Page 8 of Always My Love

ChapterThree

What in the hell had gotten into her? She owned a puppy. A dog, before long.

“What now?” she asked Nick as they climbed back into his Jeep.

“Now?” He glanced over at the small fur ball she was holding and the one in his own lap. “Now I guess we head into town and get some supplies.” He smiled. “I honestly didn’t ask you along today to pressure you into getting a dog too.”

She chuckled. “The only one who pressured me was her.” She picked the dog up and kissed her, earning a tongue bath in return. “See, pure pressure.” She laughed.

Nick’s chuckle warmed her and made her relax even more around him.

It was almost as if she’d completely forgotten that he was a cop. A stranger. One that she was trying to keep from finding out more about her past.

“Are you really going to call him Blue?” she asked as they drove slowly towards town.

“Sure, it sort of suits him. Don’t you think?” he asked as she held both little dogs on her lap so he could drive.

She glanced down at the little dog and realized it really was a perfect name.

“I watched this show once, when I was a kid,” she started.

Nick chuckled and she glanced over at him. The sound sure was sexy. A deep rumble that had her insides vibrating.

“I think everyone watched Blue’s Clues when they were kids,” he said, his eyes on the road. She was thankful he didn’t see her frown at his reply.

She’d only watched a few moments of the show as she’d been passing by a storefront. She hadn’t known the name of it and only that the main character was a cute blue dog.

“Yellow doesn’t really seem like a fitting name for your little girl,” he said, glancing at her as they pulled into the parking lot at O’Neil’s Grocery.

“I guess I’ll have to think of a really good name. Maybe one will come to me,” she said with a shrug.

O’Neil’s had been owned by Patty O’Neil until a few weeks back, when Patty had passed away from cancer and left the store to Wyatt Auston.

Harper had liked Patty. Even though the older woman had tried to get information about hers and Hailey’s past, she’d been respectful enough to stop after the first few days of trying.

Then one day, Patty had taken her hand and pulled her aside in the store.

“Girl, I can see that you and your sister are running from darkness,” Patty said as she’d glanced up at Harper from her wheelchair. “I want you to know, whatever is chasing the pair of you, you have family and friends here that will defend you until the death. That’s the way this town is. Everyone here has run from one form of darkness or another. We’ve found peace here and not one person here will ever let harm come to one of our own. And child, you and your sister are one of ours now.” Patty had squeezed her hand lightly as a tear had slipped from Harper’s cheek.

She liked Wyatt and his fiancée, Hannah, just as much. The couple were in the process of moving into their new home up at Hidden Cove. Harper drove through the neighborhood often and dreamed of one day owning one of the homes.

Nick parked his Jeep and turned off the engine. “This might get a little crazy,” he said as he took Blue in his arms.

In the end, they decided it was easiest to put both puppies into a cart while they shopped for dog food, toys, dog beds, and other basic supplies.

Thankfully, Nick knew everything the little ones would need and whenever he placed an item in his cart, she grabbed one for Yellow as well.

Harper spent more than she’d expected but figured it was worth it as the puppy snuggled down and fell asleep in her lap on the trip home.

An hour later, after cleaning up the third puddle of pee on the hardwood floor, she seriously questioned her sanity.

Not only was the little girl barking at every shadow, but she was also peeing whenever she got scared or excited.

Thankfully, the first thing the sisters had done when they’d moved into the cabin was rip out all the old carpet. The smell coming from the mildewed carpet was more than either of them could bear. They’d found beautiful hardwood flooring underneath.

Most of the furniture had to be tossed out as well, but they’d kept a few items in hopes of fixing up or painting them.

The first few paychecks after they’d gotten jobs had been spent on used mattresses, a sofa, and a kitchen table and chairs from the secondhand store in Edgeview.