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Every move in my life was done with him in mind.
“You never have to ask.”
I flicked my chin at him in gratitude. What would I do without these two?
“I get to keep my own bathroom.” Beau did a little happy dance. I smacked my knee against hers. She threw a piece of ice at me, which I caught and popped into my mouth. As I crunched, she gripped my thigh, her expression turning serious. “What he said today . . . he was out of line. She wanted all of us to be happy.”
A searing pain knifed through my chest. Beau had been too young to really know how our mother would’ve felt. Hell, I didn’t know either and I’d been her shadow.
She was gone. And there was nothing that would change that.
I glanced around at all of our sullen faces.
“Then why are we all so miserable?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Pepper
This is stupid.
I hesitated and ducked behind a building out of the wind. Five days had passed since the guys had put together the kennels. The dogs were happy with their new safe spaces . . . and the daily barrage of treats and toys that had followed.
I hadn’t seen or heard from Teague. Not that I’d expected to.
But he was present in every squeak of a toy, every crunch of one of Garrison’s dog biscuits, and every lap of water out of one of the new bowls that had magically appeared.
I peered around the corner. The firehouse door was up. A couple of guys I didn’t recognize milled around out front. I should’ve brought Miss Adeline. She’d recognize them from the calendar.
Why I’d woken bound and determined to thank Teague in person was beyond me. I was grateful for all he’d done. It felt wrong to be showered with his gifts and not find a way to express my gratitude.
All it took was a little reconnaissance work from Miss Adeline’s new fans to find him. He was back at work. And this was the station.
Nerves spiked as I stared at the firehouse.
I looked down at my overalls.
Why hadn’t I changed clothes before I set off on this crazy endeavor?
Because as soon as Miss Adeline found out what I was up to, she’d shoved me out the door. The woman knew me too well. I’d overthink and lose my courage.
Like I was now.
“Just go over there.” Now I’d resorted to talking to myself. Great.
Yet my feet didn’t move.
What if he didn’t want to see me?
He’s been sending deliveries every day.For the dogs. Not me.
But I was an extension of them. And if they couldn’t say their thanks, I would.
I took a step forward. Then another.
How did he afford all this stuff? Nothing he’d sent was cheap. I’d overheard the guys mention they hadn’t had a pay raise in three years.
Obviously his family looked as if they had money, but that didn’t mean Teague did.
