She wanted to march to the house next door and shake Ian Summerhill. His children were grieving for their mother. How could he have the gall to tell them it was time they forgot their pain and moved on with their lives?
“We should probably go,” Amelia said, tugging her younger brother in a way that told Samantha she was very much the dominant sibling.
“Thank you for rescuing my puppies,” she said with a smile.
“It was no trouble. They’re very cute,” Amelia said.
“I think they like us,” Thomas said.
“Dogs are smart, you know,” Samantha said. “They love to be with people who like them.”
She sounded like much more of an expert than she was. Every scrap of knowledge she had learned about dogs had been obtained over the past few months from books, websites and trial and error with Betsey and the puppies.
“That must be why they like us and came right to us when we found them in the garden.” Amelia looked pleased.
“I’m sure it was. They knew you would be kind to them,” Samantha said. “You know, you are welcome to come visit Betsey and her puppies anytime you would like.”
As she spoke, Samantha suddenly had an idea. She had been looking for someone to check in on the puppies once or twice a day, to refill their water should they need it and entertain them for a few moments. Amelia and Thomas were right next door. They would be perfect for the job.
Would an eight-year-old girl and six-year-old boy be responsible enough for that? Perhaps their nanny could supervise. Would they be willing?
She wanted to blurt out the question, then thought better of it. She couldn’t possibly bring up the idea to the children before she’d had the chance to speak with their father about it.
Of course, that would mean having a conversation with the man and she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that, especially if he were the sort of ogre who discouraged his children from grieving their mother.
“We had better go,” the girl said after a moment. “We’re not supposed to come here without permission and we’re also not to go close to the lake again without Mrs. Gilbert or Father with us.”
“A very good rule,” Samantha said.
“We wouldn’t have broken it except the puppies came to us,” Thomas said. “We saw them from inside and couldn’t allow them to wander far.”
“Sometimes you have to break a few rules in life, especially when the stakes are high enough.”
They looked shocked that a grown-up would ever dare say such a thing. Sam couldn’t really blame them, as she was only now beginning to accept that herself. Still, she quickly changed the subject.
“Betsey and I are very grateful to you for rescuing her pups,” Sam said with a smile. “Come over anytime, as long as it’s okay with your father or Mrs. Gilbert.”
“Thank you. Goodbye, ma’am.”
“Goodbye,” Thomas said, waving with one hand as his sister took the other and marched across the grass with him.
She watched them go back inside the house, charmed by them both.
Poor dears. Amelia and Thomas were sweet children who appeared hungry for emotional nurturing.
She certainly had experience with that. Perhaps that was why she was so drawn to them, considering she was something of an expert at yearning for something from a parent she could never have.
CHAPTER FOUR
HER OPPORTUNITY TO speak to Ian Summerhill about his children came sooner than she would have liked.
Later that night, she finally set aside her sewing machine and moved Gemma’s dress to the wardrobe where she stored items she was working on, out of the dust and the elements.
Betsey whined softly and Samantha looked over to see the puppies were sleeping.
She was exhausted herself after sewing for ten hours straight and was only too ready to crash into her own bed, but she had learned in her limited time as a pet human that when animals needed attention, they needed attention.
Moving quietly so she didn’t wake up the puppies, she scooped the little mama up from behind the gate in the doorway.
“You need to go out?” she whispered.
Unlike dogs Sam had read about in books, Betsey didn’t communicate in some mysterious, almost-human way like tilting her head in approval or whining or giving any other indication that she understood Sam’s question or had any interest in going outside.
She only gave Samantha a quizzical look and slumped in her arms.
Maybe if Samantha had been able to communicate a little better with the dog, Betsey might have mentioned earlier in their relationship that she was expecting puppies.
She smiled, imagining what the conversation might be like. It was a one-night stand that meant nothing, and the minute he found out about the buns in the oven, he took off to eat out of somebody else’s bowl.
Too late for true confessions, even if Betsey could talk.
“Let’s go out. You might not need to but I could use a little walk around the yard.”
As she always did at night, Samantha hooked the leash onto the little ten-pound dog, more for Betsey’s protection than anything else. The dog didn’t seem inclined to wander but she could easily slip away in the dark.
And then there was the wildlife to worry about. Larger creatures like moose or mountain lions or even bear could be spotted around the lake sometimes. More common were raccoons, porcupines or, heaven forbid, skunks.
With the dog on her leash, Sam walked outside into the quiet music of a June night. The gentle lap of the water against the dock, the leaves of the trees rustling in the breeze, the hoot of a nearby great horned owl she had seen around the neighborhood.
The night was sweet with the scent of pine and fir and that indefinable, distinctive smell of the lake in summer. Someone in the neighborhood must
