Page 5

5

Eloise

The pounding on my door finally woke me. Blinking against the darkness, I groaned, my body aching from staying up late to help a French bulldog deliver puppies. Stumbling toward the front door, I barely registered the chill against my skin—until I looked down.

Crap. I was still in my skimpy pajamas.

Peeking through the peephole, I found Nate making ridiculous faces at me. I couldn’t help but laugh as I cracked the door open.

“Why are you here at three in the morning? I miss you. You never visit.”

Before he could answer, my gaze landed on Jack standing behind him, holding a large, injured animal in his arms. I did a double-take.

“Is that a—oh my God, is that a wolf?”

“Yeah,” Jack confirmed. “He got caught in a bear trap.”

“You poor thing,” I murmured, reaching for my keys on the hook by the door. “Bring him inside.”

“For God’s sake, Eloise, put some clothes on,” Nate groaned.

I looked down again and felt my face heat like an oven. Right. Almost naked.

“Here,” I muttered, shoving my keys into Nate’s hand. “I’ll meet you next door.”

That’s when I noticed Frasier standing behind them, his arms crossed and a smirk playing at his lips.

“Hello, Frasier,” I said, my voice flat.

“Hi,” he replied, grinning.

Shaking my head, I turned and bolted to my room, quickly changing into anything that didn’t scream ‘lingerie party gone wrong.’ Then I rushed out the door and ran to my clinic next door.

When I arrived, Jack gently stroked the wolf’s fur, his expression tight with worry.

“I can’t believe people still use bear traps,” I said, watching the wolf closely. “You poor baby.”

“I’ll have to sedate him so he’s not in pain,” I continued, already gathering supplies. “Then I’ll take some X-rays to see the full extent of the damage. I can’t believe he let you near him.”

Jack glanced at me. “He’s my wolf. I found him when he was just a few weeks old. His name is Wolf.”

I prepped the sedative and gave the wolf a shot before glancing at Jack. “Why Wolf? Couldn’t you come up with another name?”

“I didn’t know I would have him this long. Let’s just say I’m terrible at picking names.”

I snorted. “At least you admit it.”

He chuckled.

“It doesn’t really matter what you call him,” I said. “What’s important is that you love him. And I can see that you do.”

“Alright, lovebirds,” Nate cut in. “Let’s get to work.”

I stuck my tongue out at him, then focused on the X-rays. The results weren’t pretty.

“The sharp blades of the trap sliced through the bone when it snapped shut,” I said, shaking my head. “There’s a lot of damage to his leg.”

Jack’s jaw tightened.

“I can put a cast on him, one you can remove to clean the wounds daily. It has to stay on for at least six weeks, maybe longer, but the good news is, it’s his back leg, not his front. I don’t want him running through the woods with it for the first couple of weeks. After that, he can move around more, but no crazy wolf acrobatics, okay?”

Jack nodded. “Can you make sure I have all the medicine he needs? I can’t take him anywhere on the mountain since, you know…he’s a wolf. I’ve already been warned to set him free, but he chased me home when I tried. He wants to stay with me.”

“Of course, he does,” I said, smiling. “You’re his daddy. He loves you.”

Nate laughed. “Now you see why I don’t have long conversations with my sisters. They all get weepy and emotional.”

“Very funny,” I said, rolling my eyes.

I wheeled Wolf into the surgery room and got to work. Even though he was out cold, I murmured soft reassurances as I shaved the fur around his injured leg. The sight of the deep wounds made my stomach twist. Jack stood next to me in case I needed help.

“Whoever set that damn bear trap should be in jail,” I muttered.

“You’re really good with animals,” Jack said.

Startled, I jumped, forgetting he was still in the room. My shaving tool slipped from my hands, and as I bent to grab it, Jack did the same.

Our heads collided with a solid thunk.

“Ow.” I rubbed my forehead.

“Sorry,” Jack said. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Stop apologizing,” I muttered.

“Would you two quit flirting?” Nate called from the doorway. “Fix the wolf so we can leave.”

I frowned. “Why are you in such a hurry? I was hoping you’d stay a couple of days. Are you going to visit Mom and Dad? They’ll want to see you.”

“We didn’t bring anything with us. Nothing. All we cared about was getting Wolf to you,” Nate said. “I’ll come back next month and stay for a long weekend.”

I nodded. “Alright. I won’t tell Mom and Dad you were here. Let me finish up with Wolf, and then you guys can head out.”

Turning around, I caught sight of Jack whispering something to Wolf before pressing a gentle kiss to the wolf’s head.

I fell in love on the spot. The feeling was so strong I thought I would cry. Damn it, Eloise do not cry.

Jack lifted his head, and our gazes locked. For a moment, neither of us moved.

I smiled, my heart doing something ridiculous in my chest. “Wolf is lucky…” What is wrong with me? “I mean, he’s lucky he has you.”

Jack’s lips quirked into a soft smile, but he didn’t say anything.

I sucked in a deep breath and forced myself to focus. Fixing Wolf’s leg took an hour, but when I was finally done, I walked Jack through how to open the cast and apply the ointment daily. I didn’t want to sew up the punctures because I wanted to be sure that if he got any infection, it could ooze out.

“Thank you, Eloise. How much do I owe you?”

“It’s free.”

Jack frowned. “No, it’s not.” He pulled out some cash and set it on the counter before scooping Wolf up into his arms.

I handed him a bottle of pills. “These will keep him calm. These will keep his fever down,” I said, handing him another bottle of pills. If he starts chewing on the cast, get one of those protective collars.”

Jack nodded.

As he turned to leave, I followed him out, grabbing a card off the counter. “Here. My number. Call me if you need anything.” I pressed it into his hand, my fingers lingering for a second longer than necessary . “Goodbye.”

“I’ll be back,” he said.

Why did that make my chest ache? Jeez, what was wrong with me? Maybe I was just overtired.

Nate pulled me into a hug. “I’ll see you next month. Get some sleep. And stop staring at Jack—it’s so obvious.”

I blinked. “What?”

He grinned. “I’m teasing.”

With a kiss on my forehead, he turned and walked away. I watched them drive off, feeling strangely…empty.

Shaking it off, I locked up and crawled into bed. Sleep didn’t come right away, but when it did, I dreamed of Jack Raider. And oh, was it a good dream.

Until the pounding on my door woke me up—again.

I groaned and rolled out of bed, hoping for a moment that maybe it was Jack.

It wasn’t.

“Why are you still sleeping?”

I squinted at my grandmother, standing on my doorstep with her arms crossed. “Grandma, I had a late night.”

She sniffed. “About time you went out and had some fun. All you do is bury yourself in work.” Her eyes narrowed with sudden interest. “Did he stay late? Is he still here?”

“Did who stay late?”

“The man you had a late night with.”

I sighed. “Grandma, I was up taking care of animals—not entertaining a man. Why are you here this early?”

“Maggie and I are taking you out today.”

Peering past her, I spotted Maggie sitting in the car, chatting with Mable it looked like she was talking a hundred miles an hour.

I chuckled and waved them over.

Maggie stepped out and then went around to help Mable, who latched onto her arm like it was the only thing keeping her alive.

“Mable, let go of Maggie. You’re digging your nails into her skin for crying out loud,” Grandma scolded.

“I am not hurting Margaret.” Mable huffed, giving Grandma a sharp look. “And why do you insist on calling her Maggie when she has such a beautiful name?”

“Hush up, Elizabeth,” Grandma shot back.

Mable ignored her and turned to me. “Eloise, are you going to get dressed? We’re going to the beach! And there’s a fair! We’re going to have a blast. So hurry up.”

I rubbed my temples. The ‘beach’ was a lake forty-five miles from here. I shook my head. Everyone called it the beach. “It’s not a beach,” I said, waiting for Mable to tell me what everyone called it. I knew what she would say.

“It’s still a beach,” Mable said, undeterred.

“I know,” I said.

Memories of summers spent there as kids flashed through my mind. It was beautiful. But…

“I have to work,” I said. “I can’t just leave. It’s Tuesday.”

I glanced at Maggie. “Are you off today?”

She smirked . “Easter vacation. Somehow, Grandma found out, and here we are.”

I exhaled slowly. I was doomed.

“I don’t get the day off,” I said, though I wasn’t entirely upset about it. Work was a great excuse to avoid a forced day of fun.

“Jenny said she fixed everything. She’s coming with us. Oh, here she is now,” Grandma announced.

My heart sank so much for my excuse. I watched as Jenny climbed out of her car and shrugged, giving me a look that said I had no choice. Jenny would never say no to Grandma, which meant I was officially going.

I sighed, resigning myself to my fate. “Let me get changed. Come inside and start the coffee—I need at least one cup before I leave the house.” If I had to go, I might as well make the best of it.

We laughed so hard on the Ferris wheel, but when it stopped at the top, the laughter died in my throat.

Mable, sitting in front with Jenny, looked like she’d seen a ghost. Her arms were clamped around Jenny’s neck in a death grip.

Uh-oh.

I kicked off my shoe and hurled it at the Ferris wheel operator, waving frantically at Mable. He caught on quickly and restarted the ride, bringing them safely to the ground. Jenny pried Mable off her, helping her wobble to a bench.

To make up for the trauma, we got two wheelchairs—one for Mable and one for Grandma. We pushed them everywhere, laughing the whole time, and ended the afternoon with a late lunch on the beach.

I turned to Grandma and wrapped my arms around her. “This was the best idea you’ve ever had. Thank you for making me come today.”

She patted my back. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. I had a wonderful time as well.”

Mable sighed dramatically. “I feel the same way. But I will never—ever—ride a Ferris wheel again. Also, I’m glad you got your shoe back, Eloise.”

I chuckled and glanced between her and Grandma. They had best friends since fifth grade. Now, both are in their early eighties.

“We should take a trip to Frasier Mountain tomorrow and visit Nate. Just for a night. What do you think?” I said, looking at Grandma and Mable.

Grandma’s eyes lit up. “That’s an excellent idea. I miss him, and I’m not getting any younger.”

Mable beamed. “I’d love to tag along! Thank you for including me, Eloise.”

I squeezed her hand. “Mable, you’re family. Of course, you’re coming.”

Turning to Jenny, I asked, “Can you arrange for us to have two more days off?”

“I’m on it,” she said, pulling out her phone.

I exhaled, feeling something shift inside me. Today, I realized I needed to make more time for Grandma and Mable. The Ferris wheel incident had scared me. They wouldn’t be around forever.

Nate was going to be so shocked when we showed up unannounced. I debated calling him first so he could figure out where we’d stay. He was all about family, so he wouldn’t mind.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, we headed home from the beach. “I’ll pick everyone up in the morning,” I announced. “There’s more room in my car; we all know I like to be the driver. It’s going to be a blast. I love you all so much.”

I swallowed against the lump in my throat. “I’m getting weepy. Sorry.”

Mable snorted. “That’s nothing new. You’ve always been weepy. You’d cry if someone stubbed their toe.”

I rolled my eyes. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

Grandma and Mable burst out laughing. “You have soft feelings,” Mable teased.

I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but she wasn’t wrong.

“You’re right. I wish I would’ve grown out of it.”

Mable smirked. “Well, you know what they say—no use crying over spilled milk. Or, in your case, maybe you can.”

Grandma and Mable laughed so hard they nearly cried.

“Hello?” Nate sounded out of breath when he picked up the phone.

“Hey, we’re coming for an overnight visit tomorrow, so plan something for Grandma and Mable. We went to the fair today, and it made me realize how old they’re getting. They don’t have much time left, and Grandma misses you. So please don’t yell at me.”

Nate chuckled. “Why would I yell at you? I can’t wait to see them. Drive carefully. What time are you leaving?”

“Eight. We should be there by ten. Can we get a room at that bed and breakfast?”

“Max doesn’t run it as a B Grandpa carved our names in a tree along the path. I wonder if it's still there.”

A lump formed in my throat. “We’ll find out tomorrow. Get some rest, Grandma. I’ll see you at eight.”

“Goodnight, Ellie.”

“Goodnight, Grandma.”