One Day in Apple Grove(82)

Cait and Jack shared a meaning-filled look. “Do tell,” Cait said, grinning at Rhonda and Peggy.

“She even brought back his bed, toys, food, and treats,” Mitch said with a smile.

Jack nuzzled the top of the dog’s head and Jamie gave a doggy groan of ecstasy. “Did she say what happened to him?”

The sheriff shook his head. “It was her only condition.”

“What was?” Cait asked.

“She looked me dead in the eye and I’m still not certain if she was lying through her teeth,” Mitch told them. “She said it was an accident, and that if you wanted full ownership of Jamie, you’d have to take her word for it.”

“Like hell—” Cait interrupted before Jack tugged on her braid. Surprised by his action, she turned her head to tell him to stop and got distracted by the look on Jack’s and Jamie’s faces.

“She said she spoke to Rhonda over at the Gazette.” The sheriff leveled a look at the woman, but Rhonda was pretending not to notice. “Apparently,” he continued, “Ms. Beaudine promised to write a follow-up a story about Ms. Blackwell’s magnanimous gesture if and when she gave the dog back to Jack…seeing as how she’d be traveling and no longer able to take care of him.”

“What a crock,” Peggy blurted out.

The crowd in the diner burst into laughter.

“We came as soon as we heard,” her father said, holding open the diner door for Mary. “Well,” he said with a smile, his gaze lingering on his daughter standing next to Jack and Jamie. “I see things are as they should be. Is there any coffee left?”

Laughter followed his question as Peggy scooted around the counter and started taking orders. By the time everyone gathered had congratulated Rhonda, Jack, and Cait on a job well done, not a crumb of the McCormack sisters’ baked goods remained.

Cait had stopped counting the number of cups of coffee her friends and neighbors had consumed as she shared the better half of a ham and American on rye with Jamie. The little dog quivered with excitement as she held him, giving Jack a chance to discuss his options with the sheriff.

By the time he sat back down on the stool next to her, most of the crowd had gone and Jamie was falling asleep in her arms. “Do you think he’ll be all right?” she asked.

“While you two were sharing that sandwich, I was talking to Mitch. We always knew he took his job seriously, but did you know he had Ms. Blackwell wait while the vet came and checked Jamie out?”

Cait looked over her shoulder and smiled. The sheriff was bending down to listen to something Honey B. was telling him. When Honey B. smiled, Mitch smiled. “He’s one of the good guys.”

Jack agreed. She laid a hand to his cheek and told him, “You are too.”

“So, can you come home with us?” Jack asked, gently stroking the furry ball of black in Cait’s lap.

“I need to pick up a few things at my house.”

Jack slipped his arm around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Such as?”

Cait looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear and whispered, “Clean shirt, underwear, toothbrush…you know, things.”

***

Jack loved the way her body curved into his and fit just right. Caitlin Mulcahy and Jamie fit into his life like pieces to a puzzle. It felt good, knowing that she’d be going home with him and they’d have their family back together—whoa, he thought.

Family? Cait and Jamie?

Yeah, he realized, they were everything he wanted. When he heard Honey B.’s delighted laughter he ached, wishing he and Cait were married and starting on their own family. He wanted that with Cait, craved that with Cait. How had he fallen in love with her so completely, so quickly?

“Are you ready?” she asked, pulling him from his deep thoughts.

“Yes. Do you mind holding Jamie while I drive?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. Can we stop at my house on the way?”

“Can you ask Gracie to drop off what you need?”

“Hey, Gracie.” Cait motioned to her sister. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“What’s up?”

“Can you grab a couple of things for me and bring them to Jack’s?”

After she told Grace what she needed, Grace looked at her sister and then down at Jamie. “No problem.” She paused, then said, “He’s such a lucky little dog. I wish I didn’t get all choked up around dogs.”

“I’m that way with cats,” Jack told her as he helped Cait to her feet.

“See you later, Pop,” Cait called out as Jack held the door open for her. “Bye, Mitch. Give Honey B. and little Mitch a hug for me.”