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“I missed you, too.”
Murphy wiggles his way between us, his tail wagging his whole body in absolute delight.
“Yes, I missed you, too, sweet boy.” I rub Murphy’s back and then follow Kane to the house. “What have you been up to?”
“Besides pining away after you?”
I roll my eyes, making him grin.
“I worked. And I had a chat with Maggie yesterday.”
“How is she?”
He sighs, then turns to me, eyeing my shoulder.
“What?”
“Are you up for a walk down on the beach?”
“Absolutely.”
“I don’t want it to hurt you.”
“I’m feeling much better, but I’ll be careful.”
Kane nods and motions for Murphy to run ahead down the path. The dog barks with excitement and then races ahead.
“He sure loves to play on the beach.”
Kane nods and takes my right hand, leading me down the path behind Murphy. He begins to tell me about his talk with Maggie. About the lies and the affairs. Hiding money and more lies. When we’ve reached the beach, and he’s filled me in completely, all I can do is stare at the water as it crashes on the sand.
“Wow.”
“Aye.”
“Poor Maggie.”
“Well, she was good and pissed yesterday, but the grief is there, as well,” he says and takes my hand to walk with me down the beach. “She’ll heal. It’ll take time.”
“My heart hurts for her,” I admit and take a deep breath, enjoying the way the salty air feels in my lungs. “I’ll have to call her and see if she needs anything.”
He stops walking and turns me to him, then cups my face in his hands.
“You’re a good woman, Anastasia.”
“I have moments.” I smile, but he doesn’t follow suit. His green eyes are sober as they peruse my face, as if he’s taking in every line, every detail. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong at all. I just want—”
“Bark! Bark!”
We’re interrupted by Murphy, who’s losing his ever-loving mind over at the tide pool, barking, snarling, and jumping about.
“What’s wrong with him?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” Kane says, walking away quickly toward his dog. I can’t run, as the motion jars my shoulder, but I hurry behind him and come to a stop beside Kane, staring down at…
“A baby seal?” I ask in surprise.
It’s hunkered down in the water, afraid of Murphy barking right in its face.
“Aye, it’s okay, little love.” Kane snaps his fingers, and Murphy immediately stops barking.
“Come here, boy,” I call, urging the dog away from the frightened seal, hoping that Kane can do something with it.
“We should leave it,” Kane says.
“But it’s a baby.”
“Newly born, that’s the truth,” he says.
“We can’t just leave it.”
“I’m sure its mother is around here somewhere. Murphy likely scared her off. If we leave, she’ll come collect her little one.”
“We don’t know that. What if he’s lost? What if the mom is dead? What if he’s all alone? Oh my God, Kane, we have to do something.”
He stops and stares at me. “Anastasia, look.”
He points off in the water. It takes a moment, but a little head pops up, breaching the surface, and a seal face watches us.
“Aw, the mama.”
“We need to leave them be,” Kane says again and motions for Murphy to go back up the trail toward home.
This time, I’m determined to take my time up the hill. I don’t have my purse or my inhaler on me, and there’s no need to try and impress anyone.
Being slow isn’t something to be ashamed of.
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
But, halfway up, I feel the familiar heaviness start to set into my lungs, and I have a moment of panic.
I don’t have my inhaler.
I’m at least ten minutes from the house. That’s too far.
“Here.”
I blink in surprise as Kane holds out an inhaler for me. I take it and take a puff. When I can talk again, I say, “Where did this come from?”
“My pocket.”
I frown.
“I want to be prepared.” He takes it back and tucks it into his pocket once more. “I’ll always have a spare on me, just in case.”
And with that, he walks up the hill toward home. I can’t help but think about how incredibly sweet Kane is. For someone as moody and intense as he can be at times, he’s the most thoughtful man I’ve ever been with.
It’s no wonder I’m head over heels in love with him.* * *It’s dark when I wake up. When we returned to the house, Kane suggested we lie on the bed and watch a movie, which I could never say no to. Spending a few hours in Kane’s arms? Yes, please.
Which is actually really funny because I’m so not a physically affectionate person. However, when it comes to Kane and his lean body, strong arms, and muscles for days on end, I can’t seem to get enough. His hands are working man’s hands, a bit rough from all of the work in the barn, but so strong.
