Page 19

M att checked the time on his phone again.

It was three-fifteen in Denver, which meant Lynda would be in the middle of her afternoon appointments.

This morning, he’d taken some great photos of the wolfdog puppies.

He’d already sent Lynda three pictures, and sending another so soon might seem excessive.

But his thumb hovered over an image of Star investigating a butterfly.

“Just send it already,” Brenda said with a smile from across the table in the break room. “That’s the fourth time you’ve checked your phone in ten minutes.”

Matt felt heat rise to his face as he tucked the phone back into his pocket. “I was just checking the time. The Jenkins family will be here soon for their cat’s vaccinations.”

Brenda’s eyebrows rose. “Your nose is growing, Matt. I’m sure Lynda appreciates the updates you send her.”

Matt sighed. “Am I that obvious?”

Brenda smiled as she stood and rinsed her coffee mug in the sink. “Sending her the photos is very sweet. While you’re deciding what to do, I’d better get back to the front desk.”

After Brenda left, Matt quickly sent the photo and then returned to his office.

Nine days into Lynda’s absence, and he was behaving like a lovesick teenager.

He’d never expected to miss her quite this much.

He missed seeing her after work and hearing about what was happening in the bookstore and the shelter.

He missed spending time with her when she came in to see the wolfdog pups or when they had lunch together.

But most of all, he missed the laughter and joy she brought into his life.

On his desk sat a small wooden carving he’d been working on during lunch breaks—a female wolf with five tiny pups clustered around her feet.

It wasn’t finished yet, the details of the puppies still rough and undefined, but the mother wolf’s face already held the alert, intelligent expression he’d imagined from the stormy night on the mountain.

Matt ran his thumb over the smooth wood, feeling the grain beneath his fingertips.

After that first rescue with Lynda, he’d wanted to start carving again.

The impulse had felt natural, almost necessary, as if the experience had unlocked something within him.

The first carving, the single wolf he’d given Lynda before she left, had flowed from his hands with a certainty he hadn’t felt in years.

A knock on his office door interrupted his thoughts.

“Dad?” Stephanie’s voice called. “Are you in there?”

Matt quickly set down the carving and opened the door. Stephanie stood in the corridor with her six-year-old son Ethan beside her, and nine-year-old Lily already darting toward him.

“Grandpa!” Lily exclaimed, throwing her arms around his waist. “We decided to surprise you! Mom said we could see the wolfdog puppies.”

Matt hugged his granddaughter, genuinely delighted by the unexpected visit. “They’re still here and getting bigger every day. They’ll be going to their forever homes next week.”

“Can we see them?” Ethan asked, his natural reserve giving way to a surge of excitement. “They looked really big in the last photos you sent us.”

“They’re strong and healthy now,” Matt told Ethan with a smile.

“I’ll call Sarah to see if she’s still with the pups.

” After speaking to Sarah, Matt was reassured that Lily and Ethan would be safe.

He placed his cell phone on his desk and looked at his two grandchildren.

“Sarah said it’s okay to see them. They’re in the large playpen in Exam Room 2.

You can look but don’t touch. Even though they’re cute, they’re still wild animals. ”

As the children hurried off to see the puppies, Stephanie stepped into the office, her gaze immediately falling on the half-finished carving on his desk.

“You’re carving again,” she said softly, picking up the wooden wolf family. “I haven’t seen you do this since Mom died.”

Matt nodded, watching as his daughter carefully examined the piece. “It’s beautiful,” she said, running her finger over the mother wolf’s face. “The expression is so alive.” She looked up at him, her eyes—so like her mother’s—searching his face. “What inspired this?”

Matt hesitated, unsure how to explain the emotions that had led him back to his old hobby. “We rescued those puppies during a terrible storm. A fallen tree killed their mother, but somehow they survived. The whole experience made an impact on me.”

Stephanie returned the carving to his desk. “Was Lynda the vet who went onto the mountain with you?”

Matt nodded. He’d told Stephanie about Lynda, but hadn’t mentioned how important she’d become in his life. “Lynda’s in Denver right now, dealing with a staffing crisis at her practice there.”

“But she’s coming back?” Stephanie asked.

“Hopefully, next week.” Matt straightened some papers on his desk, avoiding his daughter’s perceptive gaze. “We’ve found some people who can look after the pups. Their adoption day is Saturday, and it would be nice if Lynda could be here for that.”

Stephanie leaned against the desk, studying him with the same scrutiny she’d given the carving. “Dad,” she said gently, “are you dating Dr. Morth?”

The directness of the question caught Matt off guard. “We’ve had dinner,” he admitted. “And coffee. We’ve spent a lot of time together with the puppies and at the clinic. But dating seems like such a teenage word for... whatever this is.”

“Whatever this is,” Stephanie repeated with a small smile. “That sounds serious.”

Matt sighed, finally meeting his daughter’s eyes.

“It could be. I don’t know yet. Lynda’s moving to Sapphire Bay, but she has a successful veterinary practice in Denver, and a daughter and grandchildren who live close by.

And I’m here with my small-town clinic and memories of your mother in every corner of this place. ”

“Mom’s been gone fifteen years, Dad,” Stephanie said softly. “She would want you to be happy.”

“I know she would,” Matt agreed. “But it feels strange. A small part of me feels like I’m betraying her somehow, even though logically I know that’s not true.”

Stephanie stepped closer, placing her hand on his arm. “It’s not a betrayal to find happiness again. If anything, it honors what you and Mom had.”

The wisdom in his daughter’s words struck Matt deeply.

He’d raised her to be insightful and compassionate, but sometimes, he forgot that she was no longer the grief-stricken teenager who’d lost her mother.

She was a strong, thoughtful woman with a family of her own and an understanding of love that included its messiness and imperfections.

“When did you get to be so wise?” he asked, a hint of a smile touching his lips.

“I had good teachers,” Stephanie replied. She glanced at the carving again. “So, is Lynda the person who inspired you to pick up your tools again?”

Matt nodded. “I made her a wolf before she left. A thank-you gift for helping with the puppies.” He ran his hand through his hair, a gesture of mild embarrassment. “I’ve been sending her daily updates about them while she’s away. Probably too many, if Brenda’s teasing is any indication.”

Stephanie’s smile widened. “You know, in all the years since Mom died, I’ve never seen you like this. You’re excited and nervous, and a little unsure of the future.” She squeezed his arm. “It’s nice, Dad. Really nice.”

Before Matt could respond, a commotion from the examination room interrupted them—children’s laughter mingled with excited yipping.

They hurried down the hall to find Lily and Ethan sitting cross-legged on the floor outside the puppies’ pen.

The five energetic puppies were trying to get as close as possible to them while excitedly tumbling over each other.

“They’re so friendly!” Lily exclaimed, giggling as Baker licked Star’s chin. “I thought wolfdogs were supposed to be shy around people.”

“These ones were handled from a very young age,” Matt explained, leaning against the doorframe. “They’ve had human contact every day of their lives since we rescued them, so they’re used to being around people.”

“Can we keep one?” Ethan asked, looking up with hopeful eyes as Rainier stared at him with his golden eyes.

“They’re not pets, buddy,” Matt explained gently. “They need special homes with people who understand wolf hybrids. They’re going to families who have experience with animals like them.”

Ethan’s face fell slightly, but he nodded in understanding. “Will we get to visit them?”

Sarah picked up one of the pups before weighing it on the scales. “Probably not, but there’ll be other animals you can visit at the clinic.”

Matt watched the puppies, struck by how quickly the once-fragile animals had grown into robust young canines. In the short time they’d looked after them, they’d nearly doubled in size. Their gangly legs and oversized paws provided a clue to the large, powerful adults they would become.

Star suddenly abandoned the rest of her litter and moved toward Matt.

“That one seems to know you,” Stephanie told him.

“Star was the smallest and weakest when we found them,” Matt told her. “She nearly died the first night. Lynda and I took turns sitting up with her.” He smiled at the memory. “Lynda refused to give up on her, even when things looked bleak.”

“She sounds special,” Stephanie said softly. “Lynda, I mean.”

“She is,” Matt admitted. “Strong-willed, intelligent, and deeply compassionate. She went through a difficult divorce about ten years ago. Her husband left her for a younger woman after thirty years of marriage.”

Stephanie winced. “That’s terrible.”

“It’s made her cautious,” Matt said.

“And yet she’s coming back to Sapphire Bay to spend more time with you,” Stephanie pointed out.

Matt sighed, unable to deny the hope that had been growing inside him with each passing day. “Maybe, but I don’t want to pressure her. She needs to make her own decisions about her future.”

Stephanie leaned against her father’s shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I’d really like to meet her. Anyone who can bring you back to carving and make you send puppy photos all day is someone I want to know.”

“How did you—” Matt began, then shook his head with a rueful smile. “It was Brenda, wasn’t it?”

“She only mentioned that you’ve been documenting the puppies progress with unusual thoroughness since Dr. Morth left town.”

Matt groaned, realizing he’d been even more transparent than he’d feared. “Is there anyone in this town who isn’t keeping tabs on my personal life?”

“Probably not,” Stephanie replied cheerfully. “That’s the price of being the town’s beloved veterinarian.” Her expression softened. “But seriously, Dad. I’m happy for you. And if Lynda Morth is the reason you’re carving again and smiling more, then I already like her.”

Matt felt a weight lift from his shoulders at his daughter’s words. He’d been so concerned about how Stephanie might react to him developing feelings for someone new that he’d underestimated her capacity for understanding and support.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “That means a lot.”

As they turned their attention back to the children and puppies, Matt counted the days until Lynda’s return. Five more days until she was back in Sapphire Bay. Five days until he could see for himself whether the connection they’d begun to build would continue to grow.

And whether the careful hope he’d been nurturing might blossom into something deeper, something that could last a lifetime.