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“Grace is tough,” Maggie said. “I’m willing to bet you never have to worry about her.”
Nodding, Gus knew what she said was true. Grace would be appalled if she knew he worried about what others thought of them. The relationship was sacred; he felt completely at ease with her, no shame over his failure to achieve big things. Even his own father and grandfather knew that willing the family mansion to Gus would be too much for him to manage, and after changing hands a few times, it now belonged to Val and Elizabeth, who graciously allowed him access any time he desired.
“Where are you going to do it? I mean, are you eloping?”
“We’ll go to the justice of the peace, but after Christmas I’m going to ask Val if we can do a reception there at the mansion,” he answered.
“Oh wow, that will be so lovely, Gus. When? I won’t crash it or anything.”
“Phooey,” he said, laughing. “You’d be our only guest if I was in charge. I’ll let Grace decide who else is invited.”
“Well, I can’t wait. There are so many weddings! My aunt’s, then Annie and Steve’s.”
Annie Markley, Maggie’s best friend, and Steve Casson, heir to the great Casson hardware store, were evidence of Maggie’s matchmaking skills.
“What about you and Justin?” Gus asked, grinning.
“No, I can tell you, Gus. We aren’t getting married anytime soon. There’s no need. But that’s another story. I’m so thrilled for you and Grace!”
They finished up lunch, and Gus helped her clean up.
“Apple pie?”
“Yes! The turkey is in the oven, and the apple pie is next.”
He sniffed the air. “I can smell sage.”
“Yes! Sage is in the stuffing,” she said.
“I’d better get back to the dock before I lose my job.”
“I’ll walk you out,” she said. “Come on, Brulee, one last stroll before your afternoon nap.”
After Gus took off, she got busy with the pie again, filling the pie shell with the apple mixture and covering it with an upper crust. She even tried decorating it with little dough leaves. It didn’t take long for the smell of cinnamon to overtake the aroma of the turkey.
By six, she showered, mashed a five-pound bag of potatoes, and made her mother’s layered salad. While she finished setting the table, the sound of Justin’s diesel truck filled the air, his headlights sweeping across the cottage windows.
“Daddy’s home!” she called to Brulee.
They ran out on the porch to greet Justin, his pleasure obvious as he exited the truck with a huge smile on his face. Everything about the scene before him just made him happy. Beautiful Maggie, her hair up in a bun, just enough tendrils curling around her face so that he’d know she’d been doing more than sitting in front of a computer all day. And Brulee, her ears alert but then folding down against her head when he blew her a kiss, her entire body wagging for him.
“Aw, look at you two. What a wonderful sight to come home to!”
“We have been excited all day,” Maggie said, holding the gate to the porch open for him. “There’s something in the air tonight. I can’t describe it.”
With one arm around her waist, he kissed her first, then bent down to pet the dog.
“Anticipation,” he said. “I feel it too. Everyone was stirred up at the clinic today. On edge, but excitedly.”
“Almost like it was on Halloween,” she said. “But today isn’t a holiday.”
He followed her into the cottage. “Wow, something smells good. Like Thanksgiving dinner.”
She glanced at him and laughed. “I just need to stick the rolls in the oven and we can eat. How’d your day go?”
“It was busy, but more bad news about the rescue in town. They lost their lease and have nowhere to go now. One month to find homes for all the animals they have, and in the meantime, they can’t take in any more rescues.”
This was news Maggie didn’t really want to hear. It felt overwhelming. Out of her hands. She did volunteer work with the wild horse group and had even allowed a band to be relocated to her property. Occasionally, she helped out at the rescue, too. Gossip that Cove Rescue was going to lose their lease had been circulating for months. But all of those poor dogs and cats and even a pig? How would they find homes for them in a month?
