Something shifted in Kori’s chest that she didn’t have a name for. Longing? Maybe.
But she’d always been career-oriented and had told herself she wasn’t the motherly type.
Why did that feel like a lie right now?
She kept her expression even. “So how did you come to be here?”
“That’s a story within itself.” Naomi almost smiled. “The short version is that Sarah left this place to her family—which made Richard furious when he found out. We had quite a lengthy legal process to actually take ownership. After we did, we wanted to do something to honor our sister.”
“And you turned it into a women’s shelter.” Kori shifted Grace slightly, settling her weight. “A place women could come with their pets.”
“Most shelters won’t take animals. And a lot of women won’t leave without them. So . . .” Naomi lifted one shoulder. “We keep it quiet. The shelter side of things. People in town know of Refuge Cove, but they don’t know everything it is.”
“It makes sense why you’d keep it under wraps.”
“Sarah loved dogs too. As a matter of fact, Thunder was hers.”
Kori’s eyes widened. “He was? I had no idea.”
“Wyatt adopted him, and the two bonded right away.”
Grace had gone fully still against Kori’s chest, her breath coming in a slow, easy rhythm that indicated she’d fallen asleep.
Kori looked down at her and thought about Sarah, who’d built something beautiful out of a hard life and hadn’t lived to see what it became.
She thought about Naomi, who’d shown up and made something out of the wreckage.
She thought about this family—the bread on the counter, the security gate at the end of the drive, and the way Caleb had said,You’re welcome here.
This was the kind of community most people longed for—full of loving, dependable people trying to leave the world a little better than they’d found it.
It was the kind of community she’d love to have.
She carefully lowered Grace back into the crib. The baby stirred, made one small sound of protest, and went still again.
“Get some sleep,” Naomi said. “Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”
Kori straightened. “It is.”
She looked at Grace one more time before walking back down the hall toward her room.
Wyatt’s house sat at the edge of town.
He pulled into the gravel drive and shut off the engine, but he didn’t get out right away. The day lingered in his muscles, in the back of his mind, in the questions that hadn’t found answers yet.
Thunder shifted in the passenger seat then went still.
Wyatt glanced over. The dog’s ears were forward and his posture alert.
What did Thunder know that Wyatt didn’t?
Wyatt followed the canine’s gaze to the house. The same lamp glowed in the living room where he’d left it that morning. From here, nothing looked out of place. Still, he watched a moment longer before opening the door.
Thunder jumped down but didn’t head straight for the porch. He paused near the steps, nose low, taking in the ground before circling once near the door.
“Go on,” Wyatt said.
The dog moved forward, though not with his usual easy confidence.
