Three Dog Night (The Dogmothers Book 2)

by Roxanne St Claire

  But this evening was a whole new level of family bonding, rehashing, and high-fiving, following the arrests of Martin and Suzanne Casper for the thefts of Sugar and four other animals, plus charges of animal abuse and cruelty.

  Connor and Declan Mahoney, Aidan Kilcannon, and Trace Bancroft had followed Liam, Shane, and Garrett to the Caspers’ puppy mill, and they’d rescued every single dog there. Waterford opened its kennels and vet offices, while Daniel, Molly, and several vet techs checked each and every new arrival.

  Waterford Farm had just acquired fourteen new dogs, several of them pregnant and more of them sick. And one of them belonged to Mark and Jennifer Sanderson, who finally had a working phone and were on their way to pick up their beloved Shug-Shug.

  The rest of the family, spouses and children, arrived in waves, demanding details and crushing their loved ones with hugs. John came, too, having closed Santorini’s, and brought the two grandmothers and plenty of food. The atmosphere was charged, festive, victorious…and once again, Grace burned with that age-old jealousy.

  Which was crazy. Not only was she used to this clan and made to feel a part of it, she had her own family waiting for her in California.

  Still, she burned. If not with jealousy, then with a hungry, achy need she didn’t understand.

  “Have some tea, lass.” Gramma Finnie put a knotted hand on Grace’s shoulder, then sat next to her at the giant farmhouse table in the kitchen so they could look into each other’s eyes. “Or would a nice shot of Jameson’s be fixin’ you up just fine? You sure deserve it after what you did today.”

  “No Jameson’s, thank you.”

  Yiayia slid in on her other side, offering a plate of pastries. “Then how about some kalitsounia? My darling Alexander helped me make them.” She leaned in to press her shoulder against Grace’s. “He’s the best, isn’t he? Especially with his handsome face back on display.”

  “Yes, he’s wonderful.”

  “Such a husband he’ll make,” she added.

  “Agnes, will you please try some subtlety?” Gramma Finnie chided, pressing her bony arm against Grace. “We don’t have to push you now, lass, do we?”

  She sighed and smiled from one to the other, wondering if now would be the time to tell them that she’d found her family and…

  “He proved himself today, though, didn’t he?” Yiayia asked. “You know he’d do anything for you.”

  “We all would,” Gramma added, clearly the more controlled one in the odd relationship. “This family just adores you, lass.”

  “And I adore you all,” she said quickly. “I’ve never seen anything quite so…cohesive.” She gestured toward the little groups gathered around the kitchen, with a few of the Kilcannon men reliving their day’s adventure, while Katie and Daniel each held a baby and listened, laughed, and had an opinion or two.

  “’Tis a fine clan,” Gramma Finnie said. “You’ll find none better.”

  “And you need a clan,” Yiayia added. “There’s nothing like being surrounded by Greek love on Easter.”

  “Or the Irish on Christmas.”

  “Or all of us on every single Sunday.” Yiayia squeezed Grace’s hand. “As my friend said, I’m not known for my subtlety, but I am quite revered for my honesty. Some say I’m honest to a fault.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with honesty,” Grace reassured her.

  “Then listen to me. Yes, Alex is an extraordinary man, and I haven’t seen him as happy as he’s been these last few weeks since…since he left for France, I guess.” She frowned, glancing around the room as if she wanted to find him, but he’d left a few minutes ago to check on Sugar.

  “And I don’t know you as well as I’d like to,” Yiayia continued, “but you do seem to fit well with him. And with us. And, dear girl, you need a family.”

  “I…” Have a family. “I know.”

  Gramma took her other hand and rubbed her knuckles. “The Irish say, ‘Without love, there is no family, and without family, there is no love.’”

  Yiayia put an elbow on the table, leaning forward to look past Grace to Gramma. “That sounds suspiciously like Socrates, Finola.”

  Grace laughed softly. “I’m sure the sentiment is the same in any culture.”

  And so very true.

  “Our point is this,” Yiayia said. “You are alone in this world, and you don’t have to be. This is your family, right here, ready to love you. That’s all.”

  Grace swallowed, knowing she should tell them what had happened this week. That she wasn’t alone anymore, that she had a family, and that they loved her, too.

  “Family is everything,” Gramma said. “I don’t know who said that, but they were right.”

  Yes, they were. Real family, right? Blood family? Family that she’d searched for and finally found? Family that—

  The kitchen door popped open, and Alex stood there, his newly shaved face still a little rough and red. “The Sandersons are here,” he announced. “And they brought the puppies.”

  “Oh.” Grace pushed up and slid out from behind the table when Gramma stepped aside, but the older woman grabbed her arm.

  “I’m prayin’ they pay back your good deed by givin’ you those sweet pups.”

  “You and me both, Gramma. But what I really want is to see them back with their mother.” She smiled at Yiayia, then Gramma. “Because you’re right, family is everything, whether you have two legs or four.”

  The grandmothers shared a victorious glance, and Grace didn’t have the heart to tell them their speeches and quotes had hit her heart…and maybe, as much as she was tempted to slide into this family, the right thing to do was stay with her biological family. Just like the right thing to do was reunite the puppies with their family.

  “Come on.” Alex reached for her hand. “Molly’s bringing Sugar. She’s a little undernourished and has a slight infection on her paw, but she’s going to be fine.”

  They headed out into an early evening chill, and the entire family spilled out behind them. As they all walked down the driveway in a pack of twenty or more, Molly, Pru, and Darcy joined them from the vet’s office, with Sugar walking slow but steady between them, her hair glossy from a good brushing and a big pink bandanna around her neck.

  Just then, the Sandersons’ van rolled into Waterford, slowing and then stopping near the crowd, and Grace recognized the couple who climbed out, both of them beaming at the dog.

  “Shug-Shug!” Jennifer ran to her, and Sugar barked noisily, her tail swishing as she rushed to her mistress, a small limp barely slowing one happy dog.

  “And here are your babies!” Mark opened up the side door to the van, and the puppies bounded out, Jack in the lead. He started toward his mother, but stopped and barked at Alex, waddling right over to him instead.

  “Jacko!” Alex reached down and picked him up, but the minute he did, Jack barked again, with a little confusion in his eyes as he looked at Alex.

  “That’s right, no beard,” Alex said on a laugh. “Small sacrifice to save your mom. Now go see her.”

  Grace rubbed Jack’s head. “Go on, honey. It’s a big day for little Jack.” As she said the words, her eyes welled up, and the sudden ache for her own “little Jack” hit her hard. Yeah, he was her little brother, and she’d missed his whole life. Now she could share the rest of it.

  Bitsy was running in circles, making her way to her mother, and Gertie walked a little slower, wary of the crowd and noise.

  “Oh, baby.” Grace went up to her and lifted the sweet little puppy, inhaling her familiar smell. “I’ll take you to her.” She walked a few steps closer to Sugar, who was already lapping her tongue over Jack to the cheering and hollering from the family as everyone congregated around the reunited mother and son, snapping pictures and soaking up the beautiful moment.

  Sugar stopped her ministrations of Jack and looked up, barking once, then reaching a paw out to Gertie.

  “You two remember each other?” Grace asked as she dropped to her knees i
n the grass. “Gertie, this is your mama.” She cursed her tears, wishing them away, but really not being able to do anything about her emotions. “She’s missed you, Sugar.”

  Sugar barked and crawled a little closer, instinctively less aggressive with Gertie than she had been with Jack. Gertie gave a quick lick to Grace’s hand, then squirmed out of her hold to get to her mother. She rolled over, spread her paws, and let her mother kiss every inch of her.

  Finally, Grace looked into Jennifer Sanderson’s eyes, not at all surprised to see the older woman openly weeping.

  “Thank you,” Jennifer said. “Thank you for all you did for these puppies and Sugar.”

  Grace just nodded, not trusting her voice.

  “I know you want them kept together,” Jennifer whispered. “Always, as a threesome.”

  “Please. It’s the only thing I ask.”

  “I promise I will never let them be separated. Never.”

  “Thank you.” She reached for Bitsy, who finally made her way over and circled her siblings to get closer to Mom. “And if you’d call them by the names I’ve given them,” Grace added. “It would mean so much to me.”

  “We are,” she said. “This guy only answers to Jack, and Gertie is Gertie for life. And this one.” She squealed as she picked up Bitsy and rubbed her nose against her fur. “Is my itsy Bitsy.”

  Just as Grace’s heart couldn’t take another minute, Alex came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “You okay?” he asked.

  She looked up at him, trying to smile through the tears. “I’m happy for them.”

  “They belong together,” he said.

  “Families do,” she whispered. He gave her shoulders a squeeze and nodded, as if he already understood her decision. But she’d have to tell him. She’d have to tell them all, and that wouldn’t be easy.

  She stood and let the others have a chance to love the dogs and talk to the owners, inching away from the crowd with Alex. They stood off to the side under a tree, taking a minute to listen to the laughter and barking.

  “You’re leaving, aren’t you?” he asked softly.

  Her heart dropped. “Well, I did get a pretty solid lecture about the importance of family from your grandmothers.”

  “Big help they are,” he said on a dry laugh. “I think they meant my family.”

  “They did, but…” She looked up at him, then touched his strong, hollowed cheek with her palm. “If I don’t go, I’ll always wonder what it might have been like.”

  “If you do, I’ll always wonder what it might have been like.”

  She held his gaze. “Did you mean what you said in the car when you shaved?”

  “Yes,” he said. “And is there any chance you feel the same?”

  Yes. Every chance. But she held the words in her heart. Because they’d be three thousand miles and worlds apart, both attached to families that meant everything, and two weeks just wasn’t enough time to make huge decisions or declare love.

  “I’ll never forget you, Alex,” she said softly, hating the disappointment that darkened his eyes. “And yes, you can have the winery. It’s yours. Make it the restaurant of your dreams, and I’ll…I’ll…”

  “You’ll have the life and family you’ve always wanted,” he finished.

  “Then this…” She swallowed and then said the words she hated most in the whole world. “This is what’s best for us.”

  He just closed his eyes, exactly like she had every time a family had sent her away. And one more time, Grace Donovan had to leave a place she wanted to call home.

  Because it was best for her.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  “Got another request for that falafel burger, Alex.” Cassie tapped her order pad on the stainless-steel pass-through. “Why did you take it off the menu again?”

  “Because it’s cheesy.”

  “There’s no cheese in it.”

  He threw a look at his sister, not entirely sure if she was kidding or not. She was.

  “It’s not what I want to cook,” he said, working like hell to keep the tightness out of his throat.

  Cassie leaned forward. “So what are you waiting for? Christmas? It’s a month away, you know.”

  “I’ll be here for Christmas,” he said. “Didn’t you hear that we got picked for the big charity dinner on Christmas Eve?”

  “One dinner, with half the town helping out.” She narrowed her dark eyes and pointed her pen at him before he could respond. “It’s been a month since she left. You’ve got backup and full family support. Yiayia loves coming in here like a little kid getting her birthday wish. And that banquet kitchen is just sitting there, taunting you to come and cook.” The sharpness went out of her tone and expression. “Don’t be a stubborn Greek man like your father.” She grinned. “Especially since you ditched the beard and don’t even look like him anymore.”

  He let out a sigh. “I’m just not ready yet.” What good was his dream restaurant without his dream woman? Four weeks, and he was no closer to getting over her than the day they’d had their last bittersweet goodbye and she’d handed him the keys to the winery.

  Libby and Jack had been there that day, cheering her on, acting like it was just fine for her to leave him for them, encouraging him to come and visit. As if that was what he wanted.

  Then they took her off to a private jet, and Graciela Bonita Hunnicutt Carlson started her new life.

  And Alex Santorini stayed stuck in his old one, searching for a way to climb out of the misery hole he’d fallen into.

  “Just go and start the work,” Cassie said. “You know this entire family will help you if you need anything at all. Remodeling?”

  “It’s ready to go,” he said. “I could hold a dinner there tonight. All I need is a sign, food, and…” He grinned. “My favorite waitress.”

  She tipped her head, ignoring the compliment. “You don’t want to do it without her, do you?”

  “That would be pretty stupid, wouldn’t it? She’s a millionairess living with her family, doing her dream job, and she sounded pretty happy last time I talked to her.” But then, so had he. All an act.

  Cassie turned as the bell dinged. “Please, God, tell me this is the last table. And by the way, your favorite waitress has a meeting in Chicago next week with her biggest client, so John better find more help, and fast.”

  “We got you covered, Cass,” he assured her. “Go, do your thing, and we’ll do ours.”

  “Alex.” She reached across the counter. “This isn’t your thing, and we’ve all known that for a while now. You have the answer, the location, the desire, the talent, everything.”

  Not everything. “Go get that table, Cass.”

  She pivoted and headed out, a little squeal in her voice telling him that whoever had come in was a friend. Scraping the flattop, he thought about the winery…just sitting there, waiting for him.

  It was the ideal location for a jaw-dropper of a restaurant. The kitchen was ready to go. He could do a few pop-ups, test a menu, build a staff, and start his dream. Was he so afraid that he couldn’t leave this damn grill?

  “Why’d you eighty-six the falafel burger, Alexander?”

  He turned at the sound of his grandmother’s voice, peering at her through the pass. “My father turned over in his grave and nixed it.”

  “Pffft. I just mastered that thing. Come on out here. We’ve got something to show you.”

  “Something?” He put the spatula down and rounded the pass.

  “Someone.”

  Why did his heart literally skip a beat like he was a teenager in love? Why did he take the five steps to the dining room with hope in his heart? Could she be here? Could Gracie be—

  “Surprise, lad! We’ve got an early Christmas present for you!”

  Gramma Finnie sat in her favorite booth, holding three leashes and wearing a grin so big it made her bifocals crooked.

  “Jack! Bitsy! Gertie!” He practically pounced on the puppies, who were noticeably bigger
with more-adult snouts and larger paws. They all barked in unison, wagging tails, and pulling at the leashes. “What are they doing here?” He instantly looked around for the Sandersons, but the restaurant was nearly empty, and the few remaining guests were beaming at the little dogs.

  “I just told you, lad, they’re an early Christmas present from Agnes and me.”

  “What?” He folded onto the bench next to Gramma, reaching down with hands aching to grab all three of them. Gertie was in his hands first, of course. Little Miss Needy.

  “That Jennifer Sanderson started following my blog,” Gramma Finnie told him. “Of course I wrote about the reunion and all that.” She made a smug face. “Most hits I ever had, thank you very much.”

  He brought Gertie to his lips for a kiss. “But how did you get the dogs? They were all ready to start training them for competitions.”

  Yiayia tsked as she took the seat across from him. “They said it was going to be too expensive, but you know what I think? I don’t think these puppies have been happy since they left you and…you.”

  You and Grace, she had started to say.

  “Anyway,” Gramma continued. “She made a promise to Grace to keep them together, and she was worried that even if she found someone who adopted all three, they might decide to separate them after some time. And Jennifer did not want to break her promise to Grace. So she got in touch with me, and we said we’d take them right away. Agnes drove all the way to Asheville in her Buick, with me, of course, and now we have them.”

  “Wow.” He picked up Jack and just had to laugh. “Way to go, Dogmothers.”

  “You want them, don’t you?”

  Without Grace? What kind of fun would that be? “I want…” Her.

  “They’ll keep you company at the winery while you’re running your restaurant,” Yiayia said, the old manipulative gleam in her eye. “They need you, Alex. The world needs that restaurant. And you need to spread your big beautiful Greek wings and fly out of here so that I can run that grill.” She leaned closer. “It’s one of the reasons I’m on this earth,” she whispered, repeating that same phrase she’d used before, so it must be important to her.