The Best Is Yet to Come (15)

If he felt Shadow would trust him, Cade would be tempted to enter the kennel and give the dog the attention he needed. Knowing how close Hope was to Shadow, she could be anxious to learn how he was dealing with her absence. Cade wished there was a way for him to comfort Shadow.

Unable to explain it even to himself, Cade felt the same sense of loss and disappointment. He hadn’t said more than a few sentences to Hope the entire time he’d been at the shelter. Basically, he’d ignored her. He’d made sure she understood, from the moment they’d first been introduced, that he preferred to keep his own company. Since then, she hadn’t said much to him, either. Which was the way he wanted it.

What had captured his attention when it came to Hope was the way she was with Shadow. No one could miss the changes that had come over the dog since she’d started working with him. Her care and dedication to Shadow had left a deep impact on Cade. Rarely had he witnessed anyone with more patience.

From the scuttlebutt going around the shelter, he’d learned Hope planned to adopt Shadow. He knew she’d been working with him every day after school. Her efforts had been rewarded. Shadow had made stunning progress. While he still held back his trust when it came to others, he was far less aggressive.

Before he signed out for the day, Cade approached Shadow’s pen. “Don’t fret,” he told the dog. “Hope will be back when she’s feeling better.”

Shadow ignored him, which was what Cade expected.

As he headed out the door, Preston stopped him. “Think about what I said,” he called, halting Cade.

“You’ve said a lot of things,” he returned, being purposely obtuse.

“About Hope.”

Cade waved him off and headed to the rear of the building, where the volunteers were instructed to park.

As he drove into town, he passed the pharmacy, and without making a conscious decision, he turned in. He remembered taking over-the-counter medication that had helped with his symptoms during his own bout with the flu.

For at least five minutes he sat in his vehicle debating the wisdom of what he was about to do. The one thought that prompted him to get Hope medication was that then he’d have the opportunity to tell her about Shadow.

For reasons he didn’t want to analyze, he was angry with himself for caring, for what he feared would give Hope the wrong impression. Even at that, he found himself picking up a few items he thought would help, and then driving to the cottage.

He was grateful when he saw that Preston hadn’t arrived home yet. That meant Cade could come and go without having to deal with the flak Preston was sure to give him. Walking up the porch steps, he noticed the railing on one side was loose. As Hope’s landlord, Preston should fix that. He tested it for sturdiness and briefly thought to mention it until he realized if he did, then Preston would know Cade had stopped by the cottage.

Standing in front of her door, he tapped lightly, thinking she might be in bed. If that was the case, he’d leave the medicine on the porch and drive away.

Only a couple moments passed when the door opened a crack. As soon as she recognized him, Hope opened it all the way. Dressed in a loose shirt and yoga pants, Hope looked dreadful. Her nose was red, her hair hung in strings around her face, and she was pale. Nevertheless, no flu could hide her beauty.

“Cade?” She was as surprised to see him as he was to be there. He should never have come.

“Here.” He thrust out the sack. “This helped me when I was sick.”

Hope held a tissue to her nose as she accepted the package, looking stunned and not knowing what to say. “Ah…thanks.”

“No problem.” He turned away and made it off the porch before he remembered the other reason for this visit. “Shadow did okay when you didn’t show, but I could tell he missed you.”

She blinked and looked incredibly sad. “I missed him, too, and I missed being with…everyone.”

Eager to make his escape, Cade nodded and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

“I’d invite you in, but I don’t want to expose you to this bug.”

“Wasn’t looking for an invitation.” He wanted to make that clear up front so there was no questioning his motive.

“I know…Thank you, Cade. This was thoughtful.”

“Not a big deal.” He made a beeline to his truck, wanting to escape before Preston showed. It was far better that the other man knew nothing about this visit. Nor was he mentioning any of this to Harry.



* * *



—

Hope had barely closed the door when her phone rang. Checking the screen, she saw the call was from Mellie.

“Hello,” Hope said, sitting back down on the sofa, where she’d been camping for the last two days. She had the quilt her grandmother had made when she left for college and the pillow off her bed.

“Was that young man who just left named Cade?” Mellie asked, sounding more than a little irritated.

“Yes. He’s another volunteer at the shelter.” She paused to blow her nose, which had started to run again.

“I know who he is,” she said, sounding less brusque now.

Although Mellie hadn’t asked, Hope supplied the answer. “He brought me…” She hesitated when she realized she had yet to open the white paper bag. Peeking inside, she withdrew the small box. “Flu medication,” she said, “along with juice and canned chicken noodle soup.”