Her name was Rosie, and she had just turned four years old when Shane saw her last. Shane filled Lauren in on the details as he drove her back home to the cabin that night.
“I don’t know where she is or even what her last name is anymore,” he explained, the words seeming to come easier as each new truth was revealed. “For all I know, Isabel could have changed it on me.”
“But now that I know, I can help,” Lauren pointed out. “I can help you find her again.”
“What makes you think she’d even want to see me, or remember me, for that matter? She was so little, and I failed her. No, I deserve what I got.” He used the buttons on his steering wheel to flick on the radio, but Lauren reached forward and shut it off.
“No, you really don’t deserve any of this. You’re a good man, Shane. And, trust me, your daughter will want to see you. My dad kept a huge part of his life from me, but I would give anything to have him back even if only for a day. Girls need their fathers. Rosie needs you, just as much as you need her.”
“But how can I get her back, Lauren? It’s impossible.”
“I don’t know yet, but we’ll figure it out.” She reached over to clasp his shaking hand in hers. “Together.”
They drove in companionable silence for a while as Lauren worked the various tidbits she’d discovered about Shane into this narrative. The old court summons must have somehow pertained to the divorce or the custody hearing. His temper and intense commitment to the dogs were also likely tied to what had happened with his ex-wife. Shane mentioned having been in the shed the night of the fire, so it was quite likely he’d left a space heater on or a candle unsnuffed—either of which could have easily caused a spark.
There were still a couple things she couldn’t reconcile, but maybe now he’d be willing to tell her.
“Shane?” she ventured.
“Hmm?” Just like that, some of the tension returned. It would take time until he was fully comfortable, if he ever got there with her. She hoped that one day he would.
Since she’d already disrupted his calm, she went ahead with the first of her questions. “Why did you name your dog after your daughter?”
“Briar Rose?” He laughed. This seemed to be an easy question at least. “I didn’t name her. Rosie did.”
Lauren chuckled, too. “After herself?”
“Well, she was two at the time, and wanted a dog of her own. When we asked what she wanted to name her new pet, she had exactly three suggestions: Doggie, Poopie, or Rosie. So we compromised and named her Briar Rose and eventually switched to just calling her Briar.” His eyes seemed to glaze over from the memory, as if he was watching it play out before him as they drove.
Lauren laughed again. “Sounds like my kind of kid. But then why didn’t Briar go with Rosie when she moved out?”
“That dog loved my little girl, and my little girl loved her. I know they would have liked to be together, but Isabel didn’t want any part of my world left in hers.” He leaned back into the bucket seat as if all his energy had suddenly been sucked clean away. “I always hoped she’d change her mind and come back for Briar,” His voice grew shaky again. “But after months passed, I realized it wasn’t going to happen. I couldn’t stand having the dog around the house whimpering waiting for her little human to come home. It reminded me how much I missed my girl, too, so eventually I decided to put Briar Rose outside with the others, and that’s where she’s been ever since.”
So that’s why Briar Rose was so different!
She wasn’t even a sled dog. It also explained why Lauren had instantly bonded with the former pet. They were both looking for someone to love after losing the person they each loved most in the world. “Can I ask one more question?”
“Shoot,” he said. She hated to keep asking him to relive these painful moments, but at the same time, she knew it would be easier for the both of them to get it all out at once.
“Why do you have all those nice suits in your closet but then never wear them?” She glanced toward him just in time to see him smile. Another easy question. That was good.
“I knew you were snooping through my closet that day.” He smirked but didn’t seem angry. “Sometimes I wear them for endorsement deals. You have to understand that up here, mushers are a bit like celebrities. I do make prize money whenever I win or place high enough in the bigger races, but most of my earnings come from these types of deals. I haven’t had any since my injury, though.”
“What else?” Lauren asked.
“What do you mean what else?”
“You said sometimes you wear them for that reason, implying that there are other times and other reasons.”
“Okay, Nancy Drew.” He laughed, and she joined him. “Of course, I can’t get anything past you.”
“Well?” she asked when he didn’t continue on his own.
“I have some family money.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t any big deal. “Honestly, I think it’s part of why Isabel fell for me in the first place. She liked my money more than she ever liked me, and she never agreed with my decision to walk away from the business and take up mushing instead.”
“What kind of business?” Lauren pried, unable to picture Shane doing anything other than running those dogs.
His lip curled into a sneer as he spat, “Big oil.”
She must have worn a look of disgust across her face, too, because Shane said, “Yeah, exactly. It never felt right, and I figured just because I was born into it didn’t mean I had to live out my entire life there.”
“So you quit?” she supplied.
“I quit, and let my brothers and sister fight it out without me.”
“And Isabel didn’t approve of that situation?”
“Heck no. She thought she was marrying one of Alaska’s wealthiest heirs, and thought me walking away meant I didn’t love her or our daughter, that I didn’t care about providing a future.”
“But that’s crazy!” Lauren argued on his behalf.
“I can understand where she was coming from, though.” He shrugged again. “She married with the assumption that our life would go one way, and suddenly I zigzagged another. The thing is, I still make pretty good money and a comfortable living. Only now I can live with myself over it.”
“Can you, though? You’re always so mopey and angry.”
“Yeah, but not about that.”
She glanced toward him again and watched as his features crumpled into a mask of sadness. This poor man had lost so much, and he thought he deserved it, too. How long would he have to atone for his sins before he could find peace again? Lauren would make sure it was the shortest period of time possible. She would help deliver him from his guilt, his grief, his loss, because he didn’t feel he was worthy of fighting for himself.
“We’re going to find her, Shane,” she promised. “You have my word.”