Tess shook her head. “She said he passed away a few months ago. She’s got his place for sale and is going to look for a house with a big yard for Toby.”
Kelsey set the ceramic bowl she was holding on the last empty spot on the dish towel. “Wow. What a journey for both of them! And thank God it’s going to have a happy ending. As long as Tina doesn’t mind, this is going on the front page of our newsletter. I won’t be surprised if Channel 3 wants to air it.”
“You know, before I toured your shelter, I’d have thought I couldn’t handle shelter work because it’d be too depressing, but I realize now I was only considering half the story.”
Kelsey smiled and lifted the stopper, letting the dirty water drain out of the sink. “Trust me when I tell you, I wouldn’t be in my seventh year here if the good didn’t always have a tendency to outweigh the sad.”
Chapter 30
Kelsey spent the days that Kurt was away inundating herself with the dogs and an endless list of chores, and enjoying the company of Ida, Tess, and Patrick whenever there was a bit of downtime. The only part of her normal routine that she missed was swinging by the shelter at night to bring home one of the dogs. That didn’t seem like the right thing to do when she was sleeping at Sabrina’s. Bringing another dog through the door could add stress and cause undue excitement for the dogs that were here.
She contented herself at night with cuddling the puppies, which seemed to be getting bigger by the hour, and hanging out with Mr. Longtail, who was decidedly more affectionate in Kurt’s absence.
By the time Kelsey made it to night four, Thursday night, she tucked herself into bed and pulled out her phone for another quick look at Kurt’s most recent text.
I should be home tomorrow midmorning. Can’t wait to see you. It’s been too long.
Home. Like love, it was a simple, often taken for granted word. She knew he could have meant St. Louis—or even Missouri for that matter, and not specifically this house—but she couldn’t help but connect this place with him. She wondered if he had any idea how it fit him so perfectly: beautiful and complex and rugged, and just unpolished enough to have immeasurable character. She also knew he was one of the few people who could love it as much as it was meant to be loved.
She fell asleep listening to the puppies’ soft sounds carrying across the top floor of the house and with her hand a barrier between her face and Mr. Longtail’s. He wouldn’t stop trying to nip her nose as he purred and settled down across two pillows.
Like the other nights she’d spent here, this one passed impossibly fast, and she blinked her eyes open to the first light of dawn. And to the sight of Kurt, asleep but fully clothed, lying atop the covers next to her.
She held her breath and counted out a handful of seconds to be sure it wasn’t a dream. It was real. Kurt was back and in bed beside her. A small, brown paper bag was clutched in one hand by his stomach. The other arm was extended, and his hand rested on her hip. Mr. Longtail was at the top of his pillow, curled around Kurt’s head.
Four long but busy days disappeared into nothingness. It was if he’d never been away a single minute. His chest rose and fell with ease. The tension that sometimes lined his forehead was gone, and he looked like a cross between an angel and a soldier, impossibly tough and vulnerable at the same time.
She studied him as the sun peeked over the horizon, wanting to commit him to memory, but trusting she didn’t have to. He loved her, and he was home.
Then her phone alarm was blaring out Avicii’s “Wake Me Up,” and Kurt was awake and sitting up. Mr. Longtail rose to his feet, arching his back and stretching. Kelsey clicked off the alarm and sat up next to Kurt. Frankie, who’d been sleeping on the rug at the bottom of the bed, stood and dipped into a deep stretch.
“Welcome back, traveler. I didn’t think you’d be here until lunchtime.”
Kurt swiped the sleep from his eyes and grinned. “I ended up driving through last night.” He leaned close and pressed his lips against her temple. “Picking between sleeping another few hours in my car and catching a bit next to you was an easy decision.” He closed one arm around her and swept her hair back with the other, kissing her neck. “Kels, I owe you an apology. A big one. I’ll never leave again without telling you first. Hell, I can’t imagine having anywhere else to go.”
“I was never mad, just worried.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “But I was in good hands. I had Frankie.”
She laughed. “Yes, you were.” She swallowed and thought of telling him that the last time she’d slept with someone, it had led to the end of a several-year friendship, but then decided it was pointless. That was a lifetime ago, and it wasn’t with Kurt.
“What happened to make you take off so quickly?” she asked instead. “Was it seeing the fishing float I put on the kitchen windowsill? Your mom figured out where you went. She explained it to me the best she could, about your grandma.”
Kurt sat straight and stared at her, blinking. “You put that float in the kitchen? I guess there’s an answer for everything in time. But why? How?”
She shrugged and smiled. “Because I found it on the beach when I was a kid. I had it on my desk at the shelter forever. The other day, I decided to bring it here.”
He dragged a hand through his hair, shaking his head. He was still a solid minute, then he started to laugh. It was a
