apparently served as an office and library. She found pens and notebooks, along with reams of paper as well as stacks of books. She carried a notebook and a couple of pens into the living room and settled in a big comfortable chair.
She started writing, making notes about Dr. Payne, Karen Conway and Nate Rowland and what she knew about them. Impressions, really. It had been a habit of hers since she left home for college.
There had been so many new people, and notes helped her to remember them all. She turned the notes into journals when she went on active duty. There had been so much to see and remember.
She hadn’t written anything since the attack, nor had she ever asked about the journals or her other property left in Afghanistan. She hadn’t wanted anything. They had been stored with other items in a storage unit near the base. There had been so much about Jared in the last one, and she couldn’t bear to read it.
When she finished, she turned on the television and ran through the stations, stopping only at a news channel when she heard a commentator mention Afghanistan. More troops were pulling out. Her team had been among the last medical teams remaining. The rest of the unit had probably been dismantled after the attack.
Just the thought of Afghanistan sent familiar images swirling through her head: the day she had arrived at the forward base, the first time she’d met Jared, the last time she had seen him. Blood had been everywhere then...
Joseph moved closer to her, nudged her and made guttural sounds in his throat. She assumed that was his way of reassuring her. “It’s okay,” she said and rubbed his ears. The guttural sounds turned into something more like a purr.
Andy turned the television off and looked at the clock. Just after noon.
She should fix lunch. She wasn’t hungry, but she needed to eat. She was foraging in the fridge when the phone rang.
“Hi” came the cheerful voice on the phone when she picked it up. “I’m Eve Manning. I hope I’m not intruding, but I wanted to make sure you had everything you need. I would have been there to meet you, but I had a meeting in town.”
“Mr. Rowland was very helpful,” Andy replied.
“Are you up to a visit? And don’t be polite.”
Andy hesitated. It was the last thing she wanted. She was tired and tense from the drive. She had met one stranger, had imagined his unsaid questions. She didn’t want more. But the caller was the mayor, and Andy had accepted use of her husband’s cabin. She sighed. Maybe coming here hadn’t been the best idea.
But then she probably couldn’t sleep, either. “That would be fine,” Andy said, hoping the delay in her reply didn’t say more than her actual words.
“Would one be okay? I can take you to Maude’s or we can stay at the cabin. You decide.”
She needed to get out. She knew that. She couldn’t retreat into a safe place again, as she had done with the hospital. She had taken one step forward in coming here. It was time to take another. “Mr. Rowland mentioned Maude’s.”
“Good. I can show you around town. I have to warn you, though, that everyone will want to meet you. They mean well, but they sort of take vets under their collective wing whether or not you want to be there.”
“I’m warned,” Andy replied.
“Nate also said you have a dog,” Eve said.
“Yes, Joseph. He’s a service dog, although not the kind that can go in restaurants.” Apparently the law only permitted dogs for physically handicapped vets.
“Here he can,” the mayor said. “Maude has a soft spot for dogs, and the mayor’s just fine with it. Your predecessors both take their dogs inside.”
“Then, I will,” Andy said. “We’re new to each other and this is a strange place for him.” For both of us.
“You’ll have to introduce him to my crew,” Eve said.
“Crew?”
“Five dogs,” she said. “And a cat.” She hesitated, then added, “Well, one is strictly my husband’s. Amos was a military dog and highly disciplined. The rest of my group are rather unruly.”
“Sounds...interesting.”
“Terrifying sometimes. I’ll be there at one.”
The phone clicked off.
Andy took a deep breath. Had she done the right thing in agreeing to go to a public place? What if she had a panic attack? She knew, though, she had to get busy doing something or she could sink back in inertia.
“What do you think, Joseph?” Despite her vow to the contrary, she found herself talking to Joseph often.
Joseph stared at her with those penetrating blue eyes. He barked.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said. She filled Joseph’s water dish, then went into the bedroom. She opened the duffel and took out a sweater and a clean pair of jeans and headed for the shower.
* * *
THE MAYOR ARRIVED just as Andy’s watch hit 1:00 p.m.
She didn’t know what she’d expected, but when she opened the door, she saw a tall, attractive woman with shoulder-length dark hair, a pug nose and a wide smile.
“I’m Eve,” the mayor said simply.
“And I’m Andy,” Andy said.
“Andy it is. Welcome back to the civilian world.” Eve leaned down and rubbed Joseph’s ears. “And who is this?” she asked as Joseph frantically wagged his tail.
“Joseph,” Andy replied. “He’s only been with me a short time.”
“Ever had a dog before?”
“No. Dogs and the army don’t go together, and my family never had one when I was young.”
“Watch out. They steal your heart in no time.”
Joseph’s tail wagged happily as they walked to the pickup parked next to the Bucket. Eve opened the passenger door and invited Joseph inside and showed him a spot behind the front passenger seat. Andy climbed in after him.
“Thank you for including him,” Andy said. “And thanks for the use of the cabin.”
“That’s my husband’s doing.”
“Why?” The question was abrupt and probably rude, but it had been pricking at her.
“His best friend owned the cabin and was killed saving Josh’s life. Josh had a lot of grief and anger when he left the army. He directed it toward rehabbing the cabin he inherited from his buddy. Rehabbing it was therapeutic for Josh, but when we married he moved in with me. The cabin needed a new resident, and Josh wanted something good to come out of a tragedy.”
Andy felt an instant kinship with the owner. No wonder she’d felt more at home here than she’d expected.
They
