Chapters (59)
- COVER
- About the Author
- DEDICATION
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- Acknowledgments
- THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
‘Dusty,’ I cried, more frantically this time. I ran into the backyard and double-checked. My eyes welled as I repeated his name – nothing.
I slipped into shoes and pulled the door shut, made my way down the driveway. ‘Dusty!’
Running down the road, the remaining bits of ice and frost licking my ankles, I headed toward Maggie’s house – maybe she’d seen him, or maybe – god – she’d seen Davis. I was out of breath by the time I got to her porch, and I knocked three times, loudly.
Within seconds, Maggie opened the door. ‘Lucy,’ she said. ‘I was –’
‘Dusty!’
His furry little body rushed forward, his paws scratching my ankles, and I knelt, scooping him into my arms as I burst into tears.
‘Oh dear,’ Maggie said.
‘You had him?’ I asked as Dusty licked the salt from my cheeks. ‘Why?’
‘I spotted him running down the road,’ she said. ‘Luckily, I was able to rush out and call him in.’
‘Why didn’t you come over?’ I snapped. ‘Or leave a note?’
She stiffened, taking a step back, hand reaching for the door.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I just got home, and Dusty wasn’t there, and –’
‘I did. I went over right away, but you weren’t there. Then I realized the memorial was still going. The Daily Freeman said it lasted until noon,’ Maggie said. ‘I didn’t know you’d returned early.’
Dusty squirmed, but I only held him tighter.
‘And it’s not my fault he got out,’ she said, lips pursed. ‘Set up like it is, it’s no wonder he did. You have to be careful.’
‘What do you mean?’
She slipped her feet into a pair of Crocs, then pulled on her coat. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘I’ll show you.’
She led me back to my cottage, but when we reached the property, she headed to the fence at the back. She hunched over and pointed to a spot where the ground sloped downward, creating a slim gap at the bottom of the fencing. ‘I noticed it when I came over with him to find you.’
‘You think Dusty got through that?’ I asked.
‘Oh, absolutely,’ she said, eyes widening. ‘Little dogs like him, their rib cages compress. They can scurry into tight spaces. It’s the way they’re bred. It looks like the ground has eroded a bit in this spot, maybe from the snow or rain creating mud. He could have seen a squirrel and chased it out.’
My eyes scanned the opening, my breath catching in my throat, my body going numb.