by Anne Canadeo
Rose stood in the center of the space, her back toward Maggie and Dana, focused on a small, sleek terrier who ran an agility course. The little white-and-brown dog climbed up and down ladders, zigzagged through traffic cones, then raced through a cloth tunnel. The dog emerged at one end to meet Rose by jumping right into her arms.
A few more sedate and serious souls stared through the fence and barked at them. Somebody had to protect the place, Maggie thought.
“I think they’re working on the other side of the house. Let’s just follow the sound,” Dana said.
They walked farther, toward a stand of big trees on the far side of the house. There was little grass, mostly muddy ground and some mulch on a path.
They soon saw Holly’s new helper up on a ladder that was tilted against an old tree. He wielded a jagged saw as he cut through a thick branch. Holly stood at the bottom, directing him.
“The one above looks weak, too. May as well take it off now, before it falls.”
Focused on his task, Carl Thornton did not answer. The branch seemed a better match for a power tool, Maggie thought. But he was determined to bring it down with slow, sure strokes.
His head was uncovered today, except for a thick red bandanna tied around his forehead. A Willie Nelson look, she’d call it. She liked Willie Nelson, and Thornton certainly seemed less ominous than he had last night in his hooded goblin attire.
Despite a chill in the air, he wore only a gray thermal shirt and a thin fleece vest, the long sleeves of his shirt rolled over his elbows. Maggie was not surprised to see that tattoos, a tangle of images she couldn’t decipher, covered both arms.
She was surprised at the muscles in his upper arms and shoulders. She’d wondered if a man his age was fit enough for such heavy outdoor work. But, for better or worse, Carl Thornton could not be ruled out on those grounds.
Holly turned to greet them. She picked up a long branch and tossed it on a pile in the back of her truck. She looked all business, Maggie thought—outdoor business—wearing a tan barn jacket, heavy leather work boots, and a baseball cap.
“Rose needs to clean up and change her clothes. I hope she remembered the appointments. She’s been working with the dogs all morning.”
“We just saw her,” Maggie said.
“The frisky ones need a lot of exercise. And she gives all the dogs basic training—sit, stay, heel. It’s always easier to find a home for a dog with manners than a misbehaving one,” Holly added with a patient smile.
“Better stand clear down there,” Thornton shouted from his perch.
Maggie had noticed a rope tied to the branch, rigged so the branch would not come crashing down when it was finally cut through. But she definitely saw his point and quickly stepped away, as did Holly.
Dana followed. “How’s Mr. Thornton working out?”
“No complaints so far. He did a good job on the fence and seems to know his way around a nursery and a lot about horticulture, too,” Holly replied.
“So his references were good, I guess.” Dana was trying to sound casual, but Maggie caught a note of concern. Holly didn’t seem to mind the prodding.
“He gave the names and numbers for former employers. I haven’t checked yet. But I will if he works here any longer, Aunt Dana. You needn’t worry.”
Maggie felt certain that Dana had more questions, but she left it at that. Maybe because Thornton had descended the ladder and was walking toward them. Maggie noticed the side-to-side gait of a man who had done manual labor all his life and had paid the cost in his back and knees.
Here’s a chance, Maggie thought. Though she doubted he’d reply to any queries with more than a syllable or two.
“Hello, Mr. Thornton. I’m Holly’s aunt, Dana Haeger. We met when you stopped by last night.” Dana offered a gracious smile, as if they were at a garden party.
Carl Thornton looked confused, his shaggy brows drawing together at the edge of his bandanna. “I remember you. Hello, ma’am.”
Holly looked impatient. They did have work to do.
Before Dana could engage him in small talk, Holly dug into her pocket and pulled out a key ring. “There’s a wood shredder behind the greenhouse, Carl. Mulch those branches and add it to the pile.”
“Will do.” He took the keys and headed to the truck.
Holly turned and called after him. “That ignition is getting stuck today. I’d better show you.”
Dana looked disappointed as she watched them walk away. Her quarry was disappearing, and she hadn’t learned any more about him.
But he did seem less threatening in the daylight, Maggie thought. Maybe some of her worries would be laid to rest?
The crackle of splintering wood filled the air—a frightening sound that made Maggie’s head spin as she tried to figure out where it came from. Dana grabbed her arm, her eyes wide with alarm.
Thornton and Holly stood at the back of the truck. Without a word, he grabbed Holly’s shoulders and pushed her so hard, she stumbled a few steps and fell to the ground.
“Get back!” he shouted, then jumped to one side as a huge branch crashed down. Smaller branches, twigs, and dry leaves rained from the sky as the heavy limb landed and bounced with dull thud.
Maggie and Dana were far enough away to be clear of any danger, but close enough for Maggie to see that the branch had landed right where Holly stood moments before. On the very prints her heavy boots had made in the ground.
If Thornton had not acted so quickly, she would have been struck and seriously injured or worse.
Dana ran to her side, and Maggie followed. “Holly . . . are you all right? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine . . . I think.” Holly lifted herself onto one elbow. She looked dazed and tried to stand.
“Easy does it,” Thornton said quietly. He took hold of her arm on one side.
Dana took the other. “Let us help you. Are you sure nothing hurts? You might be in shock.”
Holly didn’t reply but looked grateful for their support. She took a few shaky steps, Dana and Thornton hovering close by, ready to catch her if she fell.
“That branch could have hurt you very badly.” Dana was trying not to sound hysterical, Maggie thought, but the moment had been truly frightening. If it had hit Holly with full force, the branch could have killed her. But Maggie didn’t want to voice the worst possible scenario.
“Lucky for me, almost doesn’t matter.” Holly offered a small smile. Her sense of humor was intact. That was a good sign.
“I should have seen that one was loose when I was up there.” Thornton shook his head, sorry for his lapse.
“It’s hard to spot every bad branch. I didn’t see it, either.” Holly took a breath and brushed some grit from her clothes, then looked over at the truck. “A few more scratches and dents in the fender, not that anyone will notice. It could have been worse.”
“Much worse,” Dana said. Maggie knew she was talking about Holly being hurt, not her truck. “Carl acted very quickly. He may have saved your life.”
Thornton shook his head, his expression hidden in his beard. “I was lucky to hear it breaking off. It’s a big one.” He looked down at the thick, knarled branch, taking its measure. “I’ll need the power saw to chop it. I’d better dump this load and come back.”
“The power saw is in the shed behind the greenhouse. The gasoline is stored on the shelf below. I’m going inside for a few minutes,” Holly told him. “Let me know when you’re finished.”
They headed toward the house, and Dana softly brushed away some leaves that still clung to Holly’s jacket. Maggie could see her resisting an urge to fuss over Holly more. The young woman gave every sign that she wanted to move on from the incident quickly. Holly was definitely not the hysterical type. Far from it.
They turned toward the backyard. Holly seemed relieved. “Good. Rose went inside. I bet she didn’t even hear the branch fall. She would have come to see what was going on.”
The dog park was empty, Maggie noticed. R
ose and her pack were gone.
Holly turned to Maggie and Dana. “Please don’t mention it. It’s no big deal, and you know how she worries about me.”
Maggie had already noticed, and how Holly was ever mindful of cushioning Rose’s world.
“We won’t say a word, right, Maggie?” Dana met Maggie’s glance as she answered for both of them.
Holly seemed calmer. “I reminded Rose this morning that you were picking her up. I hope she’s ready. She can get distracted if I don’t keep her on track.”
“Don’t worry. We have plenty of time.” Dana walked with her arm circling Holly’s shoulders in a comforting embrace.
Dana and Maggie followed Holly into the house through the back door. It took Maggie’s eyes a moment to adjust from the bright sunlight outdoors. She soon focused on Bella and her pack of squirming, softly yipping puppies.
She could not resist crouching down for a closer look. She hadn’t gotten a very long look at Bella the night before. Now she admired her shiny, thick coat. Not tightly curled like a poodle’s, but soft swirls of fur. She had floppy ears and a long muzzle and dark brown eyes. And curiously large paws for her size, Maggie noticed.
Maggie slowly extended her hand, careful not to startle her. When it seemed safe, she pet Bella’s head. The dog wagged her short tail, appreciating the attention.
“Bella is so pretty. What breed is she?”
“A Portuguese water dog mostly, Rose says.” Holly leaned over and picked up the water dish, which was almost empty. “Bred to help fishermen. They love to swim. Her toes are webbed, if you look closely at her paws.”
“How interesting.” Maggie stood up again. She didn’t know much about breeds beyond the names of the most popular. “What sort of dog was the father? Do you know?”
“Bella hasn’t said much about him,” Holly offered with a wry smile. “Rose thinks the father was a golden retriever. The puppies will have a good temperament with that mix. They’re both gentle, friendly breeds.”
Bella seemed to sense she was being discussed. She met Maggie’s gaze and seemed to smile, then resumed licking one of her babies.
“The puppies look bigger. They must have grown an inch overnight.” Maggie watched as a few tested wobbly legs and tumbled on top of each other.
Dana was entranced with them, too. “They’ll outgrow this nursery in no time. What will you do when they’re old enough to leave Bella? Will you keep all of them?”
Maggie could imagine the sight. An adorable but a marauding pack of mischief.
Holly had filled the water dish at the kitchen sink and returned it to Bella’s lair. “Rose would love to keep them. But if she’s wants to take in all these stray, needy dogs, we agreed that she has to find good homes for most and ask for some fee or donations. We don’t get all this dog food for free. The dogs she trains for therapy are easy to place, and so are puppies. It’s the older dogs that are hard to find homes for. But she’s doing very well getting the word out. She’s placed three this month. Then again, she’s taken in five. You do the dog math,” she added with a wry smile.
Maggie couldn’t tell if Holly was happy about that equation, though she was definitely proud of the way her sister was running her home-based shelter.
Maggie had more questions, but Rose came into the kitchen, her trio of loyal companions—Wolf, Oreo, and Queenie—following on her heels like personal bodyguards. She walked straight to the mudroom, and quickly peered in to check on Bella and her puppies, before acknowledging anyone in the kitchen. She had changed from her dog-training outfit into jeans and a white sweater, free of paw prints, Maggie noticed. Her hair was brushed into a low ponytail.
Dana greeted her. “Hi, honey. Ready to go?”
“I remembered. I set an alarm on my phone.” She waved the phone in her hand at her older sister, as if to say, “I can remember things on my own sometimes, too.”
Then she walked over to Holly and lifted a leaf from her hair. One Dana had missed. “You’re all dirty. Did you fall down?”
Holly smiled and shrugged. “Some branches fell during the storm. We were just taking them away. You know how muddy it is out there.”
Dana and Maggie stood in silence, remembering Holly’s request. Rose seemed concerned but didn’t say more.
She glanced at Maggie but didn’t seem surprised to see her again. “I’ve been working on my project. It’s halfway done.”
“That was fast. I’d love to see it.” Maggie was sincerely pleased, but had thought Rose would take to it quickly. She left the scientific jargon to Dana but did know that even fumbling first attempts at knitting activated the reward centers of the brain, which was why beginners would stick with it, even if they stumbled along stitch by stitch.
Maggie took pride not only in her knitting skills and talents but in her abilities as a teacher of the art, too. She could see she’d taken the right approach with Rose by starting on a simple project, like a dog collar, that could be completed quickly. Rose would get good practice making more of them.
“Do the dogs need any care while you’re out?” Holly asked.
“Everyone is in the parlor. You can check their water bowls later. You’re coming to pick me up, right?”
“I’ll be there at three, after your appointment with Dr. Riley. He wants to meet with me.”
“I’ll bet he does. He always finds some excuse.” Rose rolled her eyes.
“Rose . . .” Holly looked embarrassed. Maggie could see Rose’s teasing had a pushed a button. “Tim and I are just friends. You know that.”
“He’d like to be more than your friend, Holly. Anyone can see that.” Rose sighed, as if she were the older sister. She kissed Holly’s cheek.
A sweet gesture, Maggie thought. She did seem like a little girl at times, but in a touching way.
“Don’t work too hard,” Rose added.
“That’s why I hired Thornton. He’s been a huge help.”
An understatement, Maggie would say. She was sure that his quick action to keep Holly from being hit by the branch now weighed heavily in his favor.
“Mr. Scary, you mean?” Rose murmured.
“Rose, that’s not nice.” Holly paused. “But I’m not sure if you’re kidding. I told you this morning, if you really don’t like him, he doesn’t have to work here. I don’t want you to feel uneasy about any of the helpers. You know that.”
Rose chose an apple from a bowl on the table and took a bite. “He’s not so scary in the daylight. I can give him a chance. And Wolf will check him out. He’s a foolproof judge of character.”
Rose headed for the side door; her dogs walked in her shadow. She turned to them and clipped a lead to Oreo.
“You guys stay,” she said to the other two. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
Wolf and Queenie stopped in their tracks and watched Rose as she grabbed a down vest and a small purse from a row of hooks near the door. The black-and-white sheep-herding dog, Oreo, pranced with excitement, happy to be the chosen one.
Maggie was still amused as they left the house and headed for Dana’s car. “Do your dogs understand every word you say?”
“Not every word. But more than you think possible. A dog can have a very large vocabulary. Some can understand over one hundred words. But you need to know how to talk to them, too.”
“You seem to know exactly how,” Maggie said.
“I’ve read books about it, and there’s loads of information on the internet. I love dogs. That helps the most in learning how to understand them. I like them better than people,” Rose said. “Dogs love you, no matter what. Most dogs are nicer than some people, too.”
Even with her limited canine experience, Maggie thought that might be true.
As they drove to the center, Maggie wanted to ask Dana if this second meeting had changed her impression of Thornton. But she didn’t want to bring the subject up in front of Rose. It might lead to them mentioning Holly’s close call with the crashing branch.
The
center was a short distance from the Pipers’ nursery, and as they drove through tall wrought-iron gates, Dana explained that the building and property had been bought at a bank auction and had been quite a good deal.
“This beautiful old house was going to be knocked down. Can you imagine? It needed a lot of renovation, but the space has been transformed very efficiently,” Dana explained as they pulled up the long drive.
The building was beautiful, a classic brick colonial with a slate roof, white columns, and long windows in front. It was surrounded by thick shrubs and a manicured lawn that was already green. A small, tasteful sign read RILEY-CURTIS WELLNESS CENTER.
To the right side of the house, Maggie noticed a smaller building that looked like new construction, also brick with white trim, its traditional design blending well with the surroundings.
Dana parked near the entrance, where a few stone steps led to glossy black doors.
“I’d better find my group. I’m late,” Rose said. She hopped out of the car with Oreo and headed down a shrub-lined path to the new building.
“See you later, honey,” Dana called after them.
“Rose seems very cooperative about her treatment. That must make it easier for Holly,” Maggie said as they walked toward the main building.
“She knows what she has to do to stay on course, and takes responsibility for her care. She wasn’t always that way,” Dana added. “She likes Tim and Emily and trusts them. That helps enormously.”
They entered the building and stepped into a long open space with a glossy wooden floor and walls the color of fresh butter or maybe vanilla pudding. Maggie knew it was a medical facility, but it looked more like the lobby of a fancy hotel.
A round antique table in the middle of the space held a spring arrangement in a china bowl—branches of forsythia and pussy willow, the buds just starting to peek open. Upholstered armchairs and benches lined the walls, with small wooden side tables set in between.
A few people sat waiting—a middle-aged man in a suit and tie, reading his phone, and a young woman who had a little girl about ten years old with her. The woman looked nervous but forced a smile as she held the child’s hand. Maggie wished them well. Nobody came here without a serious problem, that was for sure.