She wondered what Owen was doing right now. Swimming in that amazing blue water? Sunning himself on the beach? Did he take someone with him?
Was that why he had left her? Did he have another someone, and he hadn’t had the guts to tell her about it?
Wouldn’t that just add salt to the wound? It would be bad enough having to live in the same vicinity as him when he got back. But knowing he had a girlfriend? That he’d left her for another woman? She’d never live that down.
“You look like you might kill someone.”
She’d come back home to finish working on a financial project, figuring keeping herself busy would help pass the time while Agatha was in surgery. Instead, she was sitting at her desk fuming about Owen.
She looked up at Brenna. “Owen.”
“Oh.” Brenna came in and sat in the chair, then frowned. “He didn’t contact you, did he?”
“Of course not. That would be kind. No, I’m just making up ‘what if’ scenarios in my head and driving myself crazy in the process.”
“Don’t do that, Erin. There’s no sense in trying to figure out why he did it until he explains it himself.”
She snorted. “Right. Like he’s going to show up all tanned from his trip and this will be his first stop when he gets off the plane.”
“He might,” Honor said, coming into the room to take the other chair next to Brenna. “He’s always been an honorable guy.”
“Correction,” Erin said. “He was an honorable man. Until he ran right before the wedding.”
“Why are we even talking about him?” Brenna asked. “I want to know about the new puppy.”
“Mom told you?” Erin asked.
“Yes.”
“Wait,” Honor said, looking from Brenna to Erin. “What puppy?”
Erin filled them in on what had happened when she left the house for her massage appointment, and how she took Agatha into Jason’s clinic.
“Aww,” Honor said. “When does she get to come home?”
“I don’t know. Jason said probably tomorrow.”
Her phone buzzed and her heart thudded when she saw it was the clinic. She pushed the button.
“Jason?”
“Miss Bellini, it’s Joe from the Well Pet Clinic.”
“Oh, hi, Joe. Is Agatha all right?”
“She’s fine. We’re prepping your pup for surgery and Dr. Callum wanted me to ask you if you also wanted us to spay Agatha while we had her under. She’s old enough, and he thought it would spare her from having to have another surgery later on.”
“Oh. Yes, of course do that if he doesn’t think it’ll be too hard on her.”
“It won’t be. We’ll let you know as soon as we’re finished with the surgery.”
“Thanks, Joe.”
She hung up and looked at her sisters. “They’re getting ready to start the surgery. They’re also going to spay Agatha while they’re fixing her leg.”
“Good idea,” Honor said. “That way she won’t have to have a second surgery.”
“That’s what Joe said.”
Brenna cocked her head to the side. “You’re nervous.”
“Of course I am. You should have seen her, Bren. She was dirty and matted and shivering in my arms.”
“And now you’re going to be a mommy.” Brenna’s lips lifted. “Hope you’re up to the challenge.”
Erin lifted her chin. “Of course I am. You think I can’t handle having a dog?”
“When have you ever wanted a dog?” Brenna asked. “Or a cat? Or any kind of animal, for that matter. I wanted to get a hamster when we were kids and you screamed about that until Mom said no.”
“Hamsters smell.”
Brenna rolled her eyes. “Oh, and dogs don’t get dirty or stink?”
Honor slanted a sympathetic look at her. “She’s got you on that one, Erin.”
“Fine. I apologize for the hamster thing. And I promise to keep the puppy as clean as I can.”
“Hey, I don’t care,” Brenna said with a slight shrug of her shoulder. “She’s your responsibility. I just think it’s ironic since you’re the last one of us that ever wanted a pet.”
As irritating as Erin found her oldest sister, she was telling the truth. Erin had never been an animal person. Yet something about Agatha’s pitiful cries as she lay there in the ditch had called to her in an emotional way that had never hit her before.
“You’re right. When we were kids, I never wanted a pet. I mean, yesterday I could say I still didn’t want one. But that was yesterday, and as we know, things can change in a heartbeat. Now I do, and I promise to do my best to give her the best life I can.”
Brenna opened her mouth to say something, then shut it.
“That’s all you can ask for,” Honor said. “I know you’ll give her all the love you have in you, Erin.”
After her sisters left, she finished the project she’d been working on, then organized her files, cleaned her desk, set up her planner for next week and by then she still hadn’t heard back from Jason, which only made her stress level shoot up to stratospheric levels.
She needed to talk to someone. She decided to get out and take a walk. She headed outside, breathing in the fresh spring air as she walked along the side yard and toward the vineyards.
She never took part in the vineyard business—not the actual growing of the grapes, anyway. That was Brenna and Dad’s job. But she loved coming out here when she needed a break. She’d stroll along to watch the tiny grapes growing on the vine. To her, it signaled growth and renewal, and a wonder at what these grapes could become.
She made her way down the line, checking out some of the riper grapes, nearly ready for picking. She wished she could grab one and taste it, but she knew better.
What she really needed was a nice glass of wine, but she wanted to stay clearheaded, so she went into the clarification room, where she found her dad and Brenna working on a batch of red grapes.
“How’s it going?” she asked.
“Good,” her father said. “What brings you out here?”
“Just . . . wandering.”
“She’s waiting to hear from Jason about her new puppy,” Brenna said. “He’s in surgery right now fixing the pup’s broken leg.”
“Ah,” her father said. “Puppy will be fine. Jason is a good doctor.”
“I know he is, Dad. So, what are you working on?”
“Checking this batch of pinot noir,” her dad explained. “It’s been in fermentation for a month.”
“It should be ready to move to clarification soon.”
Her father nodded.
Her phone buzzed. She grabbed it and stepped outside.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Erin. It’s Jason.”
Her stomach tightened. “Hi, Jason. How’s Agatha?”
“She came through surgery great. Plates and pins aligned the leg perfectly, and the spay was routine, with no complications.”
She sagged against the outside wall in relief. “That’s great. So great. Thank you.”
“Not a problem. Since she had a double surgery she was under anesthesia a little longer, so she’s really groggy right now. We’ll keep her overnight to maintain her fluids and keep a close watch on her. You can pick her up tomorrow afternoon.”