Man's Best Friend (The Dogmothers #5) - Roxanne St. Claire Page 0,45

fair to not hold him to promises he made when he was young and trying to get her back into his sleeping bag. But the fact was, Declan, for all his goodness and strength and loyalty and love, broke that promise so fast, her head spun just thinking about it. And he never even tried to fix it…yet.

“I bring water and a dog,” she called when the electrical hum stopped, coming closer to offer a bottle of water. “Thirsty?”

Putting the sander down, he pushed the plastic goggles he wore up over his hair, sliding into a grateful smile. “Parched. Thanks.”

He took the bottle and offered a casual toast, glancing past her to see Judah, snout-down in some bushes. “Look who’s been sprung.”

He took a sip and walked to Judah, crouching down to pet him. “How ya feelin’, big guy?” Judah looked up at him, slightly interested, then returned to whatever smelled better on the ground.

At the workbench, Evie checked out his progress. “How’s it going with the sixty-year-old window sashes?”

“Truth? Honey, you need entirely new windows in this place.” After petting Judah some more, he rose and came to stand next to her. “This is a Band-Aid that will allow them to open and close again. Not sure how great the insulation will be this winter, or what one decent storm could do.”

“All new windows?” She curled her lip. How much did she want to invest in making her family home beautiful when it wasn’t…hers? Maybe she should let the wealthy new homeowner worry about that.

“It would cost a fortune if you wanted to match these,” he said as if he could read her mind. “I think you’d need a real historic home specialist to do the job,” he said after swallowing a deep gulp of his water. “Speaking of historic homes, do you ever get used to the tourists gawking and taking pictures?” He gestured toward the street. “I’ve seen half a dozen today.”

“As long as they don’t bother me, I take it as a compliment for the house my ancestors built.”

He peered past her to the side of the house. “It needs work, but there’s no denying this house is a stunner.”

For some reason, hearing him say anything good about Gloriana House made her heart happy. “I’m so grateful for what you’re doing,” she said and wondered if he knew she meant so much more than helping with repairs. Being here, caring about this house, helping her…it meant the world.

“Then we’re even.” He pointed his head toward Judah. “He’s so much calmer than he was at the station. You’re like magic with animals, you know that?”

“He’s a simple creature, to be fair. He’s got a person and painkillers. Oh, I spoke to Dr. Rafferty,” she added. “They’re going to have a staff for me on Saturday, including an anesthesiologist and two nurses. They’re even letting me bring Molly into the OR. In fact, she’s on her way over now.”

“Molly is?”

“She has to do one more physical on Judah and sign an online form for approval to be in the OR.” At the sound of a car pulling into the long drive, she turned, seeing that old van that had been at Waterford. “Is that what Molly drives? I could swear that’s the same dog van your aunt Annie used to drive.”

He chuckled. “It is the same one. And not merely the make and model—it’s the very same vehicle.”

“Wow, it’s in good shape.”

“Molly never told you the story of how Trace found it and refurbished it? Ask her. And ask her why.”

“I will—”

“But not when Pru’s around, because she hates the story.” He led her out of the garage into the sunlight as the doors of the van opened, and more than just Molly climbed out. “And speaking of Prudence, there she is.”

A lanky teenage girl slipped out of the van, followed by Gramma Finnie and Yiayia. Then Molly reached into the van and emerged holding Danny, her baby who probably wasn’t even eighteen months old yet.

“Oh boy,” Evie whispered.

“And not just any boy,” Declan added. “Hide the china. That kid is a human tornado.”

Sensing the new arrivals, Judah lifted his head and barked, starting toward the small group as they came up the driveway.

“I got him,” Declan said, carefully stopping the dog without putting any pressure on his neck. “You go greet the guests.”

She met the little party halfway down the long drive, waving and laughing when Molly put Danny down, and he toddled forward, arms outstretched toward