. The booth at the corner was for their local radio station, 96.1’s The Beaver Jam. As providence would have it, she immediately recognized the pop song blasting from the large speakers.
Chase turned to her and smiled. “Speaking of …” He hummed the intro, then began softly singing the first verse of “The Best Thing”.
Picking up the pieces stained with tears,
Nothing to go on, nothing left for me here.
When out of the brokenness and pain,
You found me, dear.
Heart beating fast, Izzy held her breath as she listened. She’d always wanted to see Chase in concert, and here he was giving her a personal performance—of her song, no less. If she were a teenage girl again, she’d no doubt be swooning in his presence. Even though she kept her emotions in check, she couldn’t help but stare open-mouthed at Chase. His voice, raspy with yearning, had her hanging onto every single lyric.
Hearing him sing online or on the radio always left her teary-eyed, but now that she knew the story behind why he’d chosen her song, she was overcome with emotion. Sorrow for the little boy who had grown up without a father. Tenderness toward the man who’d loved and lost his dog. But most of all, fear for herself. She was falling for Chase, and falling hard.
Despite their age difference, they shared a connection. The physical attraction was undeniable, but there was more than that. She’d only met this man, but she understood him. And perhaps he understood her.
“This song gets me every time, too.” Chase had slowed his steps and stopped singing. He held her stare, concern darkening his blue eyes. “Are you okay?”
Izzy swallowed past the lump in her throat. Before she could respond, Chase reached over and wiped away a tear on her cheek. The pad of his thumb lingered, leaving a warm trail on her skin. They had stopped walking by then, and for a minute the sounds and scents of the festival seemed to fade away. There was only her and Chase, with his gaze lingering on her lips. Was he going to kiss her?
“Izzy—”
Woof! Woof, woof!
A low growl raised both of their heads, interrupting their intimate exchange.
“What—” Chase dropped his hand into his jean pocket and cleared his throat. He turned in the direction of the incessant barking. “Is that a dog?”
Nodding in relief, Izzy answered, “Yeah, that’s actually where we’re headed. It’s right over there.”
They walked up to a large white tent set up on a grassy field. A sign hanging overhead read Finding Forever Animal Shelter. The rectangular covering provided shade for about two dozen animals in kennels of various sizes. Nearby the tent was a parking lot with a corral for horses. The area smelled like a farm or a petting zoo. Along with several breeds of dogs, there were also cats, small rodents and even a few pot-bellied pigs.
“What is this?” Chase asked. “It looks like a place for lost animals.”
“That’s exactly what it is. One of the main reasons we have this festival is to help raise funds for the town’s animal shelter.”
He raised his brows. “I’ve never seen a pig at the shelter back home. This is amazing.”
“It’s pretty cool. I love coming here to see all the animals. I thought since you’re a dog lover, you’d like it, too.”
“I do, thanks.”
The billboard smile he flashed her way made her stomach drop. It was a good thing there were all these cute creatures around because she needed to be distracted by something other than Chase. She couldn’t believe he’d almost kissed her, or the fact that she’d wanted him to.
Amid the chatter of the animals, a lone bark caught her attention. It was the dog they’d heard earlier. She walked over to one of the closest kennels where a black Labrador had his nose pressed against the wire door. “Hey sweetie, what’s your name?”
Whining, the dog scratched the crate with his front paws. His movements grew more frenzied by the second.
Izzy knelt and placed one hand against his nose. “You want to come out, don’t you?”
Chase lowered himself beside Izzy. He leaned close to the crate and lifted the brim of his baseball cap to get a better look. “Poor dog. Do you see his back leg?”
Before he could elaborate, the dog began barking wildly. He backed away as far as the kennel would allow and growled, baring his teeth in Chase’s direction.
“Let's give him some space.” Izzy took a few steps away and pulled Chase with her. She spotted his name on the information card attached to his crate. “Thor. His name’s Thor.”
“Seems more like Thor’s evil brother, Loki, if you ask me.”
Shooting him a stern look, she admonished, “He’s not evil, just scared. A lot of these animals came from bad homes before they were brought here. Who knows what he’s been through.”
“I didn’t mean he was evil. Thor’s blond; his brother’s dark-haired. That’s the resemblance I was referring to.” He pointed to the crate’s left side. “You’re right; something happened to him. His back leg’s missing some hair.”
Izzy spotted the area Chase mentioned. Without fur covering it, part of Thor’s hind leg was as hairless and pink as a raw piece of chicken. Why would anyone mistreat such a sweet animal? She felt an unexplainable compassion for the dog and wanted to find out his story.
She called out to a volunteer worker carrying a clipboard. “Excuse me?”
The woman with the name Jessie on her name tag approached them. “Can I help you?”
“Can you tell me what happened to this Lab’s leg?”
Jessie glanced at her clipboard and flipped through the paper attached to it. She stopped on the third page and furrowed her brows. “It says here that Thor was found roaming the streets on the outskirts of town. Brent, the owner of the shelter, guesses he got hurt from being dragged along the road”—she winced—“by a car.”
“That’s horrible.” Izzy turned to Chase with a frown. “No wonder he’s a little jumpy.”
“Jumpy is putting it mildly,” he replied warily. “He’s still showing me his teeth.”
“He’s really a sweetheart,” Jessie cut in, “but he does need some time to trust people. Once he gets to know you though, you’re guaranteed a friend for life.”
Curiosity pushed Izzy closer to Thor’s crate again. She took a few slow steps and knelt, patiently waiting for the dog to approach. When he did, she placed her hand against the wire and let him sniff her. Loud whining filled the air as Thor once again pawed at the door.
“He’s never been this eager with anyone before,” Jessie exclaimed. “He likes you.”
“Well, she is a likable person,” Chase agreed. “This dog has good taste, that’s for sure.”
Izzy glanced over her shoulder and caught the sparkle in Chase’s eyes. Heat rose from her neck into her cheeks. The man was sure skilled at making her blush. “Thanks.”
“So …,” Jessie piped up with a hopeful smile, “are you interested in Thor?”
“What?” Izzy spun around. "You mean
do I want to adopt him?”
“Yes. I assumed that’s why you were here, to adopt an animal.”
“Oh no, we were just looking. I’d love to have a dog, but I can’t right now.” Even as she said those words, her maternal instincts kicked into gear. Why couldn’t she take Thor home? Having a dog around the house would make the days less lonely. Especially when Chase left Romance … which he inevitably would.
“That’s too bad—”
“Actually, why not?” Izzy stood to her feet and faced Jessie. “I’ll take him.”
“You will?” Jessie and Chase asked at the same time.
Placing her hands on her hips, Izzy declared, “Yes. I can give Thor a good home and he can give me what I’m looking for: a loyal friend. It’s a win-win for both of us.”
“That’s awesome,” Jessie squealed. “Let me get you started on the paperwork. You can take him home today.”
Minutes later, Izzy had filled out the forms, paid the adoption fee and received Thor’s medical papers. She waited expectantly as Jessie prepared to take him out of the kennel.
“This is a great thing you’re doing,” Chase remarked as he stood with her. “You’re going to make a huge difference in his life.”
“I hope so. It’s partly a selfish thing, too,” she admitted. “It gets pretty quiet at the inn when no guests are around. Business slows down a lot in the fall and winter months. At least I’ll have someone to keep me company.”
Chase nodded, his brows drawn together. “I wish I could stick around longer, but I need to head home tomorrow.”
He was leaving already? She tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. “Of course. I didn’t expect you to stay forever.”
“I need to be back in the studio next week to start recording my new album.”
“Sure. You’re a pop star. That’s what pop stars do.” And she was a single mom who owned a Bed and Breakfast … and now a dog.
Jessie walked toward them with Thor on a leash.
The dog peered up at them, his ears cocked in curiosity. His brown eyes flitted back and forth from Izzy to Chase, giving them a thorough once-over.
Izzy took hold of the leash with one hand and allowed Thor to sniff her other. “Hi, Thor. I’m Izzy. You’ll be coming home with me.”
“Bye, Thor. Thanks so much for adopting him,” Jessie gushed before she left them.
Thor licked Izzy’s hand and happily wagged his tail. She took that as a good sign that he felt safe with her. They were going to get along just fine.
“Hi, boy.”
At the sound of Chase’s voice, however, Thor began growling and barking. He shrank back and hid behind Izzy’s legs.
“Thor, it’s okay. This is Chase. He’s a friend.”
“Hey buddy,” Chase tried again, “I won’t hurt you.”
The barking continued. No amount of consoling would calm Thor. Only when Izzy took a few steps away from Chase, did he finally quiet down. “How strange. I don’t know what it is. Maybe you remind him of someone he doesn’t like?”
Chase held up his hands in a gesture of peace that seemed to rile up the dog even more. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and backed up. “That’s for sure. You know what, you take care of the dog. I’ll catch a taxi back to the inn.”
“You sure?” she called out to his back.
“No worries,” he answered over his shoulder. “I’ll see you later.”
Izzy watched Chase walk away, her heart conflicted. It was better this way though. She’d gotten too attached to him already.
6
Chase
He’d been upstaged by a dog.
Chase sighed and continued strumming the same three chords on his guitar. Ever since his return from the festival several hours ago, he’d been holed up in his room at the inn, trying to stay out of Thor’s way. Which also meant he wasn’t able to spend time with Izzy like he’d hoped.
The fading sunlight outside his window reminded him he only had half a day left in Romance. Any chances of getting to know Izzy better were slipping away. The quaint room he was in gave him some clues as to her interests. A set of musical note pillar candles next to a current copy of 1859 Oregon’s Magazine pointed to her love of music and her state. The painting of a little girl hanging over the bed, however, seemed out of place. Her heart-shaped face resembled Izzy’s, but the eyes staring back at him were bright blue instead of hazel. Who was this child and what significance did she have in Izzy’s life?
His fingers picked at the metal strings mindlessly. Since he’d taught himself to play the guitar at age fifteen, his world had opened up. He’d found fame and fortune, but the one thing he longed for the most—love—still seemed out of reach. He could sing about it, but without living it, his songs were just a shadow of the real thing.
The piece he’d started writing the night before was evidence of his lackluster love life. It was more of a jingle at this point; he was stuck on the second line of the chorus. And without the chorus, he had no direction for the verses. He’d spoken too soon. He needed to find Grace Bella after all.
He ran his hands through his hair, certain it was standing on end after wearing a cap for most of the day. Getting up from the bed, he decided a shower was in order. Hot water plus the great acoustics of a bathroom always gave him a burst of inspiration.
Halfway through the shower, he’d gotten zero ideas for his song, but he did have a great-smelling head of hair. The sweet coconut scent of the shampoo was one he’d come to associate with Izzy. As he finished rinsing the soap from his body, the bathroom light suddenly flickered, then went out. He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, fumbling for a towel in the dark. He had it wrapped around his waist when a knock sounded on his bedroom door.
“Chase? Sorry about the lights,” Izzy called out. “I was vacuuming and using the microwave and listening to music—”
He opened the door to find Izzy with her hair piled on top of her head and two flashlights in hand. She’d changed since he last saw her into a pair of black yoga pants and a gray top that bared one shoulder. She looked even younger than usual, even with a few worry lines creasing her forehead. “How do you manage to listen to music and vacuum at the same time?”
Izzy’s eyes flew from his face to his still dripping torso. Her mouth opened and closed and opened again, but no sound emerged for a good five seconds. When she finally spoke, her cheeks had darkened several shades of red. “It’s, uh, just something I like to do.” She handed him one of the flashlights and dropped her gaze. “I’m going to flip the circuit breaker. This is the second time this has happened this month. I better have Josh come look at it,” she muttered to herself as she turned to go.
“Is that your boyfriend?”
“No, no boyfriend. Josh is the electrician.”
So, there wasn’t anyone special in her life. “Good to know.”
“The only man in my life is a furry one.”
As if on cue, the high-pitched clicking sound of dog nails on hardwood echoed in the hallway. A black, moist nose appeared in the doorway and gave Chase a quick sniff. Thor wagged his tail and licked the drops of water trailing down his legs.
“Hey Thor.” Chase held out his hand to him and received a lick in return. “So, you like me now? Or am I just a substitute for your water bowl?”
“He just had some water,” Izzy answered for her dog, “so that can’t be it.” She studied the scene before her, then gasped. “Do you think something you had on earlier spooked him? Like your sunglasses or …”
“My cap?” He reached for the baseball cap lying on the dresser. “It wasn't the sunglasses. Jessie had a pair on, too. This must be the culprit.”
“Yes, your cap! I bet whoever hurt him had been wearing one, too.”
Sure enough, Thor caught one glimpse of the cap and backed away.
Chase tossed it aside and placed his hands on his hips, a proud grin crossing his lips. “Mystery solved. I’m one of the good guys now.”
/> “It seems like it,” Izzy murmured more to herself than him. “Um, are you hungry? I didn’t know if you had any dinner plans or not. I heated up some leftovers from breakfast if you want to share them.”
“Sure, that sounds great. I’ll come down in a minute.”
“Take your time.” She patted her leg and motioned for Thor to follow her. “Come on, boy. Let the man get dressed in peace.”
Izzy had called him a man. It seemed like someone was seeing him in a new light. The dog, for one, did. What a day. Things were finally looking up.
Chase toweled off and threw on a T-shirt and a clean pair of jeans before heading downstairs. The lights had yet to come back on, so he followed the brightly illuminated path his flashlight shone. He found Izzy seated in the dining area with two plates of food and glasses and Thor lying at her feet. A trio of candles made up the centerpiece. He greeted her and took a seat. “You didn’t say anything about a candlelit dinner. I would’ve dressed up,” he joked.
“This isn’t exactly by choice,” she sighed. “Flipping the circuit breaker didn’t work. I left Josh a message; hopefully he’ll call back tonight. In the meantime, I’m afraid we’re going to have to do things the old-fashioned way.”
“That’s fine with me. It’s more romantic this way.”
“Humph.”
The flickering light hid Izzy’s entire expression, but her tone revealed her disapproval. “You don't agree?”
“Let’s just eat,” she insisted, picking up her fork.
“Sure. I’m starving.”
“When aren’t you hungry?” she chuckled. “I guess it’s true what they say—guys don’t stop growing until well into adulthood. You’re lucky you have such a good metabolism. Once you reach thirty-five, it all goes downhill. Gravity really starts working overtime then.”
The confidence in her voice had returned, as if she were speaking from experience. “Thirty-five? How would you possibly know anything about that?”
