They paused at the front steps.
“Are you sure you’re okay being back here?” he asked.
“Bax, it’s our home.” She put her hand on his cheek and pulled him down for a kiss. “We have a million wonderful memories here, and one bad one. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ve already contacted a security company,” he said. “No one will be able to break in again.”
“Did you talk to the insurance about the back doors?” She frowned. “Does homeowners’ insurance cover damage from your friend breaking in to stop a home invasion?”
“I don’t need to because Toni already had a cousin come over and replace the doors yesterday. I told her I was more than happy that she broke the doors since she rescued you from a madman, but she insisted.” Baxter helped her up the stairs and unlocked the front door. “Apparently the builders need to stain them to match the rest of the house, but she said the repair was finished.”
Katherine walked into her beautiful cozy home, and nothing had changed. It was still her cozy refuge, paneled in teak with sweeping views of the stormy grey ocean and the rocky point in the middle of Moonstone Cove. The new french doors blended seamlessly with the existing picture windows. There was not a single thing out of place.
Her copper pans shone on the wall of the kitchen. The furniture had been straightened and the floors showed not a trace of blood. Throughout the house, bunches of flowers were visible and the faint scent of linen and green grass drifted over the sharp smell of lemon oil cleaner.
“Did Megan and her mom come over to clean after Toni’s cousin fixed the doors?”
Baxter smiled. “Yes, how did you know?”
“Seasonal decorating.” She smiled and felt her soul relax. “Apparently it’s the law.”
Epilogue
“Wait, Archie!” Katherine called to her five-month-old golden doodle, who looked over his shoulder, pausing before he said hello to the children on the beach.
His tail was wagging furiously, but she saw the children’s mother hesitate.
“I’m so sorry!” She ran over, her right knee still aching a little. “I’m supposed to have him on a leash, but we live right over there and sometimes he jumps off the deck if he gets excited. He’s very friendly.”
“Can I pet him?” the little girl asked.
“You can if your mother says it’s okay. Sit, Archie.”
Archimedes Bassi-Pang—conveniently referred to as Archie unless he was being naughty—plopped his furry backside on his pebbled stretch of North Beach and quivered in excitement as the little girl held out her hand. Soon her little brother was bravely petting Archie too.
The dog was in heaven.
“He’s so fluffy!” The little girl giggled. “What’s his name?”
“Archie. And he’s still learning the dog rules.” Katherine clipped his leash on since it was the middle of the day.
Most mornings, Katherine took Archie out for a walk at sunrise. He chased the gulls, dragged ropes of kelp up and down the beach, and got treats from the local surfers, who had all adopted him as their mascot. But it was Saturday and the beach was filled with visitors, so she’d kept Archie on the deck.
Two weeks after the attack on Katherine, their neighbor Ron was extolling the virtues of Trudie’s skills as a watchdog. Three calls later, Baxter had discovered a lone three-month-old male golden doodle whose prospective owners had been forced to move cross-country and couldn’t take on a new dog. Four hours after that, Baxter had a pile of blond fluff in the front seat of their car.
“He’s male, so he’ll have to be neutered.” Baxter plopped the dog on Katherine’s lap. “But he’s large enough to guard you, and the breeder said he won’t shed.”
Katherine had fallen in love at first sight. Archie was a lovable, wiggly dog who was larger than she expected, but he was already house-trained, so she wasn’t going to complain.
Baxter had lasted exactly two nights before the dog was sleeping in their room. Within a month, Archie had her previously indifferent husband completely in his thrall.
“He’s so cute.” The little boy’s face was glowing. “He really likes me.”
Archie loved everyone from the mail carrier to the grumpiest old man on their block, but Katherine wasn’t going to say that. “You must be very special. He’s a good judge of character.”
“Kids, we have to go.” The mom gathered her little ones and headed toward the stairs leading back to North Beach Drive. “Thanks,” she said to Katherine. “We can’t have a dog at our apartment. Guys, say bye to Archie.”
They all waved. “Bye!”
The little girl yelled, “Thank you for letting us pet you!”
Archie watched them leave, whining a little. Then he looked up at Katherine and whined more.
“No. You can’t go off leash while there are people around,” she said. “You know that.”
He sighed deeply.
“I know. It’s very unfair. We’ll go to Aunt Toni’s house, and you can chase rabbits later.”
He woofed a little, probably from hearing Toni’s name.
Toni had finished her house enough that she’d invited Megan’s family, Baxter, and Katherine over three weeks before. Her little house was an old Spanish-style cottage in the middle of a vineyard. It came with two acres of land, a few fruit trees, and lots of privacy. It had been an old foreman’s cottage for one of her uncles, but she’d bought it and fixed it up for herself. It was tiny, but it had a lot of incredible scenery and a huge barn she could use for her car collection.
And rabbits. Archie loved the rabbits.
They walked back to the deck, and Katherine saw a familiar face waiting with Baxter at the table under the umbrella.
“Detective Bisset.” She climbed the stairs. “This is Archie.”
Drew Bisset’s grin was wide and his hands reached out. “Archie, my man. Look at you. I’ll tell you like I told your owner, you can call me Drew, not Detective Bisset.” He looked up. “So you took my advice, huh?”
“No.” Katherine pointed at Baxter. “He’s the one who surprised me.”
Drew reached
