Page 84 of 15 Summers Later

Their lives were so intertwined.

How would all those other relationships—Nicole, Sierra, Tilly—be impacted if Madi and Luke formed a relationship? And what if it didn’t work out between them? The awkwardness and discomfort for both of them would be monumental.

On the other hand, Ava couldn’t deny they made an adorable couple. She thought of Luke’s watchful concern for Madi, his careful mentoring, his support of the animal rescue. He really was perfect for her sister, if only Madi could recognize it.

What could she do to push them together? Should she even try, when she wasn’t in a particularly good place right now to be optimistic about other people’s relationships, given what a mess her own marriage was in?

“Thanks again for your help tonight,” Madi said as she pulled up to the clinic. Luke wasn’t there yet, as he had been behind them. “A rescue wasn’t exactly what we had planned for our evening’s entertainment but we couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I’m glad I was there,” she said.

There had been something infinitely rewarding about knowing they had saved two dogs, animals that likely would have suffered an unfortunate fate in conditions for which they were ill-equipped.

She knew how that felt.

“I’m not sure I could have made it down into that dark hole, even if I weren’t pregnant,” she said quietly to her sister. “You were remarkable. Youareremarkable.”

Madi gazed at her in consternation. “Okay. Are you sure you didn’t bump your head out there on the trail? Or maybe you’re delirious with dehydration.”

Ava frowned. “I’m not concussed or delirious. Only...honored to be your sister.”

Madi looked stunned. Before she could reply, Luke pulled up beside them. Madi seemed as grateful for the distraction as Ava was.

With a last baffled look at her, Madi hopped out of the truck and headed over to help Luke unload the animals.

“I can help you carry the crate with the border collie.”

“That’s probably the safest way to move him. Good idea,” Luke said to Madi.

“Ava, can you help with Gracie? She seems to like you. She’ll probably need to find a patch of grass after all that water they drank up in the mountains.”

Before Ava quite realized what was happening, Madi had attached a leash to the corgi’s collar and handed the end to Ava.

“Hi again,” she said to the dog.

As Madi and Luke carried the crate into the clinic, the corgi growled after them.

“It’s all right. He’s not going anywhere. You can stay together,” she promised.

As if she understood, the dog licked Ava’s hand, then waddled on her short legs to the grass.

Ava found it deeply touching when the corgi returned to her side for reassurance before going out to the grass again.

You don’t like dogs, remember?

It was hard to keep that in mind when she was facing this brave, loyal little thing who had stayed by her friend’s side under harrowing conditions.

Ava hadn’t been as loyal to her sister. After she received a full-ride scholarship offer to attend college in Oregon, Ava had only been too quick to leave Madi behind with their grandmother.

Madi had seemed to settle into the rhythm of life here in Emerald Creek in a way that Ava never had. Ava had been happy to leave Emerald Creek and the nearby mountains that held so many hard memories.

She was even happier when she’d met Cullen as she was finishing her graduate degree.

Gradually her visits back to visit Leona and Madi had trickled to maybe once a year for the holidays.

She knew she had stayed away mostly out of guilt. She hated that Madi hadn’t achieved her own dream of becoming a veterinarian. Seeing her sister struggling with words or unable to complete a task because of her physical limitations made Ava want to weep.

She was the older sister and it had been her job to watch out for her sister. Ava had never considered it a burden. She had adored Madi from the day her parents brought her home from the hospital and had always been so very grateful to have her for a sister.

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