by Mary Manners
Avery rounded to the front of the counter and knelt to Kenzie’s level. She brushed a lock of hair back from the child’s dark eyes. “Your birthday is in a week?”
“Uh huh.” Kenzie nodded vigorously. “Next Saturday. That’s why we’re goin’ to get Sadie. Uncle Jason said she’s gonna help us celebrate the special occasion a little early.”
“Well, I’ll agree that a birthday is certainly a special time.” Avery pulled back. “So, I’m glad you have a special friend to share it with.”
Like Sadie. Who is this Sadie?
Jason slanted a look Kenzie’s way. “OK, Miss Loquacious—”
“That means talkative.” Kenzie giggled.
“You’re absolutely correct.” Avery chuckled right along with her, though she still wondered about the special friend named Sadie. A slight prick of envy poked at her. “And a broad vocabulary is a strong sign of intelligence, so I’d say you rank right up there at the tip top, sweetie.”
“If I could get a word in edgewise here…” Jason drew his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms. Keys that were nestled together on a large, silver ring jangled freely. The muscles along his chest bowed beneath the fabric of his shirt. Judging from the deep shade of sun-kissed tan cloaking the terrain of his biceps and skimming along the length of his clean-shaven jaw, Avery figured he was no stranger to the great outdoors. “I suppose we’re neighbors of sorts, Miss Lakin—or is it Mrs. Lakin?”
“It’s neither. Just call me Avery.”
“All right then…Avery.” His gaze swept to her ring finger, and Avery thought she saw a slight hint of relief when he noticed the appendage was devoid of jewelry. “Well, I own the photography studio next door.”
“Oh, right. Outside Shots…it’s a nice place from what I can tell, though I haven’t had the chance to step inside and take a look for myself—yet.”
“You’ll have to do that, soon. Don’t be a stranger, Avery.”
There he went again, murmuring her name. The engaging tone of his voice sent a tiny trill through her, clear to her toes. She loved the way her name rolled from his lips.
She could listen to him say it all day long.
“Of course not.” The words came with a slight tremble. She was being ridiculous. He had a Sadie, and she was waiting on him. Avery reached back across the counter, closed the cover of her laptop, and set it to one side. The work would have to wait until Jason backed away—both literally and figuratively—and her brain had time to refresh itself from all thoughts of him. What, exactly, was going on here? She’d never reacted this way—ever—to a man, even if he did happen to be on the Most Handsome Man Alive list. And Jason, she was certain, would grace the pole position there. “I’ll make it a point to stop in for a visit before the week is out.”
“That doesn’t leave much time, so it sounds like a good plan.” He nodded, cementing the agreement. “I’d…like that very much.”
“Me, too!” Kenzie chimed in. “I’ll show you all of Uncle Jason’s ’laska pictures. Do you know he saw a grizzly there? He has the pictures to prove it!”
“Wow, that’s something.” Avery paused for a moment as the faint sound of music suddenly drifted from the floor above. From the way he craned his neck, Jason heard it, as well. Odd…she hadn’t ever noticed the sound before. Had Lila left a radio on in the office suite upstairs when she left to run errands? “Lila mentioned you moved in a few months ago, and that we share the parking lot. I guess that was why it was so crowded out there earlier today. All those anxious June brides-to-be coupled with your summer exposition.”
“It’s the season, all right.”
“That it is.” Avery pursed her lips, dry and chapped from several hours’ work without a break. She ran the tip of her tongue over them and wished she’d thought to tuck a tube of gloss into her pocket. She could sure use it now. “I’m not complaining, because the overflow is job security, I suppose, and Lila wants so badly for Diamond Knot Dreams to be successful.”
“By all accounts, it already is. I gather that’s why she called you in as a reinforcement—and a friend.” Jason lifted his gaze toward the ceiling, where the music continued to resonate through the floorboards of the landing above. “Speaking of job security…do you have customers up there?”
“No, but the music—”
“—just got louder.”
“Maybe it’s the lady.” Kenzie scooted toward the edge of the counter and peered through the rungs of the sweeping staircase. “She’s nice.”
“What lady?” Jason asked.
“The one who wears the funny-looking dress with the collar that comes up to here.” Kenzie cuffed both hands around her neck to demonstrate. “And she wears a necklace that sparkles. I’ve seen her in the window…the one in the turret upstairs.” She leaned back to whisper to Avery. “A turret’s that pointy part of the roof that has a round room beneath it. Diamond Knot Dreams has two turrets, but the lady likes the one in front best. She likes to look out of it. I think she’s watching for someone.”
“Kenzie…your imagination…”
“It’s not my imagination, Uncle Jason. Miss Lila knows she’s around here, too. And Morgan. They told me.”
Morgan Holt…that would be Lila’s husband. They’d been happily married for a little more than a year after a very rocky start to their friendship. As Lila told it with a laugh, she’d commissioned Morgan to renovate the Victorian into what was now Diamond Knot Dreams, and along with the master carpentry, she’d also acquired a husband. Morgan’s version, of course, was slightly different. But he proved a good-natured sort, and the two somehow managed to make their differences work like a well-oiled machine.
Avery silenced Jason’s objections with a slight wave of her hand. She smiled at Kenzie. “You’re very smart for five years old.”
“Five and three-quarters.” She held up the fingers to prove it, though the three-quarters presented a bit of a challenge. “I’ll be six next Saturday.”
“Yes, that’s what you said. Saturday…hmm...” Avery knelt down to Kenzie’s level once again. She placed a hand on each of Kenzie’s small shoulders. “Do you have something special planned for your birthday?”
“I dunno.” Kenzie shrugged. “But Sadie’s pretty special, I think, and we’re all gonna celebrate together tonight.”
Sadie again. Good grief.
“You mentioned seeing a lady here, sweetie.” Avery leveled her gaze. “What lady are you talking about? Do you know her name?”
“Yes, what lady?” Jason echoed. “I’ve never seen her.”
“Oh, but you will…both of you.” Kenzie smiled. “I don’t know her name, but I do know that she likes to stand in the room by the front turret when nobody’s up there, and she likes you too, Avery.”
“How do you know?”
Kenzie shrugged. “I just do.”
“Well…oh my.” Avery pressed a hand to her chest as she rose to face Jason. Judging from his expression, he felt just as bewildered by the elusive prediction as she. “I’m…just a little bit speechless…”
“Speechless…” Kenzie echoed as she twirled a curl around her index finger. “That’s the opposite of loquacious, right? They’re called anty-nyms. My teacher said so.”
“Your teacher is a very smart lady.” Avery turned back toward the staircase as the air conditioning kicked on. A breath of cool air coursed up her spine to tickle the loose hairs along the nape of her neck. She shrugged and struggled to formulate an explanation for the music that continued to play on.
Jason’s gaze locked with hers. “Any ideas? I’m fresh out of them.”
“It must be a radio playing a tune, to go on for as long as it has. A music box would have surely wound down by now. Lila enjoys listening to the local country station while she works. Maybe she set an alarm to music—to remind her of an appointment or something—and the station got switched by accident.”
“It sounds more like a slightly out-of-tune piano…or the tines of a music box.”
Jason started toward the winding stairs that led to the second floor. “Do you want me to head up and take a look?”
“Me, too!” Kenzie scampered fast at his heels, eager to explore. “Wait for me. I want to see, too.”
“No, I’m sure it’s fine.” Avery dodged them both, blocking Kenzie’s path. There was no way she’d place the child in any manner of the unknown, even if it amounted to no more than an errant radio. Somehow, though, she sensed this was more. “Lila warned me that sometimes strange things happen around here, but they’re nothing to be afraid of.”
“She told me that, too,” Kenzie added. “The first time I told her about the lady.”
“She did?” Avery asked.
“Uh huh.” Kenzie nodded vigorously. “She said she’s never seen her, but sometimes she smells roses when she goes upstairs, even though there aren’t any flowers up there. I think the lady likes roses.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take a look?” Jason asked again, sidestepping Avery as he nudged Kenzie to the rear. “I don’t mind a bit.”
“That’s very generous of you, but, of course I’m sure. Besides, you don’t want to keep whoever’s waiting on you…waiting. Sadie, was it?”
“Yep. Sadie.”
Avery took Kenzie’s hand and led her back toward the front counter. She bent to snatch her purse from a low shelf and rummaged for her car keys, suddenly overcome with an odd wish that it was she who might spend the evening with Jason and Kenzie instead of the elusive Sadie. She chalked up the feeling to a twinge of homesickness for the familiar New York landscape. Though she didn’t miss the chaos, there was a certain comfort in the bustling pace of the city. Hopefully, Clover Cove would soon become familiar enough to call her true home. Lila had promised to introduce her to a few people and also take her on a tour of the town once she got settled in.
Satisfied when she felt the cool metal of keys against her palm, Avery tucked her purse back on the shelf and unfolded herself to face Jason, who had loped back to join them once again.
Yes, he was a vision…easy on the eyes with a smile that could probably charm the straw from the chubby limbs of a scarecrow. She could hardly locate her tongue. Suddenly her throat felt as if she’d just spent a string of scorching days heedlessly roaming the Sahara with no sign of an oasis.
“In that case…” Jason’s gaze slipped from Avery to Kenzie and then back again. “…whoever this lady is that Kenzie speaks of…I sure hope she favors me, as well.”
“Oh, she does.” Kenzie smiled as she gazed once again toward the upper landing along the sweeping staircase. “Yep, she says you pass muster with flying colors…whatever that means.”
“I’d have to agree,” Avery murmured with a slight twinge of longing. “Flying colors, indeed.”
“Excuse me?” Jason leaned in, his aftershave a hint of summer promise. “I missed that last comment.”
But Kenzie fisted her hand, pressed it to her mouth, and giggled. She, obviously, had not missed the subtle innuendo. “I think she’s twitter-pated, Uncle Jason—just like you.”
“Well, that’s certainly fortuitous.” Jason laughed.
“What does that mean?” Kenzie wanted to know as she tugged at his shirt once again.
Avery explained. “It means unexpected…by chance, sweetie.”
“Oh, like you parkin’ your Jeep too close to our truck or us meeting Sadie?” Kenzie asked.
“Yes, just like that—fortuitous.” Avery’s heart tugged. There was that Sadie again. Kenzie was obviously smitten with her. Was Jason just as infatuated?
“Never mind.” A slight wave of Avery’s hand dismissed the conversation. She rounded the counter and headed toward the door with the keys to her offending Jeep in hand. She crooked a finger at Jason. “Follow me, Mr. Photo Guy, and I’ll spring both you and your truck from the parking lot. How does that sound?”
“Just perfect.” He unfolded his arms and reached for the door, holding it wide for both her and Kenzie to pass through. “That would be my pleasure.”
The scent of roses drifted as Avery stepped onto the oversized, wrap-around porch that framed the bridal shop. Bushes clustered to the right, in a colorful burst of full bloom beneath the forward-facing turret. Mid-May sunshine kissed her cheeks as she glanced up toward the turret window, hoping for a glimpse of the mystery lady. She gasped as sunlight flickered over glass, certain she saw the sweeping movement of a shadow. In the gentle gasp of moments, a wave of warmth coursed through her.
Suddenly she sensed something wonderful was about to unfold.
2
Half-an-hour later Jason steered his truck into the lot of the Clover Cove Animal Shelter. Veterinarian Marilyn Phelps waited on the steps with the newest addition to his little family curled at her side.
“Look!” Kenzie let out a squeal. “There’s Sadie!”
Jason nodded slightly, though he was distracted by thoughts of Avery. When he’d seen her standing there at the counter inside Diamond Knot Dreams—tall and slender with almond-shaped blue eyes and hair that rivaled a sun-kissed waterfall—he was a goner. But it was the sound of her laughter and the way those summer-blue eyes lit like fireflies on a warm, lazy night that made the earth move.
The ground beneath him had actually trembled. For the briefest series of moments, he couldn’t catch his breath.
Now, he commanded every brain synapse to fire as he struggled to focus on Kenzie’s excited chatter. She kicked the back of his seat with her sandals as she struggled to free herself from her booster chair.
“Did you hear me, Uncle Jason? There’s Sadie-girl!”
“Yes, there she is.” Jason swept thoughts of Avery aside—for now. “And it looks like she’s been waiting for you.”
“Yep, I knew it.” Kenzie scurried from her booster seat. “And the bandage is off her leg. I think she’s almost all healed up. She’s not even limpin’ much anymore. I gotta go give her a big hug.”
“Go on, then, but remember to be gentle since she’s still not feeling one-hundred percent. Be sure to give Dr. Marilyn a huge hug for all her hard work, too.”
“Oh, I will. Golly, but Dr. Marilyn’s awesome.”
“Yes, she is.” And a smooth talker, as well, when it came to placing stray animals with families. With her volunteer work at the no-kill shelter, she had her hands full. She’d pulled a number on Jason, tugging at heartstrings he rarely shared.
Except when it came to animals and kids.
And a certain woman with summer-blue eyes, sweet orange soda to share, and laughter that warmed a room.
Focus on the task at hand. Stop thinking about Avery.
“Dr. Marilyn saved Sadie’s life.” Kenzie tugged at the door latch until it popped.
“That she did.” The thought soothed a bit of the sting that Jason knew was coming as he immersed himself in training the puppy. What was one more mouth to feed? Chewed shoes and bathroom messes—yes, they were sure to come. But the poor pup needed a home, and he and Kenzie had a home to share. It could always be worse. Sadie could be one of those pug-nosed yappers that fit inside a purse and barely passed for a canine. Or maybe—
“Hurry up and come meet Sadie, Uncle Jason!” The rear passenger door slammed as Kenzie scurried away, bringing a blissful moment of silence. Jason watched Kenzie weave her way across the gravel lot. Sadie tugged at the leash and rushed to greet her. Jason imagined Hollywood could do no better creating a reunion scene. He grinned ruefully as he scrubbed at his eyes, collecting his thoughts as an explosion of doggie yaps coupled by shrieks of childish laughter shattered the brief interlude of peace.
Dear God, what have I gotten myself into?
Now he had not just one small female to wrangle, but two. The idea had seemed manageable at the outset, when Marilyn first introduced Kenzie to the three-month old mutt someone had heartlessly dumped on the roadside. Of course, just as Marilyn had planned, child and pup had fallen in love at first sight. There was no undoing it. Jason caved to Kenzie’s r
elentless and largely pitiful pleas.
The scene replayed through his mind like a reel-to-reel home movie…
“She’s hurt and scared, Uncle Jason. And lonely, too. Someone didn’t want her, but we do, right?”
“Wanting something and having the means to care for it are two very different things, Kenzie.”
“But we have a house and we can buy doggie kibble at the Clover Cove Co-Op. I’ll even do chores to pay for it. I’ll put all my toys away and pick up your stinky socks.”
“My stinky socks?” He stifled a grin. “I beg your pardon, but my socks are not stinky.”
“Yes, they are…sometimes, at least.” Kenzie crossed her arms and lifted her chin in the vaguely defiant manner that was becoming all too familiar. The kid had a stubborn streak a mile wide—just like Molly during her younger days. “And I’ll walk her every day and play with her all the time, and she can sleep in my bed—”
“Whoa, Mackenzie. The dog is not sleeping in your bed.”
“And I’ll name her Sadie, ’cause Dr. Marilyn said she doesn’t have a name yet. So that’s up to me. And she needs a name. Everyone needs a name.”
If Jason were a child, he might have stomped his foot just then. But he forced himself to acknowledge that, like it or not, he was the adult here. So he drew a deep breath and did all he could manage right then—he walked in a circle like a chicken who’d lost its mind, counting to ten all the while. When his patience and the tone of his voice came back into check, he paused and turned back to her.
“Mackenzie Renee Ballentine, I said whoa.” Jason lifted a hand, fingers splayed wide to emphasize the point. “Hold up for a minute. Just take a breath while I think about this. Give me two seconds…three. Please.”
“Uh oh…that means no, doesn’t it?” Her dark-candy eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around the injured mutt and held tight. To add insult to injury, the newly-dubbed Sadie let out a long, high-pitched, and very pitiful whine as she gazed at Jason with soulful, coal-black nuggets that were set in a shaggy frame of winter-white fur. That poor dog had been to the brink and back, and she knew it. He had to admit the fluffy ball of fur was just about too cute for words. He felt his resolve crumbling as Kenzie played her ace-in-the-whole. “But I love her, Uncle Jason. And she needs me. She needs us.”
