Currant Creek Valley(42)

“Oh, I like this house, too,” Ethan declared. “Maybe we could buy this one instead.”

“Looks like somebody already lives here. See, no for-sale sign.”

The dog slipped around the side of the house as if he belonged there and cut through a gap in the fence. Sam felt a little weird about going into someone’s backyard but he was afraid if he took time to knock on the door to ask permission, the dog would escape through some other gap and Alexandra would never be able to find him.

“Where have you been?” He heard a low, exasperated voice as he turned the corner of the house and suddenly there she was.

Alexandra was on her knees next to a flower garden that bordered a wide flagstone overlooking the river and the mountains. She had one hand firmly around the dog’s collar, the other still holding a gardening spade.

She wore pink flowered gardening gloves and a floppy straw hat and he was seized by a powerful urge to toss it off and throw it into the garden before he pulled her against him and kissed her once more.

Fortunately, he managed to tamp it down.

She hadn’t spied either of them yet as she continued to talk to the dog. “I don’t want to use a chain on you or lock you in the garage when I’m outside but I will if you run off again. How are we ever going to find your owners if you wander off like that when I’m busy? And how on earth did you open the gate?”

The dog grinned at her as if to say, Look who I found, and Sam moved closer. “You’ve got a gap in your fence that looks just big enough for a troublesome dog to sneak through. Though I suppose he could also escape across the creek.”

She had whirled at his first words, her eyes stunned. Dismayed, even. “Sam! What are you... How did you find out where I lived?”

“Is it a secret?”

“No, I just...I don’t remember telling you.”

“You didn’t. Leo did.”

At the temporary name, the dog barked happily and plopped on his belly. Still looking stunned, Alex rose and joined him. She didn’t appear to notice Ethan, who had become distracted by a bird feeder next to the house where a couple of colorful little finches darted in and out.

“Seriously, what are you doing here?”

“House hunting. I just made an offer on that bungalow a few doors down and across the street.”

If he thought she looked stunned to see him before, it was nothing to the complete shock in her eyes now. “You...what?”

“If all goes well, it looks like we’re going to be neighbors.”

“Neighbors? Here? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous?” He hadn’t expected that particular reaction. She was looking at him as if he had just announced he was opening a strip club next door to the elementary school.

“You...you have a business in Denver. You’re only here for a few weeks, to finish Brazen.”

“Had a business. I’m moving my whole operation. I’m keeping my crew so I can still do some jobs in the city, but as of now the address on my letterhead will say Hope’s Crossing.”

She continued to gape at him and he couldn’t help wondering why this news seemed almost catastrophic to her.

“We were ready for a change, weren’t we?”

For the first time, she seemed to register Ethan’s presence. He saw her gaze move rapidly from the boy to him and then back to the boy again, lingering on Ethan’s blue eyes and curls and the wide mouth he knew they shared.

“We.”

He hadn’t meant to tell her like this. A completely unaccustomed—and unearned—guilt made him squirm. He had every right to protect his son, he reminded himself. “This is my son. Ethan, this is my friend Alex McKnight.”

“Alex is typically a boy’s name. I have a friend named Alex at school and he’s a boy.”

“Yes, but sometimes it’s short for Alexandra,” Sam answered.

“Oh. Okay. I’m very pleased to meet you, Alexandra. I think I like your dog.”

She hadn’t stopped looking at his son since becoming aware of him.

“Thanks.” Her voice sounded thready and she had to clear it before she spoke again. “I like him, too, except when he wanders off. But he’s not really my dog. I’m just watching him until we can find his owner.”

She smiled at the boy and Sam suddenly remembered she had several nieces and nephews. Of course she would be comfortable with children.

“Would you mind if I played with him? I would very much like to throw a stick and see if he’ll bring it back.”

“He’ll be in heaven. He’s a retriever. That’s kind of what they do. We’ve been playing fetch all afternoon. You should be able to find some tennis balls over by the back door.”