“Yeah,” he said, but dispatch rang in again, saving him from a conversation.
“Second passing vehicle has reported the stranded SUV, a black Buick Enclave with Washington, DC, plates.” She added the precise location, which he entered into the tablet on his lap, shaking his head when the dispatcher added, “Passengers again declined assistance. Woman appears to be injured.”
Tash threw him a look and didn’t say a word. Didn’t have to. Then she threw the siren on and flattened the accelerator, always happy for an excuse to race like the wind.
“That’s the vehicle,” Tash said as they pulled up right behind the SUV hanging off the shoulder with no sign of driver or passenger. The vehicle had sunk into soft dirt nose first and tipped so the driver’s side was at a forty-five-degree angle. He couldn’t see anyone in or around it.
They both got out and hustled toward the vehicle.
As they rounded the back, he spotted a man he instantly recognized sitting in a muddy gully, a woman in his lap.
A blonde woman.
“Please leave us alone,” the man called without turning around to see Connor.
Tash started to talk, but Connor held his hand up. “Call in and report that we’re here. I’ll talk to him.”
At the sound of Connor’s voice, Nathan turned, saw him, and exhaled.
“First responder, sir,” Connor said, coming closer. “Lieutenant Mahoney. Is this woman injured?”
He hung his head. “Not…from the accident.” His voice sounded weak and defeated.
Connor rounded him, looking down at the woman draped on his lap, cradled in his arms, realizing the man was actually rocking her.
“Can I look at her, please?”
Nathan shook his head, making Connor crouch down on one knee to make eye contact. “I can help you,” he said softly. “But you need to let me look at her.”
“You could have helped,” Nathan replied, the way he stroked the blonde hair reminded him of Sadie petting her cat when the world got to be too much. “But it’s too late now.”
“Too late?” He looked down at the woman, recognizing her, despite a tear- and mascara-stained face. “Let me examine her.”
Just then, Tash came around the SUV, talking into her comm device. “Roger that, dispatch. Oh, I see LEO arriving now. Sheriff’s here, Connor. Sir, can we please take a look at your friend?”
Connor stood, seeing a sheriff’s cruiser pulling up. Instantly, he crouched back down and looked Nathan in the eye.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
Nathan stared at him, his hand still on Jane’s head.
“Sheriff’s here, Nathan,” Connor said softly. “Tell me where Sadie is and maybe you won’t get arrested.”
“They ran off,” he said, looking past Connor to the woods.
They?
As Tash and the sheriff came closer, Connor stood, knowing he wasn’t going to get more from the guy, so maybe they would. As he did, his gaze dropped to the mud where he saw a round print that could only have been…a paw. A big dog paw…
They ran off.
Connor shot a look at the man on the ground, but he was finally relinquishing hold of Jane.
“Was Frank with you?” he demanded of Nathan.
The other man just looked up at him. “I don’t know who that is.”
He exhaled a sharp breath and grabbed his comm device, telling dispatch that another passenger could be in the woods. The other rescue vehicle from his station showed up, and everyone started to move in coordination, but Connor was itching to move.
He knew these woods, and so did Frank. The residential area where the little boy lived was a mile, maybe more, on the other side of thick woods with ravines, cliffs, and spring-fueled creeks with slippery rocks and unforgiving water. But it was all familiar to Frank.
“I’m going to go look for her,” Connor said to Tash, who was taking Jane’s blood pressure. Without waiting for a response, he jogged deeper into the woods.
None of it made sense—not her diving into Nathan’s car and…wait a second. Why had she run from around the back of the guesthouse? Where was Frank then? There was no door back there. Unless you counted the dog door in the bathroom. Could Sadie fit through that?
If she was trapped in the bathroom.
He almost spit with fury and fear, picking up speed and heading instinctively in the direction where he’d found Frank. If he was lost, that area would be familiar to him. But if Sadie was lost…
“Sadie!” he called. “Frank!” He ran along a narrow track worn by deer and other animals, stopping to listen every thirty seconds, but hearing nothing but birds and…
Rustling. An animal. To his left.
“Frank! Come here, boy!” Unless it was a coyote or wolf or—
The familiar golden head poked through the bushes just like he had that first day. Only this time, Frank didn’t look wary, he looked…victorious.
Proudly, he sauntered closer and dropped something he held in his mouth, then looked up, ready and waiting for praise.
“Frank.” Connor practically fell on him with a hug. “Good boy. Where’s Sadie? Take me to her!”
But Frank just looked down and barked, drawing Connor’s attention to whatever he had. A filthy, muddy, navy blue…mitten.
He blinked at it, instantly recognizing it. “Wow, you found the mate. Good…” He looked up and past Frank, in the direction of the rushing creek where this mitten probably came from.
Without a second’s hesitation, he sprinted off. “Sadie! Sadie!” His calls bounced around the woods, with nothing but silence in response.
He finally stopped at the foot of a steep hill, knowing that if he worked all the way around, he’d come to the creek and embankment where he’d found Dylan…and Frank. Could she possibly have gone that way? If so, then she’d reach the creek and not be able to cross.
“Okay.” Connor was vaguely aware of the orders being delivered on his comm device and decided he would answer once he got up the hill. “Sadie!”
“I’m here.” Her voice was weak, distant, but music to his ears. It shot strength and speed into him that he saved for the worst situations he faced. And losing her would be the worst of all.
He reached the top of the hill and looked left and right, getting punched in the gut when he didn’t see her.
“Hey.”
He looked down to see her about three feet below the ledge, clinging to a root, trying to dig her toes into the dirt to stay put.
“Do not move.”
“Wouldn’t think of it.” Her voice was soft, her face pale and streaked with sweat and dirt, but she looked up with love and gratitude. “Just pretend I’m a kitten and save me, Lieutenant.”
He was flat on his stomach in no time, reaching all the way over to clasp his hands around her wrists. “Hang on.” Gritting his teeth, he wrenched her higher, pulling her toward him, holding her gaze as she inched closer.
Finally, she reached the ledge and rolled onto the dirt next to him, breathless. They just stayed perfectly still and stared at each other.
“I have a lot to tell you,” she managed to say, somehow making him smile.
“Dying to hear.”
“Let’s just start with two really important things.”
He nodded, finding the strength to reach over and brush dirt from her cheek, his heart folding in half from things he hadn’t even known he could feel that now owned him.
“I think I’m in love with you,” she whispered. “I know it’s crazy and fast, but—”
He cut her off by coming closer to kiss her. “What’s this ‘think’ stuff, Ear Girl?”
She smiled into the kiss and leaned back to look at him. “Yeah. I know.”
“Good. Me, too. What’s the other thing?”
“We need to get Frank to a vet, and whatever you do, do not throw away his poop.”
“What?”
Chapter Twenty-six
“This is not like any Election Day I’ve ever s
een.” Sadie stroked Demi in the baby carrier that hung around her neck as she walked with Connor, greeting the locals with handshakes and hugs.
Frank trotted along a few feet ahead on his leash, a green-and-white shamrock-covered bandanna fluttering around his neck, his confidence in crowds growing every day. Of course, it was always better when they brought Demi, because he liked to show off for her.
“No ballrooms full of supporters and hotel rooms packed with open laptops analyzing exit polls?” Connor asked.
She shook her head, remembering those hotel rooms and exit polls and how it all mattered so much. And it did, and it should…for someone else. What mattered now was the well-being of this sweet little dog-forward town and the man who opened it all up to her.
“It’s just different,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting a town square filled with booths and crafts and…” She gestured toward the center. “Green beer and tea, and that the polls are only open from noon to six.”
“The Saint Patrick’s Day timing for the election is just the luck of the Irish. The voting window is right out of Thad’s famous charter.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “My mom found the History of Bitter Bark book. Did I tell you? Thad said mornings are for working hard, and evenings are for family. Vote in the heart of the day, good citizens of Bitter Bark.”
She laughed and leaned into the shoulder she loved to have against her cheek.
“Excuse me? Firefighter Mahoney?”
They turned at the woman’s voice to see a couple with a little tow-headed boy between them, holding his parents’ hands.
“Dylan!” Connor dropped right to his knees and extended his arms, but Dylan totally ignored him and reached for the dog.
“Fwankie!”
They all laughed, and Connor threw up his hands. “And now you see why Frank is running for mayor, and I’m just his sidekick.” Standing slowly, he gave a quick hug to the woman and shook the man’s hand. “Dave and Robin O’Keefe, this is Sadie Hartman, my—”
“Fiancée!” Robin exclaimed excitedly. “Oh, Sadie, what a story! Frank saved you and my son. It’s just all we can talk about.”
Sadie gave a quick smile to Connor, who’d let the story morph into another heroic Frank save in the woods. He never once tried to take credit for finding Sadie when she was hanging from a root, but put Frank front and center as the local hero.
“And you, young man,” Connor said to the boy, “lost two mittens that day, and Frank wasn’t going to rest until he found them both.”
He gave a big smile, but Sadie doubted the child understood. She and Connor didn’t completely understand, honestly, but they guessed that Frank had received so much praise for finding one mitten, he was incented to find the other when he got the chance.
“And that helped save Sadie, who is obviously a cat woman.”
“That’s Demi!” Robin cooed. “Frank’s girlfriend. I read the feature story about them in the Banner. So cute!”
“And how’s our famous gem-eater feeling?” Dylan’s father asked, reaching to pet Frank, who stepped forward for the love, finally comfortable in the role.
“He’s fit and ready to win tonight,” Connor said. “And as far as we know, there’s no more crystallized carbon in him.”
As the couple chatted about the news, Sadie listened with amusement and maybe a little amazement at how it all got spun into a story with no villains and more than one hero. Nathan and Jane had come clean and publicly acknowledged that they had been hiding the lab-grown diamonds “for safekeeping” since Nathan’s office had been experiencing some thefts.
It was shaky, but the news was overshadowed by Jane’s announcement of her diagnosis, and her plans to travel the country as a spokeswoman for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. With all the press coverage she received, Nathan persuaded the pharmaceutical company to let Jane participate in the final clinical trial. In exchange, she would help them navigate the process to get FDA approval, but only if they would invest more money into researching ways to lower the cost of the drug.
Satisfied that it was a win all around, Sadie did not contradict their story about hiding the diamonds with her. And how could she when Frank’s famous eating incident became national news, and he stole even more hearts?
Even the diamond-growers association was thrilled with the press coverage, using the story to drive home their messages about the worth of the product.
“Hopefully, after all that,” Connor said, bringing Sadie closer to him, “one of us will be beating Mitch Easterbrook tonight.”
The O’Keefes glanced at each other, looking surprised at the comment.
“Haven’t you heard?” Robin asked. “He’s dropping out of the race. I think he’s about to make an announcement on the steps of town hall.”
“What?” Sadie gasped. “I can’t believe it.”
“I have a friend who is the caterer his wife uses,” Robin said. “She told me Mrs. Easterbrook canceled everything they were planning for a victory celebration after the news broke. Even Mitch knows he can’t beat a dog who poops diamonds.”
“Or the woman that dog saved,” Connor added.
“Well, one of us is going to win,” Sadie said to them all. “And since we’re a team, we all win.”
“That’s the spirit!” Dave gave her a high five. “If you want to hear Mitch try to turn this into something magnanimous that he’s doing for the town, go listen.”
They headed over to the small crowd gathered on the wide stone steps of the brick building.
Mitch was already speaking at a podium that had been set up at the top, the gathering of journalists around him looking a little larger than it had the first time Sadie met with them all. In some ways, they had managed to really lift Bitter Bark’s profile.
“This decision wasn’t an easy one, but my business is booming, and the people of Bitter Bark need me more to guide them through their dark days of grief with a strong hand and open heart. That’s why when the polls open in ten minutes, my name will not be on the ballot.”
No one seemed too unhappy about that.
“Who are you endorsing?” one of the reporters asked.
He shifted from one foot to the other. “I’ll support whoever—or whatever—the constituents choose.”
Connor curled his lip at the “whatever” comment and brought Frank closer for a good head rub. “Sore loser,” he muttered when Mitch declined questions, and the crowd broke up. “I think I need green beer.”
“And we need to vote,” Sadie said. “Let’s go in together when they open the town hall doors at noon.”
As they started up the steps, Rose Halliday came right at them, her phone out as if she was ready to record an interview.
“Sadie! Connor! And of course, the dog of the decade, Frankendog.”
Sadie sucked in a soft breath, but Connor just laughed at the name.
“You think I don’t know that’s what you named him?” Rose challenged, giving Frank a pet and getting a whoosh of his tail and a dog smile in response. “He wears it well,” she said. “And this is a different dog than the one I met out there that day in Sweetgum Springs, Connor. He’ll be a fine mayor.”
“I don’t know. He’s got some tough competition, Rose.”
The reporter beamed. “Listen, there’s so much support for both of you, I wouldn’t be surprised by a tie. Your engagement idea has charmed the town.”
“Engagement idea?” Sadie gave a little smile. “You still don’t believe us, do you, Rose?”
“Well, the thing is…” She turned and looked at the podium where Mitch was still shaking some hands. “He’s ready to jump in when you two break up. A forfeiture is still on the table, as you know.”
“Then take it off the table,” Connor said. “Because there’s no breakup in our future.”
Sadie let the thrill of his words dance through her, but Rose tapped her phone and stuffed it into the bag on her shoulder with a dramatic flair. “Totally and completely off the record?” she asked
.
“On or off,” Connor said, “the answer’s the same.”
Rose looked from one to the other. “Strictly on a personal level, from someone who cares about this town,” she said, “just tell me when. Because it’s going to crush this town the day the ‘mayor couple’ splits up.”
Connor and Sadie stood stone-still for a moment, then looked at each other, a million silent words passing between them. It had only been a month, but the idea of breaking up was unimaginable to her.
“Well?” Rose prodded.
Connor shook his head. Sadie smiled. And they each slipped an arm around the other’s waist in a show of complete solidarity.
“Hope you’re happy.” Mitch threw the comment at them as he trotted down the steps past them.
“Ecstatic,” Sadie said.
“Miles beyond happy,” Connor added.
Mitch paused on the next step and turned back, mouthing, “Forfeit,” at them.
“Oh, Mitch,” Rose said on a slightly giddy laugh. “Give it up, will you?”
He didn’t respond, but continued down the steps, leaving them all laughing softly until a flurry of people rushed by toward town hall.
“Polls are open!” Rose announced.
“Come on, Ear Girl. Let’s go vote for each other.”
* * *
For as long as Connor had been alive, with a few exceptions, he’d celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day at Waterford Farm with every single member of his family and a ton of friends. Uncle Daniel had paused the tradition for a few years after Aunt Annie died, and last year, the whole thing had blown up in their faces when Katie Santorini’s oldest son showed up, and the family tree had tilted under the weight of a new branch.
But Daniel and Katie had married, and judging from the fact that Yiayia had baked green bread and Santorini’s had replaced ouzo with Jameson’s, the Greeks could be as Irish as anyone else on this day.
Everyone gathered in groups in and out of the big house. About fifteen dogs ran around the pens with some of the staff trainers, who always helped out at these things. Sadie had gone inside with Darcy, Ella, and Cassie, who had kind of adopted her as one of their own.
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