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He sat down in his favorite camp chair and stared out over the water.
Of course, he wouldn’t leave this paradise. No sane person would.
Except…
Except.
That damn text from Brielle Ives. He lifted one hip to grab his phone from his pocket. The text mocked him from the screen.
Dr. Will made mistakes and he’s the first to admit it. Bet you have made a few, too. But he loves you. The least you can do is give half a damn he’s missing.
And then the four little words that froze him to the bone:
I’m going after him.
The woman had no idea. None. His father put on a show of respectable veterinarian, but William Hunter was dangerous. He made bad choice after bad choice and owed money to all the wrong people. He was a ticking bomb in its final hour and Ellis didn’t want to be anywhere near him when that timer hit zero.
Brielle Ives was going to get herself killed.
It shouldn’t matter to him. He didn’t know her. Didn’t owe her anything. Let her figure out on her own that William destroyed lives. After all, he’d irrevocably damaged all three of his sons— Nate was practically a hermit, more interested in studying dead animals than interacting with the living, and Damian always acted like he had something to prove to the world. He had to be better, smarter, richer. He was never satisfied with the status quo.
And Ellis?
Yeah, he was fully aware he was damaged goods. It was why he lived in an RV. He never wanted to feel trapped anywhere ever again.
The least you can do is give half a damn…
Why? Why was it his responsibility to care about the man who had caused him nothing but harm? Or care that Brielle Ives was going to risk her life for that man?
It wasn’t.
He didn’t have to care.
He had no responsibilities.
That was the way he liked it.
And there was that dull burning in the center of his chest again. He pressed his palm to it and drew a breath. Just heartburn. Not regret.
The screen door creaked open and Ellis shifted in his seat to watch Peanut drag her blanket down the two metal steps from the RV. She made a nest of it in the sand beside his chair and cuddled into the folds.
Okay, he had one responsibility now.
With a light chuckle, he scooped her up, blanket and all, and settled her on his lap. She released a happy sigh and was sound asleep again in moments.
Life was strange.
He didn’t wake up this morning expecting to own a Chinese Crested puppy. And he certainly hadn’t thought he’d be seriously considering going home.
But here he was.
He rubbed his thumb over Peanut’s tuft of hair. “You’ll hate Alaska.” She lifted her head and stared up at him with her big brown eyes. He sighed. “Guess I’d better buy you some more sweaters.”
3
Anchorage, Alaska
Faraway Kennel was, in fact, far away from the city, tucked in a mountain valley even more remote than Northern Rescue Animal Hospital, which wasn’t exactly in the suburbs. And which Ellis couldn’t bring himself to visit. Not yet. It was bad enough being back in Anchorage.
