A moment later, three dark forms burst out of the underbrush—German shepherd dogs with glossy black coats, practically flying alongside Joe’s truck, as if to welcome them.
“Wow,” Willow said.
“Beautiful animals,” Joe said approvingly.
She watched them out the window, leaping with incredible grace, their mouths open in what really looked like friendly smiles.
“Thank you so much for the ride,” she told Joe as he pulled up in the circle by the house.
“Don’t mention it, young lady,” Joe told her. “It was on my way.”
She hopped out with her bag, giving him a wave as she jogged up to the front of the house.
The dogs trotted up to greet her, and she put her bag down, worrying a bit about the fact that there was a pie in it. But they completely ignored the bag and sat down in front of her, panting and grinning at her.
“Hello,” she said to them. “Aren’t you well-trained and polite?”
They cocked their heads, ears flopping over as if they were trying to understand the question. Ransom had always been good with animals, but these three beauties were exceptional.
They accepted her pats, compliments, and behind-the-ear scratches for a few minutes, nuzzling their velvety snouts into her hand. But it was cold outside, even with the bright sunshine taking the edge off, and she was starting to feel it.
“I have to go see my brother,” she told her new companions, grabbing the bag and heading over to knock on the big wooden door.
“Come in,”Ransom yelled from inside.
Not even getting up to greet her and let her in probably wasn’t a great sign.
She figured she would just crack the door open to ask Ransom if it was okay to let the dogs in with her. But when she turned back, they had all trotted off to investigate a suspicious squirrel that was scampering across the lawn, and didn’t seem to have any interest in following her.
She opened the door and stepped inside. The high ceiling was as impressive as ever, and it was deliciouslywarm inside with a roaring fire going in the big fireplace.
Ransom stood in the open kitchen, stirring something that smelled absolutely delicious—fresh onions and peppers in butter, maybe?
The house looked so welcoming. The kids had clearly made some of the festive Christmas decorations scattered around the space. And the sofas were draped in mountains of blankets and knitted sweaters. It felt cozy.
“Wow,” she said appreciatively. “The place looks really nice.”
“Come on in,” he said with a perfunctory smile. “I’m right in the middle of this.”
“Lasagna?” she guessed, heading over.
He nodded and she smiled. Dad’s famous lasagna had always been a favorite of theirs.
“I guess Travis and Mae are going to be happy tonight,” she said.
“They’re good eaters,” he confirmed, with a genuine smile.
Willow was sad not to be seeing the kids during her visit, but she figured coming over here for the first time when they were at school was for the best. It would be so nice if she could take the chill off things with Ransom before seeing her niece and nephew.
Silence fell over them, and Willow set the bag on the table.
“There’s a pie in there for you,” she said. “Hopefully the kids will like it.”
“Thanks,” he said.
She decided to do what they had always done in thekitchen. She wandered over to the island and grabbed the tomatoes and headed to the sink to wash them off.
The radio was playing “O Come All Ye Faithful” softly. It sounded like the local children’s choir singing.
