Darby Anne gaped at her. “She needs a name, Bailee Anne. What do you do when you need to get her attention? Yellhey, you?”
Bailee thought for a moment. “I’ve never had to get her attention. She sticks to me like glue. Has since the first time I saw her. She’s skittish around most people, so I think once shedecided she belonged to me, she wanted to stay by my side, either to protect me or herself. I’m not sure which.”
“I don’t think I have enough food in the house to feed her.”
Bailee laughed as she stepped back to the car. “It’s fine. I brought enough for her until I can get to the store.”
As soon as the door opened, the dog bounded out of the car but crowded her massive body around Bailee’s legs. Bailee barely managed to get the car door closed with the English mastiff hovering so close. The dog watched Darby Anne with her ears twitching and tail swishing across the ground. She didn’t growl or bark, which Bailee took as good signs, but neither did the mastiff approach.
Bailee waited as the dog and her grandmother sized each other up. Finally, Darby Anne nodded.
“Well, I can’t let you in if I don’t know what to call you. Since your mom won’t give you a name, I will. Come on, Roxy. Let’s get you fed and settled.”
Her grandmother disappeared inside the house. Bailee gaped after the mastiff as she bounded after Darby Anne, apparently deciding the older woman could be trusted.
Bailee smiled. “Roxy, it is then.”
She sobered as she stared at the door they passed through. It was still open, beckoning for her to come inside. The memories called to her, but more importantly, the promise of healing was a strong pull.
Her first stop to see her parents in Florida confirmed she had made the right choice to spend several days with family. Being spoiled by Mom and Dad, watching them dote on Roxy,surrounding herself with their love and caring had been just what she needed.
They hadn’t asked her a lot of questions about work or her time undercover, but she ended up sharing her story anyway. The last two years had left her raw and vulnerable, a shadow of the person she used to be. Her parents reminded her that person was still there.
When it came to restoring the broken pieces of theold her, her parents’ home wasn’t the place to do it. No, she had to go back to the small town of Fire Creek, Alabama, to the home where she spent countless summers thriving under the care of Gran and Pops. Her mother, Delilah, often despaired at Bailee’s wild and tomboyish ways, but Gran and Pops embraced it and encouraged it. Her parents were wonderful, but her grandparents had understood her more than anyone else in her life.
Bailee took her and Roxy’s belongings from the car, raised the windows, and secured the vehicle before heading inside. She dropped her bags in the entryway and carried the dog food into the kitchen.
Gran was filling a bowl with water and placed it in front of Roxy. Bailee set the dog food bag on the floor next to the pantry. When she turned, she pierced Gran with a pointed look, her brow slightly raised.
“Roxy?”
Darby Anne shrugged. “It fits, don’t you think? The dog needs a name, Bailee Anne, to feel wanted and cared for. You may not have wanted a pet, but the good Lord brought you two together for a reason.”
Bailee walked over to the cabinet to find a food bowl for Roxy and filled it with the kibble. “You’ve always believed that, haven’t you? That everything happens for a reason?”
She could feel Gran’s eyes on her. Once Roxy was fed, Bailee found a glass and filled it with Gran’s ice-cold sweetened tea from the refrigerator. She was almost afraid to meet Darby Anne’s probing eyes because she didn’t want Gran seeing the pain that was surely in the depths of her own.
“In a nutshell, yes. Don’t you?”
Bailee blew out a long breath. “Maybe. It’s just hard when you can’t see what that reason might be.”
Darby Anne nodded and motioned toward the kitchen table. “Sit down, sweetheart, and I’ll fix our plates.”
Bailee offered to help, but Gran shooed her away. Once Bailee occupied a chair where she could watch Gran move about the kitchen, Roxy, with her belly full and her thirst quenched, piled under the table to lie on Bailee’s feet. Bailee knew it would be a matter of seconds before the dog fell asleep.
Darby Anne brought over a simple meal of chicken salad sandwiches, pasta salad, and fruit, and Bailee’s mouth watered to remind her of how hungry she was. Glasses of sweet tea completed the fare, and as much as she wanted to dig in, she waited until Darby Anne sat and asked a blessing over the food.
They ate in silence for several minutes. Bailee was enjoying her meal too much to feel awkward in the quiet. If anything, she felt calm, and the magic that was her grandparents’ home washed over her. She had often wondered why Gran didn’t sell the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house after Pops passed away, but now she understood. His presence could still be felthere, even ten or so years after his death. That, in addition to her Gran’s unique touch on the old house, was the balm to her soul that Bailee needed.
“It’s good to have you here, Bailee Anne.” Gran’s words made her wonder if she’d spoken her thoughts aloud. “I worried for you, and I’m glad to see you’re none the worse for wear.”
Bailee winced. “I don’t know about that, but I am sorry I worried you. I never expected to be away so long.”
“I know. I also know you can’t tell me any details, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t have to know what happened to be delighted that you’re here. How was your visit with your parents? Were you able to speak with Adam at all?”
Bailee’s older brother was a career military man, moving up to the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army. Seven years her elder, Adam had been more of a protector than a brother growing up, but as adults, especially after she graduated from the police academy, they had gotten closer. Their experiences were different but similar enough that she had a kindred spirit for those times when she needed to vent about the stresses of the job.
She speared a corkscrew pasta with her fork and slid the cool morsel into her mouth. “The visit was great. I think Mom was disappointed that I didn’t stay longer, but she understood that I wanted to spend time with you. She said you and she talked almost every day while I was undercover. I was hoping to speak with Adam, but he’s away on an assignment and unreachable. I left a message for him, but his assistant said he wasn’t sure when Adam would be available to call.”
