NATALIE HANOVER
She nodded and he led her down the hall. He pointed to a door on the left. "That's the bathroom. The fixtures are old, but it's in working order."
"Glad to hear it," Natalie murmured. There were two doors on the right side of the bathroom and three directly across. "Are the rest bedrooms?"
"Yes. The kitchen's in the back of the house, at the end of the hall. I bought a brand new refrigerator and stove, but I still need to replace the sink."
"What are in the bedrooms?"
He flicked her a surprised glance. "Not much. Some boxes I haven't unpacked and … other stuff."
Natalie wondered what "other stuff" meant.
"Would you like to see the kitchen?"
"Honestly? I'm a little scared."
He laughed, and then the led the way.
Natalie asked, "So what's your big plan for the kids? I don't see any rolled up newspapers or doggie biscuits."
He frowned at her. "I told you—"
Natalie held up her hand. "It's joke, okay? You know—ha, ha?"
"Oh," he said. "Maybe if it had been funny I would have known."
She put her hands against her cheeks and gave him a look of mock horror. "Is that a sense of humor creeping out? My goodness. You better tuck that back in before someone sees it."
He gave her slight smile. "I guess I have been a little—"
"Grumpy? Cantankerous? Moody?" Natalie supplied helpfully.
"I was going to say serious."
She grinned at him then studied the kitchen.
Above the ceramic-tiled counter that housed an old two-basin sink were several empty wood and glass cabinets.
Yellow wallpaper hung in wilted strips around the available wall space. The refrigerator, which she noted had an icemaker, and a gleaming stove were both a creamy white color.
The best part, though, was the circular breakfast nook at the very back. Afternoon sunshine streamed through the tall windows.
Natalie went and stood in the sunlight, imagining a beautiful oak table in the center and peach curtains draped stylishly across the lovely panes.
She snapped out of her reverie.
This was Garrett's kitchen. What the heck was she doing dreaming about it? He could have a card table and polka dot blinds for all she cared.
She bit her lower lip and looked at Garrett. His eyes searched her face. She wondered if he'd been able to divine her thoughts, and then shook the silly idea away. The man couldn't read minds.
Natalie drew a deep breath when he joined her in the circle of sunshine. Light slanted across his cheekbones and his wonderful mouth.
Time seemed to stand still.
She could see the blue-black highlights in his dark hair and wondered if it was a silky as it looked. He stepped closer and all Natalie heard was the pounding of her heart and the soft sounds of their breathing.
She looked into his blue, blue eyes. For the longest moment, they stood there, connected.
"Mommy, Dr. Garrett." Andie's enthusiastic voice split the silence.
Garrett jumped away from her as if he'd been slapped. He stepped out of the sunshine and back into the darker, cooler part of the kitchen.
She stared at him, concerned about his reaction, and then lowered her head. She should be concerned about her own reaction, she thought in embarrassment. Heat flooded her cheeks.
How had he held her hostage with his gaze?
Andie appeared in the kitchen. Dirt smudged her cheeks and clothes, bits of straw stuck out of her hair, but her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Hey, Dr. Garrett," she said. "I found Rigby. She's in the barn."
"He," Garrett corrected gently. "Rigby's a boy dog."
Her eyes widened. "Wooooow," she breathed. "I didn't know boy dogs could have puppies!"
Natalie looked at her daughter. She'd made sure Andie was aware of the differences between boys and girls and that babies didn't come in packages from storks. Although the kid had a big imagination, she knew what was real and what wasn't.
"Andie, are you sure?" Garrett asked.
"Yep. One's already come out. Sylvie told me to come get you because it looks like the mama doesn't feel good."
They raced out the back kitchen door to the barn. Although light filtered eagerly through wide cracks, darkness still infiltrated some areas. A dog's whimpering echoed from the back right corner. Andie sprinted ahead, and Natalie and Garrett followed.
In the hay was a haggard, thin Irish setter heaving another life into the straw. One furry bundle nosed around the dog's stomach. Sylvie was stroking the dog's head, murmuring comforting sounds. Mike sat next to Sylvie, petting the canine's back.
"You've got to do something," Sylvie whispered. "She's sick."
Natalie looked at Garrett and saw him grimace. He knelt next to the dog and felt her belly.
The animal emitted a weak growl, but could barely move her head.
"There are at least two more in there," Garrett said. "I don't know how much I can do for her."
As the squirming, wet puppy was deposited into the hay, another one began its journey from the mother's womb into the world. The dog whimpered, her body trembling with the effort. When the last one slipped from the animal's body, Garrett felt her belly again.
"Four. That's it," Garrett said. Natalie watched as he placed the puppies near the mother's head. She weakly tried to lick them clean, but eventually gave up. "Sylvie, Mike, go into the house and get some wet washcloths from the bathroom."
The kids hurried out of the barn.
Natalie glanced at Garrett. "Will she be all right?"
When he met her gaze, worry was evident in his blue eyes. "I don't know. She's starving, probably suffering from malnutrition. Even if she could forage some food, the puppies sapped whatever energy she might have gained. I imagine she has a tick and flea problem and more than likely worms. I can check her later when she's feeling better."
"Can you make the doggie not be sick anymore?" Andie asked.
"I'll try, honey," Garrett answered.
The kids returned with the wash cloths and Garrett showed them how to gently rub the puppies clean. Then he put the pups next to the mother. They nosed around until each had found a nipple.
"I'll have to get a supplement," Garrett said. "I don't think she'll have enough milk to keep them nourished. But they still need to suckle."
"Maybe we should let her rest," Natalie suggested.
"That's a good idea," he said. "I'm going to check a few more things and I'll be right out."
Natalie nodded and then herded the reluctant kids out of the barn.
"Mom," Sylvie said in a quiet voice, as they plunged through the high grass towards the house. "Garrett knows what to do, right?"
"Yes, honey."
Andie spoke up, "I like Dr. Garrett. He's cool. He's probably not afraid of spiders or frogs. But I wished he had some chickens."
Natalie looked at her son who was, as usual, quiet. His head was bent, but she could see him biting his lower lip.
"Mike, is something wrong?"
"No." He looked at her, his eyes filled with an emotion she didn't recognize. "Why did Garrett bring us here?"
Natalie frowned. She wished she knew the answer to that herself. "He said he had a plan."
"This is dumb," Mike said. "I don't want him to tell me what to do. Can we just go home?"
"Honey, we talked about this. Four days and it's over. And we'll have some extra money."
"I don't care about the money," Mike said in a sulky voice. He stopped walking, forcing everyone else to stop as well. "I want to go home right now."
"Mike, grow up," Sylvie interrupted. "You can't have your way all the time. We all agreed to this before Mom signed the contract. We can't back out, so just get over it."
"Shut up, brace face," Mike said.
"Make me, Geekoid," she retorted.
"Snake woman," he flung back.
"Slimy subhuman!"
"Enough!" Natalie said in an exasperated voice. "Stop fighting. We've agreed to four days. We gave our word and we won't back out."
"But Mom," Mike whined. "It's not fair."
"Why isn't it fair? You agreed to it," Natalie said, reaching over to ruffle his hair. He slapped her hand away and she looked at him in shock.
"You can't make me stay here," he yelled. Then he turned around and ran toward the forested area behind the barn.
"Mike!" Natalie yelled, but her son didn't stop running. He disappeared into the trees without ever looking back.
Natalie turned to Sylvie. "What's got into him lately?"
"You walk around him on eggshells because he's so sensitive." Her daughter did finger quotes as she said "sensitive." "He probably sees Garrett as a threat. He's the only guy who's been around since Dad died."
Natalie frowned. She had been on eggshells around her son since Michael died. She'd wanted to give Mike time to deal with his father's death. She had wanted to be understanding and patient, but maybe she should have pushed him a little harder. Time had slipped away, along with her son.
"I'll go get him," Natalie said. "Just when did you get so smart, young lady?"
"I take after my mom," Sylvie answered with a smile. Natalie hugged her then turned around and headed toward the forest.
"Hey, Mom," Sylvie hollered. "Where did Andie go?"
Natalie sighed. Two missing children. Didn't look like she was going to get nominated for the mother-of-the-year award. She changed directions and started toward the barn. "I'll get Garrett to help us," she called out to Sylvie. "You go search the house for Andie."
Sylvie waved and went to the house and Natalie jogged toward the barn. Could this day possibly get any worse?