she’d give him the benefit of the doubt for any and all issues from here forward, including getting angry about her climbing a ladder.
When they’d pulled in to the yard on Christmas Eve and she saw the lit tree, she knew he was struggling with the fact that she’d climbed that tall ladder to place the star.
“Justin?”
He poked his head in the living room.
“I’m sorry I worried you by getting on the ladder. I won’t do it again unless someone is here.”
“Okay,” he said, grinning, and returned to the stove.
She finished her coffee and ran up the stairs. The sound of the light, quick step brought a smile to Justin’s face. After getting bashed pretty good, she was on the road to recovery. The doctors said she was doing great except for what they said was a grade 3 concussion, the most serious because she lost consciousness.
Ten minutes later she came down ready for breakfast and their hike. They ate at the dining room table, which was at the back of the house. “Look! Horses.” The horses grazed, steam coming from their nostrils, and their tails sweeping their hindquarters to rid their bodies of insects.
“Breakfast is delicious. Thank you so much. And I love this view. I didn’t think we’d use this table much because I like the view of the water. But this is nice and pastoral.”
“You about done?”
“Done. Let’s take the dog.”
“Of course. She needs her routine back, too.”
“And some exercise, right, Brulee?” Maggie asked. The dog’s ears popped up. “She’s ready for a w-a-l-k.”
Spelling the word prevented the dog from going nuts, and it wasn’t until she saw Maggie reach for her leash that Brulee jumped up from her bed by the fire and stood at the door, tail wagging.
Taking her time once she stepped out of the cottage, Maggie just wanted to take it all in. The Charlie Brown tree on the porch still looked good since it had been up since Thanksgiving. But it needed to come down tomorrow.
The dock looked empty without the skiff. “Let’s talk about my boat. Where is it?”
She was forcing him to spill the beans about the boat.
“Honey, it’s totaled. You’re getting a settlement for a new boat. We can shop Saturday if you’d like.”
“Yes, I have to have a boat, so that’s a priority. I don’t know why it’s freaking me out not to have one. I just want to see the old one because it was my grandfather’s.”
“Are you afraid you’ll be trapped here?”
“Maybe. But I know I can call Gus to take me into town, so that’s ridiculous.”
“Try not to expect too much of yourself right now, will you, please? You’re recovering. It’s all a product of stress.”
He offered his hand to steer her to the rescue site. He was afraid that she was ready to freak out, that the reality of what had happened to her was going to sink in. And besides that, if he listened hard enough, he could hear voices, laughter, and car motors, and he didn’t want her to notice. He’d keep up a running commentary.
“Is wearing wellingtons unnecessary?”
“No, it’s still damp back there.”
“Oh, you’ve been?”
“I did take a walk to see where the trailer was going to end up. It’s quite impressive, what you’re attempting. I hate to ask how much it’s costing you.”
“Yeah, you’d better not. Ha! But it’s not that much. Wait a minute…” She’d heard laughter.
“Okay, I guess this is where I have to blindfold you,” he said, laughing, forcibly turning her around so her back was to the upcoming site.
“Justin, what’s going on?”
“Will you relax? Jeez! Just keep this on for one friggin’ minute,” he said, laughing at her protests.
He took her by the shoulders and led her down the path they’d already worn to the site. There was silence when the couple came into view.
“Are you ready to see your surprise?”
“I’m scared.”
Muffled laughter from the crowd tittered out.
“I’ll take your blindfold off. You’ve been so good. One, two, three.”
He took it off, and everyone that Maggie Angel knew in Cypress Cove screamed, “Surprise!”
In front of Maggie, a completed rescue building. She was speechless. While she was in the hospital, her friends and family had set up the double-wide, landscaped the yard, built a huge enclosed deck around the entire trailer, fenced in the yard, and built a road and a gravel parking lot. And then she heard barking.
“Are there animals already?”
“Come on in,” Kelly said, going on her other side.
The others were staying at a respectable