Love Unleashed

by Natalie Brunwick

“Someplace warm and quiet, mostly. A good-sized yard to putz around in is always a plus.” He eyed the thin patch of grass we’d put down earlier in the week and frowned. “I see you put in some new grass. Did it dry out?”

  Something like that. “Gophers,” I lied, chewing on my bottom lip as I studied the bit Felix had managed to cover up in such a short amount of time. He really was the best guy I had.

  “That’s a lot of gophers,” Mr. Harris said with a laugh. “The place is lovely, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to come back with my wife just to be sure.”

  “Of course,” I said with a nod, gesturing back out toward the hallway so we could finish up. “I’m sorry she couldn’t make it today.”

  He waved my comment away, smiling as he did. “She’s running a bake sale for the school down the way. All hands on deck, as they say.”

  “The one a few blocks over?” No wonder they wanted to move. The school was an easy fifteen minute walk from here.

  “That’s the one. She teaches the third grade, and this place is close by, so…” He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck as he paused in the doorway leading back out to the front porch. “Would I be able to come back with her some other time? I don’t want to hold up the sale if you have someone ready to buy right now, but—”

  “It’s no problem at all. Check your schedule and let me know what works best for you. I can be here anytime.” I’d even offer up one of my weekdays if it meant getting the Baker house to the right family. Until I met Lily, it was hard to say if they’d be a good fit or not. The Parks on the other hand…

  They’re never coming back. I was sure of it.

  “And you’re absolutely sure it was the gophers?” Mr. Harris asked, pulling me from my thoughts once I opened the front door.

  “Oh no.” Not again. Not now.

  Duke stood in the front yard, neck-deep in one of the flowerbeds.

  “Could you excuse me for just one minute?” I didn’t wait for an answer, running out the front door as Duke tore up the rest of the yard. “Are you kidding me?” I seethed under my breath. “Haven’t you already done enough? Where’s your owner, anyway? I swear, she must be one of the most irresponsible people I’ve ever met.” My bad mood was getting the better of me, but at the rate Duke was going, I’d have to call in an entire team to fix the yard.

  Eying Duke’s neck, I was relieved to see he still had his collar on. Strays were frowned upon in this neck of the woods and usually ended up in one of the kill shelters outside of town instead of one of the better ones a few towns over. If Duke were ever mistaken as a stray… my heart skipped at that. It wasn’t my place to worry. He wasn’t my dog.

  I worried anyway.

  I wondered then if he might’ve jumped the fence. If they even have a fence. Just my luck. The sale of the Baker house sounded so promising too, but now that Duke had destroyed the front yard as well, it would take me weeks to get the house ready to sell again. No one would stick around once they saw the mangled yard, especially when the damage happened to be in front of the house.

  “Maybe I should go,” Mr. Harris said, walking up behind me. When I met his gaze, he offered me a reassuring smile. “It truly is a lovely place. Call me once things have settled down and I’ll bring Lily over to take a look.” With that, he handed me his card and left.

  Alone in the front yard of the Baker house, I debated grabbing Duke’s collar to put a stop to his destruction or calling one of the no-kill shelters. Of course, seeing as he was still wearing his collar…

  “There you are!” the woman from the other day called from the sidewalk, hurrying over to Duke once she did. “Again Duke, really?” She walked up to the dog and took hold of his collar, looking up at me as she did. “I am so, so sorry.”

  “And let me guess, it’ll never happen again, right?” The venom that happened to reach my voice was surprising even to me. I was usually so calm. “I’m sorry, that was unkind of me.”

  “No, you have every right to be upset. It’s just this dog, he…” She released an exasperated sigh, then tugged on him until he reluctantly gave up the chase of whatever he was trying to accomplish.

  “You don’t have a leash?” I’d never expect someone to keep their dog on a leash if they had a closed-in yard, but surely she’d carry one with her once he ran off.

  The woman forced a smile and dug the leash out of her pocket, or what was left of it, anyway. In my rush to judge the dog, I hadn’t noticed the clip of the leash still hanging from his collar. Somehow, he’d managed to snap the thing in two, leaving about an inch of cord around his neck.

  “I was going to take him for a walk like we always do,” the woman explained, tightening her hold on Duke’s collar when he whined and tried to pull away again. “He’s been cooped up inside most of the week while I work on a deadline. He’s usually so well-behaved.”

  “I bet he is.”

  “Look, if there’s any way I can make it up to you—”

  “Just keep him in the yard and get a better leash. Maybe a chain.” The words left my mouth before I could pull them back, and just as the woman in front of me balked at the idea, I immediately felt sick to my stomach. “I’m letting my mood get the better of me,” I apologized, picking a phantom piece of lint off the hem of my shirt. “So what’s his deal with this house, anyway?”

  “It’s a long story,” the woman replied, looking at something behind me that wasn’t actually there. “Mr. Baker was a kind man, lonely but kind. Has anyone told you that?” There was a light shine to her eyes and a tightness in her voice that made my heart skip.

  “I know he passed away but that’s all I’ve been told.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m holding you up. I’ll just get this guy out of your hair.” When she went to turn away, I stopped her.

  Placing a hand on the woman’s arm, I smiled once she met my gaze. “I’m sorry for your loss.” She didn’t say how close they were, but if her stiff posture was any indication, I had a feeling she and Mr. Baker were rather close.

  “Thank you,” Duke’s owner managed, her voice sounding terribly hoarse. “He was extremely kind and will be missed, but I’m sure you don’t want to hear any of that, do you?”

  “Actually,” I began, walking beside her as she made her way back over to the sidewalk, “I’d love to know more about him. I know very little and I do my best work when I know the house’s history. Do you think you could help me with that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know… I can’t say much about the house, I just knew the man who lived inside of it.”

  “It sounds like you were close.” Anyone could see she had some kind of relationship with Mr. Baker. It became even more apparent when I looked back on the amount of destruction Duke had caused around the house. Dog’s were extremely smart and very sensitive to loss. So if the woman and Duke visited Mr. Baker on a regular basis, then I could see why Duke made a beeline for the house whenever it looked like someone was home.

  “We were,” the woman said with a nod, bringing me back to the present. “We were more like family, really. He showed me kindness when no one else did.”

  “He sounds like my grandfather,” I said with a contented sigh. My grandfather was one of the first people I came out to. He never questioned ‘my decision.’ I wrinkled my nose at that. It didn’t matter now, but at the time, he was one of my biggest supporters.

  “Would you like to join me?” the woman asked, catching me off guard.

  “I’m sorry?” I really had to stop zoning out.

  “For a walk,” the woman quickly added, likely sensing my hesitation. “There’s a nice trail right around the corner.”

  I hesitated but only for a moment. The yard’s appearance couldn’t be helped, and I knew the longer I stood there surveying the damage, the more upset I’d become.

  A walk, on the other hand, sounded like a lovely idea. At the very least, it’d give me a chance to clear my head before calling Felix again.

  I took one more look at the Bake
r house, locked everything up, then finally joined her on the sidewalk. “Sure, why not? My afternoon’s free and I could really use the distraction.”

  “Kris,” she said, offering me her hand as she held Duke’s collar with the other one.

  “Leah,” I said, shaking her hand as I managed the best smile that I could.

  “My house isn’t far. I’ll just grab another leash, then we can go.”

  “Lead the way.”

  Chapter Three

  The trail Kris mentioned wasn’t far from her house but still hidden from the road unless you knew where to look. Ducking under a lush canopy, I smiled at the sound of bird songs that happened to greet us there. Duke clearly knew where he was going, tugging hard on his leash when Kris didn’t move fast enough.

  I couldn’t help smiling at the whimpers he made as they bubbled up his chest. He really was an enchanting dog. If not for the damage he’d done to the property, I wouldn’t have had a problem with him at all. Even so, the deeper into the woods we went, the more I focused on the work I had waiting for me back at the house.

  And that’s when my mood got the better of me. Again.

  “So what’s Duke’s deal with the Baker house, anyway? Is it because you guys visited him?”

  Kris’ steps faltered a moment, then started up again. “Oh, no, it’s nothing like that,” she said, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground as she navigated around a raised tree root. “I visited them.”

  Kris visited… them? I frowned. Duke wasn’t her dog? “Duke belonged to Mr. Baker.” It wasn’t a question, and when Kris looked at me with a watery smile on her face, my chest tightened with guilt. Guilt for getting angry at Duke and guilt for ever judging a dog who simply wanted to go home.

  “He actually came to find me,” Kris said, her thoughts likely a mile away. “I usually visited them in the afternoons since I work from home. Graphic design,” she added when I passed her a questioning glance. “Anyway, I was on a deadline and really wanted to wrap up my latest project, so I was running late. Dogs are funny like that. They’re hardwired to their routines. For Duke, it’s kind of like mealtime, only I show up.” She released a small chuckle, then held Duke back so she could ruffle the fur between his ears.

  “What happened?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Duke never left the house without Mr. Baker. I thought they were coming here and stopped by the house to check up on me. It’s something they did from time to time. Anyway, I figured Duke got away from George and reached the house before he did. But when I looked up the sidewalk and didn’t see him hurrying after his dog…” Kris shrugged, then gestured at a small bench halfway along the trail where we could sit down. “I just knew.”

  Taking my place beside Kris, I swallowed around the hard lump in my throat. Even as Kris spoke, there was an edge to her voice, one normally heard around family members who were still trying to heal.

  “I’m really sorry,” I managed, taking a deep breath to calm the nerves that had gathered in my stomach. “I knew he passed away, I just—”

  “Thought he died old and alone?” Kris scoffed, then waved my look of concern away. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t directed at you. He did so much for our community, you know?”

  “No one’s told me much about him.” I honestly thought Mr. Baker slipped away in the night. He had no children to speak of, and as far as I knew, his wife passed years prior.

  Kris glanced up through the canopy and released a shaky breath. “He did everything he could for our tiny community. He was the one who orchestrated a block party once I moved in and held several more since. He found a way to bring the entire street together, if only for a little while. No one ever offered to bring food or to help with the clean up except for me. To be honest, I always thought he did way too much for that ungrateful bunch but…”

  “Givers are usually treated that way, unfortunately,” I said to Kris as well as myself.

  Kris nodded in agreement. “But he kept doing it because… I don’t know. I guess he saw how wrapped up everyone was in their own business that he wanted to give them a bit of a break, you know? That’s how our daily visits started.

  Shortly after I moved in, he dropped by to check on me, then insisted I join him and Duke on a walk. We actually sat in this very spot if you can believe it. We spoke for hours, mostly about how goofy Duke was, Mr. Baker’s late wife, the kids he never got to have, and my ambitions. He dropped by a few more times, usually when I was on a hard deadline and… he just knew. He knew I needed to come up for air but wouldn’t do it unless he made me.”

  “A strong work ethic can be quite the killer,” I said with a nod. “I still haven’t found a way to balance my work and home life.”

  “At least you have an office you can go back to. I work from home so it’s always there, taunting me and begging to be finished.”

  “You don’t have a designated room in the house for your office?”

  “I did, but after Mr. Baker passed, I couldn’t stand the thought of Duke getting sent to a shelter.”

  “So you took him in.”

  “Yes. He’s very clingy as far as dogs go and my old office just isn’t big enough for him to lay comfortably. Most days, I sit on the couch with the laptop on one knee and Duke’s head propped up on the other. It makes my day a little longer as I don’t have access to some of the tools I like to use without a bit of wiggle room, but I manage.”

  “You must really care for him,” I said, looking at Duke who’d calmed down enough to lay at Kris’ feet. “He really is well-behaved, isn’t he?”

  “He can be, but there’s something about that house and folks parking in the driveway that drives him nuts. He knows George is gone, but he doesn’t seem to understand it’s no longer his home.”

  “You’re the one who put it on the market,” I realized after giving it some thought.

  “I am, and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Duke isn’t the only one who’s attached to it. There’s a lot of kindness and memories inside those walls. Or at least there was. With the property taxes being as high as they are, I can’t cover two houses at the same time, not unless I’m willing to live paycheck to paycheck. Some months are harder than others.”

  I could understand that. Even in my line of work, things had been tough. Folks weren’t looking for houses as much as they used to. The newer generation preferred to rent more than anything else.

  Kris went on when I didn’t say anything. “I realize I could’ve just rented out the place, but my heart hurts at the thought of some kids moving in and ruining it. Whoever lives there, I want them to love the house as much as he did.”

  “Thank you,” I said, smiling as I did.

  “What for? I’ve rambled this entire time.”

  “No, you haven’t. In this short time, you’ve given the house way more character than I thought it had before. I pride myself in the homes I sell, but I always make sure the house becomes a home instead of just a place for folks to keep their stuff. What you’ve told me about Mr. Baker really helps.”

  “I’m glad, though I’m still really sorry for what Duke’s done to the place.”

  “I know, but we’ll have to find a way to get him to accept it isn’t his home anymore.” I winced at that, regretting the words as soon as they left my mouth. “Sorry.”

  “No, you’re right. And we’ll figure something out, won’t we, boy?” Kris ruffled Duke’s ears, but her smile was clearly forced. “Anyway, now you know a little more about the house, Duke, and this wooded trail. It actually goes the entire way around the back of the development. There are a few places to sit along the way as well.”

  “I’ll have to remember about this place the next time I show the house.” Which probably wouldn’t be for another week or more considering the scuffed up yard out front and the missing flowers in the gardens along the porch.

  “I really am sorry about that,” Kris apologized again, wrapping and unwrapping her hand with the end of Duke’s lea
sh. “If you need help covering—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I cut in, instinctively reaching out to still Kris’ hands. She paused and met my worried gaze, her clear blue eyes holding me captive a lot longer than was necessary. Clearing my throat, I broke eye contact. “All I want you to do is take care of Duke.” He needed her a lot more than I did.

  “Duke will appreciate it,” Kris said, smiling as she slowly got to her feet. “Though I’m pretty sure I’ve kept you long enough.”

  After checking the time, I pocketed my phone and took my place beside Kris. “I needed the break, I just didn’t know it yet.”

  “That happens,” Kris said with a hint of laughter in her voice. Man, what I wouldn’t give to hear it again. It was light and almost musical following the discussion we’d had. “Would you like to head back or…”

  “Let’s keep going,” I said without a bit of hesitation. “I’m not ready to go back to work just yet.”

  And with any luck, I’d get to see her beautiful smile again.

  By the time we emerged from the other side of the woods, more than an hour had passed. True to her word, Kris said her goodbyes, then walked Duke the rest of the way home, leaving me under the tree line as I contemplated where to go next. The Baker house wouldn’t fix itself, but the walk had been nice. In fact, it’d been so long since I’d taken a stroll in the woods that I’d completely forgotten how much I loved it.

  As a kid, I adored going into the words and uncovering whatever treasures I could find. Granted, most of the time those treasures included hatched Robin eggs, empty nests, bits of colored string, lost golf balls, or hawk feathers, but to my younger self, everything I found had been a treasure.

  Each one told a story that wasn’t anything like what my folks had told me about the woods near my house. They weren’t scary or full of monsters at all, just gnarled tree branches and the sound of the woods, kind of like the Baker house.

  I’d spent close to eight years living behind a desk and showing houses that I’d forgotten about my time in the woods. The area Kris took me to might not have been the same thing considering someone had installed benches and cut back the branches along the trail, but it was still enough to bring back a flood of old memories I’d long forgotten.