Page 22 of Sometimes You Stay

He motioned for her to climb over the fence, which reached to just above her waist. Clearly he thought she was some sort of track and field star. She was the queen of walking tours and the occasional sprint to catch a train. But leaping fences was not on her résumé.

She shook her head firmly as he sized up her proportional height.

“Um ... do you mind if I ... again?” He was already leaning down to scoop her up and over, and before she could respond, her feet landed inside the corral.

“Do you do that a lot? Pick people up, I mean. It seems like you’ve had quite a bit of practice.”

He chuckled from somewhere low in his chest, the sound reverberating and making the dogs bark. “Not people so much.” He nodded toward Joe Jr. “Not until I met you anyway.”

She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to take that, but Finn didn’t stick around to clarify. Turning toward the puppies, he caught their attention and brought them into a line in the shadow of the barn. Holding out a treat between his fingers, he commanded them to sit, with mixed results. The two in the middle did as they were told. The one on the far left spun in a circle, chasing his tail, while the other caught sight of a dragonfly and leapt after it.

But the minute Finn rewarded the middle two with treatsfrom his pocket, the other two rushed him for equal treatment.

“Uh-uh,” he said firmly, holding his open hand toward their noses. After a few more attempts, they finally obeyed and received their biscuits. “Good boys,” he cooed, giving them extra ear scratches.

At her side Joe gave a littleruff, pressing his damp nose into her hand. Cretia stroked his soft fur from between his eyes to the back of his head, but she couldn’t take her gaze off Finn. He moved with a steady assurance that both commanded the dogs’ respect and spoke of a deep love for the little guys. Every action practiced yet relaxed, putting them all at ease.

“You want to come play with them?” he asked from his squatted position, pushing the sleeves of his gray Henley up to his elbows.

It took her a moment to realize he was talking to her, but she agreed before she could think about the consequences of getting on the ground with the black furballs in the only clothes she owned.

The pleading faces with big black eyes could not be denied, and she sat down in a particularly soft patch of grass. Joe circled at her side and plopped down along her thigh. Then four little bodies jumped against her, nearly sending her backward. Their warmth and silky coats invited hugs and snuggles.

“Meet John, Paul, George, and Ringo.”

“The Beatles?”

Finn shrugged as he stood and strolled toward them. “They’re definitely a Fab Four.”

Six

Most visitors to the barn looked at twenty-pound dogs and thought they were well on their way to full grown. They forgot that these Newfoundlands were barely puppies, complete with wiggling tails, squirming bodies, and heaps of energy.

Cretia seemed to have no such misconception.

Finn put his hands on his hips as he watched her play with them, her scratches teasing and joyful. There was no surprise and less fear in her expression, her eyes alight with laughter. And the puppies responded in kind, happy yips filling the yard.

“Ow!” she said, pulling back from Paul and giving him a soft glare and a contradictory belly rub.

“Sorry. They’re still a little bitey—new teeth and all.”

She looked at the side of her hand and laughed. “I noticed. But thanks for the warning.” Her smile returned in a flash, her attention back on the dogs. As she flipped her mass of dark waves over her shoulder, his stomach took a similar spin, and he nearly choked on his own tongue. His heart slammed into his ribs. Then again for good measure.

Sweet cinnamon rolls, she was beautiful.

It wasn’t just the way the sun made her black hair glow like obsidian or the deep tan of her skin or the pert line of her nose. It was all of those things and the slightly crooked front teeth in her smile. And the light in her eyes. And the dimple in her left cheek. And the joy in her laughter.

No wonder people watched videos of her exploring the world.

She was literally in his backyard, and he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her any more than the puppies could stay away or Joe Jr. could leave her side.

Finn squinted at the older dog, who lay along her leg, his chin resting on her knee and his eyes closed. Joe didn’t sit calmly beside anyone for very long. Even Finn. But five minutes in, he hadn’t moved a muscle, despite the Fab Four nipping at his ears and tail.

“Are you just going to stare at us, or are you going to join in?”

The tips of his ears burned, and Finn shoved his hands into his pockets as he dropped his gaze to his boots. “Sorry. You’re good with them. You have a dog when you were a kid?”

Something like pain flashed across her face, but she schooled it back to neutral so fast that he couldn’t fully identify the emotion. “No. We had ... cats. But I always wanted a puppy. Just a little one.”

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