by Emily March
“Thank you, I did,” she said with a hesitant smile. “I do.” Lori straightened and gave her a curious once over, wincing as her gaze lingered on her ankle. “Ouch. Bet you thought the only wild animals you needed to worry about were bears and bobcats. Someone should have warned you about baby brothers.”
“I’m not a baby!” Michael called from the playground where he’d slid off the swing and knelt beside Reilly who was playing tug-of-war with the puppy and a stick.
“Your hair is gorgeous, Jenna,” Liliana said. Her eyes twinkled as she added, “Pretty name, too.”
Okay, that answers one question. “I’m sorry for the deceptions.”
Brick waved the apology away. “Hey, forget about it. I’m impressed as hell that you managed so well in the face of all of your challenges.”
Boone glanced from Jenna, to Devin, to Brick, then back to Jenna again. “It’s obvious I’m out of the loop about something here. I’ll be curious to learn what I’ve missed. In the meantime, though . . .” He stepped forward, leaned down, and gave Jenna’s cheek a friendly kiss. “Jenna, welcome back. I’ve thought of you often since New Year’s Eve.”
“Hello, Boone,” she replied, ignoring Devin’s sharp look. “I hope the new year has treated you well.”
“It’s been downhill since midnight, New Year’s Eve, I’m afraid.”
“I take it y’all met last Christmas,” Devin said.
“No,” Boone replied, not taking his gaze off Jenna. “On a memorable New Year’s Eve.”
Devin’s eyes narrowed.
Jenna decided a change of subject was advisable so she focused on Lori. “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I wanted to say hello and thank you for your help with Reilly today.”
“I was glad to have him along. Having Reilly around makes dealing with Michael half as much work.”
Devin sidled up beside Jenna and placed a proprietary hand at her back. “Why don’t you come sit down? You probably need to keep your ankle elevated, don’t you?”
Boone smirked, but took a step back as if surrendering the field. Yet Jenna didn’t miss the quick little wink he gave her.
“Actually, I’d like to speak with your sister alone for a moment. Could you guys distract the boys for a few minutes? Is there another super-cool snakeskin you could show Reilly?”
“No. I wish there was.”
“I made chocolate chip cookies earlier,” Lili said. “I have some in the office that are still warm from the oven. Think that would work?”
“Works for me,” Boone said. Then he glanced at Brick. “You have a super-cool snakeskin?”
“I do. Something I found on the ranch. Want to see it?” “Cookies first.”
Brick called. “Boys, y’all come with us. Lili is going to give us some homemade cookies and then I’m gonna get my snakeskin out to show my cousin.”
“Cookies!” Michael exclaimed, hopping to his feet. “I love cookies and Mom hardly ever lets me have any.”
“It’s true,” Devin said to Jenna. “We’re limited to two a day.”
Lori snorted. “Two plus all the ones you sneak. And don’t think Michael isn’t following in his big brother’s footsteps.”
“I’m afraid Sarah’s cookies put mine to shame,” Lili said with a note of regret. “But sometimes a girl just needs a bite of chocolate chip cookie dough. You know?”
“Amen, sister,” Lori replied before turning to Jenna. “You might not need to sit down, but I do. How about we adjourn to that picnic bench by the playground?”
Jenna nodded, and as Lili and the men headed for the office, the boys rose to join them. Lori called, “Reilly, why don’t you let us hold Sinatra.”
“Okay, Dr. Lori.”
Jenna added, “And wash your hands before you eat.”
“But Mom a dog’s mouth has fewer germs than a human’s.”
“You’ve been playing in the dirt.”
He rolled his eyes and handed the puppy to Lori, then scampered after the others.
Lori watched them go and smiled. “I like the hair.”
“I think he and I are both ready to be done with dyes.” She blew out a breath, then asked, “How much of Reilly’s and my story has your father or brother shared with you?”
“Dad hit the highlights. Or lowlights, to be more exact. I’m so sorry this has happened to you, Jenna. And poor Reilly.”
“It’s been terribly hard for him. Children should grow up feeling safe and secure, and that’s been stolen from him. My goal is to give that back. We had a shaky start today, and I didn’t know if sending him off with your father was the right thing to do. He and I have been together twenty-four seven since Valentine’s Day. But in these last few minutes, I see my old Reilly. He’s forgetting to be afraid. What was he like when he was with you this afternoon?”
Lori tilted her head and considered the question. “I see what you’re saying. I did notice a moment or two when he seemed to withdraw. That was when we were at the shelter and someone came in with a stray they’d found on the Gunnison highway. He opened up again once we were alone.”
“How did he act up at the camp?”
“Reilly was too busy playing with the puppies to be nervous. Plus, Chase met us when we arrived, and Reilly remembered him from your visit last Christmas. He did act a little shy at first around the other children, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. I will say that he impressed me with his kindness toward our two wheelchair-bound campers.”
Jenna’s heart warmed. “Thank you for sharing that. He’s always been a tenderhearted boy, and I’m glad for the reminder that there is value to that trait. I’m afraid I lost sight of that during the past four months as I’ve concentrated on trying to toughen him up.”
“He’s a good kid, Jenna. He’s a good influence on my little brother, which is something I know my parents appreciate. Michael can be a little monster—but then, that’s no news to you since he put you on crutches. As a veterinarian I probably shouldn’t admit to this, but I believe it’s Mortimer’s fault.”
“Michael’s dog?”
“He’s actually my father’s dog, and a troublemaker like none other. When Michael was born, Mortimer became his shadow. I think he knew he was getting old and slowing down, so he transferred his devilry to the baby.”
Jenna looked for a teasing light in the other woman’s eyes, but Lori appeared to be serious. Okay. Well. Hmm. “Speaking of dogs, that’s something else I wanted to discuss with you.”
She told Lori about her plans to finally get Reilly the dog he’d wanted. “Devin mentioned it might be possible for Reilly to take a dog with him to camp?”
Lori nodded. “We’ve done it at other sessions. Pets are excellent therapy. I will confirm with Chase, but I’m ninety-nine percent certain that Reilly could attend camp with a dog.”
“In that case, I’d like to move forward with this. Considering our situation and with the possibility that we may be living in our camper for sometime to come, do you know of any available dogs that might be a good fit for us?”
“Depends. How much exercise could you commit to for your dog?”
“Honestly, more now than when we lived in an apartment. Neither Reilly nor I tolerate being cooped up very well. My son might not be quite as active as Michael, but he’s not far behind.”
“In that case, then why not this little guy?” Lori gave Sinatra a good scratch.
Jenna’s brows arched in surprise. “Reilly said he’s not a shelter pup.”
“No, but he is up for adoption. The dam’s owner wanted her to have one litter of puppies so that the owner’s children could have the experience. I know both the dam and the sire. They’re good dogs. I expect that Sinatra will be smart and friendly and an excellent companion for Reilly—as long as he gets plenty of exercise. He’ll be ready to leave his mama next week.”
“The same time Reilly will leave me to go to camp. The timing couldn’t be any more perfect. Oh, I hope this works out.”
&n
bsp; Lori held up a finger, pulled her cell phone from her pocket, and called her husband, then Sinatra’s owner. By the time the boys spilled out of the office with milk mustaches and giggling like fools, arrangements had all been made.
Later that evening after Jenna trimmed the blue from Reilly’s hair, he brought up the subject of his birthday present.
“Yes, we need to talk about that,” Jenna replied.
He slumped onto his seat at the table and buried his head in his arms. “You’re gonna tell me no. It’s because of what happened today, right? Did Michael’s dad and brother break their promise and put us on the Internet? The bad man is on our trail and you’re going to hook up the trailer and sneak out of town after dark. It’s not safe, after all, is it? I’ll never see Michael again.”
“Oh, Reilly, no. Slow down.” Jenna sat opposite him, reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. “That’s not it at all. No one broke his or her promises. I actually have a pretty spectacularly wonderful surprise for you.”
Now the boy lifted his head. Hope filled his expression. “The police found the bad guy?”
“No. No. I’m afraid not. If that was my news I wouldn’t wait until after your shower to tell you. Honey, I told Devin and Mr. Murphy about what happened to us and then we talked to some of their friends who are investigators. They have promised to help us.”
“But we’ve had an investigator.”
“True. But instead of one investigator looking or a handful of policemen working our case and dozens of other cases, we have ten people ready to help us.”
“Ten?”
Jenna nodded. “Yes. From what the Murphys tell me, these men are really sharp and they’re experienced and they have the tools it will take to track the bad guy down. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of always looking over my shoulder. Wouldn’t it be nice to put this behind us and have a normal life?”
“But I like living in the camper. We still have lots of national parks to visit.”
“Hey, you and I have a deal. We are going to visit every single national park whether we’re living in this camper or a penthouse condo in New York City.”
“I don’t want to live in a condo.”
Jenna licked her lips and asked, “What about a log cabin?”
Reilly’s brow knitted as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What log cabin?”
“One at the Rocking L camp. You liked what you saw up there today, didn’t you?”
“Well . . . yeah. It was cool, I guess. Mr. Chase is nice and he has a really awesome dog. His name is Captain.”
“Reilly, you’ve been offered a slot there in the session that begins next week. I’d like you to go.”
Reilly’s eyes got round and worried, so Jenna was quick to press on. “It will be so much fun. They have horseback riding and rock climbing and swimming and hiking.”
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere. I’ll be right here in Eternity Springs. I promise.”
“All by yourself?”
“Actually, I won’t be by myself. I’m going to have my own personal bodyguards—Devin and Mr. Murphy. And the sheriff is on our team too. He’s not going to fall for any bad tricks.”
“It scares me, Mom. I don’t think I like this. I think we should stay together. I think we probably should leave Eternity Springs.”
Jenna smoothed Reilly’s damp bangs away from his brow. “Honey, I don’t expect there to be any trouble. Things are different now. This is a small town where people know us. It’s like living in our own little castle and we have knights standing at the ready to protect us. You’ll be up in the parapets at camp and if you get too lonely for me, I can climb up to see you or you can come down to see me.”
He gave her a droll, Really, Mom? look and she decided it was time to roll out the big guns. “However, you’ll be so busy taking care of the puppy that I don’t think you’ll have time to be lonely.”
He sat up. “What puppy?”
“There’s a puppy who will be sleeping apart from his mother for the first time. He’ll need a lot of love and care and company. I thought that would be a good job for you— if you’re interested.”
“Like, to babysit?”
“Like, for that birthday present I promised.”
“Mine! A puppy? Not an older dog?”
“A puppy. And yes, he can be yours if you want him. This little guy will be ready to leave his mama next week, and Mr. Chase said you can bring him with you to camp—if you’re prepared for the responsibility.”
“I am! Oh, I am!” He clasped his hands prayerfully, but the frown lines between his brows showed he wasn’t ready to believe. “But Mom, Dr. Lori said they don’t have any puppies at the shelter. We didn’t see any when we visited.”
“Sinatra needs a home.”
Reilly’s mouth dropped open. His eyes went round as saucers. “Sinatra? Really, Mom? For me?”
“It’s a little bit of a bribe. I need you to go to camp, Reilly. Will you do that?”
“And take Sinatra with me?”
“And take Sinatra with you.”
“Yes!” He launched himself out of his seat and into her arms. “I’ll do it. I can do it. I’ll be super responsible. I promise. I’ll be the best ever.”
Jenna’s heart swelled with happiness as she hugged her son and absorbed his joy. Through the camper’s window, she saw the evening shadows fade to full night. What a wild ride this day had been.
Riley pulled away from her. “We have to get him a bed and food bowls and a collar and a leash. And treats. Lots of treats. What day do I get him, Mom? Can I go visit before then? And we need to get him a tag for his collar that has his name. Can we go get one tomorrow?”
“Maybe. It’ll depend on if we can catch a ride to town. I won’t be able to drive for a few days yet because of my ankle.”
“I’ll bet Devin will drive us. He’s your bodyguard, right? In the movies, bodyguards drive people around.”
“Well, we’ll see. We took up a lot of his time today, and he’s here to visit family. We don’t want to intrude more than we already have.” Looking for a distraction, she added, “About Sinatra. You do know that it’s okay if you want to change his name? He’ll be your dog and you get to name him.”
“Oh. I’ll have to think about that.”
“You do that. Now . . .” Jenna rose and ruffled his hair. “Get your book and get into bed. Quiet time officially begins in”—she checked her watch—“seven minutes. Lights out in thirty-seven.”
For once, he gave her no argument. Jenna got ready for bed and settled down with her own current read, a cozy mystery by one of her favorite British authors. They read for their usual half hour, though she noticed that Reilly did more staring out the window than page turning. At nine thirty, she said, “Lights out. Good night, buddy. I love you.”
“G’night, Mom. Love you too.”
From outside, she heard the faint sounds of laughter and farewells as the campsite settled down for the night. Worn out from the day, she drifted easily toward sleep.
From out of the darkness, she heard her son murmur, “This was the best day in forever.”
“Amen.” For the first time in longer than she could recall, Jenna fell off to sleep with a smile on her lips.
Devin fixed bacon and eggs for the Murphy men for breakfast. Sarah didn’t come downstairs due to the slow bounce back from her bug. Afterward, he spent some quality time with Michael shooting baskets in the driveway, then met his dad for lunch at the Mocha Moose coffee and sandwich shop. Finally, a little after two o’clock he ran out of reasons not to wander out to Stardance Ranch. He turned into the RV resort entrance just in time to see the local florist van stop in front of Jenna’s trailer.
Like many camping enthusiasts do, Jenna had set up a patio that looked homey and inviting beside her fifth wheel. With an outdoor rug and chair cushions in earth tone stripes, she’d accented the space with splashes of yellow. Wearing khaki shorts, a pepper orange V-
neck T-shirt and a floppy brimmed hat, she sat in a rocker with her foot propped up on a matching ottoman. A tall glass of what looked like iced tea sat on a table beside her. She was reading a paperback book.
When the driver removed a huge bouquet of sunflowers from the back of the delivery van and carried them to- ward her, she set the book aside. The smile that bloomed across her face was almost as bright as the sunflowers.
“Boone McBride,” Devin muttered beneath his breath, knowing in his gut who’d sent them. “That sonofanoilman.”
I should have thought to send flowers.
Devin parked his truck and sat stewing for a moment, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He should probably think this through. He’d just met the woman yesterday. Flirtatious phone calls a year and a half ago did not a relationship make. Not that he was in the market for a relationship, because he wasn’t. Especially not with a woman who lived . . . well . . . not in Australia.
So what was he doing getting so . . . territorial?
It was the Santa thing. They’d formed a bond during those phone calls, he and Reilly’s Mom. He’d bonded with Reilly too. Shoot, he’d remember that first phone call until the day he died.
“So, Reilly. What is your Christmas wish?”
“A daddy. I want a daddy of my own.”
Devin’s eyes closed and he heard the echo of his own words. “It’s a good wish. You hold onto it. Keep wishing it. Believe it will come true.”
Believe. Devin wondered if Reilly remembered that conversation. He wondered if the “believing” had been crushed out of Reilly’s little soul by the events that followed their week of Santa calls. He’d wished for a daddy of his own. Had it ever come close to happening? Jenna hadn’t mentioned leaving anyone behind when she gave her summary of events. Had she’d found anyone special, someone she regretted leaving behind when she had to leave Nashville or Memphis or Tallahassee?
Or Eternity Springs.