“He’s the best.”
* * *
They made it with twenty minutes to spare. Josh held Alex’s hand. He’d made a brave showing of wanting a dog, but when the chorus of barking sounded as they entered the kennel area, he shrunk against his father’s leg.
They walked down the row, reading the cards on each dog’s kennel. As the girls began to discuss the situation back and forth, Alex wondered if he’d have been smarter to come alone. Or bring one kid. But then, which one?
“Emma, I think you’re right.” Becky uttered the phrase in such a grown-up, agreeable tone that Alex stopped in his tracks. He didn’t dare make eye contact because he might make a smart aleck remark and ruin the moment. He gripped Lisa’s hand, slid his eyes to the right and watched as she recognized the sweet interaction.
She smiled, paused and listened along with him.
“I’ve looked at each one’s eyes, and this guy seems to be saying something to me, Dad.”
“Me, too.” Emma reached in to pet the red-gold shaggy fellow. His soft green eyes brightened as the girls stroked the mutt’s silky head. “It says he’s almost two years old.”
“And his owner had to move,” added Becky.
“And he’s got curly hair like Lisa,” noted Josh, not to be outdone. “It’s really soft, too.”
“His name is Charley.”
“And that’s a really good name for a dog, I think.” Josh’s firm nod said the whole thing was all right by him.
The attendant opened the cage, attached a lead to the dog’s collar and led them to the walking area. “Take a little time to get to know him. I don’t mind staying extra.”
“You’re sure?” Alex turned, surprised. “We don’t mean to keep you late.”
“If he finds a good home, it’s well worth it,” she assured him. “I’ll be inside, straightening up.”
Inside, the dog had seemed docile. Quiet. Almost too quiet, making Alex wonder what was wrong. Outside?
Charley came alive, running with the kids. He didn’t nip, bite or jump on them, a huge plus. And when Lisa sat down on the ground and let the dog slobber all over her with quick kisses and happy yips, Alex knew they’d found a keeper.
“So, what do you guys think? Should Charley come home with us?”
Becky laughed out loud. “Dad, we couldn’t possibly leave him behind now. Not when we’ve gotten his hopes up. That would be so wrong!”
In this case she was right. Alex left them to play with the dog while he went inside to settle things. He’d gone shopping the day before. Everything Charley needed was tucked in the back of the SUV, out of sight. When he went back outside, papers in hand, the beauty of the visual made him stop.
Lisa. Emma. Becky. Josh. All smiling, all happy. And the dog, leaping for a Frisbee they’d found somewhere. Snagging the disc, mid-air, like that movie dog kids loved to watch.
It fit. They fit. The dog fit.
He pulled in a breath that had stopped hurting weeks ago, a breath that seemed fresh and new. Uncluttered. Unsullied.
And then he went to gather up his new family. His new normal.
Epilogue
“Emma? Have you got the shirts?”
“Right here.” She chased down the stairs, lofted two plastic-wrapped T-shirts across the living room, then dashed back up. “Gotta brush my teeth.”
“Hurry.”
A slight pause ensued, followed by, “Dad! Charley ate my toothbrush!”
Alex didn’t miss a beat. “The whole thing?”
“Naw. Just the end.”
“Get a new one out of the medicine cabinet and I’ll corral the dog.”
“Okay!”
“Becky. Here’s your shirt.” Alex peeled the plastic from one pink T-shirt and set it beside Becky’s half-full cereal bowl. “Drink the milk.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes. Next time don’t use so much. Where’s your brother?”
He found Josh standing on his head in the family room. He opened the second T-shirt, flipped the boy right side up and tugged the shirt over his head. “You’ve got a big head, kid.”
“Because I’ve got so many brains in there.” Josh peered at the shirt, upside down. “It’s got Lisa’s ribbon on it.”
“It does. Em. You ready?”
“Yup.” She raced down the stairs, grabbed a pink leash and laughed at her father’s wince. “Dad. Get over it. He’s color-blind.”
“But smart,” Alex countered. “He can probably sense the pinkness of that leash.”
“I think he looks just marvelous,” Becky crowed. “And it matches his pink collar, Dad.”
“He’s an awareness dog,” Emma crooned, close to Charley’s face. “He’s doing his part for the cause.”
He was, Alex decided. Like the rest of the family.
“And he smells like toothpaste,” Josh added. He hugged Charley and pulled on his sandals. “Are we ready to go?”
“Let’s do it.” Alex put the supplies he’d need for the day into the back of the SUV with the dog, despite Josh’s earnest plea to ride in the back so Charley could have his seat. “Don’t eat this,” he instructed the animal. He started to close the hatch, then eyed the dog.
Cute. Hairy. Red. And he’d already eaten one sneaker and now a toothbrush.
Alex reconsidered, gave Charley a short whistle and brought him into the front seat with him. Better safe than sorry.
They pulled up to the high school parking lot shortly after nine. Floats, marching bands, fire trucks and civic groups milled around the school grounds. From below, it was hard to pick out any one group or float, so Alex took the grass route up the hill and parked.
A blast of pink stood out from the sea of red, white and blue bunting.
He corralled the kids, handed Emma the leash, then opened the back hatch again. He pulled out his own personal banner and looped it around shoulder and waist.
Emma laughed, delighted.
Becky grinned and high-fived him.
Josh peered up. “L-I-S-A...” he spelled, slowly. “Lisa!”
“Good job, bud!” Alex lifted him up and hugged him. “You read that all by yourself.”
“I know. My teacher says I’m stinkin’ smart.”
“And she’s correct.” Alex grabbed the dog’s leash and met the girls’ gazes. “Are we ready?”
Emma’s nod said she read beneath the surface of his question. She thinned her lips, then smiled. Nodded. “Yes.”
“Beck?”
“We’re getting nothing done standing here, Dad.”
“That’s my girl.” He grinned down, tweaked her pink baseball cap and started forward. “Let’s go.”
They moved through the throngs of people. Few noticed them at first, but as more and more people read Alex’s banner, talk shimmered from group to group. By the time they drew close to the breast cancer awareness float, folks were watching and waiting, all around.
Today, he and his family were the talk of the town. The center of attention. And if all went well in a few moments, he wouldn’t mind in the least. He slipped the banner off as they approached the Breast Cancer Corps float, wanting to surprise Lisa. Make her day. And if she answered the printed question with a “yes”? She’d make his day, too.
* * *
“The bunting is perfect, Vi. I love it.”
“Me, too. And those balloon ribbons?” Viola pointed to the four corners of the float where Ozzie’s breast cancer balloon ribbons marked their mission. “Amazing.”
“Lisa, here’s a lei.”
“Love it!” she declared, draping the pink floral necklace around her shoulders. “We’ve got the music ready, right?”
“Right here.” Sabrina double-checked the CD of uplifting t
unes and did a sound check. “The speakers appear to be working fine,” she added when the quick noise startled a group of square dancers standing nearby. She raised her gaze to Lisa’s, then paused, grinning, looking somewhere beyond Lisa’s left shoulder. “We’ve got company.”
“Do we? Awesome.” Lisa turned, not sure what to expect, but when she saw Alex, three kids and a dog, all decked out to march with their float, tears smarted her eyes.
Pink baseball caps with the breast cancer ribbon covered each of their heads.
The three kids were wearing T-shirts that said “I wear pink for my Mom,” and that only made her eyes water more.
Alex’s shirt declared that he wore pink for his wife, and Lisa’s heart melted further, glad he’d come to a great level of peace with Jenny’s death.
But then Alex paused before the float. He pulled out a long white banner that had been draped over his shoulder. Silent, he watched her as he put it on, his gaze saying he’d taken on her battle wholeheartedly. The banner was done in a plain bold pink font and read simply: “Lisa, will you marry me/us?”
The import of his shirt and his question hit her full force.
He wanted her. They wanted her. Even the dog got into the act by pawing the wheel of the float as Alex dropped to one knee in front of everyone.
Quick tears streamed down Lisa’s face.
Alex proffered a ring and a raised brow.
She nodded.
He grinned, stood and held out his arms.
She jumped off the float, into his embrace, a hug she wanted to enjoy forever.
Laughter and clapping surround-sounded them, a sweet backdrop for the eager embraces of three children, a dog and a man who loved her, just as she was.
Lisa didn’t need fireworks or pomp and pageantry to tell her today was special. She had everything she needed right here, in Alex’s arms.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this book by Ruth Logan Herne,
be sure to check out her next story set in Kirkwood Lake, coming in September from Love Inspired Books!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Rancher’s Refuge by Linda Goodnight
Dear Reader,
On June 17, 2011, my thirty-six-year-old friend Lisa was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is a special education teacher, married to a great guy and has four children under age eleven. Her youngest child was fifteen months old at the time. There is no history of breast cancer in her family. She exercised, ate right and still got cancer.
First, we cried. Then we fought. Lisa underwent a mastectomy, reconstructive surgery, two rounds of chemo and weeks of radiation. Her ongoing fight has been an inspiration to many. We are blessed to know and love her and her delightful family.
With Lisa’s permission, I fashioned a breast cancer story to honor her and others who’ve waged war against this disease. While the war is won more often these days, breast cancer still presents a grim diagnosis and a sketchy prognosis. We don’t look at odds and statistics anymore. Now, we pray. We laugh. We celebrate each milestone of her recovery. We employ humor, we embrace faith, we believe in God’s everlasting love on both sides of heaven. We take great delight in whatever time He gives us.
Cancer hits most families at one time or another. And getting through the treatments is a rugged walk. Please join me in a heartfelt prayer that with God’s help, science can unlock the key to shutting cancer down. If you want to talk more about this or just visit me, come see me at my blog, www.ruthysplace.com, email me at [email protected], visit me in Seekerville at www.seekerville.blogspot.com or visit me on the web at www.ruthloganherne.com. You can always snail mail me in care of Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279. I love chatting with readers and I thank you for taking the time to make my work part of your life.
Asking God to bless you with life to the full...
Ruthy
Questions for Discussion
Losing his wife turned Alex Steele’s life upside down in many ways. He lost his beloved; his children lost their mother. When do parents get time to truly grieve when they have children depending on them? And what could we do to help someone in that situation?
Alex decides to move the entire family to a new venue, a new start. This is an effective move for grown-ups sometimes. Why doesn’t it necessarily work as well for children?
Lisa has always been a faith-filled woman, but her faith has been undermined by the flurry of traumas that have shaken her to the core. She wonders if there is a God, and if so, what has He done for her lately? Have you ever felt like that?
Alex comes into Gardens & Greens determined to help Emma with her 4-H project, but the breast cancer awareness campaign throws him off-kilter. What would you do when faced with a situation you’d rather distance yourself from?
Although God assures us of His presence, we often feel alone in our struggles. The idea of “letting go and letting God” is easier said than done. How can we connect better with the simple faith of a child when grown-up knowledge challenges that faith?
Lisa feels she must resist this attraction to Alex because her fight against breast cancer has left her scarred, emotional and uncertain of her fate. At what point do we get to take chances and live life to the full again?
Alex’s relationship with his mother-in-law is shaky. He’s determined to do things his way. Why is it easier to accept advice from a stranger than someone we love?
Lisa’s strong, stoic personality pushes her to hide her fear. She loves helping others but is slow to seek help for herself. Why is asking for help for ourselves so much more difficult than helping others?
Emma is writing conversational letters to her late mother. Becky is pretending her mother is still alive. Josh is trying to solicit a new girlfriend for his dad so he can have a mother like everyone else. How can we help the children around us who’ve suffered from divorce, death, illness, abandonment?
Lisa isn’t content with conquering her personal fight with cancer—she wants and needs to help others. This flies in the face of Alex’s desire to put cancer behind him permanently. Have you ever been faced with something so difficult you just wanted to turn your back on it? Walk away?
I had an elderly friend Rose who became a widow during World War II. She never remarried because she worried about a new husband’s effect on her young children. What advice would you give to a new couple with children from a former relationship? How would you advise them to ease a path into those children’s lives?
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.
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Chapter One
Left hand riding lightly on his thigh, Austin Blackwell held the reins with the other and picked his way through the thick woods above Whisper Falls, Arkansas. If one more calf strayed into this no-man’s land between his ranch and the cascading waterfall, he was putting up another fence. A really tall one. Barbed wire. Electrified. Let the folks of the small Ozark town whine and bellow that he was ruining the ambience or whatever they cal
led the pristine beauty of these deep woods. They just didn’t want to lose any tourist money. Well, he didn’t want to lose any cattle money, either. So they were on even playing field. He’d never wanted to open the waterfall to tourism in the first place.
Now, every yahoo with an itch to climb down the rock wall cliff and duck behind the curtain of silvery water traipsed all over his property just to mutter a prayer or two. Wishful thinking or pure silliness. He’d made the trek a few times himself and he could guarantee prayers whispered there or anywhere else for that matter were a waste of good breath.
Something moved through the dense trees at his left and Austin pulled the horse to a stop. Cisco flicked his ears toward the movement, alert and ready to break after the maverick at the flinch of his master’s knee.
“Easy,” Austin murmured, patting the sleek brown neck while he scoped the woods, waiting for a sight or sound. Above him a squirrel chattered, getting ready for winter. Autumn leaves in reds and golds swirled down from the branches. Sunlight dappled between the trees, although the temperature was cool enough that Austin’s jacket felt good.
He pressed his white Stetson tighter and urged the bay onward in the direction of the falls, the direction from which the movement had come. Might be the maverick.
“Coyote, probably.” But black bear and cougar weren’t out of the question. He tapped the rifle holster, confident he could handle anything he encountered in the woods. Outside the ranch was a different matter.
The roar of the falls increased as he rode closer. Something moved again and he twisted in the saddle to see the stray heifer break from the opposite direction. Cisco responded with the training of a good cutting horse. Austin grappled for the lariat rope as the calf split to the right and crashed through the woods to disappear down a draw.
Cisco wisely put on the brakes and waited for instructions. Austin lowered the rope, mouth twisting in frustration. No use endangering a good horse in this rugged, uneven terrain.
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