Lost and Found in Cedar Cove Read Free

immediately sensed something was drastically wrong because she asked, “Jo Marie, what’s happened? You look like you’ve lost your best friend.”
    “I have,” Jo Marie choked out. “It’s Rover. He’s missing.” She extended her hands to her friend, needing advice and comfort and something to hold on to, someone to hold her together.
    Gripping both of Jo Marie’s hands, Grace asked, “When did you last see him?”
    “The thing is, I don’t know. Rover followed Mark and me outside. We went out to select an area to plant the rose garden. You know how he barely leaves my side. Rover was with me then, but a few minutes after we were inside, talking details, I noticed he wasn’t in the house. I’ve looked everywhere I can think of to look and he’s … gone. Vanished. I can’t imagine where he went or why.” Again, her voice did that wobbling thing as if she were on the verge of having an emotional breakdown. Which, as a matter of fact, she was.
    Grace was instantly all business. “You had the microchip put in, right?”
    Jo Marie nodded.
    “Then any shelter that finds him will have your contact information.”
    Jo Marie had forgotten about that, but it did little to assuage her fears.
    “I’ll call Olivia, too.”
    The family court judge? “What can she do?” Jo Marie asked.
    “Well, for one thing, she knows Hank Hampton over at Animal Control personally. I do, too, but she has more sway with him than I do. If he finds Rover, she’ll have him get in touch with you directly and sidestep the shelter.”
    “She’d be able to do that?”
    “Olivia can ask. She knows how attached you are to Rover.”
    “Would you mind asking?” The thought of Rover being chased by a dogcatcher wasn’t a comforting one.
    “I wouldn’t mind in the least. Anything else I can do, other than talk to Olivia and the animal shelter?”
    “I … I don’t know.” Jo Marie’s brain felt as if it was about to explode. She couldn’t sit idly by and do nothing, though; that was driving her nuts. She pressed her fingertips against her lips. “Mark says I’m overreacting.”
    “You aren’t. You and I both know Rover is a special dog and that the two of you are meant to be together,” Grace assured her. “We all love our pets; they’re like family.”
    That was the bottom line, she realized. To Jo Marie, Rover was family. Her family. “Thank you,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
    “We’ll find him, Jo Marie, don’t worry. Rover will be back before you know it.”
    Because she so desperately wanted to believe that, Jo Marie didn’t argue, although it felt as if Rover was completely gone from her life. What Mark said echoed in her mind … maybe she was supposed to have him for only these few months while she grieved for Paul. Perhaps it was time for him to move on to someone else who was badly in need of comfort. She didn’t want to think that was the case, but she couldn’t come up with another logical explanation.
    Rover had left of his own accord.
    He’d gone outside with her and Mark, and he hadn’t returned. Nothing had prevented him from following her back into the house. Maybe he’d moved on to someone else. Another hurting soul in need.

    Amanda Palmer found Travis Kilroy sitting at the farthest, darkest corner table in Java Joint. He’d slouched down in the chair so far he was in danger of sliding onto the floor. His neck rested on the back of the chair and he held his cell phone and was either texting or playing games. Either way, his fingers moved over the keys with practiced ease.
    “Hello, Travis,” she said, doing her best to sound like she was eager to be his math tutor.
    He glanced up and reluctantly straightened. “Hi.” The greeting was flat and devoid of any welcome or appreciation.
    Amanda pulled out the chair next to him and set her backpack on the floor. One point in his favor, Travis was on time, although he looked as if he’d rather be just about anyplace else than