There was nothing better than spending a night with your best friends. Carrie sat in her living room along with Riley, Sara, and Lilly, as the movie played on the television.

Carrie loved that all four of them screamed every time someone jumped out of the darkness or was murdered.

Wine, popcorn, chocolate, and more wine was consumed after they had inhaled the pizza that had been delivered.

Since her friends had fallen for the new terrier puppies, mama and all four pups shared a dog bed in the living room. At one point, all four of them were holding a baby in their arms. Then mama gently came over and, as Riley filmed it on her phone, picked up her babies and took them back to the bed so she could nurse them.

“That is going on social media, right… now.” She hit the button on her phone and laughed.

Riley was in charge of all Carrie’s social media posts and was responsible for a lot of the adoptions. Her friends had been there since the day she’d purchased the old farm. She had put everything she had into the place, including her savings.

Parker, Sara’s new husband, had helped her out by donating his time to fix things up, so all she had to pay for were the supplies.

The first year after purchasing the land, she’d worked double shifts at the Oar, so she could afford to fix it up. They had organized several fundraisers, which had helped pay for the outbuildings and supplies she’d needed.

Eventually, she’d gotten a few regular donors for medical supplies, food, beds, crates, and things needed for the bigger animals such as hay, groomers, and even a trainer for one horse named Willie Nelson who’d been so abused, he wouldn’t let anyone get close to him. After several months with a trainer, the horse was now happily homed at a riding school for needy children near Portland.

“Earth to Carrie.” Sara snapped her fingers in front of her face and laughed. “Where’d you go?”

“She was probably thinking about Josh,” Lilly supplied.

“Tall, blond, and sexy is back in town,” Riley added. The youngest of the quartet, Riley had always been part of their group, even when she wasn’t able to walk. Carrie remembered carrying her on her hip as they hiked through the woods to play together.

“I was not. I was actually thinking about all the work that still needs to be done on this place.” But now that they’d mentioned Josh, her mind focused on the last time she’d seen him in town. He’d been at the grocery store, and they’d bumped into one another and talked in the frozen vegetable aisle.

He’d looked so good, and she was finding it harder to resist those blue eyes of his. She’d wanted to reach out and touch him, to kiss him again, but then she’d remembered the pain and quickly excused herself.

It was hard for her to run into Josh everywhere. Over the past two years, she’d overcome the hurt and pain he’d caused, or so she’d thought.

“He’s still the enemy,” Sara jumped in. Her friend was the sensitive one in the group. Always thinking about things logically.

Even though she had just gotten married last year, Sara was the only one in the group that looked at love rationally. Well, except when it came to Parker.

“I wasn’t thinking about him,” Carrie added, feeling guilty that he was now the only thing on her mind.

Three sets of eyes turned towards her and two rolled in response to her look.

“Okay, maybe a little. Can you blame me? I mean, look at him.” She took the last sip of her wine and set the glass down. “He’s gotten so…”

“Buff?” Sara supplied.

“Hot?” Lilly added.

“Manly?” Riley added, gaining a few giggles.

This time it was her eyes that rolled. “All of the above. He came over the other night to look for a dog.”

“He didn’t!” Sara shook her head. “That’s low. I mean, using the possibility of adopting a dog just to get close to you.”

Carrie held back a sigh. It was a sweet move, a classic one. How many other guys in town had tried that? Oh, who was she joking? None had tried that trick.

“I don’t think it was a trick. He really liked Louie. I put him off for a few days to make sure he was serious about the adoption. When I ran into him in the store, he asked if he could visit Louie again and how his progress was.”

“Louie’s sick?” Riley jumped in.

“No, but I told him it would be a few days before he was ready.”

“Smart move,” Sara added. “Not that Josh is anything like his old man, but Kevin Williams isn’t known for his soft touch with wives, kids, or animals.”

“No, he’s not, and I agree, Josh is nothing like his father. He never has been.” She thought back to all the times she’d idolized him growing up. One of the main attractions to him had been his kind spirit towards others. Even as the star quarterback, he’d always gone out of his way to help those who needed it, from the lonely kid who needed someone to sit next to on the bus to the girl who’d been picked on because she’d fallen in mud while wearing white pants. Josh had always been there.

It was one of the reasons he’d been voted most popular and prom king. Everyone loved him.

“It’s just hard, having him back in town.” She sighed and filled up her wine glass again. “I want to yell at him, but he came over to apologize.”

“He did?” everyone said at the same time.

“Did he explain why he left?” Sara asked.

Carrie frowned into the glass of dark wine. “No, he didn’t.” She sighed. “Actually, when I asked, he said things got complicated and then quickly changed the subject.”

“Men.” Riley groaned. Everyone turned towards her and then burst into laughter.

“What do you know about men? You’ve only been on two dates and one of them was with your brother,” Sara added.

“Shut up, no, I haven’t. I’ve been on…” She was quiet for a while then sighed. “Okay, seriously, I need to try some new tactics.” More giggles filled the room but were interrupted when a loud crash sounded outside the window.

Everyone jumped, and both DeWalt and the mother terrier began to bark.

“What was that?” She sprang up and rushed to the window. Since the porch light was off she couldn’t see anything other than pitch darkness.

She headed to the front door, and Riley screamed at her. “Stop! Didn’t you learn anything from the movie we just watched? Never go outside after dark, especially after hearing strange noises.”

Carrie chuckled. “It’s my house, I doubt there are zombies out there.” She flipped on the light and opened the front door.

There was a row of potted plant along her front porch steps that she and her mother had planted and arranged. Two of the massive pots were shattered. Dirt and flowers lay everywhere on the steps.

“How did that happen?” Sara asked, standing behind her. She’d been so focused on what she was seeing, she hadn’t heard her friend step up behind her, and when she spoke, Carrie jumped. “Sorry,” Sara said softly.

“I don’t know.” She had placed a hand over her heart since Sara had practically caused it to jump out of her chest. She moved closer and saw the rocks.

Scanning the dark yard, she yelled, “Is someone out there?”

“Do you really think you’ll get an answer?” Sara asked after a moment of silence.

“No, but I was hoping they’d move and I could shine this in their eyes.” She held up the mega flashlight she’d grabbed from its spot by the front door.

“Smart,” Sara said softly. “I’ll help you clean this mess up.” She moved to go back in the house.

“No, I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ll have to go into town and get new planters.” She sighed. “Maybe some wooden ones instead of clay.” She knelt down and picked up the heavy rock that had shattered the planters. She made sure to toss it under the front steps so whoever had used it couldn’t use it again.

“Who do you think it was?” Riley asked when they stepped back inside.

“Kevin?” Sara asked.

She shrugged. “He made it very clear I was to stay away from his son. I never could understand how my parents were okay with me dating Josh, yet he always had problems with me.”

“The man is a loser,” Riley broke in. “All the trouble he caused my mother when she moved back in town.” She shivered. “He apparently had a crush on her. Gross.”

“I don’t know, I saw a picture of Kevin in my parents’ yearbook. Back in his day, he was pretty good-looking. My mother said it hadn’t taken long after school for that to change.”

“Drinking will do that to you,” Lilly added. They all looked at the wine glasses in their hands and at the same time set them down.

“Who wants to go jogging with me in the morning?” Lilly added. Everyone groaned and stood back up.

“On that note, I think we’re done here.” Sara pulled out her phone and sighed. “Early morning shift.” She turned to Carrie. “Are you on tomorrow?”

Carrie laughed. “You’re the manager, don’t you know?”

Sara narrowed her eyes. “I can’t remember everything.”

Carrie laughed. “I’m off. I have the next few days free.”

“Good, you can go jogging with me then,” Lilly added, causing a groan to escape Carrie’s lips.

“What time?” she asked.

“Six…” Upon Carrie’s glare, she corrected. “Seven?” Her friend’s dark eyebrows rose.

“Make it eight and we swing by the bakery on the way back and I’m in.”

“What good is jogging if…” Again, Lilly shut her mouth after getting a look from Carrie. “It’s a deal.” She laughed. “I’ll be here at eight.” Carrie groaned again and wondered why she let her friend talk her into punishing herself.

---

Josh was rounding the last corner on his morning workout when he almost ran into Carrie and Lilly.

“Sorry.” He removed his ear buds and smiled down at them. The duo was dressed in nearly matching running clothes and tennis shoes. He wondered if they had gone shopping together to purchase the outfits.

Like him, they had a sheen of sweat covering them. Unlike him, they hadn’t been listening to music. He was sure they had been talking the entire time, just like they had in gym class, when he used to run circles around them on the track.

“We were just talking about you,” Lilly said, earning a nudge from Carrie.

“Oh?” He smiled and rolled his shoulders as his body began to cool.

“Yes, about you adopting Louie,” Carrie jumped in.

Hearing the dog’s name, he smiled. “I can’t wait to pick him up. When do you think he’ll be ready?”

“Didn’t you tell me he’d be ready later tonight?” Lilly added, smiling over at Carrie, who quickly jabbed her friend again.

“Yes.” She turned to him and her look changed. “That is, if you haven’t changed your mind?”

“No, I can’t wait for Louie to come home. How about I pick him up around six?”

“Can’t,” she jumped in, “family dinner is tonight.”

“After?” he asked, earning him a nod from her. “Eight?” Again, she nodded in response. “Good, I’ll see you then.” He started to jog past them, then stopped.

“It’s good to see you, Lilly. Tell your folks hi for me.” He started down the street again. He had about an hour to shower and get ready for his meeting with a company in Houston.

He took the back stairs to his apartment two at a time. He opened the door and smiled at the finished apartment.

The only things left to do were to put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and to seal the hardwood flooring. After that, it was just basic cosmetic items like curtains and some more furniture.

The place would do for the next year at least, until he could find a house.

He showered, dressed, and headed downstairs to help Mason and deal with the video call he had scheduled. The call took longer than he expected, but the outcome was what he’d hoped for.

The call center was now on his payroll. He filled the rest of his day with helping Mason downstairs. For the most part, he’d done all the hard work early last year by writing the security program. Now all that had to be done was basic maintenance and sales pitches. Mason kept the program running smoothly.

He took a break for lunch and picked up sandwiches at a new place along the highway. He’d hoped not to run into anyone he knew there, but of course ran into Lacey and Aaron Stevens, Lilly’s parents. Lacey was still the mayor of the small town of Pride and knew everything that was happening and what everyone was up to.

He enjoyed catching up on what everyone in their family was doing.

Since that first week back, he hadn’t run into Carrie’s brother Aiden. He’d considered himself lucky, since the guy was always warning him away from Carrie, advice Josh was trying to listen to. But every time he was near her, he felt pulled towards her. It was like an invisible magnetic force.

Lacey had mentioned that Aiden had gone to Portland to finish school. At least he wouldn’t be bumping into him every time he turned around.

Now if only his old man would leave town. He was pretty sure everyone in Pride would feel the same relief he would.

After lunch, he made a few calls and set up a couple interviews for a business manager position. He needed someone to take the reins, so he could focus on programming and starting his life over.

He glanced down at his watch and figured he had enough time to shower again before he headed over to Carrie’s place to pick up Louie. He was about to head upstairs when the front door opened.

His father stood in the doorway, swaying. The bottle of whiskey in his hands was almost empty.

“Call the police,” he told Mason quietly.

“What are you doing here?” He stood up and then quickly ducked the bottle that was thrown at his head.

“Feel better?” he asked, bracing for whatever his father threw at him next.

“You ruined my marriage.” He pointed a finger at him. “You and your damn brother and sister. But you”—he slammed his fists together— “were the nail in the coffin. That’s what you are.” He was screaming and spitting at this point.

“You never have taken responsibility for your own fuckups.” He braced as the old man rushed towards him.

“That’s what you are, a fuckup.”

“Good, then we agree. You don’t like me, I can’t stand you. So why don’t you pretend I don’t exist and we can go our separate ways?”

“She won’t take me back. She even has a damn restraining order on me. Every time I get within ten feet of her, the damn sheriff shows up.”

“Smart woman. I’m thinking of following her lead.” He nodded to the police car that was pulling up out front.

“Fuck.” His father ran his hand through his hair. “She broke my heart,” he said softly. “Take my advice, son, don’t have kids. They ruin everything.” He spun around, knocking a stack of books from a desktop, and made his way out of the building. “I’m going!” he shouted at Robert who was leaning against his patrol car. Upon seeing the old man wobble, he marched across the street towards him.

He was expecting Robert to slap his father in cuffs and haul him off. Instead, they talked for a while, then his father followed Robert back across the street and got into the back of his car. Robert waved at him and he knew that the man was just giving his father a ride home or to the drunk tank to sober up.

“Sorry about that.” He turned to Mason.

“Don’t be. My old man was cut from the same cloth. The only difference is, it would have taken three cops to haul him in.”

“Robert’s just giving him a ride home or sticking him in the drunk tank to sleep it off since he didn’t see the old man drive over here himself.” He turned away from the widow. “Pride has always taken care of its own and my father has fought the battle before and knows his rights. My old man did serve five years for DUI once, even went through state-mandated classes and therapy.” He shrugged. “None of it did any good. He lost his license for a few years, ended up riding a bike or having his buddies drive him around. I’m afraid there’s nothing can stop that man.”

“Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do. It must be nice having the entire town watch out for you like that, though.” Mason sighed. “I’m going to like living here.”

And this was the reason he was home. “I’ve got to get going.” He glanced down at his watch and hissed. There went his shower. “I’ll clean up. What are you still doing here?”

“I’m waiting for Sophia, my new girlfriend.” Mason’s smile grew. “I was going to show her where I work.” He glanced at the window. “She should be here soon.”

Josh nodded. “I’ll get out of your way.” He picked up the broom to clean up his father’s mess.

“Go, I’ve got this.” Mason took the broom from him. “You have your own plans.”

“Thanks.” He headed towards the back.

“See you tomorrow,” Mason called after him.

He should have been happy while driving to Carrie’s place. After all, he was going to see her again and he was picking up Louie.

But the visit with his father hung over him like a dark cloud.

He was going to take a few minutes in the parked car before getting out at Carrie’s place to reset, but she stepped out onto the front porch when he pulled in behind her car.

Getting out, he tried to paste on a happy face, but the moment he stepped into the light, her smile fell away.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He sighed. “Seriously?” He shook his head. “I should have driven around for half an hour before coming over.”

“What happened?” She motioned for him to sit down.

“Got a beer?” he asked before sitting down.

“Sure, hang on.” She disappeared inside and came back with two cold brews. She handed him one and sat down in a rocking chair. She motioned for him to take the other one. “So, spill.”

“My father paid me a visit tonight at the office.”

“Bad?” she asked. She sipped her beer.

“It could have been worse.” He took a swallow of the beer and let the cold liquid soothe the sour taste in his mouth his father had left. “It wasn’t so much what he did, but what he said.”

“Your father says all sorts of things. You never used to pay attention to him before.” She set her beer down.

“A lot has changed.” He set his beer down too. “I’ve changed.”

She was silent for a moment. “What did he say that has you so unsettled?”

“He said that my mother broke his heart.”

“He’s used that one before. Blaming her for the divorce.”

He nodded, then reached for the beer and took one more swig. “It was the way he said it.” He finished the beer off quickly. “For the first time in my life, I heard an emotion from him other than anger.”

Carrie reached over and set her hand on his. “I’m sorry he has you upset. You must have known that, moving back here, there would be… attachments you’d have to deal with.”

He chuckled slightly. “Is that what we are? An attachment that needs dealing with?”

Her hand moved away. “No.”

“What were we?”

“Fated.” She stood up and looked down at him. “Would you like to see your dog now?”

Before she could move away, he stood and grabbed her hand, keeping her there.

“There’s nothing I can say or do that will ever take the pain away but know that some things were out of my control.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?” She shook her head.

“Nothing.” He hated excuses and didn’t want to hash out the past. “Let’s go get Louie. I’m excited to see him.”