Seth and Emma met 22 days ago.

ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

"Yes." After a few minutes of silence, Emma said, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Time passed, before Emma reached for Seth's hand. He gave hers a squeeze.

During the night, their hands separated. Emma woke up. "Seth?"

"I'm right here." He took her hand and held it.

TODAY'S POST:

Chapter 22

While Emma dressed, Seth answered her door. "Carl, what brings you out this early on a Saturday?"

"Your signature. When you weren't home, I figured you're here." He held up a sack. "I brought breakfast."

"Thank you, but you didn't need to. You should've called, I would've come in."

"I'm worried about Emma."

Emma opened the bedroom door. "Hi Carl, thank you for being concerned, but I'm fine."

Hugging her, he pecked her cheek. "Your eyes aren't sparkling. You're not fine."

"I need to start wearing sunglasses. Too many people read my eyes."

Carl chuckled. "Don't do that. Your dancing green eyes bring us joy."

Seth poured a cup of coffee and held it out. "Carl, do you have time for a cup? It's fresh."

He handed Seth a manila file. "Not really. After you sign these, I need to get back to the station."

After Carl left, Emma asked, "Has Dr. Mason called?"

"Not yet. Ready for coffee?"

"Yes, please." Emma sipped the coffee. "This is good. Thank you." She licked her lips. "About last night..."

"Emma," interrupted Seth. "We're good friends. I'm glad I could help. Don't worry about it." He checked the sack Carl had left. "Ready for breakfast?" After she nodded, he handed her a Styrofoam container. "See what's in it."

Emma opened it. "An omelet. Are they both the same?"

"Mine has bacon on the side. How about yours?"

"Yes, and Texas toast."

"Yep." Seth opened a second sack. "Two cinnamon rolls."

Smiling Emma said, "My favorite." She answered her cell phone. "Dr. Mason, hello, how's Molly?" She put it on speaker and listened for a few moments. "Molly had a difficult night." Tears crept down her cheeks as she listened. "Changing her antibiotic should bring down her fever, right?" She set the phone on the counter.

"Emma?"

"I'm sure you heard. He'll call this afternoon. Ace hasn't left her side." Emma dried her tears. "Like you haven't left mine."

"And I'm not going to."

Seth studied Emma as they ate. Pouring himself another cup of coffee, he asked, "More?" After she accepted it, he continued, "Why don't we go on a picnic? I think it'd do us good to get out of the house."

"What if Dr. Mason or your office calls?"

"We have cell phones. People can contact us."

After thinking for a few moments, Emma said, "Okay. Any ideas for lunch?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll call in an order." He hesitated. "Not Keith either. He won't let me pay."

"True. Let me know what my half is."

"That's not going to happen."

"Do you ever get tired of being bossy?"

"What do you think?"

"Nope."

Seth grinned. "Then why'd you ask?"

"Since you put it that way, good question."

His eyes met hers. "What should I order?"

"I know it's not healthy, but I need comfort food. Can we have fried chicken, potato salad, Cole slaw, and biscuits?

"How about some fresh fruit and vegetables too?"

"Sounds good."

Before Seth made the phone call, he asked, "How long before you're ready?"

"Maybe thirty minutes."

After placing the order, Seth faced Emma. "I've been concentrating on your fur ball and haven't asked how you're feeling. It hasn't been a full week since your car accident."

"I'm doing well. My neck's still a little sore."

"And the bruising?"

"Still there. I have some interesting colors."

Seth grinned. "I'm sure. Have you followed up with the doctor?"

"I will Monday." When he frowned, she added, "I promise."

He scanned the area. "Since you're about ready, I'll get my pickup."

"It's not necessary. I can walk. Your place is really close. Any idea where we're going?"

"I might have one."

*****
As Seth parked, Emma asked, "Is this another one of your thinking spots?"

Chuckling, Seth said, "It is."

"Are we thinking or talking?"

He handed Emma a blanket. "Will you carry this?" He then picked up the sack. "How about a little thinking, some talking, and a lot of relaxing?"

"Sounds good."

When they arrived at a clearing, Emma laid the blanket on the ground and sat. "It's beautiful." She pointed. "I wonder how deep that river is flowing through those mesas."

Seth sat beside her. "I have no idea. I'm betting on another day we could drive over and see. It'd probably take a few hours to get there."

"Let's do that." Emma tilted her head. "You, Dad, and Jake never did go fishing, did you?"

"Nope. Life got in the way."

"That happens a lot. Maybe we can plan a fishing trip."

"Good idea."

Silence continued as they stared at the scenery and reflected on their own thoughts.

Emma laid back. "I enjoy cloud watching. Have you tried it?"

"Not since I grew up." He chuckled and laid back. "What am I looking for?"

"Different shaped clouds."

"See that small one?" Seth pointed. "It looks like a small tornado. It even has a spout."

"The idea is to see happy things in the clouds, not tornados."

"I guess I need some work."

Sometime later, Seth asked, "Getting hungry?" When she nodded, he set out the food. As he did, he tossed her a penny. "A penny for your thoughts."

Her eyes sparkled. "My thoughts cost more than a penny."

"I'm sure they do, but it'll have to do for now. What are you thinking?"

"How awesome God is. So much has happened. I've forgotten that."

"It's easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day garbage of life and forget." He pointed to the food. "Help yourself."

Emma picked up a chicken breast and took a bite. "God created all this beautiful scenery and those beautiful clouds." She smiled. "He also put wonderful people in my life. My parents, Ms. Sadie, Pastor Pat, Jake, and now you."

"Thank you. I can say the same for you. You've reminded me how important it is to enjoy life. I'd forgotten. My life revolved around work."

"I'm sure when you took this job and didn't know anybody, it was easy to do."

"Jake came around often. He had already introduced me to your dad. Carl was easy to get to know and became a quick friend. The rest of the force was accepting, but I still kept to myself."

"Can I ask why?"

"That would require me to open up."

"Sorry." She took another bite of chicken breast.

A long pause continued, before Seth said, "A few months after I arrived in Cedarville, I met this pretty young lady, Jillian." He chuckled. "To be honest she wasn't nearly as beautiful as you." He grinned at Emma's blush. "She was from Boston and was in town because her elderly grandma, Ellen, needed help in her final months."

"How did you meet Jillian?"

"Where else, but a coffee shop?" Seth rubbed his short stubble. "It seems I'm addicted to coffee. Jillian drank those fancy almond milk something or others. That should've been my first clue." He took a bite of chicken and chewed slowly. "There were clues I could've caught onto."

"Maybe you didn't want to."

"You're probably right. I took Ms. Ellen and her dog, Tina on walks. Tina was a sweet little beagle mix. Jillian wanted nothing to do with walking with her grandma or Tina." Staring off into space, he continued, "When Ms. Ellen needed to go to the store, I took her. It seemed as if she embarrassed Jillian. She'd always find an excuse not to go."

"I'm glad Ms. Ellen had you."

"Her last week of life was spent in hospice. I took the week off and stayed with her. I read to her, talked with her, and held her hand. Jillian never visited. She said she was too busy wrapping up her grandma's affairs."

Emma touched his hand. "I'm sorry."

"I figured Jillian would remain in Ms. Ellen's house, but Jillian immediately sold it and wanted to return to Boston."

"What happened to Tina?"

"Jillian said she'd found a nice family who adopted her." Seth exhaled. "I discovered six months later she'd placed her in the pound. If I'd have known that I would've taken her."

Seth stood, walked around, and then sat again. "Jillian convinced me we should become engaged, and I should move to Boston. She said her family would help me get a job with the police department. I sent applications to Boston's police department." He paused. "Or I thought I did. I filled them out. Jillian said she'd mail them. I found out later she never did."

Emma's hand flew over her mouth but remained silent.

"I quit my job, and we went to Boston. To make a long story short, I went to the police department to see about my job prospects and discovered they never received my application."

"What did you do?"

"I approached Jillian, and she abruptly explained I'd be working in her father's company and should report to work the following morning. Not only that, but I was also to upgrade my dressing habits, jeans and T-shirts wouldn't be appropriate for an office job. I'd be required to wear a three-piece suit." He glanced at his feet. "Cowboy boots weren't allowed either."

"It seems Jillian had your life planned."

"You're right. My purpose was to be eye-candy on her arm."

"Seth, I'm sorry. I can see why you struggle trusting women."

"I allowed Jillian to manipulate my life. I had trusted her. It took a long time to get over being angry with myself for allowing her to do it. There were all sorts of missed signals, the way she treated her grandma and Tina. The wedding never happened. I returned to Texas and got my old job back."

"Thank you for trusting me enough to share this." Emma glanced at her ringing phone. "It's Dr. Mason."

As Emma's eyes sparkled, Seth began packing. She put away her phone, and he said, "I can tell by your eyes that Molly's coming home. Ready?"

"I am. Dr. Mason thinks she'll heal faster at home. I hope Dad doesn't mind her coming to work."

"I'm sure he won't."

*****
At the veterinarian clinic, Dr. Mason explained how to care for Molly, her medicine and special diet.

Dr. Mason lifted Molly still on the pillow he'd had her on. "You can take this home. It has a board on the bottom for extra support. She'll need to remain on this for a few days. The less she's moved the better. I want to see her in one week, before if necessary."

Emma reached for Molly, but Seth took her. "I'll carry her. At the car, I'll hand her to you."

"Good idea." Emma's eyes met Dr. Mason's. "How much do I owe?"

"Nothing. Everything's been paid in full."

"By whom?"

"They've asked to remain anonymous."

Emma faced Seth. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

Dr. Mason cleared his throat. "Molly's bill was divided by four."

"Dad, Jake, Pastor Pat, and Seth; my four guardians." Emma reached up and kissed Seth's cheek. "Thank you."

"Thanks for the kiss, but..."

"Are you denying any part of this?" interrupted Emma.

"Thank you, Dr. Mason. We need to let you get back to work and Molly home." Seth turned to leave. "Emma, are you coming?"

She followed. "You can ignore my question all you want, but I already know the answer."

"I see no reason for continuing this conversation."

"Grrr, you're frustrating."

"Get in. I'll pass you this bundle." As he did, he said, "There really was a dog under all that fur, a tiny dog, but a dog."

Studying Molly, Emma asked, "She's going to be all right, isn't she?"

Seth touched her arm. "I think so or Dr. Mason wouldn't have let her come home."

*****
After dinner, Emma went to the garage and grabbed a sleeping bag. When she returned, she asked, "Can I borrow this tonight? I don't want Molly to be alone and she's not ready for my bed."

"I doubt Ace is ready to leave her. I know I'm not ready to leave either of you."

"Seth?"

He stared at her.

Emma frowned. "I'm going to lose this one, aren't I?" After he grinned, she said, "Not surprised." She watched Seth go to the garage and get the other sleeping bag.

When Seth returned, Emma said, "You can't continue staying here."

"I don't plan on it. Right now, Molly's vulnerable. Ace would never forgive me if I let anything happen to her."

"Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?"

He ignored the question and picked up the TV remote control. "There's a ball game on. Want to watch?"

"Sounds good. I'll probably spend most of my time staring at Molly." She checked her phone. "In twenty minutes, I'll need to give her some medicine and try some food."

"I'll help. It may take both of us."

*****
Seth held Molly's weak body as Emma gave her tiny sips of liquid antibiotics from an eye dropper. After she was sure it stayed down, she attempted a few drops of water and the liquid food.

When they finished, Seth set Molly back on the pillow and covered her. He glanced at Emma and saw moisture in her eyes. "She's getting stronger all the time."

"I know." Then she whispered, "I think."

Putting his arm around her shoulders, he said, "She is."

Emma watched a little of the game, but most of the time watched Molly.

When it came time for bed, Emma asked, "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Are you asking about church?" After Emma nodded, Seth said, "I figured you'd go."

"Think it would be okay if Molly attended?"

"I doubt Pastor Pat can deny you anything. I'm concerned about Ace. He won't want to leave her."

"We'll figure it out in the morning." Emma crawled into her sleeping bag.

Seth checked the doors and turned off the lights before he got in his.

After studying Molly, Emma sighed and reached for Seth's hand. "Goodnight."

Seth used his thumb and caressed her hand. "Goodnight."


******
Character List:

Police Chief Seth Carter - hero and Beaverton's Police Chief

Emma Winters - heroine and waitress at her parents' bakery and bookstore, but just graduated college with a teaching degree.

Winters - the bakery/bookstore Emma's parents own.

Carl Jones - Seth's good friend and right-hand man

Susan and Keith Winters - Emma's parents and owners of Winters' Family Bakery and Bookstore

Molly - Emma's almost four-pound Pomeranian

Ace - Seth's German shepherd, a trained K-9

Pastor Pat - Pastor of the Church and Emma's Godfather

Jake Baker - Seth's mentor and Winters' family friend

Ray Hudson - Works at the bakery

Peggy Barton - Emma knew her in high school and is the assistant librarian, she's making a play for Seth

Linda Holton - the town librarian

Mayor Castle - mayor of Beaverton

George Elliot - city council member, from old money, and father of Marc Elliot

Marc Elliot - troubled teenager

Ronald Calhoun - dated Emma her senior year of high school

Dr. Mason - veterinarian who took care of Molly