Wandering Heart (9781101561362) (30 page)

Rob took her hand. “I dreamt of having a farm like this for years before we actually bought it. I won’t deny that. And I love waking up every morning and going out there and working in the garden or with the goats or making cheese. It never feels like work to me. But I’ve seen that dream come true and lived it. Most people can never say that. Our dreams change, Audrey, that’s what I’ve learned. Now my dream is to hold our own little one in my arms, and raise a baby with you. If we have to leave here to do that, then that’s what we’ll do. There are no guarantees in life, honey, you know that. Everybody has got to hoe their own row. Saying it’s not fair doesn’t matter. This is our row. This is what we have to deal with. All we can do is try our best. In the end, it’s all in God’s hands, right?”

Audrey nodded, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She was so emotional lately. It was just an up-and-down time for them. “When you put it that way, it makes it a little clearer, a little easier to face.”

She rested her hands on Rob’s shoulders. “I propose that we table this discussion. It’s almost the end of August, two more weeks to Labor Day. I think we should just work out the season and not try to figure it out right now.”

“Dr. Barnes said we shouldn’t wait. He wants us to get started on this right away.”

“Oh, Rob, I’m not that old. A few weeks won’t make a difference. This is a major decision in our marriage and in our lives. We’re going to feel the effects of this for a long time. I want to feel as if, whatever we do, it’s settled into my bones and I just know it’s the right thing.”

“Okay, that seems sensible to me,” Rob agreed. “We shouldn’t decide this in a rush. As long as we aren’t procrastinating.”

“It’s not procrastination, I promise. I’m just a little confused,” she told him.

He laughed at her explanation, then stood up and hugged her. “I am, too, but at least we’re confused together.”

The day had begun with light rain, too wet to work in the garden. The skies cleared and the sun came out around noontime, but they still decided that a ride into town would be a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. They both loved the farm but needed a break from time to time.

They finished their morning chores quickly. Audrey had showered and dressed and was waiting in the kitchen for Rob to come down when the phone rang. She picked it up and answered. “Gilroy Farm.”

A man on the other end of the line introduced himself. “Is this Audrey?” he asked. He sounded elderly, and like a customer who wanted to order some cheese.

“Yes, it is. How can I help you?”

“I think you found my dog. My dog Sunny. I saw a flyer yesterday in the post office. I could hardly believe it.”

Audrey felt the earth drop away from her feet. She felt as if there were no air in the room. Her immediate reaction was to slam down the phone—or tell the old man he had the wrong number. But she couldn’t do that. For one thing, it just wasn’t right.

Calm down. Millie might not even be this man’s dog. He might be mistaken.

“Yes, we found a dog. Quite a few weeks ago now. When did you lose your dog, Mr.—? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Broussard, Leonard Broussard. I lost her a few weeks ago,
too … I didn’t actually lose her. I’ve been away. Broke my hip and had to go into one of those rehab places for six weeks.”

“That’s too bad, I’m sorry,” Audrey said sympathetically.

She scolded herself for feeling mean-hearted. Poor old fellow. It sounded as though he was having a very rough time.

“I left Sunny with a neighbor. But they weren’t careful enough with her. She got out of their yard and ran off. They were afraid to tell me she was gone. But of course, I found out when I came back to Cape Light.”

Another sad turn in his story. Imagine going through all that and then finding out someone lost your dog. But there was another reason his Sunny and Millie couldn’t be the same dog. Mr. Broussard lived in the village. Millie must have been lost by someone on the island, or someone visiting.

“Mr. Broussard, I found the dog out here, on the island. I don’t think she could be yours. How would she have gotten across the bridge?” Audrey asked gently.

He was quiet a moment. “I don’t know. Dogs are smart. Maybe she was looking for me.”

Audrey had to smile at that theory.

“I can tell from the picture, that’s her. That’s my Sunny. I need to bring her home,” he insisted. “I can come right now. It won’t take long,” he promised.

Audrey didn’t know what to say. She doubted it was the man’s dog, but she could tell he had to see her for himself and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Having Millie around the last few weeks, she understood that. “Of course. Come on out. Do you know where we are?”

“Yes, I do. I’ll be there in a jiffy. And I’ll bring you some proof,” he added.

They said good-bye, Audrey thinking that some proof of ownership would be a good thing. She wasn’t normally so picky or formal. But Audrey needed some solid proof before she would hand over Millie to anyone.

Rob came downstairs a few moments later and Audrey explained the call to him. “I can’t see how she could have made it all the way from the village out onto the island. But he was convinced, so I told him to come.”

Rob’s expression was serious. “You did the right thing. But that picture on our flyer was so blurry. Millie probably isn’t his dog. He just misses his dog so much, he wishes it were her.”

Audrey nodded. She hoped that was true. Millie had come inside and now sat under the table. Her fur tickled Audrey’s bare legs. Audrey reached down and stroked her silky head.

She felt very nervous but didn’t want to overreact. In all these weeks, there had not been one call about the dog. This was a total long shot. This old man would come, see the dog, and be disappointed. Which would be sad. But he wouldn’t take Millie with him. Audrey couldn’t even think of that.

A short time later, they heard a car drive up toward the house. Rob got up and walked toward the front door. Millie went with him. Though she wasn’t much of a watchdog, she loved to greet visitors. Audrey followed.

Rob took a leash from a hook near the door, then clipped it onto Millie’s collar. “You said he was old and just got out of the hospital. I don’t want Millie to knock him down,” Rob explained to Audrey.

“Oh, right. Good idea,” she agreed.

Rob opened the door and held on to Millie’s leash. The three of them looked out and watched Leonard Broussard slowly making his way up the walk toward the house. He used a cane and took each
step very carefully. He was dressed a bit formally, Audrey thought, in dark pants and a white shirt with a bow tie, even though the day was very warm. His canvas hat with a large brim gave him a rakish, old-fashioned air.

Millie pulled at Rob’s hold and started to whine. Mr. Broussard had come a little more than halfway up the path and now glanced up at them.

“Hello, Sunny girl. It’s me. Do you recognize me? Surprised to see me after all this time?”

Millie gave a low whine, and her tail began beating happily against the porch. She tossed her head back and barked, then tried to run to Leonard Broussard. Rob kept her on a short lead, but it was hard to hold her back.

She always gets excited when she sees strangers and wants to greet them, Audrey reminded herself. But this was a different kind of excitement, a different tone in her bark, even. Audrey couldn’t deny it.

“She remembers me,” Mr. Broussard said happily. “She didn’t forget me.”

Millie tugged on the leash, trying to get down to Mr. Broussard, and Rob had no choice but to be pulled along behind her. He glanced back at Audrey a moment with a “What can I do?” expression. Audrey took a breath and followed. The old man stood still, balancing on his cane, beaming down at the dog.

Rob walked up to him, holding Millie down by her collar.

“That’s okay, you can let her go. She won’t hurt me,” Mr. Broussard insisted.

He bent over so that Millie could see him better. She ran around in excited circles, stopping now and then to lick his face. Audrey watched Mr. Broussard close his eyes, chuckling to himself. The old
man was half laughing and half crying as he reached out and took hold of Millie’s large head, petting her fur and then kissing her on the forehead.

“Sunny, my sweetheart. How I missed you. I never thought I’d see this day. I was about to give up …” His words were choked with emotion, and Audrey wasn’t sure if he was talking to them, or the dog. Probably a little of both.

She felt overwhelmed, too. Millie and Sunny were obviously one and the same.

Only Rob seemed to be keeping his head, though he had come to love Millie, too, Audrey knew. “Would you care to come inside and have a cold drink?” he asked. “We can talk more about the dog inside.”

“I would like that very much,” Mr. Broussard replied.

Millie was off her leash now. She followed the group up into the house. They walked back to the kitchen, and Audrey took a pitcher of tea from the refrigerator. When she reached into the cupboard for glasses, her hands shook so badly, she could hardly handle them.

Mr. Broussard sat in a chair at the table, and Millie sat right next to him, pressing her body against his leg and leaning her head back every few minutes, as if to make sure he was really there. Audrey felt her heart breaking. It was so hard to watch this. She felt the loss so keenly.

“Before we go any further, I told you I’d bring you folks some proof that Sunny is my dog. I have it right here.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag, wrapped with a rubber band.

There were photos inside, Audrey saw, as he put the stack on the table. “These are some photographs of me and Sunny, from when she was a puppy,” he explained. “Her spots are so distinctive; if you look
closely, you’ll recognize it’s got to be her. And me,” he added with a laugh.

Rob picked up the photos as Audrey came to the table. “So you’ve had her quite a few years.”

“Yes, I have. I never wanted a dog,” Mr. Broussard admitted. “But my neighbor’s dog had puppies, and all of them had been given away, except one. They were moving and didn’t know what to do with that leftover pup. My wife had just died and I was grieving,” he added. “I still didn’t want a dog, even though they’d asked me a million times to take her. One morning, I found her in a box at my front door with a note. It said, ‘Keep her or bring her to the pound.’”

Mr. Broussard rested his hand on Millie’s head. “I didn’t like being tricked that way, but what could I do? They had moved away. I meant to bring her to the shelter. I just never got around to it,” he added, laughing. “She was a great distraction when I was so lonely. I couldn’t sink into myself anymore. I had something—someone—to take care of. She made me feel okay again. Like it was worth going on. Just watching her is entertainment. She seems so happy all the time, just to wake up in the morning and go outside, sniffing the smells in the air.”

He looked up at Audrey as if wondering if she understood.

She did understand. She felt just the same about Millie. She was surprised—but not so surprised—at the way Millie had come into Mr. Broussard’s life when he had most needed comfort and encouragement.

Millie had arrived in her life at the right moment, too. That seemed to be her talent.
But I still need Millie,
she thought desperately.
It’s too soon to give her back. I didn’t think I’d ever have to give her back at all.

Audrey reached out and petted Millie’s head. Millie came to her and rested her head on Audrey’s knee.

“You’ve been good to her. I can see that,” Mr. Broussard said. “She looks very well cared for. Thank you so much. I wish I could repay you for your trouble.”

“Not necessary, not at all,” Rob insisted. “We loved having Millie—er, Sunny—with us. Right, Audrey?”

Audrey nodded. “Yes, we love her. She’s a wonderful dog.” She looked up at Mr. Broussard. “Did you teach her all those tricks?”

“She was showing off for you, was she?” He laughed and shook his head. “I did teach her a few. She’s a fast study. It didn’t take much.” He paused as the dog wandered back toward him and nudged his hand with her head, asking for another pet. “I’m so sorry, folks … I can see this is hard for you, too. I didn’t even think of that when I found the flyer and called. I am sorry to cause you any pain.”

He looked up at Audrey. She could see he was sincere. She wished with all her heart it wasn’t so, but there was no way around it. Millie was obviously his dog, and he needed her as much as Audrey felt she did, if not more.

“Thank you for saying that,” she quietly replied. “It is hard to give her back,” she admitted. “We’re going to miss her.”

“You can come and see her anytime you like. I don’t live far, right in Cape Light, off Main Street. Please come. I’m sure she’ll miss you, too. Here, I’ll write down my address and phone number for you.”

He pulled out a small pad and a stubby pencil from his pocket and scribbled down the information.

Rob got up and began gathering Millie’s things—an extra leash, a few dog toys, her tin dishes, and some dog food—and put them all in a paper bag. They wouldn’t need them anymore, Audrey realized.

Audrey and Mr. Broussard rose, too. Millie was lying on the floor now between them.

“Come on, Sunny. Time to go,” he called. The dog sat up and looked at him expectantly. Then she looked at Audrey, seeming confused.

“It’s all right, Millie,” she said, trying to sound calm, though she felt as if her heart were breaking. Rob slipped his arm around her shoulders as they walked Mr. Broussard and Millie down to his car, and Rob put the bag of Millie’s things in the backseat.

Audrey leaned down and gave Millie one last hug. She was crying openly. She couldn’t help it. Millie sat very still and licked the tears from her face. She looked sad, too, or at least subdued, Audrey thought. Very subdued, for Millie.

But when Mr. Broussard opened the passenger door and invited her to get in, Millie jumped right up in the car and settled herself on the front seat. Rob patted her head through the window and shook hands with Mr. Broussard.

“Good-bye now. Come and see us. I really mean that,” the old man said happily.