Waiting for her on the counter were all her clothesfrom last night, clean, dry, and folded neatly, along with a brand-new toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste. She smiled at the sight. More proof that people could change. The old Ransom would never have been so attentive to the details of making her comfortable.
Well, he was a high school student, not a grown man,she reminded herself.And I was hardly perfect either.
But now that she was home, now that Ransom was settled, now that she seemed to be working on her fear of the dogs he spent his days training… Was there a chance for them?
If she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that this dream had been in her heart from the moment he’d appeared before her in that snowy field the first night she’d been back in Trinity Falls and his eyes captured hers.
She brushed her teeth, showered, and dressed quickly, then headed downstairs, her heart fluttering with anticipation.
The small second floor of the A-frame had a balcony overlooking the open family room and dining area below. She could see three German shepherds sleeping under the Christmas tree, along with a black and white sort of collie-type dog.
And Henrietta was cuddled up near the hearth in what looked like a plastic kiddie pool with a comforter in it, soaking up the warmth of the fire with her babies.
But Ransom and the kids were nowhere in sight, which meant they must be in the kitchen, which was also open, but underneath where she was currently standing.
Sure enough, when she got down the steps she couldhear the radio in the kitchen and smell something absolutely delicious cooking.
She stopped by the fireplace first though, to check on her friend.
“Good morning, Henrietta,” she whispered, crouching to pat the mama dog, whose tail whacked the blanket in a return greeting. “I hope you slept well.”
“Hey there,” a deep voice said from behind her, reverberating through her chest and making her stomach do a little flip-flop.
She could hear the smile in Ransom’s voice, and she was already smiling herself when she turned to face him.
“Good morning,” she told him softly. “I just wanted to say hi before I came out to the kitchen.”
His dark eyes slid from her to the dog and back again, and his face was filled with warmth.
“I like her new bed,” she added, indicating the plastic pool.
“Well, we can’t have the puppies crawling away,” he said with a smile. “I actually built a special wooden whelping bed for them, but it’s out in the barn. We still had the kiddie pool in the basement from when the cousins used to visit in the summer when Willow and I were kids.”
“Good thinking,” Hailey said. “She seems really content in there.”
“Well, take your time with her,” he told her. “We’re making bacon and eggs and there are biscuits in the oven.”
“Oh, wow,” she sighed happily.
“It’s a cold day and there isn’t much else to do,” he told her. “I figured the kids would enjoy cooking.”
“Those are Anna, Elsa, and Olaf, right?” she said, pointing to the dogs stretched out around the Christmas tree. “And who’s that?”
“That’s Shadow,” he said with a smile. “She’s new here. Helena Fox down at the shelter called me about her. She’s very smart, but it turns out she’s not really disciplined enough to be a guide dog. I’ll find her an important job though.”
“You’re kind of like a casting director,” Hailey realized. “But for dogs.”
“Kind of,” he said with a chuckle. “I guess the most important job is figuring out what a dog will be good at, and then refining their training to help with it. My three are all too lazy to be guide dogs or work for the police, but they’re great at helping me train new pups on basic obedience. And Shadow is a little too playful for formal work, but I’m thinking about whether she might be able to do comfort work, or maybe something else. She’s super quick to pick up new things.”
“Henrietta is really smart too,” Hailey said, turning back to the mama dog. “I’d swear that she understood everything I said to her last night.”
“I’d believe it,” Ransom said. “She was smart enough to open the latches on the gate and your barn too.”
“You little rascal,” Hailey said fondly to the sleepy animal.
“Don’t worry,” Ransom said. “I’m investing in new latches.”
“I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if Henrietta came to pay a visit now and then,” Hailey offered with a smile.
