Chapter Three
Anna sighed as the garage came into view. She knew that he was upset about her grandmother taking charge over the car. He had put a lot of work into that Saab and sometimes she felt he cared about it more than her. She knew that her grandmother’s heart was in the right place. Like her, Lucie didn’t know the first thing about fixing vehicles. If the mechanic wanted to bring it into the shop, who was she to say no?
Her grandmother didn’t know about their financial problems either. Seth was right. They couldn’t afford two new tires. But if they didn’t get them replaced, how were they going to get home?
Home. As they passed the blue planters and colorful decorations of the festival, she remembered how good it felt to be a part of the small town. Everyone seemed so much friendlier, the air fresher. Being at the festival reminded her of the good things from her childhood, things she had forgotten during her dark teenage years.
But now, as they walked away from the festival and crowds, the good memories started to fade, and the dark blots on her childhood returned. Sapphire Falls wasn’t all flowers and food trucks. It had a dark side, and it was those ghosts of her past that had caused her to run away from this town in the first place.
Catching sight of the garage, Seth quickened his steps and Anna struggled to keep up with him.
“Could you take it easy?” she asked. “The car isn’t going anywhere.”
“Where is it?” he asked as he burst into the garage.
A tall, thin man with dark hair and a baseball cap glanced up from underneath the hood of the Ford pickup he was working on. “You must be Seth.”
“Yeah. They told me you have my car.”
“I do.” He grabbed a wrench from a nearby toolbox on the ground. “Name’s Dylan, by the way.”
Anna cleared her throat. “I’m Annabelle, but you can call me Anna.” She flashed Seth an irritated look, one that said that he needed to behave himself. “I’m sorry about Seth. It’s just, that Saab is his baby.”
Dylan straightened away from the white pickup. “I can see why. That’s a rare beauty you’ve got there.”
“I know,” Seth muttered.
“Don’t see many of them up around these parts. Especially with that kind of detailing.”
“Seth did that himself,” Anna said.
Seth frowned at her, but Dylan raised his brows. “Did he, now?”
“Do you have the tires?” Seth asked.
“Not here. I’ll have to order them from Omaha.” Dylan nodded to the next bay, where the old Saab sat. “It looks as if you might have ruined your rims as well.”
“I’m sure I could fix them,” Seth said.
“Maybe, but to be safe they should be replaced as well.”
Anna tensed as Seth steeled his jaw. “They’ll be fine,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Maybe. I need to take a closer look at them, and at the axels underneath. That’s why I said to bring it in.”
Seth flexed his fingers at his sides. “When do you plan on looking at it?”
“Right after I finish with Tucker Bennett’s pickup.” He turned back to the engine he had been working on.
“What’s wrong with it?” Seth asked as he moved over to the hood. The more they talked about the truck, the more Seth seemed to relax, and after a few moments, the two men chatted about the pickup as if they were old friends. The tightness in Seth’s shoulders was finally starting to ease, and the edge in his voice had all but disappeared. As Dylan handed him the wrench, Anna knew that her boyfriend had made his first friend at Sapphire Falls.
“What’s going on?” a familiar voice whispered behind her. “Who’s that in my truck?”
“Tucker!” Anna turned and gave him a hug. “It’s been a long time.”
“Sure has.” He returned the hug as something pawed at her leg.
“And who’s this?” Anna eased back and knelt down before the cutest little pit bull she had ever seen.
“Her name’s Luna,” Tucker said.
Anna held out her hand for the dog. Instead of sniffing, the pit bull rested her head down on the ground and looked up at her with droopy eyes.
“She seems rather tired,” she observed.
“Luna hasn’t been herself lately. Normally she and the others are jumping around and playing in the fields, but the past couple of days she has been rather depressed. I took her to see Dr. Gustafson in town, but he’s out on the farm looking at Ms. Buxon’s cow. We had a little time to kill before he comes back, so I thought we’d come over here and see how the truck’s doing.”
“What do you know,” Dylan said to Seth as he backed away from the vehicle. “I never thought about trying that.”
“My neighbor had a truck a lot like this one. He used to let me tinker with it.”
Dylan nodded and motioned to the driver’s seat. “Why don’t you give it a go and see what happens?”
Seth climbed up behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. The truck hummed to life like a purring kitten, which made all three men grin.
“Looks like you fixed it,” Tucker said as he approached Dylan.
“Not me. Him.” The mechanic nodded to Seth, who jumped out of the truck and approached them.
“Well, that’s mighty nice of you.” Tucker held out his hand and Seth shook it.
“It’s no problem. I like doing this stuff.”
“Seems you have a knack for it, too.”
Anna grinned and slid her arm around Seth’s waist. “He’s has a real talent for fixing things.”
“You don’t say?” Dylan glanced over at the Saab.
As the men talked about the differences between American-made and foreign cars, Anna glanced over at Luna, who seemed to be scratching something on her belly. Breaking away from the group, she knelt next to the dog and frowned. After petting her back, Anna gently rolled her over and examined her stomach. The first thing she noticed was that her skin was very dry. The second thing she noticed were little red bumps all over her stomach and legs.
“Interesting.” She had seen bumps like this before on a Maltese in Chicago.
“Do you know what’s wrong with him?” Tucker asked as he came over.
“Is Luna on flea medication?” Anna asked.
“Of course.”
“Does she have any allergies?”
“Not that I know of.”
Anna frowned as she ran her fingers over the small bumps. “It looks as if your dog might have some type of allergic reaction to something. Has your wife changed anything at the house?”
Tucker shoved his hands in his jeans. “Like what?”
“Perhaps she used new cleaners on the floors or furniture?”
“Hmm . . .come to think of it, we just had all the carpets steam-cleaned a few days ago. Part of the spring cleaning.”
Anna nodded. “I think your dog might be allergic to the cleaner you used.” She gave Luna one last pet and stood. “When you talk to Gustafson, tell him I said to put Luna on Amoxi-Tabs for ten days and to keep her off the carpets. That should do the trick.”
“That’s going to be tough.” He smiled and patted Luna on the head. “But we’ll try our best. Anything for our little Luna.” He glanced up at her. “Thanks.”
“No problem. I run my own practice in Chicago, so I’ve seen this type of thing before. Once you start giving her the medication, she’ll be back to normal in no time.”
“You’re a vet now, eh? That’s great. We could sure use another vet around here. Gustafson is good, but the poor old man is overwhelmed. The town has grown so much over the past couple of years, and his health hasn’t been great. He keeps talking about retiring to Florida to be with his grandkids but feels guilty about leaving us all here without someone to take care of our animals.”
She widened her eyes. “Wow, I had no idea.”
“Someone with your expertise and familiarity with the area could be a real asset for the town.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Tucker shrugged. “Something to think about.”
“She’s not interested,” Seth said as he came up behind her.
Anna stiffened. “Seth—”
Tucker held up his hands. “Hey man, I didn’t mean anything by it. Just makin’ an observation.”
Seth slid his arm around Anna’s shoulders. “And I appreciate it, but we’re not staying in Sapphire Falls. We have a home in Chicago.”
Tucker nodded. “I see.”
“We’re just here visiting,” Anna said, trying to soften the blow.
Seth nodded. “That’s right. Just as soon as we get our car fixed, we’ll be heading back to the city.”
“That’s a shame.” Tucker smiled at Anna. “I’m sure my wife would have loved to meet you.”
“Maybe some other time.”
“Yeah, some other time.” He nodded to Seth. “Thanks for fixing the car. I sure do appreciate it.”
Seth visibly relaxed. “No problem. Dylan is driving it around front.”
“That was rude,” Anna said when Tucker got out of earshot.
Seth shrugged. “I only spoke the truth.”
Anna started to argue, but stopped herself. He was right. They had no intention of staying in Sapphire Falls. This visit was only supposed to be temporary. Seth was a city boy, and there were far too many ghosts for her to stay in this small town.
But if that was true, then why did she feel her chest tighten when Seth spoke of going home?
“Come on,” Seth said. “We might as well head back to the house.”
As they walked, Seth slipped his hand from around her shoulder and stuffed it in his leather jacket. They walked in an awkward silence for a few moments, and Anna couldn’t help but feel as if Seth was pulling away from her. It was a familiar feeling, one she had whenever he announced he was going to work on his car. He was brooding over something, and she decided it was probably best to have it out in the open and be done with it.
“You know, I don’t like this any more than you do.”
“Could have fooled me.” He nodded over his shoulder. “Looks like you were getting mighty chummy with the townsfolk.”
“With who? Tucker?” When he tightened his jaw, she threw her hands up in the air. “Oh my God, Seth. He’s married.” She crossed her arms. “Besides, he’s not my type.”
“Oh, so you have a type now? Let me guess. You like the stable farm boy who has a big family and can provide for all of your needs.”
She ground her teeth. “Stop being such an ass.”
“That’s not your type?”
“You know it’s not.”
“Then enlighten me, Anna. What exactly do you want in a boyfriend?”
She stopped walking and stared. He wasn’t being serious, was he? But judging by the look on his face, he was deadly serious, so she said the first thing that came into her head.
“I want a boyfriend who has nothing to do with Sapphire Falls.”
Surprise lit his features, and she knew she had said too much. Anna turned away and started walking back toward the center of town.
“Oh no.” Seth fell into step beside her. “You don’t get to say something big like that and walk away. Why don’t you want a guy from Sapphire Falls? You seem to love this place.”
“I do.” She loved the festival, the small-town feel, the clean air, and good food.
“Then why live in Chicago?”
“Because I hate Sapphire Falls.” She hated the memories, hated the whispered rumors and the looks of pity she used to get from the teachers at school. Most of all, she hated the emptiness she felt when she first learned the truth about her mother.
“You’re not making any sense,” Seth said.
“It’s complicated,” she muttered.
“Tell me.” When she didn’t immediately respond, he grabbed her arm, stopping her. “Anna, you’re keeping something from me. For most of our relationship, you’ve been holding back a part of yourself from me. This is it, isn’t it? What happened to you in Sapphire Falls?”
She couldn’t tell him, not yet.
“It has to do with your family, doesn’t it?” he asked.
“Yes,” she admitted.
“Is it your grandmother? Is that why she asked you here?”
Her grandmother. Anna forgot that they would run into Lucie when they arrived back home. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk about the past, or get a guilt trip as to why she never visited Sapphire Falls. She needed to get away, to hide from this place and go back to a time when things were better in her life.
She needed Seth, but not like he was right now. She needed the Seth she met back at the spa. The fun and sexual Seth, the man who challenged and delighted her. For just one night, she wanted to dial back time to the beginning of their relationship, when everything was right with the world.
She pointed at the bed and breakfast. “Let’s stay here tonight.”
“Here?” Seth stopped walking and flashed her a confused look. “Anna, we can’t stay here. Your grandmother is expecting us.”
“She wouldn’t mind.”
“I’m not so sure. She said she was getting a room ready for us.” He glanced at his watch. “And it’s getting late. She’ll be worried.”
He was right. Anna knew that he was right, but a part of her didn’t want to deal with what was waiting for her at home.
“Tell you what. Why don’t we just walk around the festival for a little bit before we head back?”
“You’re stalling.”
“Yes, I am. But I’ll throw in a candy apple to sweeten the deal.”
“Real funny.” He studied her face for a moment before nodding. “Okay. One loop around the festival and then we head back home.”
It had been a wonderful hour. After buying candy apples, she took him on the Ferris wheel and licked caramel off his lips. That led to a tickle war near the dunk tank, which in turn fueled a make-out session by the gazebo. Most importantly, Seth never again mentioned her grandmother or her past, something that made Anna grateful. Her heart felt light, and she hadn’t laughed so much in months. She felt almost normal again until she saw the bright light over the familiar stoop of her childhood farmhouse.
“We’re here,” Seth said.
“Yeah.” Anna took a deep breath and started toward the front door.
“Wait.” Seth grabbed her hand and dragged her back to his chest. Within seconds, he covered her lips with the hottest, most searing kiss she had ever felt in her life.
“There’s nothing in that house that could scare me away, Anna. I promise.” He squeezed her hand, and Anna felt his reassurance flow into her body. She smiled, but her heart was heavy. Those words were easy to say when you didn’t know what you were up against.
Dropping his hand, Anna made her way to the front door of the house.
“Grandma?” she asked as she stepped into the living area. “Grandma, are you here?”
Seth stepped in behind her and turned on the lights. “Perhaps she went to bed.”
“Maybe.” Anna couldn’t help the uneasy feeling in her stomach. She walked from the living area to the kitchen, then onto the back porch, all the while calling her grandmother’s name.
“She’s over here,” Seth said from the side of the house.
Anna rushed to meet him. Sure enough, her grandmother was standing there, wide-eyed like a little girl.
“Oh, thank goodness,” she said as she grabbed Anna’s hand. “I’m so glad your home.”
“Of course we are, Grandma,” Anna said. “We told you we were coming back.”
“When you left with that magician, I thought we had lost you forever. Frank was so upset.” She patted Anna’s hand. “He’ll be happy to know you’re home now, Debbie.”
Icy fingers gripped Anna’s chest and her mind froze in fear.
“What is she talking about?” Seth asked.
“Nothing. She’s dreaming.” Anna slipped her arm around her grandmother. “Come on. Let’s get her back into the house.”
It took them a while to put her back to bed, but once they did, Lucie slept like a baby. Relieved that her grandmother was okay, Anna went down to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.
“What was she talking about?” Seth asked. “Who ran off with a magician?”
Anna was thankful that her back was to him so he couldn’t see her hands shake. “It was nothing, I’m sure. There’s a history of sleepwalking in my family. She was probably just dreaming.”
“Ah, that explains it.” Seth closed the distance between them and slid his arms around her waist. “Should I expect you to roam around at night as well?”
Anna flashed him a mischievous smile. “Maybe.”
“I’ll have to make sure you stay in bed, then.”
She turned in his arms until she faced him. “And how are you going to manage that?”
“Oh, I have my ways.” He pressed his lips against hers, and for the rest of the night, her only thoughts were ones of desire.