Sanctuary Cove. Kate James
got out of her X5 and opened the back. Max hopped out and ran to greet the other two dogs. By the time Josh and Emma caught up with them, they were getting well acquainted.
Theo had been groomed and sported a new, bright-blue collar. All cleaned up, he looked very handsome and more dog than wolf, Emma thought. He was only slightly bigger than Max. The larger dogs seemed to instinctively know to be gentle with the Lab.
With Theo distracted, his gait was steady and his limp nearly imperceptible. “He looks good,” Emma observed.
Josh’s gaze skimmed over her. “So do you. It’s nice to see you.”
She immediately felt self-conscious, but playful yips had both of them shifting their attention to the dogs.
Josh whistled and all three dogs bounded over. Reaching into his shirt pocket, he pulled out dog treats and offered one to each dog.
“Emma, I’d like you to meet Winston,” he said, stroking the yellow Lab’s head. “He’s mine. Or I suppose it would be fair to say, we’re each other’s.”
She crouched down in front of Winston and laughed when the dog licked her face exuberantly.
She rose and Josh sent the dogs off to play again. “Do you have time for coffee?” he asked.
Emma almost declined on instinct, but after a moment’s hesitation, nodded. She wanted to get to know him. “Sure. Thanks. No appointments at the clinic this morning?” she asked as they walked toward his house.
“Not today. The clinic is closed.” He flashed his heart-stopping grin. “Being the boss has its advantages.”
As they reached the back deck, the dogs suddenly bolted in the direction they’d just come from. Josh and Emma followed to see what had captured their interest. All three dogs were running down the gravel drive chasing a cloud of dust.
Emma grabbed Josh’s arm in alarm. “The road! They’re heading for the road.” There wasn’t a lot of traffic, but the thought of one of the dogs getting hit terrified her. “Max, Theo, come!” she called, as Josh whistled.
It appeared the dogs had tired of the chase anyway, and headed back. “What was that all about?” she asked, once they were safely with them.
Josh shook his head. “I don’t know. Could have been someone coming to the clinic, then realizing it was closed. Whoever it was apparently changed their mind and left in a hurry.”
They walked to the back again, the dogs at their heels. Josh opened a gate to a fenced enclosure and let in the dogs. “They’ll be fine there,” he assured her.
Following Josh inside, Emma looked around the bright, airy kitchen. He motioned for her to make herself comfortable at one of the stools at the large center island, and he went about preparing the coffee. While the coffee brewed, Josh placed a basket of muffins on the island, along with plates and napkins. “They’re fresh. Help yourself,” he insisted.
“You baked these?”
“If my life depended on it, yeah, I could. But these are from Chadwick’s,” he said, referring to the local grocer. “I picked them up this morning.”
They smelled delicious. She selected a blueberry muffin and placed it on her plate. Elbows on the counter, she rested her chin on her fists.
Josh was obviously at home in the kitchen. When she felt a flutter in her belly again, she looked for a distraction.
She was impressed with the open space, the big windows that allowed the sunlight to flood in and spill across the glistening hardwood floors.
“This is a wonderful space. It seems large for one person.”
He chuckled. “Sometimes I forget just how large it is until I have to clean it. The house has been in my family since I was a kid. My parents first built it when I was a toddler and gradually expanded it, either because our family grew or simply on a whim.” Turning, he smiled at her. “I’m responsible only for the final expansion. I added the clinic when I decided to set up my practice here.”
“But you didn’t grow up here?”
Josh shook his head. “We spent weekends and most of the summers here. It wasn’t our family’s primary residence, though. We lived in Westchester County. My father had his practice there.” Josh placed two steaming mugs of coffee, sugar, milk and a spoon for her on the island counter.
“Your father is a veterinarian, too?” she asked as she mixed sugar and milk into her coffee.
Josh took a cautious sip of his own black coffee. “No. He was a surgeon. I disappointed him when I didn’t follow in his footsteps.”
“How could he be disappointed when you do such wonderful work?” she asked with a touch of defensiveness that surprised her.
“Oh, he never would have said so to me, but I expect he was for a short time, when he first realized my mind was made up. Fortunately, my sister stepped up to the plate so the pressure was off me.”
Emma sensed there was no resentment and was happy for it. “What type of surgeon is he?”
“Was,” Josh said, correcting her again. “He’s retired. He was a neurosurgeon. One of the best in his field. He was the head of neuroscience at the Westchester Medical Center up until his retirement a few years ago.”
“Impressive. And your mother? What did she do?”
“She studied to be a nurse. That’s how they met, though she had a short-lived career. She stayed home with us—me, my brother and sister—when we were young. The plan was she would work again when we were all in school. By the time Angie, the youngest of us, made it to that stage, my mother was heavily involved in charitable work and decided to keep with that rather than go back into nursing. She’d been away from it too long anyway. She ran a number of charities before my father retired.”
Emma was intrigued. “Where are your parents now?”
Josh rose to retrieve the coffeepot and topped up their mugs. “Right now, Europe. In the summers they travel a lot. The winters they tend to spend in Palm Beach.”
“Quite the lifestyle.”
“It is, but they’ve earned it. My dad worked hard during his career. It’s great they’re able to enjoy themselves now.”
“How often do you see them?”
“Not nearly enough,” Josh said with a wistful smile.
His obvious closeness to his family touched Emma. She took a bite of her muffin and washed it down with coffee.
“What about you?”
Emma glanced up at Josh. “What about me?”
“Your parents. Where are they?”
“Oh...” The pain of loss could still overwhelm her all these years later. “They passed away when I was still in college.”
He rested his hand on top of hers. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “So young. Do you mind me asking how?”
“My father had been ill for a while. A heart condition. Unable to keep working, his life became centered on my mother. When she died unexpectedly, I—I think he just gave up.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Do you have siblings?”
She shook her head. “My parents—”
The sudden barking outside caused Emma to jerk around, and she accidentally knocked over her coffee mug. Thankfully, it didn’t break, but coffee spilled and dripped down to the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she said, quickly righting the mug. “I’ll clean it up...as soon as we make sure everything is okay outside.”
“The dogs are fine. They’re playing.”
Despite Josh’s assurance,