Oblivious to the shepherds, Amanda threw herself at her son, crying. The collie’s owner finally got within reach of his dog and grabbed for his dog’s collar. The dog snapped at him and he snatched his hand back.
“Oreo!” The boy looked at Calloway uncertainly.
“Bad dog,” thundered the mayor, his face incandescent.
Ashur gave Georgie’s face a quick lick, then he and Mars stepped back, politely returning to Ethan’s side.
Again ignoring the mayor, Ethan strode to Amanda’s side and helped her to her feet.
“Is Georgie okay?”
“I think so.” She stood unsteadily, with her son on her hip.
“Good doggies,” said Georgie, waving at Ashur and Mars. Then he looked at the collie. “Bad doggie.”
The crowd was murmuring. The tide had turned.
Ethan turned to the boy with the collie. “Have you got him?”
His tone was calm and respectful but there was no question as to who was in charge of the situation.
The boy nodded. “I’m really sorry. He gets excited about Frisbee.”
Gun whined and Ethan looked over at them. His eyes widened, and in that one moment, as their gazes met, Carrie saw his heart, raw and unfettered. They were too far away, and surrounded by people, yet they might have been alone together, holding hands, on a deserted beach.
She couldn’t have spoken if her life depended on it, could barely breathe. Tears choked the back of her throat and she pressed one hand against her mouth.
Everything she felt inside her, all the fear, all the uncertainty and insecurity, she saw all of it in Ethan’s eyes.
But more than that, she saw yearning, longing. Hope.
She pulled her hand away, shakily, nodded at him and mouthed the words, “We’re okay.”
His face changed then, as if he understood what she wasn’t saying. It was I’m sorry and I forgive you and let’s start over and need and want and recognition and acceptance and relief and anticipation and everything they’d never talked about but were ready to now, finally.
She nodded again. They were okay.
Ethan turned back to the mayor.
“He your kid?”
“Nephew,” said Calloway, shortly. “Jake, let’s go.”
“Hey, Mr. Mayor,” said Amanda, belligerence replacing her fear. “You know that complaint you wanted me to file about Ethan’s dogs? Little hypocritical, don’t you think?”
The boy, Jake, looked like he wanted to disappear into the ground. “Oreo, here, boy.”
With the aid of a few treats from Ethan, the boy finally got the leash on his dog again.
“Border collies can be a handful,” said Ethan quietly. “If you want help training him, let me know.”
“Yeah?” said Jake.
“Any time.”
“Come on, Jake.” Clinton Calloway made the briefest eye contact with Ethan. “Uh, thanks, Nash.”
Ethan smiled. “My pleasure, Mr. Mayor.”
“Doggies, Mama?” said Georgie, squirming to be let down. “Shake hands with the doggies?”
A couple of grade school age children, plus Sherry Hagerson, the waitress, and her toddler, had come up behind them.
“Can we shake hands with the doggie too?”
“Yeah, can we?”
Most of the kids held tightly to their adult’s hand, whether to comfort child or parent, Carrie couldn’t say. A few toddlers watched safely from their perch on their parents’ hips, sucking their thumbs savagely.
“Can you take pictures of us?” asked Sherry Hagerson. “With the dogs? Sorry about the other day,” she added quietly. “In the cafe. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Carrie whispered back. Then she yelled, “Pictures?”
“Yeah!” chorused several others.
Carrie touched her camera. “I’d be honored. But it’s up to Mr. Nash.”
She looked over at Ethan, who’d heard the request. A slow smile spread over his face. “The dogs would love it.”
Chapter Nineteen
‡
Ethan felt, rather than heard, the rapid click-click-click as Carrie shot pictures of him and the children. Ashur was as dignified as always, raising his paw for high-fives, bowing, even taking a treat off his nose, though Ethan felt that was stretching things.