Page 13 of Love’s Harvest (Lilace Lake #3)

The next morning, Sarah felt something cold touch her hand. She jerked her hand away and sat up in bed holding back a scream. It took her a moment to realize Luke was standing by her bed looking at her curiously.

“Oh, Luke,” she said. “Do you need to go outside?”

His ears perked up at the word “outside”, and he darted towards the door.

Sarah quickly got up, threw her robe on, and hurried to the sliding door in the kitchen, thankful she could let him out this way.

She stood at the door and gazed at the fenced backyard. Beyond it, through the trees, she could see the sparkle of sunlight on the river. The leaves on the trees were changing into a bright red color that seemed magical. No wonder “leaf peepers” flocked to New Hampshire to see colors like this.

Luke returned to her wagging his tail. She gazed at his face seeing how relieved he seemed to be out of the shelter and at her home. Sarah was rubbing his ears and talking softly to him, when the girls raced into the kitchen.

“There you are, Luke!” Mia cried.

Emily hugged him. “We thought you went away.”

“He slept with you girls through the night but had to go outside this morning. Don’t worry. He’s not going away. He’s living with us for real.” She hugged each girl. “Who wants waffles for breakfast?”

Laughing at the chorus of “me!” Sarah left the girls petting Luke and went to get breakfast ready.

She was anxious to see how well Luke would do at work.

If he behaved properly, it would be nice to have him around the store.

Thinking of him as part of the family, she was very happy she’d chosen to adopt him.

He was already a bright light in their lives.

###

Later, the girls, Luke, and Sarah left the house.

Both girls held onto Luke’s leash as they walked to preschool.

Luke was as well trained as Gage had told her.

He paced his steps to match those of the girls, and though he stopped a few times to sniff at the grass or trees, he was careful about staying with them.

“Can we bring him inside preschool? Emily asked.

“We’ll let him see where you go to school, and then he’s coming to work with me,” said Sarah. It did her heart good to see how loving the girls were with the dog.

The teachers at the preschool greeted them warmly and spent some time allowing the other children to pet Luke, one by one. Luke took it all in stride, and Sarah wondered if he’d been trained to be a therapy dog. It seemed like it.

When it was time for them to leave, Sarah kissed the girls and led Luke away.

On a whim, she decided to walk over to the park that David Graham had installed in memory of his sister. It was a couple of blocks over from Main Street but not so far out of the way to delay her arrival at the store for too long.

When they got to the small park, Sarah walked over to a bench and sat down.

The garden was well maintained by David and the landscaping company he owned with his father.

Flower beds were beautifully planted and cared for, making it the perfect spot for her to sit and contemplate her latest attempts to heal from Jesse’s suicide.

Luke sniffed around, going only as far as his leash allowed, before sitting beside the bench.

Sarah gazed at the flower beds lining the lot.

The different colored mums and other flowers made a nice pattern.

She thought of the memorial service Jesse’s parents had insisted on holding at their local Baptist church.

She’d been too hurt, confused, and angry to do more than go through the motions.

Here, sitting in this simple garden, she felt closer to Jesse than she had since then.

It was important to think of the happy times with him and leave the rest behind.

If she wanted to have a new life. it wouldn’t do to her good to hang onto the horrible past.

Feeling better, she left the garden and walked over to Main Street toward the café for coffee to take with her to work.

She was standing across the street from the café when Aaron emerged from it. Seeing her, he waved and went to his truck.

Sarah hurried over to him, hoping to catch him before he pulled away.

When he saw her approach, he stepped on the brakes. “Hey, there.”

“Hi, Aaron, I want to apologize for the other night. I want you to know I’ve done a lot of thinking and have made some changes.”

He looked down at Luke. “Did you get a dog?”

Sarah grinned. “Jesse would never let the girls and me have one. Meet Luke, one of the sweetest Golden Retrievers I’ve ever met.”

Luke lifted his head to smell Aaron’s hands and turned to the two black Labs in the back of his truck.

“I bet the girls are thrilled to have him. Is he going to work with you?” Aaron asked.

“Yes. His previous owner used to take him to her job, and I think he’ll do fine in the store. He’s as calm and collected as any dog I’ve seen.”

“Great,” said Aaron.

Sarah paused and then blurted, “That’s not the only change I’ve made. I’ve cleared a lot of things from the house, so I can make a new start.” She looked at him for approval.

Aaron studied her, his dark eyes searching hers. “That’s nice, but the real changes need to come from the inside. They need to bring you peace. I can’t be the thing that makes you want to change things. That has to come from you.”

Sarah stood back so he could pull the truck away from the curb. Her heart thumped with disappointment. She’d thought Aaron would be excited for her.

She went inside the café and ordered a cup of coffee to go and showed off Luke to her friends. Then she crossed the street to the store.

Inside, her father walked over to her. “This dog yours?” He petted Luke.

“This is Luke, the newest member of the family. He’s around five years old and is well-trained. The girls and I have fallen in love with him. He’s doing great with them and our house.”

“Are you going to have him stay here while you work?” her father asked.

“Yes, whenever it’s convenient. His former owner used to take him to her job all the time. I thought he’d do well here at the store. I’ll keep him in my office to start.”

“It’s fine by me. It’ll give a friendly touch to the store. But if he becomes a nuisance of any kind, he goes.”

“Fair enough. Thanks, Dad,” said Sarah.

Sarah led Luke up the stairs to her office. They stopped outside her mother’s door, and seeing that she was free, Sarah took Luke inside.

Her mother gazed at the dog with curiosity. “Who is this?”

“The newest member of the family. Meet Luke. The girls and I are in love with him.”

“That’s why I needed to watch Mia and Emily all day?” asked her mother with a bit of a frown on her face.

Sarah sat down and faced her mother. “I’ve been clearing out items that remind me too much of Jesse.

I’ve put away jewelry for the girls to have later in their lives and made a big effort to move forward with my life by not being weighed down by grief and guilt.

Jesse never allowed the girls and me to have a dog.

And, Mom, it feels such a relief to be able to do things my way. ”

“You met up with Aaron on Thursday, right?” Her mother asked, giving her a penetrating stare. “Does this have anything to do with him?”

Sarah let out a long sigh. “I thought it did, but he told me that though the changes might be nice, the real changes have to come from within. I think I’ll go back to the grief support group. I don’t want to miss the chance to really heal.”

“Oh, darling, that makes me so relieved. You deserve to be able to move ahead with your life. It’s important to do it the right way.” Her mother stood and gave her a hug.

###

When April arrived for work that afternoon, Sarah did a double take. Gone was the rather frumpy young girl of last week. Over the weekend, April had had her hair cut and colored and wore a cute turquoise turtleneck top over a pair of black leggings, and black ankle boots.

“April, you look fabulous! I love your hair and your new outfit. I almost wish you didn’t need to change into your ‘uniform’.”

“Thanks. That means a lot. Lindsay Legget, the mean girl I told you about earlier, said I looked terrible, more like her mother than the other kids.”

“Wow! That’s an awful thing to say. She must be jealous,” said Sarah, wondering why girls could be so mean to one another.

April shrugged. “I think she said that because Wyatt came over to me at school to tell me he liked the new look. Lindsay thinks she’s the only one who should talk to him, that he’s her property. Just because they’re dating.”

“Ah, so she’s jealous. It’s nice that Wyatt noticed you, but beware a girl like Lindsay.”

“Yeah, she and her small group of girlfriends can be cruel. I usually stay away from them.” Luke sat beside her wagging his tail and whining for attention. April turned to him. “Who’s this?”

“Meet Luke, my new dog. He’s friendly and very well behaved.”

Luke stood and quieted with contentment as April rubbed his ears. “He’s very nice.”

Luke licked her hand, and April laughed. “Guess he likes me.”

Sarah was gratified to see such a nice boost in April’s confidence. “Time to change your clothes. We’ve got boxes to unload, and there’s no way I want you to ruin your new clothes.”

April laughed. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

###

Later, Sarah and April were in the middle of unpacking boxes when Sarah asked her if she was willing to help out at the Halloween Walk.

“It would be a help to have you here. You could have fun dressing up and handing out candy to the kids who come through the store,” said Sarah.

“Now that my dad is home, I’ll do it,” said April. “He and I have had a long talk, and we agreed to make our own decisions, not rely on my grandmother to tell us what to do. He’s only been home a few days, but he’s changed. I like it.”

“That’s wonderful,” said Sarah. “Thanks for agreeing to help for Halloween. It’s a big deal in town and thrilling for the younger kids.”