This was her chance to start over. A fresh new beginning to create the kind of life she’d never imagined for herself until a few months ago. She intended to milk it for all it was worth.
Once she crossed the bridge linking the island of Colington with Kill Devil Hills, the change in landscape was immediate. Where Colington had slightly hilly terrain covered in trees with curving roads, Kill Devil Hills was flat and sandy with straight roads. Within minutes she’d reached the beach road and turned north toward her destination.
She couldn’t help the flash of excitement when the ocean came into view on her right. An endless expanse of blue sparkling in the sunshine, and gentle rollers washing up on the golden sand for as far as the eye could see.
Just over a mile up the road, she turned toward the beach, and the house came into view ahead. A thrill shot through her in spite of its current condition. Like Priscilla, the house desperately needed some TLC. Harry had bought the property back in the fifties while here on his honeymoon. But after his wife had died suddenly twelve years later, he’d never come back here, renting it out for income instead.
He’d told Aspen about his memories of it fondly, a wistful expression taking over his face every time, but she’d never dreamed he would bequeath it to her when he died. The location alone was incredible, and it was worth enough for her to live on comfortably for a long time if she sold it. She would love to keep it, but that depended on how things went with her finances and whether she could swing the taxes and the rest of the mortgage.
Two painting and plumbing company trucks were in the driveway. She parked at the curb and got out, unable to keep from smiling as she gazed at the house. Like all the ocean-front homes here, it was built on stilts, with the garage and storage on the ground level, and two more levels above, accessed by exterior wooden staircases.
The cedar siding had been a tired, weather-beaten gray, so she’d had it freshly painted in a soft, butter yellow with white trim that now seemed to glow in the sunshine. Her savings were dwindling fast to fund all the repairs, but it was worth it, and if she wanted to sell it for top dollar, fixing it up was necessary.
The whine of a drill reached her from inside as she walked up the thin strip of grass separating her yard from her neighbor to the south and approached the gate leading to her garden. A landscaping company had come by last week to give her a quote on cleaning it up, but old habits were hard to break, and her frugal nature had demanded she save the few hundred bucks and do it herself. Problem was, she’d never gardened in her life, but she’d figure it out.
Half a dozen steps from the back gate, a deep bark from behind her made her jerk and whirl around. She froze, her heart clenching in terror as a mottled giant of a dog barreled toward her from next door.
“Whoa!” She scrambled back a few steps, holding her arms out in front of her to ward it off, a scream rising in her throat.
The heel of her right shoe caught in the grass. She fell backward, instinctively throwing out her arms to break her fall.
Her hip hit the grass. She pushed up on one hand just as the huge animal came within lunging range. Aspen sucked in a breath and threw her arms over her head, bracing for the feel of sharp fangs tearing into her.
“Sinbad! No. Get over here,” a gruff voice called out from nearby.
When the bite she’d been expecting didn’t happen, Aspen peeled her eyes open and dared to look up. The horse of a dog stood maybe ten feet away, ears perked, its golden brown eyes fixed on her unerringly. Beyond it, a sixty-ish man with a gray beard stood on the neighboring house’s back porch, leaning over the railing.
Her gaze snapped back to the dog, which thankfully hadn’t moved. Her racing heart seemed to be trapped halfway up her esophagus, making it hard to breathe.
“You can get up now,” the man told her in that same gruff tone. He had a strong, local accent. Much stronger than anyone she’d met here so far. “He won’t hurt you.”
Aspen eyed the dog uncertainly, her heart still thudding in her throat. She’d always been scared of dogs, and this one was bigger than any she’d seen.
Sinbad hadn’t budged, but he also hadn’t taken his eyes off her. As if he still might be sizing her up for a snack if she made a wrong move.
“Go on,” the man prompted impatiently. “Up you get.”
Taking him at his word and hoping he was right about his dog, she pushed to her feet slowly. The dog whined and took a step toward her. She shrank back, feeling trapped. “Can you call him off?” Her voice was unsteady, anger now mixing with the fear. Surely the guy could see how scared she was. Why wasn’t he doing anything?
“Sinbad. Stay.” Then he muttered something under his breath that she didn’t catch. “You afraid of dogs or somethin’?” he called out in that same annoyed tone that made her want to snap at him.
She forced her gaze back to him, wishing he’d just come over and get his dog. “He charged at me.”
He grunted. “He’s just young is all, and doesn’t realize how big he is. Mostly Great Dane. But he’s a gentle giant, only two. He was excited to see you and wanted to go over to say hello.”
Then maybe he should keep the dog inside or at least on a leash until it learned not to charge at people? On all fours the top of Sinbad’s head came to her chest. If he stood on his back paws, he’d tower over her. And the owner didn’t seem in any hurry to come get him. “You’re sure?”
The man snorted. “Course I’m sure. Hold out your hand and let him sniff you if you’re still scared.”
It went against all her instincts, but the owner apparently wasn’t coming to get the dog, so Aspen slowly extended her hand, palm up. Sinbad’s thin, whip-like tail wagged a little, his pink-and-black nose quivering, black ears perked. “Are you friendly, Sinbad?” she asked him in a quiet voice, hoping it was true.
The dog ambled toward her and it took everything in her not to shrink away. But he stopped in front of her and dipped his giant head so that his nose could snuffle over her palm, his floppy lips brushing her skin. His tail was wagging. That was a good sign, right?
The worst of her fear receded, and she even smiled weakly when his whiskers tickled her. Okay, so he didn’t seem bent on attacking her. His fur was short, the color reminding her of cookies-and-cream ice cream, except for the big black splotches on his ears and around his eyes, and that bit of pink on his nose.
Before she could work up the courage to try and pet him, Sinbad plopped his butt down on the grass and shoved his big head into her stomach. Aspen doubled over a little, then melted when she realized he was trying to cuddle. “Oh…” She gave the top of his head a tentative stroke, still a bit unsure. His fur was a lot softer than it looked.
“See? Just like I told ya. Big baby, is all,” the owner added.
Aspen already preferred the dog to its owner. Sinbad wagged his tail and shoved his head harder into her stomach. Aww. “Oh, yes, I had you all wrong, Sinbad. What a handsome boy you are,” she crooned, already warming to him as she scratched his powerful neck. Damn, he was built like a small horse.
“You the new owner?” the man asked, and when she looked up, his expression was somewhere between a frown and a scowl. Although to be fair the sun was in his eyes.
“Yes, I’m Aspen.” And this hadn’t been the best introduction, especially since they were going to be living next to each other for at least a while.