Charity arrived at nine o’clock at the vet clinic, just as the receptionist was unlocking the front door. Devon himself led her to a back room where cages lined two walls. Most of them were empty, and Charity spied Cocoa almost at once. The dog lifted her head and whimpered as Charity approached.
“Hello, girl,” she said softly.
Cocoa’s right leg was in a cast. A large portion of her back and side had been shaved in Charity’s mom’s kitchen, revealing pink flesh and a row of neat stitches that closed the wound.
She squatted beside the cage. “May I open the door?”
“As long as she doesn’t get too excited. We want her to stay quiet.”
“She’ll stay if I tell her to.” Charity reached for the latch. “Cocoa, stay.” She lifted the handle and slid the latch to the side. Cocoa slapped her tail on the floor of her cage three times in slow succession. Charity stroked the dog’s head. “How long will she need to stay?”
“I’d like to keep an eye on her for a couple of days. Just to make sure the wound doesn’t get infected. Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of her.”
“I know.” She stared into Cocoa’s eyes, willing the dog to understand why she had to stay in a cage in this bright, white, ultra-clean room. “So I should be able to come get her Saturday?”
“Yes, as long as she doesn’t start running a fever.”
Charity drew in a long breath and gave Cocoa a few more strokes as a farewell. After latching the cage door, she stood. Cocoa sighed and closed her eyes.
“She’s a lucky dog,” the vet said. “Could have ended much worse than this.”
“I don’t understand how she got out of the yard, let alone why she tangled with a bear.”
“Maybe Cocoa thought you were in danger. A bear sniffing around close by is probably all it would take. From what Buck said, she’s protective of you. Isn’t that what caused his fall when he broke his ankle? Wasn’t Cocoa trying to protect you?”
“Yes, I guess so.”
In unison, they turned toward the front office and started walking.
Devon said, “I let the sheriff know there was a bear attack on a dog and that folks should be on the lookout.”
At the exit, Charity bid the vet a good day and then went to her car. She didn’t feel like going home to the empty house. When she’d arrived in Kings Meadow in early June, she’d made a point of discouraging any and all visitors from dropping by, claiming the need for privacy while she worked. It hadn’t taken a great deal of effort on her part for that word to get around, and folks had honored her request for solitude. But now she wished for company.
However, the person she wanted to see most was the same person she most wanted to avoid: Buck.
So instead she went to see Sara again. Perhaps, in part, she wanted more than the company of a good friend. Perhaps it was a sort of test. Would her confession to Terri make seeing the baby easier this time? Had all of her soul-searching changed her for the better, perhaps made her stronger?
It didn’t take long to drive to Sara’s. A couple of cars were in the driveway, so she parked at the curb. It was the oldest girl, Krista, who answered the door.
“Hi. Is your mom—” Charity began.
“She’s in the kitchen.” Leaving the door open, the girl hurried toward the family room, the sounds of a video game, and teenage laughter.
Smiling to herself, Charity said, “Thanks,” although she doubted she was heard. Then she followed the hall to the kitchen.
Sara, seated at the table near a bay window, saw Charity just before she stepped into the room. “Hi, Charity.”
Charity was about to reply when another step brought Ashley Holloway into view. Before her on the table was an open three-ring binder, filled with pages and multicolored dividers.
“Get yourself a cup of coffee and come join us,” Sara said.
Ashley added, “Sara’s helping me with final details for the reunion. We’d love your input too.”
A little disappointed that she wouldn’t have Sara all to herself, Charity went to the coffeepot, took a mug from a wooden mug tree nearby, and reached for the carafe. After filling the mug with coffee and adding some creamer, she carried it to the table and sat in the chair across the table from Ashley and Sara.
“That looks like a ton of work,” she said, her gaze on the binder.
“We’re expecting over two hundred people to come to the reunion,” Ashley answered with a smile. It changed to a frown as she added, “But you haven’t signed up yet.”
Charity shrugged. “I’ve been so busy I keep forgetting.”
“Well, let’s take care of that right now.” Ashley flipped through the binder to a page with a color photo of Charity at seventeen.
“Oh my word,” she whispered. Did school photos get much worse than that one?
Ashley didn’t seem to hear. “We’ve got golfing on Saturday up in McCall. A seven o’clock tee time. Are you interested?”
“No, thanks. Golf has never been of much interest to me.”
“A Friday-night family potluck at the high school, then? I know you like to eat.”
Sara said, “Come on, Charity. You can’t miss the potluck. Terri’s signed her family up for it.”
“All right. I’ll go to the potluck.”
“Great!” Ashley exclaimed. “And you absolutely must be at the dance on Saturday evening. Everyone eighteen and over is going to that. Just everyone.”
Sara reached across the table and patted the back of Charity’s hand where it held the mug. “She’s telling the truth. Just about everybody in these mountains who’s old enough to have a diploma and is still breathing will be in the gym for the dance.”
Did everybody mean Buck too?
She gave her head a shake, trying to dislodge the unwelcome question in her mind.
Ashley said, “I’m sorry, but I won’t take no for an answer.” She made a mark on the paper.
A baby’s cry drifted down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Sounds like Eddy’s ready to eat again.” Sara pushed back her chair. “Do you both want to come up while I nurse him?”
“No, thanks,” Ashley answered. “I’ll run along. Maybe we can get together again next week.” She closed the binder with a flourish.
Charity said, “I’ll come with you, Sara.” She was proud of how steady her voice was. Her pulse quickened a bit, but there was no sense of dread. That was progress.
Ashley let herself out while Sara and Charity climbed the stairs to the master bedroom. Eddy’s cries sounded more demanding with each passing moment. Sara went straight to the cradle and picked him up, then carried him to the rocking chair.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” she asked, her gaze fastened on the infant.
Charity took several steps toward her. “Yes, Sara. He’s beautiful.” And he was.
“A Malone through and through. Look at that square jaw. Just like his daddy’s.”
And like his uncle too.
BUCK AND SHERIFF LESTER STUDIED THE SIGNS LEFT behind by the bear. Only one set of prints. No cubs following after an adult female. And the tracks led away from Kings Meadow proper. Good news.
Still, folks had been alerted to a bear’s presence in the area—one neighbor passing along the news to another by phone or on the street. The bear hadn’t been sighted. More than likely, it had returned to the mountains soon after its encounter with Cocoa. Perhaps even nursing a few wounds of its own. Buck considered himself lucky. The bear had traveled right through the middle of his acreage. Bears usually left horses alone, but if Cocoa had been in pursuit, it might have struck out at anything in its path.
After the sheriff left, Buck stayed outside, hoping to work off some of his restless energy. He started by mucking out the covered lean-to. The physical labor felt good, and it was the kind of work that allowed his thoughts to wander. No surprise that they wandered to Charity. Images of her flooded his mind. So many it seemed he’d been collecting them for years instead of weeks, each one of the
m meaningful to him. Some made him want to laugh with her, some to cry for her. Some should have made him angry, he supposed, but they didn’t.
Summer was flying by. If he wanted to win her heart, he’d best hurry before he ran out of time. It would become more difficult, if not impossible, once she was back in Boise.
He wasn’t certain how much time had passed before he heard the crunch of tires. He looked up in time to see Charity’s Lexus stop in the Anderson driveway. He set aside the pitchfork and headed toward the neighboring house, wiping away the sweat with a hand towel. Charity got out of her SUV and had already entered the backyard before she saw his approach. She waited on the other side of the closed gate.
It felt more like a wall between them.
“How’s Cocoa?” he asked when he stopped a couple of yards away.
“Dr. Parry wants to keep her at the clinic for a day or two. To make sure there’s no infection. But she seems to be doing all right.”
“Glad to hear it.” He gave her a sympathetic smile. “And what about you? How are you holding up?”
She was silent for a few moments. Finally, she said, “I’m good too.”
Instinct told Buck to give her some time and space. He took a step back. “Well, I’ve got more chores to do. Better get to them. You’ll be sure and let me know if there’s anything I can do for you or Cocoa. Right?”
She nodded.
“Okay, then. See you later.” With a tip of his head, he turned on his heel and headed back to the work that awaited him.
But his thoughts—and his heart—remained with Charity.
Chapter 21
WHEN THE TELEPHONE RANG ON SATURDAY, A LITTLE before noon, Charity ignored it. She’d brought Cocoa home from the vet’s earlier that morning, and she’d been writing up a storm for the past two and a half hours while her faithful companion slept nearby. She didn’t want to break the flow while it was going so well. Whoever was calling would simply have to leave a message or try again later.
Charity’s dystopian-set Lancer Series featured a strong, smart, courageous female protagonist named Ghleanna. While there were some good—even heroic—male characters in those books, there was never more than a hint of a potential romantic relationship with Ghleanna. Charity’s former editor had loved the books that way. So had Charity.
But, to her surprise, she’d warmed to the developing romances in her new novel. And she was as fond of her secondary teenaged couple as she was of her slightly more mature hero and heroine, two people about the same age as Charity herself.
And the same age as Buck.
She closed her eyes and sighed. She hadn’t meant to let her neighbor sneak into her thoughts. Not again. Not today. Not when she needed to stay focused on her story. She might as well have answered the phone. Nobody else could disturb her the way Buck Malone could. Even when he didn’t try to. Even when he wasn’t present.
She looked at her laptop screen and poised her fingers over the keyboard. Then she waited. And waited. Nothing. Not a word. Not a single noun or verb or adjective. Not any narrative or dialogue. Nothing. Like a river that had been dammed by the sudden collapse of a mountainside.
“Go away, Buck.”
Cocoa raised her head.
“Ignore me, girl. I’m okay.” She rose from the desk, closing the laptop as she did so. “Let’s eat something.”
Charity went to the sheepskin-lined dog bed and lifted Cocoa into her arms. Once down the stairs, she set Cocoa on the floor and allowed the dog to limp her way into the kitchen. It made Charity’s chest ache to see her faithful pal like this. What if the bear had killed her? What if Buck hadn’t found her in time?
Buck again.
Standing in the kitchen, the memory of the kiss they’d shared in this room came rushing back. Tingling sensations shot through her, and her breath became short. The kiss had been more than she’d dreamed any kiss could be.
How did I let it happen?
She released a sigh as she opened the refrigerator. Stood there a short while looking until, undecided on what to eat, she finally closed the door. That was when she noticed the blinking light on the answering machine. She went to it and punched the Play button.
“Hi, Charity.” Nathan’s voice. “Sorry I missed you. About me coming up tomorrow. Looks like I won’t make it. My boss is sending me out of town for the next week, and I’ll be thirty thousand feet in the air at noon tomorrow. I’m really sorry. How about I call you once I’m settled in the hotel? Should be around four or so, Mountain Time. Hope you’ll be near the phone then. Take care.”
Click.
Nathan’s kisses had never made her feel the way Buck’s one brief kiss had. And as that realization swept over her, she also knew that she and Nathan would never get back together again. She didn’t love him. If she was honest with herself, she’d known it wouldn’t work when he’d come to see her last Sunday.
No, I knew the day he first called.
She was moving on. She was getting better, stronger. She wasn’t going to settle for something less. She might not be ready yet, but she would get there.
BUCK ARRIVED AT HIS BROTHER’S HOME A LITTLE before five. He’d been invited to join the family for dinner, an opportunity he tried never to pass up. And being there would give him some time with the newest member of the Malone clan. Little Eddy had completely captured his uncle’s heart.
“Wow, Sara,” he said after embracing his sister-in-law. “You look more beautiful every time I see you. Being a mother of four agrees with you.”
She laughed. “You’re a charming liar, Buck Malone. My hair is a disaster, and I haven’t lost an ounce that I gained while pregnant. But thanks anyway.”
“My brother isn’t lying,” Ken said as he draped an arm over his wife’s shoulders. “You do look more beautiful each day.”
She feigned a frown. “Are you trying to get out of doing the dishes when dinner’s over?”
“Maybe,” Ken and Buck answered in unison, both grinning.
“Uh-huh.” She shook her head but returned their smiles.
“Where’s Eddy?” Buck asked.
“In the family room.” Ken looked at Sara. “You go on with him. I’ll keep an eye on the stove.”
“Thanks, hon.”
Sara led the way down the hall. A kind of ordered chaos ruled the family room. Buck found it appealing. Krista and Sharon played a board game on the floor near the sliding glass door that led onto the patio. Their brother Jake played a video game on the large-screen television. In a bassinet near the sofa, Eddy slept, blissfully unaware of the invaders from outer space being blown to bits on the screen.
Buck glanced at Sara, and after she nodded, he scooped up the infant. “He’s going to look like you.”
“Are you joking? He’s a Malone through and through. In fact, I said those very same words to Charity a couple of days ago.”
He looked up from the baby but tried not to sound too interested. “Is that right?”
“Mmm. She came over after checking on her dog at the vet’s. Ashley was here, too, and before Ash left, she made certain Charity signed up for both the reunion potluck and the dance.”
Buck settled on the sofa, and Sara sat beside him, smiling as she looked at her baby.
“Must be a huge relief, how well Eddy’s doing.”
“I can’t begin to say.”
“How old is he? I’ve already lost track.”
“Five weeks yesterday.” Sara reached out and lightly touched the tip of his tiny nose.
Buck looked at his sister-in-law. “Did Charity tell you how upset she got the day Eddy was born? I guess she was afraid you or the baby wouldn’t make it. She ran out of the waiting area like the place was on fire.”
“No,” Sara answered, eyes growing wide. “She didn’t tell me.”
“I was worried about her, but she wouldn’t talk about it when she came back.”
Sara straightened and leaned back from him, as if to get a better look at his face. “Some
thing’s changed about you.”
“About me? Nah. I’m the same.”
She released a soft gasp. “It’s Charity, isn’t it?”
“What about Charity?”
“You like her. And more than just a little too.”
He looked down at his infant nephew and felt a tug in his heart toward a different future than he used to envision for himself. One that needed a wider circle to contain all of the people he loved. One worth having, even with the risk.
Chapter 22
BUCK AND THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURES GUESTS turned back from their trail ride when dark-gray clouds blew in from the south. Storms out of the south, Buck knew, were usually bad news. This time was no exception. While the small group was still fifteen minutes from the barn, the sky opened up and dropped rain on them in heavy sheets. In an instant they were soaked through to the skin, and there wasn’t anything they could do except ride on.
The weather report hadn’t called for rain. If it had, Buck would have tied rain slickers to the back of each saddle or canceled the ride altogether. But the reports had called for a clear and sunny day. Since clear and sunny were what residents of Kings Meadow enjoyed for most of the summer months, Buck hadn’t had reason to expect anything different.
He reined in and turned his gelding off the trail. “Sorry, folks,” he called to the party of six. “We’re almost there.” He hunched his shoulders against the downpour. Water ran off the brim of his hat as if from a faucet. “Just keep headed in that direction.” He pointed with his arm. “Sorry it’s so miserable.”
He waited until the last guest had passed him, then turned his horse onto the trail again. It was hard to see, and the last thing he needed was to lose somebody in the storm.
Chet and Kimberly were waiting for them in the barn. Kimberly passed out towels and, when the guests were ready to put something in their hands, large mugs of hot chocolate. Chet helped Buck tend to the horses. By the time the men were finished, the guests had been driven back to their quarters.
“Rotten thing to have happen,” Chet said.
Buck rubbed his hair with the towel he’d used earlier. “Hope your guests don’t blame you for the weather.”
The Kings Meadow Romance Collection Page 36
