Page 5 of Always My Love

ChapterTwo

Nick was practically dancing on air as he drove up the hillside overlooking Pride towards Harper and Hailey’s uncle’s place.

Nick remembered Hank Davis well. The man had died shortly after Nick had left for basic training, apparently from complications of COPD. Most everyone who mentioned Hank Davis talked fondly about the man, who had once owned the tow truck company in town.

Nick remembered that some years back he’d sold his tow truck company to Robbie.

Nick had driven by the man’s house a few times in his life. The old cabin sat on the edge of the hillside just after the turn-off to the road to the Jordan and Stevens homes.

The old place had looked like it was falling in on itself the last time he’d seen it. Now, as he parked in front of the home, he was impressed at the improvements the sisters had made so far.

First off, the roof had new shingles and no longer looked like it was caving in. There was a fresh coat of paint on the outside of the house.

He parked beside Harper’s older car and headed up the stairs to knock on the front door.

The little cabin had a lot of potential. The porch needed a little work. Several boards under his feet were loose or practically falling apart.

When Harper answered the door, her long dark hair was tied in one of those long sloppy braids she wore often. She had on a pair of old jeans, a sweatshirt, and work boots.

“Hey,” she said with a frown. “You’re…”

He raised his eyebrows as she looked him over.

“I’m?” he asked when she didn’t finish.

She shook her head and took a deep breath. “I’m just not used to seeing you out of uniform.”

He smiled. “It’s my day off.”

She didn’t respond and just ran her eyes over him again as if she were trying to figure him out.

He motioned to his Jeep. “Ready? I told Aaron we’d be heading that way.”

“Sure.” She reached inside and grabbed the large backpack bag that she always carried like a purse and then followed him outside and locked up.

“I really appreciate this,” he said as he opened the Jeep door for her. “I’ve never picked out a dog before.” He climbed behind the wheel and added, “I’m sort of scared. I mean, it’s a huge commitment.”

“I’m sure it’ll be easy once you see them.”

“I don’t know. I mean, what if I get one that grows up to be rude?” He frowned as he pulled out of her driveway.

“Rude?” She chuckled. “Have you ever had a dog?”

He shrugged. “My parents had a few when we were growing up. You?”

She shook her head. “We had a bunch of wild cats that lived near us. We could never get close to them, except for one. One time Hailey got scratched trying to get too close and the scratch got infected. We both stopped trying to pet them after that.”

“How old were you?” he asked, pulling onto the main road.

“Hailey must have been six.” She thought about it. “I had to…” She dropped off suddenly and looked out the window.

“You had to…?” he asked.

“We had to clean it out until the infection went away,” she finished quickly. He got the impression that she was lying and wanted to change the subject.

“My parents are dog people.” He glanced at her briefly. “This is the first place I thought of coming after I left the military. I knew that after all the years of traveling, I had to come home.” He pulled into the driveway of the Stevens home.

“This is the longest we’ve been in one place. I guess the small-town life grows on you,” she said. “We thought it wouldn’t. You know, everyone knowing everyone else’s business.”