Nick felt energized, no longer alone in this battle. It wasn’t his paranoia. He would have to find someone to welcome his B&B guests. Magdalena had everything ready, so it was just getting them settled. Margaret was in Regina, which left Anna and Herman. After he made a call to the contractor, he’d stop and see how they were doing and ask for their help.
He felt connected to Anna. Wouldn’t he know if they were half siblings? There had to be another explanation. He just knew she wouldn’t turn him down, and going for a drive would do Herman good. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? Margaret and Herman might enjoy a change of scenery while Herman recuperated. They might be persuaded to move to the house until Dad came home. They wouldn’t have to do anything except welcome guests and enjoy the tranquility.
He’d checked his email every day, certain his father would check in, but Jack hadn’t. All Nick had to go by was the itinerary indicating his plane would land on Sunday. Once Dad arrived, Nick was a free man.
Nick rounded the side of Anna’s house. Molly should have had her senses tuned to her surroundings and woofed a warning or a ‘glad-to-see-you’ bark.
Herman happily snored in the lounge in the sun, and music filtered through the summer door. Molly slept in a sunbeam, and Anna was bent over her work table. She had abandoned her buttoned-down look and her hair escaped its tight curls, gently spiraling down her neck, catching the sun. She swayed back and forth with the beat of the music.
“Skulking again, boy?” Herman mumbled.
“Just searching for my charm. I have to ask you and Anna for a favor.”
“Why don’t we go in and have some of that coffee I smell? You can dig deep for a smile.” Herman got to his feet.
Molly opened one eye and banged her tail on the floor when Nick stepped inside.
“What are you doing here?” Anna asked.
“A tiny emergency,” Nick said, smiling.
“What?” She seemed alarmed.
“Annie, let’s have coffee and some of Margaret’s muffins and sit for a minute so Nick can tell us what he needs.” Herman took the plastic wrap off the plate and pulled mugs out of the cupboard.
Molly yawned and stretched before she ambled over to Nick to get her ears rubbed. “Some guard dog you are,” Nick said. “Not even a peep or a raised eyelid.”
“She and I were in our own zone. I didn’t hear you either and I usually hear every car going down the road.” Anna dug out spoons and milk, butter and sugar.
“I have to gulp and run. The contractors are coming to dig up some of the lines, and guests are arriving at the B and B this afternoon. I’m hoping you’ll drive Herman and Molly over and be there when the visitors arrive. After they’ve deposited their bags and have the key, you can leave.” He looked at Molly. “Or I could keep her in the truck with me.”
“What time?” Anna asked.
“They’re not supposed to arrive until three, so perhaps go out about two-thirty. I’d contact them, but Dad doesn’t have that information, only the time they’re supposed to arrive.”
“Where’s Magdalena?” Herman wondered.
“Magdalena can’t get away this afternoon. Herman, do you know why Dad built a guest house on farm land and then went away?” Nicked rubbed the soreness from his leg.
“He was lonely out there, I guess. He didn’t know if you’d ever come home, so he made a decision. There are lots of long days and nights with only a dog for company.”
“And what is he doing now? He’s hardly been on a boat in this lake.” Nick pointed out the window. “All of a sudden, he’s on a cruise. Has he lost it?”
“Sorry, Nick. I don’t know. Your dad went real quiet. He even took computer classes at the outreach program at the school. He said, ‘You can’t be a farmer all your life.’”
“That’s not what he used to tell me all the time.” Heat rose in Nick’s face. He hadn’t voiced these concerns to anyone.
He turned toward Anna but she cut him off. “Nick, you said something about time constraints. Why don’t you head out? I’ll take Herman and Molly in my car and we’ll be there by two thirty. We’ll leave a note for Margaret so she won’t worry.”
His eyes narrowed at her sudden self-confidence. “And what happened to you and your fear of dogs? Has everyone gone mad all of a sudden?”
“I think you’re the one who’s losing it, Nick. I’ll need a key to the house. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?” Anna put her hand on his arm.
“No. Magdalena has the beds ready, and she’ll drop off the breakfast goodies this evening when she comes by. You just need to welcome them and give them the rules of the house. Dad seems to be very set on handing out the rules. He made sure that was the one thing I understood. Oh yeah, tell them they can swim at their own risk. Dad thought they might be newlyweds.”
His phone rang. “Nick here.”
“The contractor has arrived.” Janis said in his ear.
“Thanks. I’ll be right there.” He pocketed his phone and pushed himself out of the chair. “Sorry. I’ve been apologizing a lot these past days.”
“On a talk show a couple of days ago, they said the art of apologizing is the new thing, so you’re up-to-date,” Herman replied.
“I know you’re worried about the water. We’ll be fine.” Anna held out her palm.
He looked at the stained fingers and back into her face, eyebrows raised.
“Key,” she prompted.
When he laid it on her palm, he felt his team growing. Someone had his back. He hadn’t had that since the day the bomb ripped into his leg. Nick turned toward the door and his duties.
Later, under the heading of keeping his eyes on every little detail, Nick watched the contractors unload the backhoe and trench cage. Less men were needed for digging a waterline than in the Kandahar region. Here the hard work was accomplished by machines. There, men handled picks and shovels for the most part, but they were digging irrigation ditches, not holes ten to twelve feet deep to a water pipe buried below the frost line on the prairie. Covering the water lines with large amounts of soil was the only way to keep the water flowing during the coldest winter months.
His mind drifted, remembering the play of flesh beneath denim, the light reflecting off soft curls. Anna was a beauty, and now she was in his father’s house where there was evidence of his handicap. Even though she had seen him before, it mattered more somehow. With his pants and boots on, he almost believed he was whole.
The water truck from the neighboring town arrived, and Nick had them park by the ball diamond where it was the most convenient for people to fill their water in jugs. Because the weather was warm, he ran an over-ground waterline to the seniors’ complex from the other part of town. They’d have to boil their drinking water, but if one of them forgot, he or she shouldn’t get sick.
Frail Mr. Weber waved at Nick from the bench in front of the Long Lake Lodge door. When illness struck those with compromised health, it wasn’t good. Nick was doing everything possible to keep them healthy on his watch.
Nick breathed a sigh of relief. Regina Beach was not the haunt for excitement, for changing world affairs, for understanding new civilizations, or experiencing different foods, textiles, animal husbandry.
Or even ditch digging.
When Anna opened the back passenger door, Molly’s tail was thumping hard enough to rock the car. She clung to Molly’s lead. “Slow down, girl. The place isn’t going to disappear,” Herman said.
Anna unlocked and opened the white metal door. Light streamed in the west windows as Anna, Herman and Molly walked into the B&B.
It felt strange, yet comforting to be in Nick’s house again. She checked on the guest bedrooms. Everything was as neat as a pin. The room she had stayed in was back to the way it was, without evidence she had once slept there.
Molly was dancing. “What do you think, can I let her go? Will she hurt herself?” Anna asked.
“How should I know? I never owned a dog,” Herman mumbled.
“I thought every man owned a dog at some point or other.”
“That’s the trouble these days—everyone assumes.” He scratched the stubble on his chin.
Molly looked up at Anna with a pleading thump of her tail.
“Besides, I’d say it was a medical call anyway,” he added.
“Where does Nick let you run, sweetie, so you won’t get into trouble?” Anna gave the dog a pat.
“I suppose you could do what you did before,” Herman suggested. “Take the shade off and put her in a fenced area around the pool. This way.” He led her down the hall, through a shower change area where Nick’s walker stood. Without further comment he slid back the bolt, and the summer door let in the warm spring breeze.
“Okay, okay, sweetie.” Anna unhooked the collar and Molly cavorted through the open door like a free spirit.
“Good idea to put Molly in this area. When I came here, she was out on the field with the equipment.” Anna watched the dog trot along the fence line.
“Molly was used to following Jack Donnelly on the field until he up and rented the land. Surprised everyone! He stayed long enough for Nick to arrive. It’s as if he took leave of his senses,” Herman mused.
Anna looked around. A professional touch to the décor was obvious. Everything matched or accented the color scheme, from the seat cushions to the towels. “This is fantastic. It’s like a whole other world.”
“I think Jack wanted to do something to tempt Nick to stay. Something that makes the land extraordinary and provides other options rather than being just a farmer.”
“I love the design. There’s a free flow, and these folding stacking doors are just the thing on beautiful days.” Anna opened the doors and rather felt like Molly with her nose in the air, deciphering the odors of spring—tulips, irises, lilacs, new growth. She watched as Molly searched for scents of strange animals that might have trespassed into her territory.
Anna and Herman sat in the sun on the two chairs beside the pool. Conversation dwindled, and she became aware of birds flying between the trees. Under one of them, Molly yipped her greeting at the resident squirrel.
The crunch of gravel under tires, and the dog’s excited barking at the front gate, brought Anna to attention. “I think we have company,” she said to Herman.
“I’ll stay back here out of the way until you greet them.”
“Chicken.”
Chapter 10
A white limousine had stopped on the driveway. By the time Anna reached the porch, a uniformed driver was opening the passenger door. A woman with white dandelion-fluff hair stepped out. She wore a powder blue polyester pantsuit and strappy sandals. She was followed by a tanned, silver-haired man in khakis, beige tasseled loafers, and an open-collared blue pinstriped shirt. A thick-linked gold chain around his neck flashed in the sun.
Anna smoothed her slacks and tucked her top into her waistband. Time for the temporary host’s assistant to begin work. She moved forward to introduce herself just as Molly barreled past her and jumped up on the man, placing both paws against his chest.
Her mouth opening and closing in shock like a fish, Anna reached out to grab the door frame. Spotting streaks of mud on the man’s pants, she sank to the step and put her head between her legs. Instead of recriminations, she heard Molly’s barks of pure glee. When she looked up, the man was rubbing Molly’s head while she licked his face with abandon.
“Down, girl,” the man commanded. Molly stood beside the man’s leg, without enough space to insert a piece of paper.
Herman pushed past Anna. “What’s all the commotion?” Then he rushed forward with his hand extended. “Well, I’ll be. Welcome home.” Herman pumped the man’s hand like the handle on an old water pump.
The man gestured toward the woman, who smiled up into his face before turning to view the house, the land, the dog, the old friend.
“Sharon, I’d like you to meet Herman Lamb,” The man said. “Herman, this is my wife, Sharon Donnelly.”
Herman seemed stunned. Anna smiled as she imagined her imitation of a fish, but Herman was like a blow fish, cheeks puffed, eyes wide. Her giggle echoed in the silence.
Mr. Donnelly and Sharon glanced her way just before Herman began pounding the man on his back. “Well, I’ll be gob smacked.” He reached for the woman’s hand. “Welcome, Sharon.”
The driver unloaded the luggage. “Would you like these in the house?”
“Please. I see my son isn’t here to give us a hand, as usual,” Mr. Donnelly replied.
Anna stepped forward. “I’ll help. I’m taking Nick’s place because of an emergency.”
He shrugged. “There’s always an emergency.”
The uniformed driver extended the handles on the large suitcases and began to wheel them up the handicapped ramp. Herman did the same with a small case. Anna followed with a medium case, while Molly stayed glued to Mr. Donnelly’s leg.
Mr. Donnelly escorted Sharon to the veranda and helped her into a chair, then whistled for the dog, who trotted over. “Molly, this is Sharon.”
She extended her hand for Molly, who put her head down shyly. Sharon ran her hand through the thick coat. “You’re everything Jack said you were, girl. I hope we can live together.”
Molly whimpered as Anna jumped. “Oh, I forgot.” She ran into the house and returned with the collar.
“What happened to my baby?” Jack’s gray eyebrows were lost in the furrows of his forehead.
“Nick said she tangled with a porcupine. Needed a few stitches,” Herman interjected.
Anna shifted from foot to foot. “I’m Anna Jenkins.” She tucked the collar under her arm and extended her hand.
“Jack Donnelly.” He gave her a firm handshake.
“Would you like to put this on her? I probably shouldn’t have taken it off but . . .” Anna swallowed nervously.
Jack sank onto the step and ran his fingers over Molly’s body. “Let’s see, girl. Where do you hurt?”
Molly rolled onto her back and stuck her feet in the air. “This doesn’t look too bad,” he commented, taking the collar from Anna and placing it on Molly. “Just until we’re all unpacked, and then we’ll be able to watch you.”
Sharon made little sympathetic noises, then reached out and stroked Jack’s arm.
“We’ll leave you.” Anna felt like an intruder at an intimate dinner. A lump formed in her throat at the difference between her life and this man’s. She’d tried continuing to love Murray in absence, whereas Jack Donnelly was certainly in the presence of love.
“I guess Anna doesn’t have to show you around.” Herman chuckled. “Wait until Margaret hears about this.”
“Herman.” Jack was suddenly beside him. “Do me a favor and don’t tell her yet. Just come out for coffee after you’ve had your dinner so she can meet Sharon. Then she can tell whoever she likes. Who knows? Maybe Nick will have met her by then, too.”
He looked at Anna. “I’ll ask you not to tell anyone, if you don’t mind.”
“Not even Nick?”
“Especially not Nick!” He shot a pointed look between Anna and Herman. “Got it?”
“Sure. Okay. Whatever you say. You’re killing me. I’ve got the best news since the tornado took off the curling rink’s roof and you won’t let me be the first to tell it. You’re a hard man, Jack.” Herman glanced toward Mrs. Donnelly. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, Sharon.”
Herman chuckled all the way home. Every now and again, he’d explode.
“What?” Anna demanded, curious.
“Don’t know what got into him.
But I tell you, another new woman in town is going to put you down on the list, sorry to say.”
“Can’t pretend I’m upset to hear it. But what’s this all about?”
“Margaret will do a much better job of telling you the story, but there hasn’t been a woman in the Donnelly house for many years, and all of a sudden, there’s a wife.” He laughed so hard, he gulped and sputtered.
“Take it easy. That kind of laughing is as hard on your heart as strenuous exercise.”
“I’m going to have to nap, not because I’m tired, but because I’ll let the cat out of the bag if I’m around Margaret’s interrogation too long.”
Anna parked the car. “How are you going to get her out to Jack’s without raising suspicion?”
Herman got out and crossed through the hedge to his home. “I’m going to sleep on it right now,” he said over his shoulder.
Anna followed him inside. “What’re we going to tell Nick about Molly when he comes to get her?”
“I’ll leave that up to you. I’ve got my own worries.” He eyed her. “Where are you going?”
“I’m coming in to check on you. Margaret left you in my care. I’ve already lost a dog and have to keep a secret from my two friends in town.”
Herman smirked. “Life can be cruel.”
Anna waited for him to settle in before she headed home. Thinking about the little intimate smiles and touches passing between Jack and Sharon, her eyes filled with tears. Instead of letting the emotion turn her into a red-faced, runny nosed wreck, she went outside and tugged at weeds in her garden. She’d be able to hear if Herman ran into difficulties.
You’re just using Herman as an excuse, she scolded herself. Although his cheeks did look pinker and his stride appeared stronger. He’d also put on a little weight because his dentures barely clattered anymore.
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