1105 Yakima Street (24 page)

F
eeling good, Gloria climbed the steps to her second-floor apartment. She’d had lunch out with her mother, who’d recently returned from North Dakota. They’d chatted about Christmas and a couple of family events planned for the season. Gloria loved being included. She felt more like family than at any other time since she’d come into their lives.

As she inserted her key into the lock, Gloria noticed a woman getting out of a car in the parking lot below. She didn’t think too much of it, although the blonde looked somewhat familiar.

She was inside and had just hung up her coat when there was a knock at her door. Checking the peephole, Gloria recognized the woman she’d seen in the parking lot.

Seeing her up close Gloria realized why the blonde woman seemed familiar. This was Joni, the woman she’d seen Chad kissing that day at the hospital in Tacoma. The woman he was dating.

Bracing herself for…she didn’t know what, Gloria squared her shoulders and opened the door.

The two women stared at each other before Joni’s eyes fell to Gloria’s midsection.

Gloria didn’t feel like uttering a bunch of meaningless niceties. “Would you like to come in and talk?” she asked, getting straight to the point. She wondered how Joni knew her name, how she’d found her address. She decided not to ask. Chad could have told her. Or Joni could have followed him. She could have seen Gloria’s name on his cell phone and looked up her address on the internet.

Ultimately it didn’t matter.

Joni hesitated briefly before she responded. “Yes, please.”

Gloria stepped aside and held the door so the other woman could enter.

Joni looked out at the cove from Gloria’s living room window, her hands deep in her coat pockets. “That’s a lovely view.”

“I think so.” She folded her arms, not knowing what to expect. “Would you like something to drink?” She didn’t want to be impolite, although she had the distinct feeling this wasn’t a social call.

“Just water.”

Gloria went into her kitchen, filled a glass and brought it to the living room. Joni had taken a seat on her sofa. When she handed her the tumbler, she saw that the other woman’s hand shook visibly.

Joni took a small sip and then wrapped both hands around the glass. “Chad doesn’t know I’m here.”

Gloria would have been surprised if he had.

“He told me he was stopping by later today. His shift doesn’t end until five, so he won’t be here until almost six and I thought… I hoped maybe the two of us could talk before he arrived.”

“Okay.” Gloria tried to look relaxed, but the tension between her shoulders held her rigid.

“I understand Chad told you about us?”

“He did.” Gloria didn’t elaborate.

“He told me about you, too.”

Gloria nodded.

“And about the baby,” Joni added.

“He’s going to be a good father,” Gloria said. He’d been so caring and thoughtful, and made it clear how much he already loved their baby.

“I think so, too.” Leaning forward, Joni put her glass on the coffee table, taking a moment to position a coaster first. Now that her hands were free she didn’t seem to know what to do with them. She clasped them in her lap and stared down at the carpet.

“Do you love him?” Gloria asked. She wanted to know where the other woman stood before they continued this awkward discussion.

Joni looked up and her eyes filled with tears. “I’m afraid so.”

Gloria felt like crying herself, but struggled to maintain her poise. “I’m afraid I do, too,” she admitted. Funny that she was so willing to tell the other woman how she felt about Chad, but couldn’t tell him. It’d taken her a long time to recognize the depth of her feelings. Now it might be too late.

“You’ve hurt him badly.”

“I wasn’t in a good state of mind… . I regret what happened.”

“The baby, too?” Joni asked.

“No,” Gloria answered. “I’ll never regret the baby.”

Her answer made Joni frown. If anything, it appeared to affect her even more strongly. “I… Chad loves the baby. That’s all he talks about when we’re together, and
I suspect he loves you. No, I don’t suspect. I
know
he does.”

Gloria wasn’t sure how to respond. “Chad and I met when I was at a low point in my life,” Gloria began, feeling she needed to explain. “I’d just lost my adoptive parents. I was an only child and they were both only children, so I had no one. No aunts, no uncles, no cousins. No family. We… Chad and I felt an immediate physical attraction and, well…”

Joni looked away and seemed to be studying the view outside the window. The Bremerton shipyard showed clearly in the distance, with the mothballed aircraft carriers and submarines against the backdrop of a metallic gray sky.

Gloria found her own attention wandering and forced herself to focus on her guest. “I’m not sure why you’re here,” she said.

“I came because I need to know how you feel about Chad.”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, it matters a great deal.” Joni picked up the water glass and took one long swallow. “I know what I have to do now.” She set the tumbler down in a decisive movement.

“And that is?”

Joni wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I’m ending my relationship with Chad.”

“Ending it,” Gloria repeated. “But…you just finished telling me that you’re in love with him.”

“I am…but I know the odds and they aren’t in my favor. Chad loves you and pretty soon you’ll give birth to his son. I care enough about him to bow out now.”

Gloria had trouble believing the other woman was
sincere, but the tears streaking Joni’s cheeks told her she meant every word.

“The only thing I need from you,” Joni said, then paused to gather her composure. “All I ask is that you love Chad. He’s a good man, and a caring physician. I just hope you appreciate what you’ve got. If you don’t, trust me, some other woman’s going to do her best to steal him away and that…that other woman might well be me.”

Gloria flattened her hand over her heart. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything. Remember what I told you. If you hurt Chad again, you can’t claim I didn’t give you fair warning.” Reaching for her purse she walked to the door.

Gloria followed her. “You really love him, don’t you.” It was a statement rather than a question.

“More than either of you will ever realize. It’s only because I love him that I’m willing to give him up. Don’t think I’m doing this for you or the baby. I’m doing this for Chad. Just make him happy.”

“I…will.”

The apartment seemed to vibrate with the shock of Joni’s declaration. Gloria stood by the door, hardly able to absorb what had happened. Chad loved her. She’d sensed that he did, even though he’d kept his distance, emotional and otherwise, since their last breakup.

Chad showed up at the apartment three hours later. Thankfully that meant she’d had time to think about Joni’s visit and analyze her own feelings.

“Hi,” he said as he came in. He appeared ill at ease, not quite himself.

“Hi,” she returned. They’d planned to go Christmas-tree shopping. Chad didn’t want her hauling in a tree and
decorating it while she was pregnant. She guessed that his offer was really an excuse to see her again. Not that she was complaining; she welcomed any and every opportunity to be with him.

“Do you mind if we don’t go shopping for a tree today?” he asked. “I’m not in the mood.”

“That’s fine. We can do it another time.”

He walked over to the window and stood there, gazing into the night. Lights blinked out at sea.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, wondering if he’d lost a patient. He took any death personally, especially a child’s.

“I had a visitor this afternoon,” he said.

Gloria walked toward him until they were only a foot or so apart, both staring into the darkness. “Interesting, because I did, too.”

“Anyone I know?”

“Joni.”

Chad nearly dislocated his neck as he jerked toward her. “
Joni
came to see you?”

Gloria clenched her hands and nodded. “She needed the answer to an important question.”

He waited for her to continue.

It took Gloria a moment to find the courage to explain. “She came to ask me if I was in love with you.”

“How did you answer her?”

“I told her what happened when I first moved to Cedar Cove—and why.”

“I take it you left out the part about falling into bed together a few hours after we met.”

“Yes.”

His expression grim, he started for the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I think I’ve heard everything I need.”

“Don’t you want to hear my answer?”

“I already have. You gave her an excuse for your behavior and left it at that.”

“As a matter of fact, I didn’t leave it at that. I answered her question.”

“And?” he asked, sounding bored with the entire conversation. He seemed almost eager to escape.

“I told her I’m in love with you.” She held herself straight, fearing his reaction. He might laugh in her face and say he didn’t believe her. Certainly she hadn’t done anything to reveal how she felt about him. On the contrary, she’d tried over and over to prove that she had no affection for him whatsoever.

He said nothing. But he turned around, obviously studying her to see if she was telling the truth.

Gloria met his gaze boldly.

“Joni came to see me, too,” he said after a moment.

“I figured she might.” The other woman had said she’d be seeing Chad, although Gloria hadn’t expected it to be this soon.

“She broke off our relationship.”

Gloria felt almost sick to her stomach. “I’m sorry.”

“She knew it was over. It was from the minute I learned about the baby. The problem was, I didn’t realize it myself, not until recently. I never stopped loving you, Gloria. I tried to get you out of my mind and my heart, but it didn’t work. At night you haunted my dreams. During the day I imagined you around every corner. You’ve had a grip on me from the night we met.”

Gloria’s experience had been the same, only she hadn’t been willing to admit it. “I’m so sorry, Chad,” she whispered. She stepped closer and he did, too. “I can’t seem to do anything right when it comes to you.”

He broke into a smile. “I disagree. You’re giving me a son.”

“I’m giving you my heart, too.”

He opened his arms and she walked into them. He held her tight against him and whispered into her hair, “It took you long enough.”

“I don’t understand why I fought you so hard.”

“I don’t, either.” He kissed the top of her head and moved down the side of her face, finally reaching her lips.

When Chad pulled away minutes later, Gloria felt weak and breathless. She thought about taking him to her bedroom, which was how these sessions usually ended. But she wouldn’t allow that to happen this time. They couldn’t let sex confuse the issue or distract them from what they needed to work out.

“Why do you make me feel like this?” She’d never reacted physically to any man the way she did to Chad.

“I don’t know. I don’t care. Just don’t change.”

She clung to him, kissing him with tears running down her cheeks.

“I want us to get married,” he said.

“Okay.” It wasn’t the romantic proposal she’d always dreamed of, but it was good enough.

“Soon.”

“Okay.”

“Before Christmas.”

“Christmas?” That was three weeks away!

“You’ll move in with me.”

All these commands were given between lengthy, heated kisses. “With you…”

“Yes, move in with me,” he said again.

“Can’t you move here?”

“No.”

“My family’s here. My job…”

“You have a new family now. You, me and the baby. And there are jobs in Tacoma, too.”

“Yes. Maybe, later on, I can join their police force.”

He nodded. “Besides, it’s not like you’d be that far from Cedar Cove and the McAfees.”

“True.”

Another kiss, this one even more potent and powerful. “Chad,” she whispered, gasping for breath. “I do love you.”

“I know. I’ve always known.”

“You did?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

“You talk too much.”

“Sorry.”

He laughed. “Don’t apologize.”

“About Joni…”

He kissed her again. “She’ll be fine. Another doctor is crazy about her.”

He said more things, but everything else was lost on Gloria. All she knew was how happy she felt.

S
unday afternoon, Grace and Cliff Harding were stringing Christmas lights around the roofline of the house. Cliff stood on the ladder while Grace held the lights and kept a careful eye on her husband. Beau was on his leash, which was tied to the porch railing.

A car appeared at the head of the long driveway between the two fenced pastures. Cliff’s horses, lazily chewing grass, looked up at the vehicle.

“You expecting anyone?” Cliff called down to Grace.

“No.” It wasn’t unusual for one of her daughters to stop by without phoning first, but neither of them drove an SUV. “It’s Beth Morehouse’s car,” she told him a moment later.

“Has she come for Beau?”

Grace had been adamant from day one that she wouldn’t keep the puppy. He gnawed on her shoes and hid Cliff’s socks and he was constantly underfoot. Besides, he insisted on following her everywhere she went.

“Grace?” Cliff called again.

“I don’t know,” she said. They hadn’t actually set a date for Beth to pick up the puppy. If she’d found a good home for Beau then…great.

Beth parked in front of the barn, got out and walked over to them.

Cliff climbed down the ladder and placed his arm around Grace’s shoulders, as Beau whimpered and barked excitedly.

“Hi, Beth,” Grace said. She bent down and scooped up Beau, who’d been busily digging in her flower beds. His paws and face were smeared with dirt.

“How about a glass of eggnog?” Cliff suggested. “Grace and I are ready for a break.”

“Thank you. I’d enjoy that, but I can’t stay long. I need to get back to the farm. I’ve got a full crew working. I had a couple of errands not far from here, so I thought I’d see if you were home.”

“We’re here,” Grace said unnecessarily as she led the way into the house. She stopped in the mudroom off the kitchen, washing Beau’s face and paws and then her own hands, while Cliff took Beth into the kitchen and pulled out a chair.

“I’ll get the eggnog,” Cliff said, taking three glasses from the cupboard. “This is Grace’s family recipe.”

“You make your own?” Beth asked, turning to look at Grace, who came into the room drying her hands.

“It’s pretty simple. I’ll be happy to pass along the recipe if you’d like.”

“Yes, I’d love to have it.”

As Cliff carried the filled glasses to the table, Grace brought a plate of sugar cookies she’d baked with her grandchildren the day before.

“I take it you’ve come for Beau?” Cliff asked.

On hearing his name the puppy raced over to Grace, stretched up on his hind legs and set his front paws on her knees. He stared at her with such love and warmth that she was forced to look away. Almost against her will
she petted his head, and when he whined she couldn’t resist lifting him onto her lap. He licked her hand, then curled up tightly and went immediately to sleep.

“Well…actually—”

“Do you have a good home for him?” Cliff broke in.

“Not exactly.”

“Do you have a home for him, period?” Grace pressed. This was her big fear—that Beth had come to depend on her keeping the puppy. Well, that wasn’t going to happen.

“The truth is, no. I don’t have a home for Beau.”

“No?” Grace cried.

“No,” Beth repeated, “and now I have another problem.”

Grace and Cliff exchanged a glance. “Concerning Beau?”

“No… Well, yes. Indirectly. As you know, I’ve rescued a few dogs and done some training, which I enjoy and seem to have a knack for.”

That was a real understatement. Not only had Beth been her partner in the library reading program, she’d started training dogs to visit with the sick and elderly.

“Apparently word’s gotten around that I take in strays. Several people have brought me animals they’ve found or can’t keep and I do what I can to get them good homes but it’s…it’s become overwhelming.” Her voice cracked.

“What do you mean? Has something happened?” Grace asked, feeling anxious about Beth’s obvious distress.

“Yes. Two totally unrelated and unexpected things. I’m trying to figure out how to handle them. I’m sorry to inflict this on you. It’s just that…it’s all too much.”

“Tell us what’s going on,” Grace said gently. She’d never seen her friend so disconcerted.

“Well, first, it seems my ex-husband is coming here for
Christmas. The girls will be home from college and he asked
them
if it’s okay to visit and they really want him to.” She sighed. “I could turn him down but not them. Anyway, I talked to the Beldons, and they told me Kent has a reservation at their bed-and-breakfast.”

Grace was aware that Beth was divorced but knew nothing of the circumstances.

Cliff sipped his eggnog, leaving the questions to her.

“Is that a problem?” Grace asked.

“Yes,” Beth said bluntly. “Kent and I haven’t spoken in three years—well, except when it has to do with the girls. Bailey and Sophie are both away at school, so there hasn’t been much need for us to communicate.”

This was the most personal Beth had ever been, the most she’d revealed about her divorce. Although Grace regarded her as a friend, Beth had never divulged many details about her life prior to Cedar Cove. Grace knew she spent her time with the dogs and running her farm. Her place was one of several in the area that sold live trees. In fact, the address—1225 Christmas Tree Lane—couldn’t have been more appropriate.

Cliff finally spoke up. “Why did your daughters arrange this?” he asked her.

“I’m not sure…. Kent and I have always been civil. It wasn’t a bitter divorce or anything. We just…grew apart. And like I said, we’ve had very little to do with each other since.”

“I wonder if the girls have some hope of a reconciliation,” Grace mused, and didn’t realize she’d spoken out loud until she noticed both Cliff and Beth looking at her.

“I think it’s a good idea for Kent to stay at the Thyme and Tide,” Beth said, not responding to Grace’s comment. “Really, I couldn’t have him at the house. It…it would be too uncomfortable.”

“Yes, I imagine it would.”

“When does he arrive?” Grace asked.

“The twenty-third… This is all so unexpected—and then there’s Ted.”

The only Ted she knew was the local vet. Considering how often Beth visited him, it made sense that they might have struck up a friendship. She gathered that Ted donated some of his services, since Beth was essentially running a charity.

“The vet,” she said, confirming Grace’s assumption. Beth nervously rubbed her hands together. “We’ve sort of been…seeing each other. Nothing serious, though.”

Grace couldn’t keep from smiling. She’d hoped for something like this. Ted Reynolds was about Beth’s age, attractive and unfailingly good-humored. Grace and Olivia had half-jokingly commented that Ted’s single status was a waste. There weren’t
that
many eligible, good-looking men around.

“Then this morning…” Beth stared down at the floor. “Remember how I said people have been bringing me dogs?” She drew in a deep breath. “Well, this morning I got a big surprise on my front porch.” She let out her breath. “A basket full of puppies. A
large
basket.”

Grace could feel her pulse accelerate. If Beth had to find homes for a whole litter of puppies, then she wouldn’t be keen to take Beau.

“How many puppies?” Cliff asked. “And what breed?”

“Ten. And they seem to be black Labs. Or part Lab, anyway.”

“
Ten
puppies?”

Beth nodded. “They’re adorable, but ten? How am I ever going to find homes for ten puppies?”

“Actually, make that eleven,” Grace murmured.

“Eleven?”

“Don’t forget, Beau needs a home, too.”

“Beau?” Beth’s eyes flew to Cliff.

Cliff responded with a shrug.

“Beau,” Grace repeated. For some time she’d suspected that Beth and Cliff had joined forces against her, and this proved it. Well, they could scheme all they wanted, but they wouldn’t change her mind. The puppy had to go.

“But…but didn’t you say something about asking Maryellen and Jon to take Beau?” Beth looked at her with desperate eyes.

“I decided against it,” Grace said stiffly.

“The thing is,” Cliff explained, “Grace wants Beau to be adopted into a good family. But she doesn’t want him going to one of our children for fear she’ll see him on a regular basis. Because, unwilling though she is to admit it, she loves that dog.”

“That is
not
true,” Grace insisted, but her argument fell on deaf ears. It was all too obvious that neither one believed her.

Even Beau’s soft snore sounded more like a snort of disbelief. Seeing him curled up so contentedly on her lap made her realize how far she’d lowered her guard when it came to this puppy.

“Fine. I’ll call Maryellen and ask if she’ll take Beau for the kids,” she said, hoping to dispel their skepticism. “Maybe she’ll want him as a Christmas gift.”

“Thank you,” Beth said gratefully. She finished her eggnog and brought the empty glass to the sink. “And thanks for the drink. I’ll wait to hear from you about Beau. I apologize if I vented. It’s just that everything seems to be coming down on me at once.”

“We completely understand,” Cliff assured her.

Beth left a few minutes later and, the second the door closed, Cliff presented Grace with the phone.

“What’s that for?”

“Aren’t you going to call Maryellen and Jon?” he asked, arching his brows. “The kids are old enough for a puppy. And Jon’s certainly expressed an interest in getting a dog.”

“I’ll do it later,” she told him, not ready to make the call. She couldn’t understand why it had to be done right away. “In fact, I think it might be better if we waited until just before Christmas.”

“I thought you wanted him to go to his new home as soon as possible.”

“Maryellen’s busy,” she said, knowing her daughter’s hectic schedule. “I’ll call her next week.”

“Why wait?” Cliff continued to hold out the phone, which only irritated her.

“Okay, fine, since it’s so important to you.” She grabbed the receiver and hit speed dial for her oldest daughter.

Maryellen answered on the first ring. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi.” She swallowed hard.

“What’s up?”

Grace’s hand rested on Beau’s head. “Cliff and I have a question for you about the kids’ Christmas gift.”

“They’re each making a detailed list of toys they want Grandma and Grandpa Claus to buy them.”

“I’m sure they are.” Grace liked nothing better than spoiling her grandchildren. While they were baking cookies yesterday, Katie and Drake had made a point of telling her which toys they were interested in for Christmas.

“What would you think if Cliff and I got them a dog?” There, it was out. Cliff didn’t believe she’d do it, but she
had and it wasn’t nearly as difficult as she’d expected. Beau would love the children and they’d love him just as much. Watching them play with him on Saturday had told her that.

“A dog, Mom, or a puppy?”

“A puppy,” she clarified. “I was thinking of letting them have Beau.”

“Beau?” Maryellen sounded shocked. “You’d give up Beau?”

“Of course. I never intended to keep him. You knew that.” Grace had certainly made her intentions clear to any and all who’d listen.

“Well, yes, but, Mom, he’s your dog. He follows you everywhere. He’s obviously decided you’re his owner.”

“He’ll adjust,” Grace said, refusing to let her resolve waver.

“I suppose he will, but I’m not so sure about you.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Grace didn’t want to argue but found it annoying in the extreme that everyone insisted she wouldn’t be able to give up Beau when the time came. They were wrong. Each and every one of them. “Now, do you want him or not? Because if you don’t, then…then Cliff and I will take him back to Beth Morehouse.”

“In that case, sure, we’ll take Beau.”

The lump in Grace’s throat thickened. “Good. We’ll deliver him on Christmas Eve.”

Cliff raised his hand, indicating that he wanted to say something.

“Hold on a minute,” Grace said, covering the mouthpiece.

“Why wait until Christmas Eve?” he asked. “Tell Maryellen we’ll bring him over this afternoon. We’re
headed that way later, and it would be convenient to drop him off.”

“No need to rush, is there?” Grace muttered. “He’s a Christmas gift.”

“Mom?”

Grace returned the phone to her ear. “Yes?”

“I heard what Cliff just said. It’d be great if you brought him today. He’ll distract the kids from all the Christmas madness and keep them occupied.”

“Today,” Grace repeated slowly. “All right… Why not? We’ll stop by this afternoon with Beau and all his paraphernalia.” She was astonished by how much stuff they’d managed to accumulate for one small puppy.

“Wonderful. Come anytime.”

“Okay. See you later.” Grace clicked off the phone and handed it back to Cliff. “I hope you’re happy,” she lashed out.

He smiled, ignoring her waspish tone.

“Wipe that grin off your face. You think I won’t be able to give up Beau? Well, you’re in for a surprise, Cliff Harding. Let’s go right this minute. The sooner this dog is out of my life, the better.” She carefully set Beau on the floor, then hurried from room to room, shoving his chew toys and stuffed animals into a big plastic bag.

Cliff didn’t help, which infuriated her. This was
his
brilliant idea, so the least he could do was gather up Beau’s food.

“You ready?” she snapped when she’d finished. She had his toys and his bed, plus the new bag of dry puppy food she’d picked up the day before. “Oh, I don’t want to forget his vaccination records,” she said, retrieving them at the last minute.

Beau climbed obediently into his carrying case. She’d taken him to the library with her a number of times now.
The moment he saw the carrier, he knew it meant a trip, and he loved being with Grace no matter where she was going.

Grace zipped up the carrier, and Beau lay down, resting his chin on his paws, perfectly content and trusting.

“We’re taking you to a new home,” she told him. “A home with children who’ll run and play with you. Remember Katie and Drake? They already love you and you can play with them and…and—”