Page 38 of Sometimes You Stay

Stopping at Bella’s kennel after dropping off the base of the bed, he squatted beside her and ran a hand over her stomach. “Hey, girl. How you doing?”

From her spot lying on fresh hay, she gave a few labored pants and drooled on his boot.

“Pretty exhausted, eh?”

She let him give her another gentle rub, and he could feel the little ones moving around inside. “It won’t be long now, girl. We’ll get you all set up in a nice spot.”

Bella let out a tired woof, and he pushed her water bowl and food dish closer. When he stepped out of the den and locked the door behind him, he caught Cretia staring. Unlike him, she didn’t look away. She only leaned on the wooden handle of the broom and cocked her head to the side.

“How soon will it be?”

“Few days. Maybe a week. She won’t let me touch her stomach right before they come. But I want to get her bed all set up so she has some time to get settled in.”

“You’re—” Cretia bit her lip, her eyes narrowing, zeroing in on him until he could feel every bit of her inspection. And he wanted to pass it. “I’ve never met—” Her eyes flew open, and her tan cheeks took on that rosy tint he’d seen a few times. “I mean, I’ve never been around dogs like this before. You must love it.”

That was not what she’d been about to say. He was one hundred percent sure of that. Maybe she was working on the inside processing. Probably. And maybe he should take a few cues from her in that department.

Biting back all the worries and fears that came with running a family business and carrying on his name’s legacy, hemerely nodded. “Let me just get my tools, and we can put the bed together.”

When he returned from the tack room a moment later, red metal toolbox in hand, she was giving him another intense survey.

“Why do you look like Handy Manny right now?”

“Handy who?”

“Handy Manny. Didn’t you watch that cartoon as a kid?”

Setting down his toolbox, he shook his head. “I played outside with the dogs, like little boys should.”

“Oh.” She blinked a few times, the smile slowly leaking from her eyes. “Right. Of course, that’s how kids should grow up.”

The sad tug at the corners of her mouth hit him like a bale of hay to the chest. “No, Cretia.” He grabbed for her hand but had no idea what to do with it once he had it clasped in his own. “I was kidding. I’m sorry. It was a bad joke. Honestly, my parents were cheap, and we never had cable. And my mom and I were my dad’s only help around here. I was outside most of the time, which means I probably missed out on all the good shows.”

She fought for a smile. “It was a cartoon about a handyman with talking tools. It wasn’t exactlyCitizen Kane.”

With a shrug, he confessed, “I’ve never seen that either.”

Now she gave him a real smile. Not dazzling, but truthful. “Neither have I.”

They stood in silence for a long moment, his hands still cradling hers, suspended between them. She didn’t pull away, but neither did she acknowledge it.

All the while, he wanted to know the answer to only one question so he never made the same mistake again.

What did I say to make you so sad?

But he couldn’t seem to form that particular question. Instead, he said, “Ready to build a bed?”

Cretia tugged her hand out of his grip with a nod and followed him into the room.

“I’m not so good with building things,” she said as he handed her one of the side boards. Finn quickly assured her they’d do it together.

A few minutes in, he knew she had underestimated her own skills. She had a knack for holding the boards just right and seemed to innately know which ends connected and where to hold the metal brackets so he could screw them into place.

Their roles required rather close quarters. Not that he was complaining as her shoulder brushed his again. It was such an innocent touch. So simple. Yet he couldn’t help the sudden catch in his breath or the way his stomach pitched. Her presence surrounded him. Filled him. Leveled him.

And he’d only known her for four days.

Granted, they’d started off fairly eventful. More than a little stressful. But the last three days had been almost mundane—just normal life. Running errands and feeding the animals and building a bed for Bella.

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