by Susan Wilson
Pete Bannerman is coming from Connecticut. Even though Cecily Foster dropped the suit against me, and the house is done, he’s become a friend, and I’m looking forward to seeing him today.
The house has the feel of an empty stage just waiting for the actors to appear. I think back at how different it was a mere ten months ago, a tumble-down wreck of an old woman’s neglected home. Its renaissance as the summer home of a flock of that old woman’s descendants has been astounding, and I have to credit Tucker Bellingham with being stubborn and exacting.
I walk through the rooms, admire the way the wide plank floors gleam with Butcher’s wax, the way the Delft tiles surrounding the two parlor fireplaces draw the eye. I’ve put the antique candlesticks that I discovered upstairs on the marble mantels that Tucker found on eBay. In the bright summer sunlight coming through the six-over-six restored windows, the polished paneling that flanks the “good” parlor fireplace fairly glows. The new but authentic wrought-iron latch reveals the hidden wood box.
I feel Susannah’s presence.
* * *
I have so little to pack that I haven’t done more than stow the folding cot, my sleeping bag, and my few dishes in the back of my car. Somehow, the act of moving my things has upset Shadow, and he’s been pacing and whining every time I take an armload out to the car. “It’s okay, Shadow. We’re going to be very happy in our new place. You’ll love it.” It wasn’t all that easy to find a pet-friendly rental, especially with the size of my pet, but I did. There was no way I was going to leave Shadow behind. He has been my rock. With him by my side, I fear no man.
The Dog
The air is warm and carries upon it the scent of roasting meats and baking pies, the pungent scent of boiled vegetables, and the oceanic scent of lobster. I lick my lips, shake my head, the better to taste the scent in the air. From a safe distance, I watch this gathering of disparate humans—a few children in constant motion, some men, mainly women. From these last will I choose the next woman to serve. I will choose from those who sit on the outside of the circle. I know already that someone needs me. For her, I will walk out of the shadows. I am a watcher. I am a guardian.
Acknowledgments
This was a complicated book and I was pulled to safety several times by my incredible agents, Annelise Robey and Andrea Cirillo. Thanks also to the whole team at the Jane Rotrosen Agency—Chris Prestia, Danielle Sickles, Donald Cleary, Julianne Tinari, Michael Conroy, Sabrina Prestia, Hannah Rody-Wright, Ellen Tischler, and Gena Louque.
To Jennifer Enderlin, queen of editors, who guided me toward the best version of this story with patience and vision, to you my constant gratitude.
Thanks to the excellent team at St. Martin’s Press, especially Rachel Diebel, who so ably makes things happen. And to Lisa Senz, Young Lim, Jordan Hanley, Brant Janeway, Lisa Davis, Clare Maurer, and Matie Argiropoulos.
To Carol Edwards, copy editor par excellence, who, as always, saves me from embarrassing myself. Thank you.
Tom Dresser introduced me to Dogtown and this book would never have been conceived without his history, Dogtown: A Village Lost in Time. Kathy Schad of Gloucester was incredibly helpful with getting a flavor of life on Cape Ann. Dagmar Lewis gave me some insights on the puppy training program in New York prisons. Thank you all.
I am deeply indebted to the Rev. Cristina Rathbone, who provided me with a view into the lives of women in prison. Any veracity in this book I owe to her.
Lastly, thank you Shelley Brown, Brenda and Leon Brathwaite for lending me your names.
This book has lived large in my imagination for a long time, and it is exactly that, a work of my imagination. Whereas I wanted to create a believable universe, it may be somewhat flawed. That’s the joy of writing fiction.
Resources
Dogtown: A Village Lost in Time. Dresser Thomas. 1995, revised 2008.
A World Apart: Women, Prison and Life Behind Bars. Rathbone Cristina, Random House, 2005.
A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785–1812. Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher. Vintage Books, 1990.
ALSO BY SUSAN WILSON
Two Good Dogs
The Dog Who Saved Me
A Man of His Own
The Dog Who Danced
One Good Dog
Summer Harbor
The Fortune Teller’s Daughter
Cameo Lake
Hawke’s Cove
Beauty
About the Author
SUSAN WILSON is the author of eleven novels, including the bestselling One Good Dog and A Man of His Own. She lives on Martha’s Vineyard. Visit her at www.susanwilsonwrites.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Author’s Note
Prologue
Part One
Rosie
Meghan
Rosie
Meghan
Rosie
Rosie
Shark
Meghan
Rosie
Shark
Meghan
Rosie
Shark
Meghan
Shark
Meghan
Rosie
Shark
Part Two
Rosie
Meghan
Shark
Rosie
Shadow of a Dog
Meghan
Shark
Meghan
Shark
Rosie
Shadow
Meghan
Shark
Rosie
Shadow
Meghan
Shark
Rosie
Shadow
Rosie
Shadow
Rosie
Meghan
Shark
Rosie
Shadow
Meghan
Shark
Rosie
Shadow
Meghan
Rosie
Shadow
Rosie
Meghan
Shark
Rosie
Meghan
Shark
Rosie
Shadow
Rosie
Rosie
Shadow
Rosie
Meghan
Shark
Rosie
Shadow
Rosie
Rosie
Shadow
Epilogue
The Dog
Acknowledgments
Resources
Also by Susan Wilson
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
THE DOG I LOVED. Copyright © 2019 by Susan Wilson. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Young Jin Lim
Cover photographs: dog © Farlap/Alamy Stock Photo; sky © suwatsilp sooksang/Shutterstock.com; grass © TMArt/Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Wilson, Susan, 1951– author.
Title: The dog I loved / Susan Wilson.
Description: First edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2019.
Ide
ntifiers: LCCN 2019019290 | ISBN 9781250078148 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781466890473 (ebook)
Classification: LCC PS3573.I47533 D63 2019 | DDC 813/.54—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019019290
eISBN 9781466890473
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First Edition: November 2019