Ties That Bind (11 page)

She opened her door to stare at a crate in
complete disbelief. It wasn’t the crate so much as what was inside
that bothered her. The animal let out another plaintive yip as she
closed the door behind her. Why had anyone thought this was a good
idea? She approached the cage to snatch the envelope off the
top.

“Dearest Kate,” the note read. “I was
wondering if you could do me a favor and take care of this little
guy for me. I’ve already paid your pet deposit and the pet rent for
the remainder of your lease. His food is in the kitchen, along with
the leash and some toys. He’s just a pup – ten months – and really
needed a home. I thought of you. Hope you don’t mind. Love,
Gavin.”

Hope you don’t mind? Who does this sort of
thing? Kate eyed the beast warily. He put his massive head down on
massive paws and sighed heavily, looking back at her with soulful
eyes. She supposed he would need to go for a walk. She could do
that much while she decided what to do with him. She retrieved the
leash, setting aside the scary looking collar that was attached to
it. Surely she wouldn’t need that.

As soon as she opened the cage, he exploded
from it. Kate somehow managed to snap the leash into place as he
jumped and twirled around what now seemed to be a small apartment.
As soon as the lead was attached, he took off for the door, pulling
her along like a rag doll.

“Alright, hold up.” Kate dropped the leash
and went back to the kitchen to retrieve the training collar. Maybe
it was a good idea after all.

The beast practically quivered with
anticipation as Kate put the collar on him and transferred the
leash over. Kate noticed the shiny tags hanging from his collar and
read the one shaped like a bone. “Tyler. So, he thinks he’s funny,
eh? Fine, he can name you Tyler but I’ll call you Ty for
short.”

The dog looked at her impatiently. She shoved
a plastic bag in her pocket and they were off. With the training
collar in place, Ty was a perfect gentleman. After all business was
taken care of, she decided it wouldn’t hurt either of them to
wander around a bit more. He was a cute dog. Huge, but cute.

He was yellow with white paws and a white
muzzle. His ears hung forward in little triangles but perked up
when he found something interesting. His long tail happily thumped
her in the leg when they waited to cross the street. His friendly,
inquisitive nature completely won her over by the end of the walk
and she knew Gavin had won this one. Why on earth had he done it,
though?

That question was the very first thing she
asked when Jessica and Liz showed up on her doorstep that evening
with Ryan and Derrick in tow.

“He said dogs are amazing healers of the
soul,” Jessica made a face that plainly said “Isn’t that the
sweetest thing you’ve ever heard?”

“Who does that?” Kate wondered for the third
time that night.

“I know, isn’t he so sweet?” Liz smacked her
fiancé on the arm as she asked the question. Kate ducked her head
to hide the grin.

Ty followed her everywhere. He was her shadow
already. There was something very comforting about it. He got a
little pushy when the pizza was delivered, but backed off at Kate’s
stern reproach. His perpetual smile made it hard to stay angry at
him. Or perhaps it was more a well-timed smile, like Gavin. The
thought of him made her heart twinge and she wondered how long it
would be until it got easier.

“Why did he leave?” She asked very suddenly,
her fingers absentmindedly scratching Ty’s ears. Liz and Jessica
exchanged meaningful looks.

“This is crazy. He said you couldn’t tell
her. He didn’t say a thing to me,” Jessica declared. Liz shrugged
at that logic. Jessica took that as her cue to go on. “His mom has
breast cancer. She’s having a mastectomy in two days. He went to be
with her. He was planning on coming back once he knew she was
better. Jack gave him leave of absence.”

How had she not known this? Because she
hadn’t given him the chance to explain. She’d been so wrapped up in
her own pain it made her oblivious to his. And now he was gone,
facing this big scary disease with his mother.

That brought the memories of her mom, eaten
from within by bone cancer, boiling to the surface. Watching her
caregiver so helpless had been hell. And it had been terrifying,
too. To be so out of control, so at the whim of something other
than her own will. Those memories were the ones that haunted her
dreams and tainted her waking actions. She had to really
concentrate to conjure the sound of her mother’s voice or to
remember the smell of the rose lotion her mother always used. The
memories she wanted to cling to were fading so fast.

Part of Kate wanted to be sick. She knew she
didn’t have any tears left to cry – she’d used those up on Gavin.
Instead calm settled over her. Her eyes lifted to look around the
room.

“Who can dog-sit Ty for me?”

“Already?” Liz grinned, pretty sure she knew
where Kate was headed. “I can do it. Ty and I will have a grand
ole’ time messing up your place.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“Are you?” Jessica brightened.

“Yeah, I’ll talk to Jack tomorrow about
getting a few days off. I think I’m needed in London,” Kate
decided, ignoring the triumphant look Jessica and Liz
exchanged.

The guys turned on a game while the girls
helped Kate pack. Ty kept pulling her things out of the suitcase
and running through the house with them. It was kind of cute the
first time. Really irritating the fifteenth. With her friends gone
home and her flight booked, Kate walked Ty one last time and
climbed in to bed. She didn’t expect to go to sleep any time soon
thanks to nerves. But then Ty stretched out beside her, tucking his
head by her arm. There was something very soothing about that.

The next thing Kate knew, Ty was bathing her
face in kisses. It was morning. This walk was less fun. Her hair
was a wreck and she was in jeans and pajama top without a bra. Too
bad his bladder wouldn’t wait for her to get a shower and grab a
cup of coffee. She called Jack when she got back to the
apartment.

“I was wondering if I could take a few days
off,” she’d begun hesitantly. “I’ll stay in touch through email,
though, and I promise I won’t let the party or the wedding get
behind.”

“Jessica and Liz were in my office first
thing this morning.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “Take
all the time you need. Well, as long as you’re back by the next
meeting with the Bubble Lounge anyway.”

“I completely understand. Thank you so, so
much,” she was nearly breathless. She was actually going to just
pick up and fly to London on a moment’s notice to be with a man who
was kind of furious with her. But he had gotten her a dog – to heal
her soul, no less. So there was still something there. It was
terrifying and exhilarating. She realized with a start that she’d
better get a shower or she’d miss her flight.

A flurry of activity later, she was seated on
the plane waiting for it to taxi and trying not to panic. His whole
family would be there. What would they think when she came
strolling in? What if he didn’t want her there? This was such a
personal time, she shouldn’t intrude. She very nearly unfastened
her seatbelt to get off the plane when she felt the wheels start to
roll beneath her. For better or worse, she was on her way to
London.

The flight was excruciatingly long; the
flight from New York was delayed and put her behind schedule. By
the time she stood in Heathrow with her bags, she was exhausted and
bedraggled and wondering about her own sanity.

She looked at the clock on the wall. It had
taken so long to get there Gavin’s mother would already be in
surgery. She was so tired she could hardly put one foot in front of
the other, but sleep would have to wait. She was this close to the
finish line, she had to keep going. In her sleep-deprived state,
she envisioned herself a bedraggled marathoner nearing the end of a
race. She giggled, earning herself a few odd stares.

“London Bridge Hospital,” she told the cabbie
after her bags had been loaded and she’d sunk into the back seat.
She resisted the urge to close her eyes for even a moment because
she knew she’d fall asleep. Instead, she brushed her hair and put
some lip gloss on. It felt a little like using a band-aid when a
tourniquet was needed, but there wasn’t much she could really do
about that in the back of a cab. Maybe he’d consider the big black
circles under her eyes endearing.

The taxi pulled to a stop in front of the
hospital. Kate took a steadying breath as she stepped onto the
sidewalk. It was the moment of truth. She stood there for a moment
after the cabbie pulled away, bag in hand and staring at the
entrance. Another hospital flashed through her mind. Another mom.
Her throat felt thick and she tried to swallow down the lump. A few
more deep breaths and she was as ready as she’d ever be.

Different country, same smells – that was the
first thought Kate had as she stepped through the doors. Sick
smelled the same here as it did in Albuquerque. She glanced around
and found the information desk.

“Ellen Nichols please,” she felt the need to
speak in hushed tones. Hospitals and churches both had that effect
on her. She committed to memory the directions to surgery and set
off to find the family waiting room. She could hear his hushed
voice from outside the door. Her stomach fluttered and her chest
tightened. She’d soon know what he thought of her appearance. For
better or for worse.

Staring at the door wasn’t doing much to calm
her nerves so she clasped her bag even tighter and stepped through
the entrance. She half expected the world to come screeching to a
halt. She was a little disappointed when conversation continued
without anyone looking up. She set her bag in a corner, then stood
there uncomfortably for a second, listening to them debate how best
to divide the shifts at the hospital. Should she wait for a break
in conversation? Should she say his name?

“May I help you?” a woman with hair the color
of a coffee bean asked pleasantly enough. Kate blushed furiously,
her tongue tied the second her eyes met his.

Kate thought for a second she saw tears well
up. He blinked a few times and wiped his eyes with the back of his
hands, standing with an odd little laugh – which she matched.

“Hi. I’m so sorry to bother you. I’m Kate,”
her tongue was suddenly free. “I’m…” What? What was she?

“She’s my girlfriend,” Gavin crossed the
distance between them quickly now to engulf her in a hug. It was
clear from the collective gasp that Gavin had never brought a girl
home before.

“Well mum’s got to make it now. She’ll want
to see this,” one of Gavin’s brothers whispered loudly to
another.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he ignored his
brother. He seemed so absurdly happy to see her, Kate had never
been happier to be anywhere.

“I am so sorry,” she whispered against his
neck, standing on her tiptoes to hug him closer again.

“No worries,” he stood back to drink in the
sight of her, his hands holding her face. His family might have
assumed she was offering condolences for the situation, but Kate
knew he’d understood her apology for what it was. “Come on, meet
the whole clan.”

Kate was suddenly nervous again, and very
aware of how she must look.

“Da, this is Kate. Kate, this is my dad,
Garrett,” he pointed to an older, stouter version of himself, and
then on to his brothers and their wives. She tried to keep the
names straight – Gabriel and his wife Sarah, Devon and Nicole,
Darrin and Jill. It didn’t help that the men were all varying
versions of Gavin. Each had the same angle to their jaw, the same
murky gray eyes, the same easy smile. One was slightly taller, two
were slightly shorter; all three seemed slightly stockier. She felt
like she knew them a little from her conversations with Gavin. She
tried quick mental associations to help her remember names – like
that Sarah reminded her of Tara with her pretty blonde hair and
soft brown eyes.

“We sure are happy to meet you,” Garrett
surprised her with a hug.

“I’m glad to meet you as well, sir,” Kate
returned the hug awkwardly.

“Did you hear that boys? Sir. You could learn
from this girl.”

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” Gavin
shook his head, grinning from ear to ear.

“Believe it. Liz is dog-sitting,” she
informed him pointedly, folding her arms across her chest.

“You like him?” he did his best to look
sheepish.

Kate tried to look stern but lost the battle.
“I’m crazy about the brute already. He was ticked when I left
though. Liz says he’s eating my apartment in retaliation.”

“You have a dog?” Nicole asked politely. At
least, Kate was fairly certain the petite brunette was Nicole.

“Some might call him that,” Kate grimaced.
“Or moose, or couch-eating machine. He was a gift from Gavin.”

“You got her a dog?” Gabriel nodded sagely,
as if reading something into the gesture.

“Yeah,” he rubbed the back of his neck. Was
he embarrassed? “I was at the humane society for a photo shoot and
I don’t know; there was just something about him. It was kind of a
whim.”

Kate just shook her head. She couldn’t fathom
making that kind of decision on a whim. There were pro/con lists to
be made for that kind of thing. Conversation centered on Kate and
Gavin for a little while. Kate was under the impression that
everyone was happy to have something new to discuss.

“Kate, don’t let me forget when we get back
to the house – I have a file for you. I was going to send it back
with Gavin, but since you’re here we can cut out the middle man,”
Devon winked at her.

“Oh, thank you,” Kate had almost forgotten
that Devon was trying to unravel the mystery of her family for her.
She smiled warmly at him. “I really appreciate the help.”