As long as you aren’t me.
“And why isn’t the dog with her now?” Willow scoops him up, snuggling him like he’s her baby rather than the infant in Killian’s arms. “Not that I’m complaining.”
Killian chuckles, pointing to their son. “You know, we have a baby right here.”
She grins at him. “I know, but this one has fur.”
He rolls his eyes and leans forward to search for something on his desk. “So, where is this Lucky?”
“Working at the diner, actually. Elaine needed help, and Lucky was there. And it seemed like she could use the money, so I offered to take him so she could work a shift.”
Willow and Killian share a look, and she sets the dog back on the floor. He immediately snatches the ball again and runs over to me, dropping it near my feet.
The little guy definitely has energy to burn today, and it gives me an excuse not to work for a while.
I toss the ball for him, but instead of following it, my gaze drifts to the maps of the mountain on the wall, drawn over centuries by various McBrides to show what areas have been felled and where we’ve replanted.
Our current project on the far side of the mountain, beyond the gorge, was well-intentioned.
Killian thought destroying all the evidence of what my father did to Willow would help both of us, so he set to work ensuring that cabin where she was held was razed, and now that the trees in that area are all large enough, we can finally log it all again. Giving the land a fresh start the same way he had hoped to give Willow and me one.
And it seems to be working for her.
Watching the way she lights up around her husband and son—and even this little white dog—demonstrates how resilient she really is.
Nothing happened to me.
Not really.
Yet, there are days it feels like I can’t even breathe.
Willow wanders over to lean on the edge of Killian’s desk, giving me more room to re-throw the ball once I drag my gaze off the map. “That’s very nice of you to offer to help her.”
I shrug again, trying to be nonchalant about it. “It seemed like…”
Her brow furrows. “Like what?”
For a second, I consider how much to tell them. Of course, if Lucky’s working at the diner, they’ll eventually see and meet her, but that doesn’t mean I have to offer them the little information I do have on her, or the speculations I’ve had since the moment she walked in that door and the bells jingled above her.
But they also see a lot, and if they can help her, they would want to.
“It seemed like…maybe she needed the money and doesn’t have anywhere to go.”
“Oh.” Willow’s face falls, the good mood she had while playing with Gizmo suddenly disappearing as easily as it appeared. “Well, maybe she’ll stick around a while. I know they definitely need a good waitress.”
“For sure.”
Elaine works too hard and should be looking to cut back on her hours rather than taking more on, but she kept insisting she could handle it when Maryann “retired” to stay home with her new grandbaby.
Willow watches Gizmo bring me the ball again. “So, you’re going to drop him off back there later today?”
I nod and throw the toy. Gizmo’s little paws shoot out across the room, and he snags it when it hits the wall and brings it right back.
Killian watches us play fetch for a minute. “He seems well trained.”
“He is a very sweet dog, which is funny”—I release a little laugh—”because Lucky said he generally doesn’t like men.”
With a snort, Killian raises a brow. “Really?”
