Man's Best Friend (The Dogmothers Book 6)

by Roxanne St Claire

  “We did,” Braden said, holding up his ringed left hand. “And now you know what we’re thinking.”

  “What are we thinking?” Cassie Santorini—well, now Cassie Mahoney, since she’d married Braden last year—stepped into the circle, sliding a possessive arm around her husband.

  “That Dec seems really happy,” Braden told her, tugging her into his side. Naturally, his whole face lit up as he beamed at the woman who’d come into this family when her mother married Uncle Daniel, and now had the distinct honor of being a Santorini and a Mahoney.

  “Oh, you do look happy,” Cassie said, her dark Greek eyes dancing. “Everyone notices. Daniel says he hasn’t seen you this animated since…well, for a long time.”

  “I’m animated?”

  “Drinking vodka? Lookin’ fly? And hey, I saw you kiss Yiayia when you walked in.” Cassie tsked. “Pretty wild stuff, Dec.”

  “Fly? Seriously, Cass?” Declan snorted. “And I gave Yiayia a polite hello kiss. You’re the ones who break into Zorba dances at the first note of a song.”

  Braden poked Declan’s shoulder. “Don’t fight it, bro. You’re going down.”

  Who said he wanted to fight it? “I suppose there’s money on the table.”

  “Oodles of it,” Cassie assured him.

  At the noisy laughter that comment caused, the group of women and a baby looked over and migrated across the kitchen.

  “What’s so funny?” Ella demanded, then pointed at Declan’s drink. “Virgin?”

  He pointed back at her. “I could ask the same thing.”

  While everyone laughed, Ella reached over and put a hand on his forehead. “Call a doctor. Declan must be sick ’cause he’s cracking real honest-to-God jokes.”

  “He always makes jokes,” Evie said, sweetly coming to his defense.

  “Maybe with you,” Connor said.

  “Don’t pay any attention to this crew, E,” he said, draping his arm over her shoulders because it felt natural, and he couldn’t care less that meaningful looks were bouncing around the group while they counted his drinks and jokes. “They’re not to be taken seriously.”

  “So they weren’t serious when they invited me to play touch football?”

  “Oh yes, we were,” Molly said. “I need you on my team.”

  “Then I’m glad you told me to wear jeans and sneakers, Declan.”

  He smiled down at her, loving every inch of those jeans on her. “Great. I’ll be on your team.”

  Braden and Connor both threw their hands out in disbelief.

  “Now you’ll play?” Braden choked.

  “Every other Sunday, you sit on the porch like the third grandmother,” Connor said, balking.

  Declan shook his head, laughing with them and at himself. “Most Sundays, I’m in uniform to start a shift at five.”

  Fortunately, Danny saved him from any more grief by shrieking to get down from his mother’s arms.

  “You want a tour of the property before we eat?” Declan asked Evie. “I know you want to see the kennels.”

  “I do.” She lifted her own Bloody Mary. “Are these allowed?”

  “Only, apparently, if you’re fun enough to qualify.” He slid a look at his brothers.

  “You’re gettin’ there, Big D.” Connor winked and stepped aside to let them go.

  On the way, they stopped and talked to his cousin Shane and his wife, Chloe, giving Evie a chance to coo over little Annabelle, born the same month as Danny, but way more docile.

  Finally, he walked her out the kitchen door and into the afternoon sunshine.

  “I don’t remember Sundays at Waterford being anything like this. There are so many—”

  “Mavviiiiieeeeee!”

  Declan pulled Evie back just in time to avoid being mowed down by a tan Lab tearing across the driveway, followed by six-year-old Destiny, little Christian hot on her heels while his much younger sister, Fiona, stumbled along, trying to keep up.

  “Kids,” Evie finished on a laugh, then pointed to Destiny. “I haven’t even met her yet.”

  “That’s Destiny. You’ve met John Santorini, my step-cousin?”

  “I think so.” She nodded. “John and Alex Santorini, right? Twin brothers, Katie’s sons, and Cassie’s brothers?”

  “You got it. Destiny is Summer’s daughter. Summer and John just got engaged.”

  “Oh boy.” She grinned up at him. “If there’s a test…”

  “The brain trust will ace it,” he teased, tightening his grip on her hand.

  “The brain trust.” She laughed at that. “You used to call me that after every report card when we were young.”

  “Because you got A’s, and I…didn’t.”

  “Well, I want an A on your family names. I remember there were six Kilcannon kids and four Mahoneys, and I used to think that was a massive tribe when I’d come here on a Sunday. So is this everyone? Except Nick Santorini, the son your uncle Daniel didn’t know he had.” She shook her head. “I still can’t believe that story.”

  “And Theo Santorini, Navy man, currently in San Diego. Then that’s it.”

  “Well, it’s a phenomenal family.” She let out a noisy exhale and turned to look back at the house, spilling over with kids and couples and two very happy-looking grannies rocking on the porch.

  Yiayia lifted her drink in their direction.

  “You sure everyone’s phenomenal?” he asked on a laugh. “Because those two grannies can be a handful.”

  “They’re precious and well-meaning.” She responded to Yiayia’s cross-lawn greeting by lifting her own drink. “I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was green with envy over this bunch. You know how I grew up. Alone in that monstrous house with no siblings and no cousins. My grandmother was lovely, but she couldn’t compete with Finnie or Yiayia for colorful and crazy. My mother hid in her sunroom studio all day.”

  “I remember that house was always so quiet.”

  “So this is…” She glanced over her shoulder again, then turned to the expansive pen where many of the family dogs hung out during Sunday dinners. Without finishing her thought, she headed toward the pen. “Paradise for a person who loves big families and dogs.”

  “I didn’t know you love big families,” he said. “I mean, you have the ultimate family. The founders.”

  “Yeah, but you have the actual living people.” She closed her fingers around the wire fencing and made a few kissing sounds, immediately getting some of the dogs’ attention. “And four-legged furbabies, too.”

  Jelly Bean came trotting over, along with little Stella and Lola.

  “If you think learning all the people is challenging…” He leaned a little closer to feel her hair on his cheek when he talked. “They all come with dogs.”

  She laughed. “That’s never a problem for me.”

  “Come on, I’ll introduce you to all of them.” He unlatched the gate, waving to his cousin Garrett, who was with his wife, Jessie, on the other side of the pen. They were working with a new terrier Declan didn’t recognize, probably readying the dog for adoption.

  “This beautiful Weimie is Jelly Bean, owned by my brother and sister-in-law Braden and Cassie.”

  “Oh, he is gorgeous.” She knelt on the grass to get face-to-face with Jelly Bean. “What intelligent eyes he has.”

  “Yep, he’s a genius,” Declan told her. “Once, he ran all the way from Yiayia and Gramma Finnie’s house to the fire station with an olive jar around his neck to let Braden know Cassie was stuck in the basement with a broken foot.”

  “No!” She gave Jelly Bean a kiss right on the nose. “You are brilliant!”

  “And this is Lola, who once wouldn’t eat a thing until Jessie Curtis”—he pointed to the couple across the pen—“came and brought Lola out of her shell. Then she brought Garrett out of his, and they’re married and now have little Patrick.”

  “Hello, Lola.” She feathered her fingers into the dog’s pale gold fur.

  “Go ahead, tell her you love
her.”

  She slid him a sideways glance. “Really?”

  “She’ll say it right back.”

  “I love you, Lola.”

  On cue, the Aussie mix barked three times, delighting Evie, who threw her head back with a hearty laugh. “Awesome! And who is this delicious little creature?” She reached for the tiny Chinese crested with a puff of white fur on her little head.

  “That’s Stella, and you’ll love her story. She belongs to Darcy and Josh. She was blind, and Uncle Daniel got her into an experimental study at Vestal Valley for SARDS, and now she’s looking at you.”

  “I heard about that study!” she exclaimed. “Those were groundbreaking results, and I was very proud of our little local vet school.” She gave Stella’s fuzzy head a rub. “You’re a famous success story, Miss Stella.”

  The little dog climbed right onto her lap and curled into a ball.

  “Dolittle is in the house.” Declan could feel the goofy grin on his face as he sat in the middle of the grass, his whole being falling for this tenderhearted woman who stole the hearts of people and animals. Including his. Especially his.

  “He thinks I can talk to animals, Stella,” she whispered into the dog’s ear, smiling at him as she did. “Can you understand me?”

  Stella looked up and licked Evie’s chin.

  “Oh, you can? You, the little dog who was once blind but now can see?” She winked at Declan. “There’s a lot of that going around these days.”

  “What does that mean?” he asked.

  “That creatures change, you know? Sometimes all by themselves, sometimes with a medical intervention, sometimes with the help of…” She looked toward the house. “People who love them.”

  “You think I’ve changed?” he guessed.

  She studied him for a long moment, stroking Stella’s head, thinking carefully before she answered. While he waited, he felt his heart kick up a little and his whole body inch toward hers.

  “I think you’re the Declan I’ve always known,” she said softly. “But based on what I’m picking up from your family’s comments? That man has been absent for a long time.”

  He blew out a breath. “Twenty years, E. Lost and blinded by a fog of grief and resentment.”

  “But you’re back?” she asked.

  “You are.” He reached out to slide his hand under her hair. “Which seems to have made all the difference in the world.”

  For a long time, they didn’t speak, but held each other’s gaze, close and quiet.

  “Are you going to kiss me or not?”

  “We have an audience. A big, opinionated, pushy bunch of agitators who are right this minute putting money on whether or not we will.”

  “Well, someone should win that bet.” She leaned in and kissed him, long and sweet.

  He could have sworn he heard a response from the crowd. And he couldn’t have loved them more at that moment.

  * * *

  Evie had sweat off her makeup and had two grass stains on her jeans, but the Terrible Terriers, led by Shane Kilcannon with Molly as his co-captain, beat the Bloodhounds by one touchdown, so she didn’t care.

  Grabbing a bottle of water that Destiny and Christian were handing out on the sidelines, Evie high-fived the opponents and realized the smile she’d been wearing most of the day wasn’t going anywhere.

  “There’s a happy lass.” Gramma Finnie came down the stairs from the porch, beckoning Evie closer. “Come and talk to the oldsters in our rocking chairs, will ya?”

  “Of course.” As if anyone could say no to the small but mighty Irishwoman. She followed Gramma Finnie to the back, a massive covered deck that looked out over an endless view of the foothills and mountains.

  But her gaze wasn’t on the scenery. Colleen Mahoney sat on a sofa, sipping tea, talking to Yiayia. The two doxies were stretched out in a patch of sunshine, while Rusty and Goldie snoozed under an empty chair.

  “Nothing broke, and no one cried,” Colleen said as Evie and Gramma Finnie joined them. “When the kids were young, that’s what Annie Kilcannon and I used as our yardstick for a good game of touch football.”

  “I don’t know,” Evie said. “The Bloodhounds looked pretty dejected when Declan scored that last play. There might have been tears.”

  “Declan?” Colleen looked at Gramma Finnie, eyebrows raised. “Told ya, Mom,” she said under her breath.

  Evie took a sip of water and settled next to Colleen on the sofa, waiting for a little bit more of an explanation. But Yiayia leaned forward in her rocker and put a hand on Evie’s knee.

  “You’re so good for him,” she said. “Perfect, in fact.”

  Evie swallowed and smiled. “Declan and I’ve been friends for a long time,” she said, sliding a look at Colleen. “I remember camping when Ella was so small you wanted to zip her in a tent so she didn’t go flying into the lake.”

  “I’ve spent most of her life trying to zip that girl up so she didn’t go flying…somewhere.” Colleen’s dark blue eyes danced, sending nothing but warmth to Evie. “And I remember Declan coming home from third grade mad at me because I didn’t send cupcakes in for his birthday, and his name got added to your cake in glitter frosting.”

  Evie laughed, getting a jolt of pleasure that they had shared memories. She never wanted the tragedy of twenty years ago to come between them, but then, she never really had a chance to talk to Declan’s mother about it. “That birthday was the start of a great friendship, Mrs. Mahoney.”

  “Please, call me Colleen.” She reached over and took Evie’s hand. “We’ve missed you,” she said quietly. “And Yiayia is right. You’re good for Declan.”

  “Like a tonic,” Gramma Finnie added.

  “Well, I’m glad…” She looked out toward the grass, catching sight of him joking around with his brothers. “And I’ve missed him—er, you all—too.”

  “Truth’s out,” Yiayia teased.

  “Now how do we get you to stay, lass? What will it take?”

  Evie blinked at Gramma Finnie. “To stay longer today or…in Bitter Bark?”

  “Mom,” Colleen chided Gramma Finnie. “You’re not usually the one who’s so blunt.”

  “Right? That’s my job,” Yiayia said, grinning at her friend and raising a hand for a high five. “Welcome to the dark side, Finola.”

  “Oh hush.” The old Irish lady flicked her knotted fingers at Yiayia’s palm. “I’ve known this lass since she was a wee girl, and her grandfather and my Seamus played cards together for years. Once, when he had no cash on him and owed Seamus money, your grandfather gave him a copy of Thaddeus Bushrod’s History of Bitter Bark. Did you know that?”

  Evie shook her head. “I didn’t know that, but Granddaddy can be dangerous when it comes to cards. Do you still have the book?”

  “You gave it to me, Mom,” Colleen replied. “And my husband loved to read it. Then, when Connor and Sadie tied in the mayoral election, I gave it to him. It’s quite a collection of lessons on how a man should live. Do you want it back, Evie?”

  “Oh, no. We have one in the museum room. We’ll have it on display for the Founder’s Day event. Are you still planning to come over and get some dresses for that party?” she asked.

  “We are,” Colleen assured her.

  “And what about the possibility of you staying in Bitter Bark?” Yiayia asked, clearly not willing to let the conversation go to the party and off the match they were so busy making.

  “Well, I have a pretty great job in Raleigh,” Evie said.

  “NC State is one of the best veterinary programs in the country,” Colleen added, getting a grateful smile from Evie.

  “There are things I really love about my job.”

  “But there are also things you could love about Bitter Bark,” Yiayia said, her sledgehammer out in full force.

  “There certainly could be.” Evie lifted her gaze to meet her dark Greek eyes. “I promise you’ll be about the second or third to know if I decide to stay.”

  The old
er women laughed, but Colleen asked, “Will you keep Gloriana House as yours?”

  Tension fluttered through her at the question. Not because it was a little personal, but mostly because…history. If Declan had to work to be comfortable with Gloriana House, then the subject couldn’t be easy for Colleen.

  “It’s hard to say what we’ll do with the house,” she replied.

  Colleen’s eyes filled for a moment, the unexpected tears making Evie draw back.

  “Oh, Colleen, I’m sorry…”

  “No, you have nothing to be sorry about.” She dabbed under her eye. “I’m emotional these days.”

  Evie swallowed. “It’s never an easy topic.”

  “That’s not why I’m emotional.” Colleen put two hands around one of Evie’s. “We’ve all let it go and come to terms with the past, dear. Well, all but one of us.” She looked past Evie to the yard. “And today, I see a boy I remember like I remember you. Laughing, lighthearted, optimistic. No matter what happens, you’ve given me a gift simply by showing up and opening your heart to Declan. Thank you. I know he didn’t make it easy these past few decades.”

  “Oh.” The word slipped out of a knotted throat. “Mrs.…Colleen.” She laughed, her own eyes filling up. “I love your family. I always have.”

  Colleen reached over and gave her a tight, long hug before easing back, still holding Evie, to say, “And we love you. And your family home is aptly named…it’s glorious. You should always be proud of it and all of its history. The good, the bad, the happy, and the sad. It’s what makes a house a home.”

  The words were so simple and heartfelt that Evie had to close her eyes and hug Colleen a little tighter, realizing only at that moment how much she’d needed this conversation.

  “And one more thing, lass,” Gramma Finnie whispered as Colleen and Evie parted.

  “Not sure I can take it,” Evie admitted, blinking back tears.

  “Play that piano. Tonight.”

  “Oh…okay.” Evie frowned, puzzled by the suggestion, but then Declan came up the stairs, wearing that smile that made her knees weak, and she forgot all about it.

  Chapter Eighteen