Cottage by the Sea

  Since Teresa had become pregnant with Britt while a teenager herself, Annie hoped that the girl would be willing to confide in her mother. It was entirely understandable that she wouldn’t want her stepfather to know.

  Britt had refused to name the father. If Annie were to guess, she would say it was Jimmy, but that was speculation on her part. She’d noticed the way he looked at Britt and saw the love in his eyes. Clearly, he idolized her. A couple times she’d seen the two of them together in town, holding hands.

  A keening howl cut into the night, slicing through the silence, jarring Annie. It sounded like a werewolf from a horror story. Climbing out of bed, she went to the kitchen and peered out the window over the sink. A large shadow silhouetted by the moonlight moved across the yard toward Mellie’s.

  Standing on her tiptoes to get a better look, she recognized Keaton.

  It was well past midnight; she couldn’t imagine what he’d be doing at Mellie’s this late, until she noticed he carried what looked to be an injured animal in his arms. As he approached, the door opened, indicating that her landlord had anticipated his arrival. This was too strange. Annie had never seen Mellie open the door for any reason.

  Wanting to know what was going on, Annie grabbed her jeans and sweatshirt and slipped into a pair of Converse, determined to see if she could help. Her immediate concern was that the injured dog was Lennon. Although she had no experience treating animals, she did have a medical background and might be able to assist in some way.

  Racing across the yard, she found the door unlocked and let herself in. Hearing voices down the hall, she called for Keaton, believing Mellie wouldn’t be nearly as welcoming.

  Keaton rounded the corner and met her.

  “Is it Lennon?” she asked, her voice tight with worry.

  “No.”

  Her relief was instantaneous.

  “I was worried,” Annie said. “I saw you carrying a dog.”

  His hands clenched her upper arms, his eyes delving into hers, looking at her like she was precious beyond measure. “I found him on the side of the road. He’d been hit by a car.”

  “Can I help?”

  “It doesn’t look good.” His voice was tinged with sadness. “Mellie’s with him now.”

  “She knows what to do?”

  He nodded. “She’s good in situations like this.”

  This apparently was a regular occurrence, which left her wondering about his involvement in animal rescue. He had brought her Ringo. It seemed Keaton’s heart was as big as the rest of him. “You do this sort of thing often?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “Often enough.”

  “You and Mellie?”

  “I find hurt and neglected animals.”

  “And bring them to Mellie?”

  “Mellie and Preston. He’s at the animal shelter, but with limited funding, Preston can only do so much. Mellie has a gift with these animals. I can’t really explain how she does it; she has this knack of soothing them, gaining their trust. First time I saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

  “Keaton.” Annie gasped. She cupped her hands against the sides of his face. It meant so much to her when he spoke in full sentences, as she knew it meant he trusted her. “I love hearing your voice.”

  His eyes narrowed, as if nothing had changed. “I always talk to you.”

  She wanted to ask him to continue talking for the simple pleasure of hearing his voice. This was a wonderful display of his feelings for her, an indication that he was making himself vulnerable to her.

  His eyes brightened with his smile. “I’ve been known to talk nonstop.”

  “Well, not to me. Not until this evening.” She wanted to kiss him so he’d know how pleased she was.

  Before she could, Mellie appeared in the doorway, her look decidedly unfriendly.

  “He speaks to those he trusts. I’m not confident you deserve that trust. Prove me wrong and you know what it means.”

  Annie was about to assure her landlord, for yet another time, when the woman continued, clearly unhappy to see Annie in her home again. “Who said you could come into the house?”

  “I came to see if I could help,” she explained.

  “It’s too late. The dog died.”

  Annie’s heart sank, and she noticed Keaton’s shoulders slouch forward and his head drop.

  “Oh no,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

  Mellie wove her way through the maze that was her kitchen, washed her hands, and then filled the teapot with water before setting it on the burner.

  Annie reached for Keaton’s hand and gave it a squeeze, letting him know she shared his disappointment.

  “Keaton can’t save them all,” Mellie muttered, “although God knows he tries.”

  Here was a completely different facet of this man Annie knew so little about. He looped his arm around her shoulders and brought her close to his side as though seeking her warmth. Standing side by side with him, she again became aware of how tall and strong he was.

  Seeing the affection between the two of them, Mellie shook her head and muttered, “Might as well stay now that you’re here.”

  An invitation from Mellie! That was noteworthy. “I must be growing on you,” she said, sharing a smile with Keaton.

  “Not really,” Mellie snapped.

  “You like me,” Annie insisted. “You just don’t want to admit it.”

  “I like you about as much as I like going to the dentist.”

  “You go to the dentist?”

  “No. Haven’t been in years.” She took three cups out of the sink, washed them, and set them on what little space was available on the kitchen counter.

  Keaton left her side to reach for a pair of medical rubber gloves from a box on the table. It was buried amid piles of useless papers and would have gone unnoticed if he hadn’t called her attention to it.

  With her back to Annie, Mellie continued chatting. “If Keaton’s talking to you, then I figure I’ll give you a chance. Not that you deserve it.”

  “I did share my favorite books with you,” Annie reminded her.

  Mellie made a huffing noise to discount the gesture. She made it sound like those novels were little more than a nuisance to her.

  While they were talking, Keaton left the kitchen and disappeared down the hall. Annie heard another door open and close.

  “He went to bury the dog,” Mellie explained before Annie could ask. “Does something to him every time he finds an animal too late to help. He brought in an abused dog a while back and I swear he had tears in his eyes.”

  “Did that dog make it?”

  “He lived. Thankfully, Keaton reached him in time. Poor thing was skin and bones; he’d nearly been starved to death. He was in rough shape physically and psychologically. Kept him for weeks, gaining his trust. Didn’t think he’d adjust. Preston helped. Found him a good home. Have to say, I miss having him around.”

  Annie had heard Preston’s name mentioned several times but had never met the man. From conversations with Keaton, she understood his friend managed the local animal shelter.

  “I can come by to visit if you’re interested in having company on occasion.” Annie was only half serious but hoped Mellie would take her up on the offer.

  Mellie snorted. “I’d rather have an IRS audit.”

  Oh well, Annie had tried. The teakettle whistled, and Mellie poured the boiling water into a ceramic pot. “Didn’t know you were such a jokester.”

  “Hey, I was serious.”

  “So was I. Was that teapot your grandmother’s?” Annie asked.

  Turning around so that her back was to her, Mellie nodded. “Grams loved her tea. She brewed a pot every afternoon; she and Gramps would sit on the porch together on the swing that he built. Funny thing was they didn’t talk much—just sat and dr
ank tea. Asked Gramps about it once and he told me that after fifty-five years of marriage, they’d discussed about everything that needed to be said.”

  Annie swallowed against the growing thickness in her throat. Her parents never would have the opportunity to grow old together. Yet another reminder that the tragedy had robbed her parents and Mike and his family of a future together.

  Annie remembered a phone call she’d had with her sister-in-law only a few weeks before that Thanksgiving. Kelly mentioned that she and Mike were hoping to add to their family. For all anyone knew, Kelly might have been pregnant.

  Tears welled in her eyes, and rather than embarrass herself, Annie blinked and glanced toward the door, ready to make an excuse to leave.

  “Hey,” Mellie said, “what’s going on?” While the words were gruff, her voice wasn’t.

  “Sorry…I lost both my parents.”

  “Both? At the same time?”

  Annie nodded. And swallowed against the hard knot in her throat.

  “That’s rough.”

  “Yeah, it is. I’d like to think they would have enjoyed time in their retirement years on the porch the way your grandparents did.” Embarrassed now, Annie quickly added, “I need to get back…Sorry to rush off.” She knew she sounded abrupt and panicky. Not wanting to explain anything more or give details, Annie hurried away.

  She smeared the moisture across her cheeks, sniffling as she practically raced back to the cottage. Once inside, she fell with her back against the door. She took in deep, uneven breaths, hoping to quell her thoughts.

  These bouts of tears came at the oddest times. A comment, a memory, just something little and seemingly meaningless and Annie would be tossed back emotionally to the first few weeks following the accident. When that happened, it was difficult to breathe. It was all she could do to hold herself together.

  When she felt collected enough to move, she straightened, reached for a tissue, and blew her nose, her hands trembling. She couldn’t begin to imagine what Mellie must be thinking. Later, when she was ready, she’d apologize and explain further. It wouldn’t be soon, though. Annie avoided any discussion of the disaster; no one in this community was even aware of it, or how it continued to impact her life.

  A knock sounded against her door. It could only be Keaton.

  Opening it, she silently invited him inside and walked straight into his arms. He held her tightly against him, his thick arms wrapped completely around her, making her feel small and protected.

  “Mellie said you lost your parents?”

  Annie nodded, not wanting to talk about the tragedy. “Can you just hold me for a few minutes. No questions?”

  His grip tightened slightly. “Of course.”

  “Thank you.”

  “If Mellie pressured you for details…”

  “She didn’t. Be quiet.” Realizing how crazy it was to tell Keaton to keep silent, she started to laugh. The humor started low in her belly and worked its way up into her chest and finally escaped on a high-pitched sob that came out sounding like a braying donkey.

  “Annie.” Keaton sounded genuinely concerned now.

  “Sorry, I’m fine. Really.”

  He led her to the sofa and sat them both down. “You don’t sound like it.”

  “It’s just funny,” she said, still trying to control the urge to giggle.

  It seemed impossible that he didn’t see the irony of what she’d said. “Don’t you see how ridiculous that was? Me asking you to be quiet?”

  She could tell he was amused because he smiled, his mouth at the crown of her head. “Gotcha.”

  He did have her, in more ways than he realized.

  “I’m sorry about the dog.”

  “Me too. I don’t know what people think,” he said, his voice raw with anger. “Because this is a beach town, tourists bring dogs and cats they no longer want and leave them here to fend for themselves. I can’t even guess what these people think will happen to these animals.”

  Annie was horrified. “What? People do that?”

  “More than anyone realizes. I do what I can. Preston helps. Mellie, too. People call and report seeing strays wandering around town. Preston doesn’t have the time or the staff to go looking, so I do what I can. We try to find them before it’s too late, but it takes time and effort.”

  “How do you locate them?” she asked, her heart hurting for those poor abandoned animals.

  “Preston gets a report and lets me know the last place they were spotted. I set out food and then stay and wait, hoping to attract the animal so I can bring him into the shelter.”

  There was so much more to this man than she had ever realized. “Can I go with you sometime?”

  He leaned away from her and she assumed he was looking to evaluate her sincerity. “I’d like that.”

  “I would, too.” Any time spent with Keaton was good. She wanted to learn more about him, why he chose to speak so rarely, and what had led him to be a fearless advocate for animals.

  His hold on her gradually loosened.

  A chill came over her outside his arms, and she immediately felt the loss of his warmth and gentleness. His touch surprised her every time; he was unexpectedly tender for a man his size.

  “You okay now?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Did you rescue Lennon?” she wanted to know, hating the thought that anyone would heartlessly abandon a defenseless dog at the beach. She’d come to care about Keaton’s lumbering companion.

  “It was a few years back now. Found him in the nick of time.”

  “No,” she cried, unable to bear the thought of Lennon being cast aside like unwanted garbage.

  “It happens, Annie. And the horrors these animals suffer would break your heart.”

  “Let me go with you the next time.”

  “You have the stomach for this?”

  “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.”

  “Okay, then. How about tomorrow night?”

  “It’s a date.”

  This wasn’t exactly a night on the town, and yet she’d never looked forward to going out with any other man more than she did with Seth Keaton.

  CHAPTER 19

  The next two nights Annie went out with Keaton on search-and-rescue missions. On the second night, by chance they found a feral mother cat who’d delivered her babies in a deserted drainage pipe. It took some effort for Keaton to cage her and to deliver the mother and litter to Preston at the animal shelter.

  This was Annie’s first time meeting Preston. He was a thin, wiry man with thick eyebrows and the kindest eyes she could ever remember seeing in a man.

  “Annie,” he said, greeting her cheerfully. “Heard about you.”

  She looked to Keaton and wondered under what context he had mentioned her.

  “Not from him,” Preston said, shaking his head. “Keaton’s pretty tight-lipped about the people in his life, especially you. Guess he’s nervous I’d try to steal you away,” he teased, and then laughed. “Actually, it was Mellie who mentioned you.”

  “Mellie did?” Annie looked to Keaton and grinned proudly. “Told you I was growing on her.”

  Preston’s thick brows bent upward. “She wants everyone to think she has a hard heart, but Keaton and I know better.”

  “I’m beginning to see her soft spots myself.”

  Preston gave Annie a tour of the shelter and she saw how hard he and his staff worked to locate good homes for the animals. She had Ringo, thanks to Keaton, and toyed with the idea of adopting one of the feral cat’s litter once it was weaned. She’d wait and see if homes were found for them first.

  It was late when they left the shelter. Annie leaned her head against Keaton’s shoulder as he drove his pickup to the cottage, straining against the seatbelt.

  “You’re quiet this evening. Tired?”
he asked.

  “Not any more than usual. Just thinking about some things.”

  “Like?”

  She couldn’t discuss her work, and had continued to mull over Britt and the pregnancy. Since seeing the teenager at the clinic, Annie hadn’t had a chance to talk to Britt, other than a few snippets of conversation in the mornings. Annie had noticed how pale she looked, and Annie feared she was barely holding it together. It wasn’t only Britt, either. Annie had given a lot of thought to Teresa, too, and how best she could help her. She was a good person. Earlier in the week Annie received a note addressed to her at the clinic from Teresa, apologizing for Carl’s behavior and thanking her for the job offer but that she would need to refuse.

  Annie had other worries, too. Dr. Bainbridge was at retirement age and eager to slow down and travel with his wife. Recently he’d confided in her his concerns for the clinic and what would happen if he retired completely.

  “What’s on your mind?” Keaton asked. He seemed to enjoy having her lean against him and reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before entwining their fingers to encourage her confidence.

  An idea had been brewing in her mind about Britt and Teresa, an idea in which Mellie would play a key role. Keaton would be a good sounding board, so she decided to discuss it with him.

  “Who does Mellie let into the house?”

  If Keaton found the question odd, he didn’t mention it. “Me, Preston, and now you.”

  “You can’t count me,” she murmured. “I sort of let myself in.” She smiled, thinking of how disgruntled Mellie became when Annie came inside uninvited.

  “Yes, but you notice she didn’t kick you out. If she wanted you out, it would have happened.”

  “Don’t kid yourself; she was tempted,” Annie said. Holding her breath for a moment, she plunged ahead. “I was shocked when I saw the condition of the kitchen.”