“I hardly think—” the judge began to bluster but Jessie cut him off.
“Why? Why can’t you just leave us be?”
Audrey’s face paled with every word and then it flashed a bright hot red as she turned on her husband. “Did you do this? Did you threaten to take her children?”
“It’s for their own goo—” Judge Connelly protested.
“Don’t you dare!” Audrey interrupted him. “I watched while you spoiled our only son, giving him everything he ever wanted, so that he had no sense of respect or consequences, until he became a miserable, spoiled, angry, useless—”
“He’s not—”
“Yes, he is!” Audrey yelled. “And the responsibility for that lies on you and me, because I didn’t speak up when I should have. I didn’t stop you when you coddled him, never holding him accountable for his actions. Well, I won’t make the same mistake now. I will not stand silently by while you harm Jessie and the girls.
“Jessie is a wonderful mother who has given us two beautiful granddaughters. How dare you treat her with anything less than the utmost respect and gratitude? I swear to god, if anything happens to those two sweet angels, I will never, ever, forgive you.”
Much to Jessie’s shock, Judge Connelly broke down and wept. It was the most emotion she had seen out of him in all the years she had known him. She didn’t know what to think, and she glanced at Audrey, who was nodding. And it occurred to her that the judge was just joining the party of people who’d had their hearts broken by his son.
“I just loved him so much, I only wanted him to be happy, and he turned out so wrong—” Judge Connelly broke down completely.
“It’s about time,” Audrey said to her husband. “Now you have to make it right.”
“I’m sorry,” Judge Connelly said to Jessie. His eyes were watery and his chin quivered. “I’m sorry for everything my son put you through and I’m sorry I didn’t let go of him sooner. I promise I’ll make it right. I’ll never interfere with you and the girls again.”
Jessie studied his face for a few moments. She believed him. She reached out and took his hand in hers. She squeezed his fingers and said, “All right, let’s find our girls.”
Chapter 33
Jessie and Zach ran back to his house, with Rufus bringing up the rear, to check and make sure the girls hadn’t found an unlocked window or door and were even now hunkered down in his house, waiting for him to show up. Jessie silently prayed that this was the case but as they searched it became clear that the girls hadn’t been there.
The judge and Audrey stayed at Jessie’s house on the chance that the girls might arrive home on their own. Jessie marveled at how the crisis had brought the two families together and she desperately hoped that it lasted, especially when they found the girls, because they would find the girls. She refused to believe anything else.
Standing in Zach’s living room, she saw the pictures of Zach and Rufus on the wall and then it hit her. The brewery. The girls knew that Zach worked at the brewery. Would they have gone there if they didn’t find him at home? It was a hunch but it was all she had.
“Zach, I have an idea,” she said.
He turned to look at her and the desperate hope in his gaze made her heart hurt. He was just as terrified for her girls as she was. It hit her then like a punch to the chest. Oh, how she loved this man.
“What is it?” he asked. “Because I’ll do anything to find them. I’m three seconds shy of seeing if I can hire the National Guard and a search helicopter.”
“The brewery,” she said. “They know you work there, do you think—?”
“Let’s go!” Zach grabbed her hand and his keys and dashed outside to his truck. Not to be left out of the search, Rufus followed and tried to jump into the truck when Zach opened the door.
“Okay, Ruf,” he said. He lifted the older dog into the backseat. “Maybe you can help us find them.”
Jessie climbed into the passenger’s seat and Zach turned on the ignition and shot out of his driveway. The brewery was on the outskirts of the neighborhood and Zach drove slowly enough that they could scan the street for any sign of the girls.
There were glimpses of the Maine crew as they knocked on doors and searched. Jessie felt her heart swell up with gratitude. If she hadn’t taken the opportunity when Mac offered it to work for Gavin, to make better choices for her family, then she wouldn’t have all of these people in her life, including Zach. And if something like this had happened to the girls then, she would have been alone and terrified with no help, no support, and no one who cared.
Zach stopped at a stop sign; he took a moment to scan the street, looking for the girls. His face was tight with worry and he looked like he was on the razor’s edge of losing it.
For some reason, this calmed Jessie. Having someone else who cared as much as she did, well, it meant the world to her. He meant the world to her. Jessie reached across the seat and took his hand in hers.
“Zach, I’m so sorry about what I said before,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Nothing matters but finding the girls.”
Jessie let go of his hand and cupped his face. She held his gaze and said, “I love you.”
He stared at her, clearly unprepared for declarations of love right now. That was okay. Jessie just needed to say it.
“It’s okay if you don’t feel—” she began but he interrupted.
“I love you, too,” he said. He cupped the back of her head and kissed her forehead.
Jessie’s throat got tight with emotion. She forced it back. Now was not the time. There was too much at stake. She forced a smile and said, “I think I’ve loved you since you rescued Chaos from your roof.”
“Yeah?” he asked. A flicker of a smile passed over his lips. “Well, I think I’ve been in love with you ever since you yelled at me for calling you ‘sweetheart’ last October at the animal clinic.”
Jessie remembered that day. Lord, she had been so wrong about this man. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be,” he said. “It’s a great beginning to our story, which is nowhere near over.”
Unable to speak, Jessie nodded and Zach drove on to the brewery. They parked in the empty lot and Zach grabbed a flashlight out of the glove box. He climbed out and opened the back door so Rufus could jump out of the truck.
“Find our girls, Rufus, find Maddie and Gracie,” he said.
The dog hurried off with his nose to the snow. Zach switched on his flashlight and took Jessie’s hand. He shone the light on the outside of the brewery’s building. Jessie held her breath hoping for a glimpse of her girls. There was nothing but large drifts of snow left over from the storm.
Rufus pawed at the wrought-iron gate that led into the brewery courtyard. It was a large space, available for rent, where they held events like Brad and Emma’s wedding reception. The gate was closed but not locked and Zach turned the knob and pulled the door open.
Rufus bounded ahead. The old dog seemed to be on a mission and Jessie held her breath, wondering if he could really find the girls. The courtyard was large and dark and Zach worked his beam of light over the ground like a searchlight.
“The light for the courtyard is in the building,” he said. “I’m going to switch it on.”
He let go of Jessie’s hand and began to stride across the cobblestone patio when Rufus started to bark. He dashed out of the shadows, barked at Jessie, and then disappeared again.
Jessie’s heart slammed up into her throat. Had he found them? Zach turned his flashlight onto the area where Rufus had disappeared and Jessie caught a glimpse of purple and blue. The girls’ coats!
“Gracie! Maddie!” she cried.
Rufus barked some more and as one, Jessie and Zach made for the spot where the dog stood, wagging. Jessie had almost reached the dog when she heard a quiet voice, shaking
with shivers, cry out, “Momma!”
She and Zach ran, dodging the wrought-iron tables and chairs scattered about the patio. They approached a small nook built into the courtyard as a bench seat in the summer. Zach’s light bounced but in that dancing light, Jessie saw the sleepy faces of her two little girls. Oh, god, they had been asleep out in the cold. If Rufus hadn’t sniffed them out they might never have heard them calling their names.
Rufus was shoving his nose up against them and wagging his tail. Jessie didn’t slow down but reached out and snatched up both girls, hugging them to her as if she could absorb them right back inside of her where she knew they would always be safe and never come to harm.
“Oh, my god, oh, my god, oh, my god, I was so scared,” she cried. “Are you okay? Are you freezing? Are you hurt? What were you thinking? How could you have wandered off like this?”
“Yeoooow!” A howl sounded from one of the girls’ jackets and Jessie loosened her hold.
“Momma, you’re crushing Chaos,” Gracie said.
Tears were coursing down Jessie’s cheeks but somehow this made her laugh. Zach reached around her to hug both of the girls and Jessie. She heard him draw a shaky breath and then he let them go.
“Good boy, Rufus,” he said, his voice gruff, as he patted the dog. “You found them, buddy.”
Zach stepped back and hurried over to the door that led inside to the brewery. He unlocked it, reached inside, and flicked on the lights that illuminated the courtyard.
Jessie turned back to the girls and saw them blink against the sudden burst of bright light. Their cheeks were pink and they looked frozen. Judging by their spiky lashes, Jessie guessed there had been some crying involved.
Zach came back over and knelt beside Jessie. He studied the girls’ faces and then looked at Jessie. “Cold but okay.”
She nodded and leaned against him, feeling weak with relief. She closed her eyes for just a second and embraced her gratitude. Then she turned back to the girls. Her face must have reflected her unhappiness because both girls looked wary.
Maddie, in a preemptive strike, threw her arms about Jessie’s neck and put her head on her shoulder and said, “We are so sorry, Momma. We just wanted to find Zach. We didn’t want him to leave us like Dad did.”
Ouch! Jessie clutched her close. “I know. But you know you are never ever to leave the house without telling me, especially at night.”
“Are you mad at us, Zach?” Gracie asked. She looked at him as if afraid they’d lost him for good over this.
Zach opened his arms to her. She moved in sideways, so that Chaos, whose head was poking out of her collar, didn’t get crushed.
“I’m not mad,” he said. He glanced at Jessie as if to see if this was okay. She gave him a slight nod. “But I don’t think I have ever been so scared in my life. Please don’t ever do this to me again.”
“We won’t,” Gracie promised.
“Is it because you love us?” Maddie asked. “Is that why you were scared?”
Jessie felt her stomach clench. She and Zach had only just admitted their feelings to each other and kids could be a game changer. Maybe he didn’t feel that way, but then again he seemed as upset as she was. Oh, lord, what would she do if he didn’t love the girls the way they clearly loved him?
“Yes,” Zach said. His voice was definitive. “I love you all very much. If something were to happen to any of my girls, well, I can’t even think about it.”
“So, we’re like family?” Gracie asked. She was staring at Zach wide-eyed as if willing him to answer her the way she wanted.
Zach gave Jessie a quick glance but then answered without her input. “No, not like family,” he said. Gracie slumped a little but Zach tipped her little chin up until she was looking at him again. “We are family.”
Then he glanced at Jessie and she knew that since they’d admitted their feelings to each other, everything had changed between them. Zach had been just as frantic to find the girls as she had. It was the first time as a parent she’d had someone who shared her worry and fear. If she hadn’t been desperately in love with Zach before, she would be now. Zach held her gaze and said, “And you never have to worry, because I am never going to leave you.”
• • •
Zach meant it, all the way to his squishy middle. He couldn’t love these girls any more if they were his own and he would protect them with everything that he had.
“Come on, let’s get you home,” he said.
Zach and Jessie bundled the two girls into the backseat of the truck with Rufus. He wedged himself between them as if to watch over them and Chaos. Zach paused to rub the dog’s ears. This old man had certainly proven that every dog has his day and Zach would be forever grateful to him for helping find the girls.
It was a short ride to Jessie’s house and the rest of the Maine crew and Chief O’Rourke trickled in as they were called back since the girls had been found. Gavin checked both girls over while Maddie and Gracie told their story.
Worried that their grandfather was going to take Chaos away and that they’d never see Zach again, they had packed up Chaos and crept over to Zach’s house to ask him if he’d take Chaos if they had to give him up.
When they discovered Zach wasn’t home, they decided to see if he went to the brewery where he worked because they’d heard their mom say he worked nights. Jessie exchanged a shrug with Zach. She clearly had no recollection of saying that but it just proved that kids were always listening even when adults weren’t listening to themselves.
Zach saw Judge Connelly and his wife across the room but he was so angry he hadn’t been able to make himself greet them. He noticed the girls didn’t run over to the old man either. As far as he was concerned they never needed to see him again.
“Are they okay?” Zach asked Gavin. “No signs of frostbite or hypothermia?”
“No, they’re cold but there’s no sign of permanent damage,” Gavin said. He had examined the girls’ fingers and toes, their heart rates, breathing, the pupils of their eyes, all of it. “They’ll be just fine.”
He took Chaos out of Grace’s arms and gave him a once-over as well. Chaos had been in Gracie’s coat the whole time so he had fared the best out of them all.
Gina made herself at home in Jessie’s kitchen and the feisty redheaded barista gave each of the girls a steaming mug of cocoa. For the adults, it was coffee with a healthy shot of Bailey’s in it.
Zach poured his down his throat, hoping for it to calm down the frantic pulse that still pounded through his veins. It warmed him up but it didn’t help his nerves. He was pretty sure he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. If anything had happened to the girls . . . he couldn’t even think it. He felt as if his world would have ceased to have meaning.
He stepped back when he felt his eyes get damp. Everything was going to be all right. He didn’t need to make a scene now. He saw the Connellys move forward. He felt his hackles rise. He didn’t want the judge anywhere near the girls.
Sam, who was standing beside him, put his hand on Zach’s arm, holding him back.
“Like it or not, they are the girls’ grandparents,” he said.
“Not,” Zach said. “I like it not.” He moved so he was hovering nearby, ready to mitigate any damage the old man might do.
“Girls,” Judge Connelly said as he knelt down in front of them. “I owe you an apology.”
Audrey stood behind him, her gaze on her precious granddaughters as if holding her breath that all would be well.
“I was wrong about your cat and your friend Zach,” he said. “I promise I won’t take away your cat or your . . . friend.” His wife squeezed his shoulder and he took a breath and asked, “Can you forgive me?”
The girls exchanged a look and then they both stepped forward and hugged the old man. Zach tried not to be moved by the sight of it, but as the old gu
y wept, it was hard if not impossible to hold on to his anger.
The girls let him go with gentle pats on his bald head and some advice.
“It’s okay, Grandpa, but don’t do it again,” Maddie said. She wagged her finger at him and Zach had to squash the urge to laugh. She was so like her mother.
“And you owe Mom an apology, too,” Gracie said.
“You’re right, absolutely,” Judge Connelly agreed.
The girls moved into their grandmother’s arms as the judge turned to face Jessie. Zach glanced over his shoulder. The Maine crew, never the sort to miss a dramatic moment, were all sipping their mugs of coffee and Bailey’s watching Jessie and the judge as if it was the final episode of a Netflix series they’d been binge watching.
Zach turned toward them and waved his arms, and said, “They’re having a moment. A little privacy please?”
There were grunts and groans but the entire crew backed away. Jillian was putting together some snacks on the counter and they all went to graze while they awaited the outcome of the judge and Jessie’s talk. Zach knew the boys were staying on hand to toss the old man if need be.
Zach watched from a distance, knowing this was for the best. He didn’t want to end up doing prison time for assaulting a judge. But even from where he stood, he could hear the judge apologize for how his son had mistreated Jessie and for not stepping up and helping her out earlier in their marriage.
He was not surprised when he saw Jessie take the judge’s hands in hers and tell him he was forgiven. Jessie had a big heart. He’d known that from the moment she’d peered down at him in a drift of snow to see if he was okay.
Zach rocked on his feet. Now he knew what was making him crazy. He hadn’t touched her since they’d found the girls. He wanted to hug her, hold her, kiss her, and squeeze her. Even more than that he wanted everyone to go away, so they could tuck the girls in where they were safe and sound, under his watch and his protection, and then he wanted to be with his woman, because, yes, Jessie was his. She’d told him she loved him; there was no going back now.
Every Dog Has His Day Page 29
