Page 15 of Sometimes You Stay

With a chuckle, Finn walked toward the puppies in question. Stretching up on their back legs, they pawed at the fence, barking for dinner, a drink, and affection. “Not so new. They’re at least twenty pounds now.” Reaching through the chain links, he stroked the soft black fur, fluffy and mostly clean. For now. He’d given them all a bath after a romp in the pasture the night before, but two of them had thoroughly rolled in their hay bedding.

Ringo gnawed on his knuckle, his puppy teeth not quite sharp enough to break skin.

“Already? How are they shaping up? Ready to start training?”

Finn gave the four pups a harder perusal. “Good shape, strong. And good dispositions.”

“Good. Good.” There was a longing in his voice, and Finn knew that his dad would rather be training this litter than be anywhere else. Except at his wife’s side. But after almost a year of tests and more years of painful joints, his dad had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. He physically couldn’t keep up the business, so he’d passed it to Finn more than ten years before.

And his mom had done what she could always do. She’d talked her husband into her heart’s desire—a home with a harbor view in Summerside, steps from a coffee shop that was purported to have the island’s best oatmeal lemon bar.

“You can come visit anytime, you know,” Finn said.

“Same goes to you. Your mother was just saying we haven’t seen you in far too long. Busy saving damsels in distress, I suppose.”

Finn chuckled. “Cretia isn’t what I’d call distressed.” She would have marched out of the inn and probably all the way back to Charlottetown on a bum ankle if Marie hadn’t stopped her.

“Cretia? Sounds like you’re awfully friendly already.” There was a note of teasing in his voice, but Finn couldn’t defend himself fast enough.

“Well, I couldn’t carry someone whose name I didn’t know.”

He nearly bit off the tip of his tongue. He’d opened a world of questions without thinking about it.

“You carried her to the inn? You should have led with that.”

Before Finn could explain that it had all been quiteinnocent—and necessary—his father hollered away from the phone. “Bea! Come here! He picked her up and carried her.”

“What?” his mother shrieked from somewhere deeper inside the house. “Where? Why? Is he going to see her again? Soon? You know he’s in his mid-thirties. We were married at nineteen.”

Finn sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face.

That response was exactly why he hadn’t started by telling them that he’d held her in his arms. Cretia was a stranger. A strong, smart stranger—with long black eyelashes that shaded dark chocolate eyes. And high cheekbones. And smooth pink lips.

Not that he’d looked that closely. Besides, none of those things changed the fact that she wouldn’t be around long enough for him to get to know more than how her soft curves fit into arms.

Which had been nice.

Really nice.

Of course, he hadn’t given that more than a passing thought besides how she’d started off so stiff, pushing away from him, nearly fighting him. The fear that had clenched his gut when he’d nearly dropped her. And the moment she’d finally given in, sinking against his chest. Warm where they touched.

This was not a topic of conversation he was eager to have with his dad—and especially not his mom. Individually they’d dropped more than a hint or two that they’d like him to keep the family tree going. Together, they were relentless.

“She couldn’t walk. That’s all. I was just helping her get to the inn so she could dry off.”

“But you’re going to see her again?” his mom called from the background.

“Yes,” his dad said. “He already told me he’s going to help her replace her things. It was his fault she fell in, after all.”

His mom cried out, and he could picture her covering her mouth. “Oh, honey. No. Did you push her in?”

“What? Why would I push her in?” Raking his fingers through his hair, he sighed. “It was an accident.”

“Joe Jr.,” his dad supplied by way of explanation.

“Oh.” His mom didn’t need more.

“Listen, guys, I’ve got to finish feeding and spend some time with the pups.”

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