“She’s fine,” Lori said finally.
“That’s good.” He’d been hoping for a little more information than that. But he wasn’t sure he should come out and ask if Ava was seeing anyone.
“She has a photography studio.”
“That’s great―” He grinned at the thought. Ava had always been artistic. He bet she was a talented photographer. “I’d love to―”
“And she’s getting married,” Lori cut in.
“I― She’s― Married?” Joseph gripped the handle of his cart. His world was tipping. “That’s―” He choked on the word great. He wanted to be happy for Ava. He really did. “Tell her congratulations from me, would you? I, uh― Wow. I should . . .” He gestured vaguely toward his car.
He didn’t wait on Lori’s response before practically sprinting away from her.
He unloaded his groceries, then climbed into his car and just sat.
Ava was getting married? To someone who wasn’t him? How could that be?
He’d been so sure that coming home to River Falls was more than a chance to start his veterinary practice―it was supposed to be a second chance with Ava. A chance to keep the promise he never should have broken―not even when she’d asked him to.
Chapter 3
“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” Ava set down her coffee cup to confront Aunt Lori.
“I’m not looking at you like anything.” Lori picked at an invisible piece of lint on her flower-print scrubs.
Only fifteen years Ava’s senior, her aunt was often mistaken for her sister―but she’d raised Ava since Ava was ten. Sometimes Ava thought of her as more of a friend. Other times as a mother figure.
And today she was getting strong mother vibes from her aunt.
“Oh my stars. Yes you are.” Ava passed the last bite of her toast to her dog Griffin. The red-haired Vizsla smacked his lips as he downed it in a single gulp. “You’re giving me your I-have-something-to-say-but-I-want-to-protect-you-so-I-don’t-want-to-say-it look.” It was the same look Lori had given her when she’d told Ava her parents had been killed in a car accident sixteen years ago.
Lori’s brown ponytail swished as she shook her head. “That’s not a thing.”
“It is for you.” Ava crossed to the back closet to grab her hiking boots. She had no portrait sessions scheduled today, and she was going to take advantage of the beautiful late summer weather to spend the entire day in the woods with Griffin. The dog’s toenails clicked as he followed her every movement. Ava carried the boots to the kitchen to put them on. She wasn’t going anywhere until she heard whatever it was Aunt Lori was trying to hide from her.
“I saw Joseph yesterday.” Lori’s voice was guarded.
Ava’s heart skidded to a stop, and for a minute her lungs burned as she forgot how to breathe. When she finally remembered to inhale, she raised a hand to her left cheek, covering her scars.
“I― Where?”
“At the store. He bought out Dr. Gallagher’s practice.”
“Oh.” If he’d bought out the old vet’s practice, that meant he was back for good, didn’t it? Ava knew that had always been his plan. But she’d assumed those plans had changed, along with all the others they’d made together once upon a time.
“Don’t worry.” Lori stood and patted her shoulder before carrying her coffee cup to the sink. “I’m sure you’ll never run into him. I guess that’s one of the benefits of not listening to me when I tell you to get out more.”
Ava ignored Lori’s reproof and breathed a little easier. Her aunt was right. There was almost no chance she’d run into Joseph. The only place Ava ever went in River Falls was her studio. The rest of her time she spent right here at home on the wooded mountainside.
Lori chewed her lip, watching Ava.
“What else?” Ava demanded.
“He asked about you.” Lori made a face as if she’d just cleaned out a bedpan.
“I― Oh.” Ava’s fingers jerked on her shoelaces. Why would he have asked about her? Was it possible he still . . .
No. There was no way that was possible, and letting herself think it was would only be asking for heartbreak.
“Be careful, Ava.” Aunt Lori’s voice echoed the warning Ava had just given herself.
“There’s nothing to be careful of.” Ava jumped up from her chair and reached for her backpack filled with camera gear.
“I’m just saying. He already broke your heart once.”
Ava shook her head. “It was a long time ago.” There was no need to correct Aunt Lori’s assumption that Joseph had been the one to end things. Not after all this time. Because it didn’t change anything, either way.
She could feel Lori’s eyes on her as she led Griffin to the door.
“I have to leave for work,” Lori said finally. “And then I have . . .” She turned away and mumbled something as she opened the refrigerator to pull out her lunch.
Ava couldn’t be sure, but she thought she’d heard the word “date.” But that couldn’t be right. Aunt Lori hadn’t dated once in the sixteen years she’d raised Ava. Though Ava had never really considered that her aunt may have dated before she’d taken on responsibility for raising her. Lori had only been twenty-five then.
She snapped on Griffin’s collar. “Sorry. You have a what now?”
Lori turned to face her, defiance radiating from the set of her jaw. “I have a date.” She articulated the words carefully, and Ava couldn’t help grinning at the rosy tint that colored her aunt’s cheeks. She hadn’t known Lori was capable of blushing.
Lori pointed a finger at her. “Don’t you dare make fun . . .”
“Make fun?” Ava opened the back door. “Who’s making fun? I’m happy for you.”
Aunt Lori had given up her own life, her own dreams, to raise Ava. She deserved every happiness.
Even the ones Ava knew she herself would never have.
“Don’t stay out too late,” she joked as she led Griffin out the door.
“I’m still the parent here, you know,” Aunt Lori called behind her before the door closed.
Ava laughed and crossed the yard, stepping into the cover of the trees that sloped upward behind the house. Aunt Lori had a date. And Joseph was back in town. She picked up her pace as the trail she cut through the underbrush steepened. The faster she walked, the harder she worked her muscles, the more she strained her heart, the less it would feel, right? The less the name Joseph would whisper through her head. The less his face―always with that goofy smile―would hover in front of her.
By the time she reached her favorite overlook, Ava’s breath seared through her lungs―and still she couldn’t reconcile herself to the fact that Joseph was home. That he’d asked about her.
Eight years ago, she had told him to leave, told him she didn’t want to see him again, and she had meant it.
Or rather, she had meant that she didn’t want him to see her again.
That she couldn’t have handled.
She still couldn’t. Not when she looked like this.
Her hand came to her face as she worked to slow her breaths.
It didn’t matter that Joseph had asked about her. If anything, it only meant she’d have to be extra careful not to run into him.
And like Aunt Lori had said, that shouldn’t be hard. Although she supposed she’d have to find a new vet for Griffin. Maybe in Brampton? Fortunately, the dog had just been in for his annual checkup a couple months ago, so she wouldn’t have to worry about it for a while.
Vowing not to think about Joseph anymore, she pulled out her camera and snapped on her 28-millimeter lens, then lifted it to her eyes to capture the view of the rolling mountains and valleys that blanketed the landscape in every direction.
But her gaze kept traveling to the river that wound through the nearest valley, the buildings of River Falls nestled along its banks. She squinted, conjuring up an image of the veterinary office downtown, though she couldn’t make it out from here.
W
hat was Joseph doing down there right now? Was he thinking about her? Would he try to call her?
He’d left so many messages for her in those first weeks after she’d told him she didn’t want to see him anymore. She’d listened to every one of them at first. Read every text. But she’d never let herself call him back. Never let herself reply.
Eventually, it had hurt too much to even see his messages. She’d blocked his number.
She wondered sometimes how long he’d kept calling after that. She wasn’t sure if she hoped that it hadn’t been too long before he’d given up―or that he’d never stopped.
Ava lowered her camera. Maybe she should photograph a different spot today, one that didn’t make her think of River Falls and Joseph. Calling Griffin, she hiked to a lower elevation, where a narrow stream dropped over a series of small waterfalls. She let herself get lost in the familiar rhythm of composing images, of examining the scene in front of her from every angle, of analyzing the play of light and shadow. She was particularly pleased with a shot of the waterfall through a veil of beech leaves. That one she might give Mr. Henderson to sell in the art gallery.
When she’d exhausted every possible angle of the waterfall, she moved to a clearing carpeted with purple mist flowers. She got several shots of the whole clearing before switching out the lens to focus on close-ups of the flowers and the bees and butterflies that hovered over them. Finally, she straightened, forced to acknowledge the grumbling of her stomach.
She pulled off her pack and rummaged for one of the granola bars she always carried.
“Want a treat, Griffin?” she called, glancing around the clearing.
But he wasn’t sniffing in the trees at the edge of the clearing as he had been last she’d seen.
“Griffin.” She called louder this time. He’d probably wandered into the trees after the scent of a rabbit or a squirrel. Fortunately, he never strayed far from her side.
She listened for the rustling of leaves or the snap of twigs. But aside from the undercurrent of birdsong, the forest was nearly silent.
“Griffin!” She called again, putting more authority into her voice to mask the fear. “Come.”
She turned in a slow circle, squinting into the trees surrounding the clearing, her ears attuned to every little sound.
There.
To the west. A low growl, and then . . .
Was that a yip of pain? It was followed by another, then a strange huffing type of noise Ava had only heard once before . . .
The hairs on the back of her neck went rigid, and she took off toward the sound, ignoring the underbrush and branches that swiped at her as she pushed into the forest.
If that was what she thought it was . . .
A louder yip reached her ears and then a sustained whine.
Griffin. Her heart was going to break before she got to him.
Ava stopped and scanned the trees, trying to listen over the racket of her own labored breaths.
There.
To her right.
The hulking form of a black bear slashed at something on the ground.
“Griffin,” she cried without thinking.
The bear paused, lifting its head and swiveling toward Ava.
“Get out of here.” Though her voice shook, it was loud and commanding. “Go on.” She slid her bulky camera bag off her back and lifted it above her head to make herself look larger. “Go away. Leave Griffin alone.”
The bear let out another huff, then spun and ran off in the other direction.
Ava held her bag in the air until she was sure the bear wasn’t going to turn around, then sprinted for Griffin.
Blood coated the dog’s fur, and long gashes sliced his side.
She dropped to her knees next to the dog, who let out a low whimper. “I know, boy. It’s okay.” She slid her backpack on, then tucked her arms under the dog and picked him up, grunting and stumbling a few steps before she got her footing. She should have gotten a smaller dog. “You hang in there. We’re going to get you some help. I promise.”
But where would she take him?
River Falls Veterinary was out, since Joseph was there. But Brampton was nearly an hour drive. Did Griffin have that long?
She looked down at the limp dog in her arms, fighting to maintain her footing as she carried him down the mountain.
This dog meant everything to her. Was she really going to risk his life to avoid seeing her ex-boyfriend?
Chapter 4
Joseph ran his hand over the files in the cabinet drawer. Dr. Gallagher had been a great vet. But one thing he had not been―a great organizer. There must be files in here dating back well over thirty years. And much as Joseph hated to think it, most of these pets had to be long gone―unless they were turtles or parrots. What he needed was to hire someone to clean these files out and enter the current ones in the computer. He added it to his mental list of things to do and slid the drawer closed with a sigh.
What he really wanted was to treat his first animal. He double-checked Dr. Gallagher’s paper appointment book. He had an appointment with a chinchilla named Chewie first thing Monday morning. Not exactly an exciting first patient, but it would have to do.
He reopened the file drawer. He might as well familiarize himself with his patient’s history. He flipped through files, scanning for the last name of Chewie’s owner―Conner. His fingers slowed as he reached the names beginning with “Co-.” Cobb. Collins. Comay.
His fingers stopped.
Comay?
As in Ava Comay?
He pulled the file out and flipped it open. Sure enough, there was Ava’s wild―artistic, she always said―handwriting on the intake form.
“Griffin,” the paperwork read. A Vizsla, or Hungarian pointer.
“A sporting dog, huh?” Joseph hadn’t had much experience with the breed, though he remembered they were known for their golden-rust coloring. “Looks like he’s five years old.”
From her spot on the floor across the room, Tasha lifted her head, ears perked.
“Maybe Griffin is due for an appointment,” he said to Tasha, whose tail swished back and forth on the tiles. He ran his finger down the records. “Figures. He was just in a couple months ago.” Joseph closed the file, then opened it again, scanning the contact information for Ava’s phone number. He studied the digits. It was the same number he’d called a million times―which only confirmed his suspicion that she’d blocked his calls long ago.
He stared at his office phone.
That number wouldn’t be blocked.
He could call and say he was updating his records. He could hear her voice. Ask how she was.
And then what?
She was marrying someone else.
The news still hadn’t fully penetrated his brain. How was it even possible? She’d promised Joseph forever―and he’d promised her the same.
Sure, they’d been kids when they’d made the promise. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t intended to keep it. He’d thought she did too. Until she sent him away.
He stuffed Griffin’s file back in the drawer.
You should have sent the letters.
Eight years’ worth, currently stuffed in an unpacked box in his living room.
What if he got them out now, gave them to her? Would that make a difference?
But he dismissed the idea before it had fully formed.
She was marrying someone else, and he wasn’t going to interfere. He cared about her too much for that.
He gave the filing cabinet drawer a hard shove, and it closed with a slam that rocked the whole structure.
Tasha gave him a look that said he was behaving like a child.
“Sorry,” he huffed at her.
The dog got up and padded to his side, prancing a little as she always did when she wanted a walk.
“Fine.” He rubbed her ears. “I’m not getting anything done here anyway.” He could always come in this weekend to finish up his preparations for Monday.
The dog
pranced again as he grabbed her leash. “At least you’ll never leave me, will you, girl? You’re the only one I need.”
He flipped off the lights and pulled his keys out of his pocket, then opened the glass door, letting Tasha dart through it ahead of him. As he turned to lock up, the shriek of tires pulled his attention to the driveway just in time to see a silver SUV tear through the parking lot toward the door.
It slammed to a stop only feet in front of him.
Joseph’s heart jumped straight to the person inside. That red hair was unmistakable.
Had Ava heard that he was home? Did she want to tell him that it had all been a big mistake? That he was the one she wanted to be with?
Her door flew open, but the moment she jumped out, every thought he had fled.
Blood.
She was covered in blood.
A flash of that night―of the way her skin had been all puckered and blistered and angry―shot through his mind, but he pushed it away. He had to stay focused on right now.
“What happened?” He rushed toward her, his hands going to her arms to check for injuries. “Are you okay?”
“It was a bear.” She wrenched away from him and reached for the vehicle’s back door. “It got him pretty bad.” She yanked the door open to reveal a medium-sized reddish dog stretched across the seat, dried blood matting its fur and fresh blood seeping from lacerations on its side. Its breaths were quick and shallow.
Joseph’s heart sank. This was not what he’d had in mind when he’d wished for a more exciting first patient. He’d learned about the potential for wildlife attacks at veterinary school, of course, but that was all in theory. He’d never actually dealt with one.
“You have to help him.” Those green eyes he’d never been able to resist pleaded with him.
“I promise. You’re sure you’re okay? It didn’t hurt you?” The thought of Ava facing off against a bear tightened his stomach. He should have been there to protect her. How was he never around when she needed him most?
“It ran away. Please, Joseph. Hurry.”
Yes, hurry.
He ducked his head into the vehicle and eased the dog into his arms. “All right, Griffin. Let’s get you fixed up.” Ava ran ahead of him to open the door, then followed him through the lobby and down the hallway that ran behind it to the surgery suite.
Pieces of Forever: A Christian Romance (River Falls Book 1) Page 2