Page 33 of Home Changes
“There he is.” She smiled.
The truck rolled to a stop in front of the general store. Gomer jumped out the passenger side, landing gracefully before circling the truck to wait at therear door. The dog stood in a protective hover as Chester shuffled out, slow but steady. Gomer scooted back just far enough to give him space, then moved in line beside him.
Seth waited until his father was upright and headed for the bench before he shut the door and followed behind. Once Chester had settled with Gomer curled at his feet, Seth turned toward the bakery.
“Sharp dog,” Frank said as Amanda unwrapped a piece of taffy and popped it into his mouth. “Thank you,” he said as she laughed and walked across the bakery to the trash can.
Allison smiled. “He should be. He’s a retired military working dog. Tracking and drug detection were his specialties. Seth said he was a kennel master. Whatever that means. Apparently, the more rank he earned, the further they pushed him from the dogs.”
Frank’s eyebrows lifted, and he nodded. “Heard that from Ken.”
She smiled as she watched Seth ambling down the street. “From what I gather, he didn’t like being behind a desk. When they retired Gomer because of arthritis, Seth put in for adoption and flew out to bring him home himself.”
“Is Seth sticking around?” Frank asked, chewinghis taffy slowly while Amanda balanced the smaller boxes atop the larger one he now held in his arms.
“Yeah. His dad … isn’t doing too well. Seth’s his full-time caregiver now.”
Frank grunted. “Alzheimer’s?”
Allison’s smile was tinged with sadness. “Yeah. That’s what the doctors confirmed. Seth thinks part of the meanness that hit before he came home was from a UTI. The doctor speculated the same. Chester’s been on antibiotics, and he’s settled quite a bit since then. He’s calmer. Seems more like himself.”
Frank nodded thoughtfully as Amanda stepped to the door and opened it wide. She asked, “Ready to go, dear?”
Frank glanced down at the boxes piled in his arms. “I don’t think I’ve got room for anything else.”
Amanda laughed and held the door for him. “Bye, Allison. See you next week.”
“Take care,” Allison called, waving.
She looked past them just in time to see Seth nearing the bakery. But he stopped as Frank said something, and the two men stood for a moment talking. Frank gestured once toward the general store, then toward Seth’s truck. Amanda, meanwhile, unloaded the boxes from Frank’s arms into the back of their vehicle.
Seth nodded, shook Frank’s hand, then resumed his walk to the bakery.
Allison took a moment to catch her breath and wipe her hands on her apron.
Seeing Seth walking toward her under the South Dakota sun, the horizon wide and the sky endless behind him, made her heart skip.
CHAPTER 12
Today had been busier than most days Seth spent with his father. Before heading into town to let Chester whittle with Delbert at the general store, Seth had driven out to the stockyards on the south edge of Hollister. The buildings there were a patchwork of corrugated metal and weathered wood but well constructed and solid. The air was thick with the scent of hay, manure, and diesel from passing livestock trailers. Dr. Kate Wells ran her veterinary practice in a converted barn at the far end of the lot.
Seth hadn’t expected to know the vet, but when he stepped into the office, he froze in the doorway.
Kate Johnson, now Wells, he assumed, looked upfrom her desk and blinked in astonishment. “Oh my God. Seth?”
He laughed, just as shocked. “What in the hell are you doing in Hollister?”
She pushed up from behind her desk and rounded it without hesitation, wrapping him in a hug. “I could ask you the same thing. I thought you were stationed in Germany. Last I heard, you were at Ramstein.”
“I was. Didn’t know you were from South Dakota.”
“I said Colorado, right?” She laughed, pulling away.
“You did.”
“Well, my dad’s from here. Hollister born and raised. You remember Lawrence Johnson?”
“I do. He was in my class.” Seth blinked. “Wait. You’re Lawrence’s sister?”
