HF02 - Forever After

by Deborah Raney

  “Sparky? Come here, boy.” Lucas clicked his tongue, and without giving Jenna a second glance, the dog trotted around the corner to greet him. She heard Lucas baby-talking the dog, and then the sounds of patting and tail-wagging. Stupid dog.

  She swung her legs over the counter, trying to affect some semblance of dignity. But she remained on edge, poised and ready to scale the counter again if necessary.

  A minute later man and dog appeared around the corner. Lucas’s smirk said he was working hard not to laugh. She no doubt looked laughable perched on the counter with her hair uncombed and her clothes a wrinkled mess from spending the night wadded in her car.

  When she was sure he had a good hold on Sparky’s collar, she slid off the counter and stood in the corner near the sink.

  “Thank you.” She knew her face must be ten shades of pink, but he didn’t comment.

  “You want him back here?” He pointed toward the laundry room, keeping one hand on his cane, the other firmly wrapped around Sparky’s collar.

  “Please.”

  He pushed the dog into the tiny laundry room and pulled the door shut. “Now stay, boy,” he said, obviously for her benefit. He took a staggered step, grabbing the door handle for balance. Sparky answered with a muffled bark.

  Lucas leaned his cane against a chair in the breakfast nook and steadied himself, then came around the bar to where she stood, her back still to the sink.

  “Stupid dog.” She rolled her eyes toward the laundry room, but she felt like the stupid one. “I barely opened the door and he got out and practically ate me alive.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that big chunk out of your arm.” He grinned and leaned against the counter, bracing his hands behind him.

  She lasered a ha-ha-very-funny look in his direction.

  He ignored it. “You taking care of him for Bryn again?”

  “Not exactly. I didn’t want to let him out at all, but he was scratching at the door.”

  Lucas looked confused.

  “Oh … Bryn said I could hang out at her place today.”

  “Things that bad at the Morgans’?”

  “That bad and worse. They sort of, um, kicked me out.”

  “What? Seriously? You just got there.”

  “They forbade me to associate with Bryn as long as I was under their roof.” She looked around the room as though Bryn might overhear.

  “Ouch.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. So I decided I can’t live there.”

  “Good for you. But where will you live then?”

  She looked at the floor, not wanting to confess to him that she’d spent last night in her car. “I don’t exactly know yet. I’m going to look at some apartments today. You don’t know of anything do you? In the Falls?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry. I can ask around, though.”

  “That’s okay. I thought I’d talk to the Realtor who handled my house sale.”

  “So you’re staying here in the meantime?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t really want to tell Bryn why I got kicked out.”

  “I see your point. But you can’t exactly not tell her.”

  “No, I guess not. But it breaks my heart to think about hurting Bryn like that. She’s already taken so much junk over this whole—” She stopped short. She didn’t really know where Lucas stood on Bryn. After all, he’d lost his father in the fire. He had this limp and the cane because of the fire. And worse, he’d lost the job he loved. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know some people still … blame Bryn. For the fire. I guess I can understand how you might, too.”

  He shook his head slowly. “I did for a while. But I forgave her. A long time ago … thanks to my mom.”

  “I like your mom.”

  That brought a crooked smile. “Yeah, I do, too. She’s one of the good ones.”

  His expression at the mention of Emily made Jenna a little jealous—and made her wonder if Lucas knew about her own mother. Had Zach talked with him about what she’d come from—her past—when they’d worked shifts together at the station?

  Before she could decide whether to risk asking him, he changed the subject. “Hey, you want to go for coffee?” He looked like a nervous kid inviting a girl on his first date.

  And she did want to go with him. Very much. But she was in desperate need of a shower and a shampoo. And she had less than eight hours to find a place to stay tonight. “I’d love to, but I need to go apartment hunting—and job hunting before that.”

  “Wow. Big day.”

  “Yeah, I can hardly wait. Can I take a raincheck on that coffee, though?”

  “You bet.” He went around the bar and retrieved his cane from the breakfast nook. “You’ll be okay—with Cujo there.” He grinned and pointed to the laundry room door where Jenna could hear the dog snuffling beneath the door.

  “You wouldn’t want to take him now, would you?”

  He laughed. “You’re relentless! And giving Bryn’s dog away? Some friend.”

  She gave him a look. “I told you, I have permission. Seriously, though, she really needs to find another home for him.”

  He nodded and appeared to be considering the possibility. “I haven’t had a chance to check yet whether the station would consider taking him in.”

  “But just think how nice it would be to have a furry companion in your house,” she said, trying to close the sale.

  He narrowed his eyes and shook a playful finger in her face. “Don’t think I don’t see through your clever ploy. This is all part of that ‘plan’ you and Bryn cooked up, right?” He looked from her to the laundry room door and back again. “And that ‘furry companion’ pitch sure sounds funny coming from a girl who just spent ten minutes trapped on a kitchen counter by one.”

  She didn’t tell him she’d been crouched on the counter for more like thirty minutes. “Just trying to help. Final offer. Take it or leave it.” She grabbed a damp dishrag hanging over the faucet and pretended to concentrate on scrubbing the counters.

  “I’ll take him.”

  She whirled around and did a double take. “Seriously? You’ll take Sparky?”

  “I will.” He eyed the closed laundry room door. “I’ve been thinking about getting a dog. And I like this one.”

  She studied him, trying to figure out whether this was just one of his pranks. If it was, he had a great poker face.

  “Assuming Bryn hasn’t changed her mind,” he said.

  “I’m sure she hasn’t. But let me call her and make sure she doesn’t mind you taking him now.” She dug in her purse for her phone and dialed Bryn’s number. She would love nothing more than finding a new home for Sparky, especially if she was going to be spending any time at all in this apartment.

  Lucas pulled into the driveway, parking his truck as close to the back gate as he could. Cutting the engine, he watched Sparky in his rearview mirror. The dog trotted from the front of the pickup bed to the back, obviously eager to explore his new home. What have I gotten myself into?

  But one glance at the passenger seat beside him made him think it may have been worthwhile. Jenna flashed him a smile and reached for the door handle. After he’d agreed to take the dog, it had been easy to talk Jenna into coming with him to get Sparky settled. She didn’t get out but watched in the side mirror, nibbling at her lower lip.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll put him on a leash.”

  She laughed nervously. “Is it that obvious?”

  “Pretty obvious. Why do you hate dogs so much?”

  “I don’t hate them, I just … don’t like them.”

  He waited, knowing that wasn’t the whole story.

  She glared at him but finally offered, “Vicious rottweiler next door to our—to where I grew up, okay? I really don’t want to talk about it.”

  Ah, so the truth comes out. He held out a hand. “Come with me. I’m going to make you and that dog friends yet. Sparky’s a teddy bear. You’ll see.”

  She gave an adamant shake of her head, but she ope
ned her door and climbed down.

  He grabbed his cane from the floor of the cab and located the leash in the box of dog paraphernalia Bryn had insisted he take. He went to the back of the truck and clipped the leash to Sparky’s collar. He opened the tailgate and Sparky sprang down from the truck. But as soon as he realized he was on a leash, he stood at Lucas’s side, panting.

  Lucas clicked his tongue. “Heel, boy.” He was impressed when Sparky obeyed. Jenna had mentioned that Bryn’s dad had worked with the dog, but he wasn’t sure what to expect—especially on foreign territory.

  Walking Sparky around the truck, Lucas worked to keep his own gait even, aware of Jenna’s eyes on him. He was constantly aware of his limp when he was with her, but he was beginning to think being with her might be better than PT. He didn’t think it was his imagination that he’d learned to control his limp better. His disability grew more pronounced at the end of the day when he was tired, and he still didn’t trust his balance without the cane, but he’d seen a little improvement, and that roused a faint hope in him.

  Jenna eyed Sparky, keeping her distance while Lucas opened the gate for them. Once in the backyard he latched the gate behind them and bent to unclip the leash. Even Jenna laughed when Sparky charged around the corner of the house the minute he was free.

  “He must think there’s a rabbit back there. Or a cat.”

  She gave a little gasp, and her hazel eyes—gorgeous eyes—grew round. “Your cat’s not out here, is she?”

  “Lucky’s a tom—a he. But if he’s back there, he’s climbed to higher ground by now.” He pointed to a tall cottonwood that stood with its branches outstretched over one corner of the yard. “I doubt Sparky could get him way up there.”

  She followed his line of vision, then shot him a impish grin. “Lucky for Lucky, living with a fireman. In case he ever gets stuck up there,” she explained.

  He laughed. “You know, don’t you, that we don’t really rescue cats from trees.”

  She looked shocked. “And you call yourself a fireman? Seriously, what if I called you tomorrow and told you my poor little kitty was stuck in a tree?”

  He laughed—and took note of the fact that she still referred to him as a fireman. “Well, I might come and hold your hand. Maybe bring a carton of milk for the kitty. But I’d just point out that we’ve never seen a dead cat in a tree and that he’ll come down when he gets hungry.”

  “You’re heartless. And actually, Zach did have to go on a cat-up-a-tree run. His first week on the job. A kitten.”

  He curbed a grin at her serious expression. “Really?”

  “It was a telephone pole, not a tree, but same principle.”

  “Really? I don’t think I ever heard that story. Must not have been on my shift.” He didn’t want to talk about Zach. Didn’t want to be reminded that Jenna was his friend’s wife. It didn’t matter that Zach was gone. Regardless of what Ma thought.

  Sparky came to his rescue, barreling toward them from the far end of the yard. Jenna squealed and scrambled behind Lucas, gripping his elbow as if her life depended on it.

  He started laughing, but when he turned to tease her for being such a chicken, the near terror in her eyes stopped him.

  He turned and spoke sharply to the dog. “Sparky! Sit! Stay!”

  The dog stopped in his tracks and cocked its head as if trying to figure out what he’d done wrong. But before Lucas could grab hold of his collar, Sparky wove between his legs, almost tripping him. Jumping up on his hind legs, the dog pawed at Jenna’s shoulders.

  Lucas pushed him down and made him sit, holding his cane out like a shepherd’s staff. Jenna clutched so tightly to his free arm he was afraid she’d take them both down.

  He got Sparky calmed down a little, then took Jenna’s hand. “It’s okay. He just wanted to dance with you.” When she didn’t laugh, he tried again. “He’s just being friendly.”

  She gave a curt nod, but her eyes said she didn’t believe him.

  “I’m not going to let him hurt you. He’s just excited about being in a new place, that’s all.”

  “Okay.” Her voice was strained and breathless.

  An idea formed and he twined his fingers with hers. “Come here.” He whistled softly. “Heel, boy.”

  Sparky trotted beside them, looking up every few seconds, as if to be sure his new master noticed how well he’d minded.

  Jenna came along willingly, but her grip on his hand was viselike.

  Lucas led her around the corner of the house. She stopped short and unlaced her hand from his. “Oh, wow! What a gorgeous place.”

  “It’s my dad’s garden.” Even in these waning days of autumn the place held a rare beauty. Being back here never failed to make him miss Pop. “You should see it in the spring,” he said quietly.

  With Sparky all but forgotten, Jenna turned a full circle, oohing and aahing. Lucas tried to see the garden through her eyes. Dry leaves skittered beneath the benches lining the flagstone pathways, and spent roses still clung to the arbors. The stone fountain, despite being littered with leaves, trilled a pleasant melody, but the garden begged for attention. “Pop would have a fit over the weeds and—”

  “Oh, Lucas, it’s stunning!” She turned to him, eyes wide.

  He shrugged. “Ma and I tried to keep it up this summer, but neither of us has Pop’s green thumb. I hate to think what will happen to it after Ma moves to Springfield.”

  “Can’t you hire someone? It would be a shame to let it go.”

  “We haven’t decided.” He lifted his cane. “All I know is I sure can’t do it.”

  Her gaze panned the garden again, and he took pleasure in her obvious enjoyment of Pop’s creation. She was right. They couldn’t let it go to pot. It would have broken Pop’s heart to think of his garden being abandoned.

  They laughed as Sparky lapped water from each of the fountain’s four spigots. But before they could wipe the smiles off their faces, he galloped across the lawn and stood in front of them tossing his head. A fine spray of water—and slobber—flew off his whiskers.

  “Ewww!” Jenna swiped at her forehead with the sleeve of her jacket and quickly moved behind Lucas, using him as a shield.

  He didn’t mind when she grabbed his elbow this time. This dog just might come in handy when it came to women. At least when it came to this woman.

  “What’s so funny?” She looked up at him with a question in her eyes.

  “Nothing.” He hadn’t realized he was smiling and quickly wiped the grin off his face. Remembering why he’d brought her back to the yard in the first place, he started down the flagstone path. “Follow me.”

  Sparky ran ahead and she followed Lucas to a bench on the edge of the patio near the fountain.

  He leaned his cane on the bench and sat, patting the spot beside him. She sat.

  He held out a hand and whistled. “Here boy.”

  Sparky ignored him.

  “Sparky!” He made his voice gruff. “Sparky, come!”

  After several detours to sniff out the garden, the dog trotted over and worked his way between Lucas’s knees, nuzzling his palms, begging to be petted.

  Jenna recoiled, but he took her hand, guiding it to Sparky’s head. “Remember how I showed you last time? Hold your hand out like this.” He demonstrated, flattening his palm.

  She resisted at first, but Lucas placed his hand over hers on top of Sparky’s large head, stroking gently. The dog leaned into the massage and relaxed. Jenna seemed to do the same.

  He spoke to Sparky in a soothing voice, then turned to Jenna. “See? I told you he likes you. He still just has some puppy in him. That’s what makes him so frisky.”

  She frowned. “He’s awfully big for a puppy.”

  “Well, a full-grown pup. Kind of like a teenager.”

  “Ugh.” She wrinkled her nose. “That explains a lot.”

  He laughed. “Maybe that wasn’t the best analogy. A big fifth-grader then.”

  “Even worse.”

&n
bsp; Sparky wriggled out from under their hands, and before Lucas thought to stop him, the dog moved to sit in front of Jenna. He placed his jowls on her knee and looked up at her, panting.

  “Look, he’s smiling!”

  Feeling triumphant, but not letting it show, Lucas bent his head to check it out. Sparky sported what could only be described as a smile. He tried to sound incredulous. “I think he has a crush on you.”

  That earned him a giggle, which eased the “buyer’s remorse” he’d been feeling for having adopted this crazy dog. He could just imagine Ma’s reaction.

  Sparky gave a sharp bark and rose to all fours.

  A meow came from near the back door.

  Jenna turned to look. “Oh, there’s your kitty.”

  Sparky backed away from the bench, then spun around, ears on alert. Jenna grabbed Lucas’s arm again.

  But Sparky took a step forward and stood watching the cat, his tail thumping a steady beat on the bench behind him.

  Lucky slinked through the flower bed in front of the deck, keeping his eyes on the interloper. His thick gray coat was good camouflage on the weathered mulch, but Sparky wasn’t fooled.

  “Yep, that’s Lucky. I bet he’s been hiding out in the garage. Probably smelled dog.”

  “They’re sure giving each other the eye.”

  “Yeah.” He tensed, sensing Sparky’s intentions. With Jenna clutching his left arm and his cane out of reach, he braced himself.

  “What happened to Wonder Dog here?” He patted Sparky’s neck. “With his reputation for sniffing things out, I’m surprised he didn’t smell ol’ Lucky right away.”

  “Maybe he did and he just wasn’t interested.”

  He shot her a look. “A dog not interested in a cat? I don’t think so.”

  She laughed and loosened her grip on his arm a bit. For a fleeting moment he considered siccing the dog on Lucky just to keep Jenna close.

  Sparky must have read his mind because the pooch chose that moment to lunge at Lucky. The cat darted across the yard and scrambled up the fence, prancing along the narrow ledge like a tightrope walker.

  Sparky took chase, and Lucas shouted to no avail. The dog charged the fence and stood on point there with his front paws high on the plank boards, baying as if he’d treed a coon. Lucky balanced atop the fence just out of reach, tail held high, daring the dog to come closer.