Read Online A Time for Home: A Snowberry Creek Novel by Alexis Morgan - Free Book Online

waiter returned, Nick looked up from studying the selections. “That does sound good. Want to start off with a couple of the ales and the crab cakes for an appetizer?”
    Callie nodded. “Sure, and for dinner I’ll have a Caesar salad along with the grilled salmon.”
    Nick closed his menu and handed it back. “I’ll have the same.”
    The waiter smiled. “Good choices. The crab cakes shouldn’t take long.”
    When they were alone again, Nick went back to staring at the mountain. Normally, the silence that settled between them wouldn’t have bothered Callie. However, something about the way Nick was keeping his eyes averted convinced her that it wasn’t that he had nothing to say. No, he was just reluctant to share whatever it was that he wanted to tell her.
    The suspense was killing her. If he didn’t speak up soon, she’d have to find some way to nudge him along. When she was about to do just that, he started talking.
    “I have a couple of things to tell you, Callie, and they’re sort of intertwined.”
    She wished he would look at her, but then again maybe not, considering the expression on his face right then. Even in profile, it was easy to see the growing tension in the clench of his jaw and the way his eyebrows rode down low over his dark eyes. What was he seeing in his mind that had him looking so grim?
    “Spence was the one who insisted on adopting Mooch after the dog saved us. It was touch-and-go that first night even after the vet treated Mooch. Although the bullet didn’t hit anything vital, the wound bled a lot, especially for a dog his size. Added to that, Mooch was half-starved and filthy, so it was anybody’s guess what kind of germs were embedded in the wound.”
    He lapsed into silence again, his expression bleak as he relived that night. This time she did try to nudge him along.
    “Spence told me a lot about what happened on that particular patrol and afterward. He also said that you finally ordered him to get some sleep while you stood watch over Mooch. You have to know that meant a lot to Spence.”
    Nick shrugged it off. “I owed both him and the dog that much, but back to the story. Once we knew the dog would actually make it, Spence started worrying about what would happen to him when our deployment ended. He called in every favor he could to make the arrangements to ship Mooch back to the States. He wanted to give that idiot fur ball a chance to live a long and lazy life, hopefully here in Snowberry Creek.”
    Nick finally turned to face her. “When Spence was killed, Leif and I couldn’t stand for that dream to die along with him.”
    Oh, no, she could guess where he was headed with this. It had never occurred to her that along with Spence’s house she might inherit his dog, too. What could she say?
    “If you’re asking me to adopt Mooch, Nick, I can’t say yes, not without thinking about it long and hard. I hadn’t told you this, but I’m thinking about turning Spence’s house into a bed-and-breakfast. It’s too soon to know if that’s going to work out. If it doesn’t, I’ll be looking for another contract job, which could be anywhere for any length of time. I often live out of suitcases for weeks at a time.”
    Their crab cakes and drinks arrived, giving her a few seconds’ respite before having to say more. In fact, having Nick dump this on her lap with no warning made her angry, especially because to say no to providing a home for Mooch came with a huge load of guilt.
    “For certain, I can’t give you a firm answer tonight or even tomorrow, Nick. Not when I don’t know where I’ll be living in a month’s time.”
    “I’m not really asking you for a commitment one way or another.” He was back to staring at the mountain. “I certainly understand what it’s like to live in between homes. I’m in the same boat, at least until I decide whether to extend my enlistment. It doesn’t help that Leif is trying to come back from an injury that could cost him his