He stopped beside the car. “It’s that dog.”
“You don’t have to say it like she has a disease. Yes, this is Fluffy. You probably remember her from that little incident at the hospital.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Little incident?”
“What would you call it?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Montana sighed. “I have already admitted I overestimated Fluffy’s ability to change. She’s a happy, exuberant dog and most of the time that’s a good thing. Just not so much for therapy. I’m taking her with us because I want her to meet Kent and Reese. Kent has been thinking about getting them a dog. Fluffy would make a great pet.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t you dare say anything.”
“I’m sure Fluffy would make a great pet.” As long as the dog never got onto his ward again, he would be happy.
“Oh.” She unlocked the doors.
He slid into the passenger seat. Fluffy lunged toward him, but Montana told her to stay in the back.
“Kent and Reese have been going through a bad time. Reese’s mom took off about a year ago.” Montana started the engine, then glanced at him. “She just left. What kind of mother does that? She rarely sees Reese. Kent said she barely calls, but when she suddenly gets an itch to play mom, she expects Kent to drop everything and bring Reese to her. I don’t think that dog can take the place of his mother, but sometimes unconditional love can really help.”
Simon thought of his own mother. Compared to her actions, leaving would have almost been kind. But Montana wouldn’t know much about the monsters in life. She’d been spared, and he found he was pleased by that. He didn’t want her to know what life could really be like.
“I didn’t tell Cece that Fluffy was coming with us,” she said with a grin. “I didn’t want them fighting.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “She really has a thing for you. It’s so cute.”
He thought about the small poodle. She wasn’t a bad dog and seemed to do well with Kalinda, which he appreciated. “I think you’re giving her too much credit.”
“You only say that because you don’t know her. Just wait. Cece is going to win you over.”
Before he could respond, she began pointing out the various sites in Fool’s Gold. They drove by the park and through the small downtown before turning into a residential neighborhood.
From what he could tell, the houses were older but well maintained. Large trees and green lawns gave the neighborhood an idyllic air. A few bicycles leaned against porches. He supposed this was normal for a lot of people. Middle America. The kind of place where most kids grew up, or at least imagined growing up. He’d never experienced anything like it. His life with his mother had been spent in a series of small apartments in grim neighborhoods. He’d spent his teen years in hospitals.
No doubt many of his patients lived in houses like this, but he never visited them there. He made it a point to keep his work separate. He didn’t want to know them more personally than necessary. In fact, he had never accepted an invitation to someone’s home. This was a first. And it wasn’t because he wanted to get to know the Hendrix family. It was all about Montana.
She parked in front of one of the houses. It looked freshly painted and the roof was new. The yard well cared for. There were already several cars in the driveway. As he got out of the car, he braced himself to once again deal with people he didn’t know. Not his strong suit, he thought grimly.
Montana let Fluffy out of the back and quickly clicked the leash onto her collar. Even so, the large dog practically dragged her toward the porch. Before they got there, the front door burst open and people spilled out.
“Welcome,” Denise said, hurrying toward them. She held her arms open.
He wanted to take a step back, to turn away, to make his excuses. But everything happened too fast. Denise embraced him, holding on as if she would never let go.
“He came home this morning,” she said as she hugged him tight. “Just like you said. He’s going to be fine and it’s because of you.” Still holding on to both his upper arms, she stepped back and looked at him. “I want to spend the next several hours thanking you, but that might make you uncomfortable. So I’m going to say it now and try to let it go. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound as awkward as he felt.
She linked arms with him and led him toward the waiting family.
He remembered Kent from the previous day. After they shook hands, he was introduced to Ethan, the oldest of the six children, and Ethan’s wife, Liz. Next up were the remaining triplets, Dakota and Nevada.
Dakota was holding a toddler. Hovering close by was Finn, Dakota’s fiancé.