Page 31 of Love's Harvest
She stood at the door and gazed at the fenced backyard.Beyond it, through the trees, she could see the sparkle of sunlight on the river.The leaves on the trees were changing into a bright red color that seemed magical.No wonder “leaf peepers” flocked to New Hampshire to see colors like this.
Luke returned to her wagging his tail.She gazed at his face seeing how relieved he seemed to be out of the shelter and at her home.Sarah was rubbing his ears and talking softly to him, when the girls raced into the kitchen.
“There you are, Luke!”Mia cried.
Emily hugged him.“We thought you went away.”
“He slept with you girls through the night but had to go outside this morning.Don’t worry.He’s not going away.He’s living with us for real.”She hugged each girl.“Who wants waffles for breakfast?”
Laughing at the chorus of “me!”Sarah left the girls petting Luke and went to get breakfast ready.She was anxious to see how well Luke would do at work.If he behaved properly, it would be nice to have him around the store.Thinking of him as part of the family, she was very happy she’d chosen to adopt him.He was already a bright light in their lives.
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Later, the girls, Luke, and Sarah left the house.Both girls held onto Luke’s leash as they walked to preschool.Luke was as well trained as Gage had told her.He paced his steps to match those of the girls, and though he stopped a few times to sniff at the grass or trees, he was careful about staying with them.
“Can we bring him inside preschool?Emily asked.
“We’ll let him see where you go to school, and then he’s coming to work with me,” said Sarah.It did her heart good to see how loving the girls were with the dog.
The teachers at the preschool greeted them warmly and spent some time allowing the other children to pet Luke, one by one.Luke took it all in stride, and Sarah wondered if he’d been trained to be a therapy dog.It seemed like it.
When it was time for them to leave, Sarah kissed the girls and led Luke away.
On a whim, she decided to walk over to the park that David Graham had installed in memory of his sister.It was a couple of blocks over from Main Street but not so far out of the way to delay her arrival at the store for too long.
When they got to the small park, Sarah walked over to a bench and sat down.The garden was well maintained by David and the landscaping company he owned with his father.Flower beds were beautifully planted and cared for, making it the perfect spot for her to sit and contemplate her latest attempts to heal from Jesse’s suicide.
Luke sniffed around, going only as far as his leash allowed, before sitting beside the bench.
Sarah gazed at the flower beds lining the lot.The different colored mums and other flowers made a nice pattern.She thought of the memorial service Jesse’s parents had insisted on holding at their local Baptist church.She’d been too hurt, confused, and angry to do more than go through the motions.Here, sitting in this simple garden, she felt closer to Jesse than she had since then.It was important to think of the happy times with him and leave the rest behind.If she wanted to have a new life.it wouldn’t do to her good to hang onto the horrible past.
Feeling better, she left the garden and walked over to Main Street toward the café for coffee to take with her to work.
She was standing across the street from the café when Aaron emerged from it.Seeing her, he waved and went to his truck.
Sarah hurried over to him, hoping to catch him before he pulled away.
When he saw her approach, he stepped on the brakes.“Hey, there.”
“Hi, Aaron, I want to apologize for the other night.I want you to know I’ve done a lot of thinking and have made some changes.”
He looked down at Luke.“Did you get a dog?”
Sarah grinned.“Jesse would never let the girls and me have one.Meet Luke, one of the sweetest Golden Retrievers I’ve ever met.”
Luke lifted his head to smell Aaron’s hands and turned to the two black Labs in the back of his truck.
“I bet the girls are thrilled to have him.Is he going to work with you?”Aaron asked.
“Yes.His previous owner used to take him to her job, and I think he’ll do fine in the store.He’s as calm and collected as any dog I’ve seen.”
“Great,” said Aaron.
Sarah paused and then blurted, “That’s not the only change I’ve made.I’ve cleared a lot of things from the house, so I can make a new start.”She looked at him for approval.
Aaron studied her, his dark eyes searching hers.“That’s nice, but the real changes need to come from the inside.They need to bring you peace.I can’t be the thing that makes you want to change things.That has to come from you.”
Sarah stood back so he could pull the truck away from the curb.Her heart thumped with disappointment.She’d thought Aaron would be excited for her.
