With all the noise from the deer, I hadn’t noticed that Annabel had come over next to me. She had the tiny fawn’s head in her hands, and she was staring straight into its dark eyes. Something about her presence had calmed the deer. “What did you just do?” I asked, in awe of the sudden silence.

She smiled. “I have this weird thing with frightened animals. Back at my old job, I was always able to calm them down.” She stroked the top of the fawn’s tiny head. “I’m just so thankful I haven’t lost my touch.”

I was thankful, too. Not only because I didn’t think I could have taken having to hear the fawn’s screams all the way home, but because after all she had lost at the hands of Mendoza, he hadn’t managed to take that from her.

“Come on. Let’s get home before you catch a chill and I get kicked to death by this crazy thing,” I suggested.

With an almost girlish giggle, Annabel released the deer, and we started walking side by side out of the woods. From time to time, she would glance over at me cradling the deer and smile. It was the most beautiful and genuine smile I had ever seen. And I realized then that she was finding real happiness again. She might’ve saved the fawn, but it was certainly going to save her as well.

I had hoped we could make it to my house without getting ambushed by anyone asking questions. I wasn’t so lucky. Deacon, Alexandra, and Willow were leaving Mama Beth’s when we stepped out of the woods. They all three stopped to stare at us as if we had suddenly grown two or three heads.

“How on earth did you two get wet?” Alexandra asked.

“Is that a baby deer?” Willow questioned excitedly as she bounded over to us.

I stared pointedly at Deacon and Alexandra. “We went swimming at tohi a-ma.”

“Oh,” they both murmured at the same time. I knew that Deacon often visited the waters, and after Alexandra had gone through such a horrible time after killing one of the Raiders’ rivals, and the man who killed her parents, Deacon had taken her there as well.

“This fawn is orphaned, so we’re going to take care of it.”

Deacon glanced from me to Annabel and back. “You are?” he questioned rather skeptically.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, we are. Apparently Annabel knows what to do.”

Once again, she giggled infectiously. “I think Rev is having second thoughts about taking me into the woods. But some of my veterinary training dealt with livestock and wild animals. It’ll be good to be back in the swing of things after these last few months.” She looked at Willow. “Of course, I’m going to need some help. Would you want to help me?”

I don’t know why Annabel bothered to ask. Willow loved animals, so helping out with a baby deer was right up her alley. “Yes, I would.”

“Is that okay with you two?” Annabel asked Deacon and Alexandra.

Deacon smiled. “Yeah, it’s okay. It’ll get her out of our hair for a while.”

We all laughed at the perturbed scowl that crossed Willow’s face at her father’s remark. She peered up at the deer in my arms. “What are you going to name it?”

Annabel pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Actually, we hadn’t gotten that far yet.”

Bringing her hands to her hips, Willow said, “Well, it needs a name.”

“Probably something unisex since we don’t know what it is,” I mused.

Annabel cocked her head. “How about Poe?”

“Like ‘Poe a deer’ instead of ‘Doe a deer’?” I questioned with a teasing smile.

“I’m not even going to ask how you know a song from The Sound of Music.”

I laughed and jerked my chin at Willow. “Ask Miss Show Tunes over there.”

“I meant for Edgar Allen Poe.”

With a wink, I said, “I figured as much.”

“So it’s Poe?” Willow asked.

I glanced down at the deer. “Yep, Mr. or Miss Poe.”

“A very distinguished name,” Alexandra said with a grin.

“Now that Poe has a name, we need to work on getting some food into him or her.” Annabel turned to me. “I’m going to need some things from a pet store. I can make you a list.”

“I’ll be happy to go get them for you. Especially a pen.”

“Oh, but I planned on letting it sleep with me,” Annabel teased.

“Think again.”

Her smile once again reached her eyes, and in that moment, I would’ve let the damn deer sleep with her if I could see that much happiness on her face again. I had thought she was beautiful before, but when she truly smiled, she was breathtaking. And while I welcomed her newfound joy, I also knew I was in deep, deep trouble.

FOURTEEN

REV

ONE MONTH LATER

I had thought initially that having Annabel living with me would mean that my life would drastically change. But once we learned the pattern of each other’s days and nights, everything fell into place. She rose before I had to leave for work and made coffee and cooked breakfast. She even brought me a home-cooked lunch at my job at the Raiders-owned pawnshop next to the clubhouse. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d said she knew how to cook. I had already gained five pounds since she had come to live with me. Thankfully, she had regained some of the weight she’d lost as well.

While I was at work, she sometimes went over to Mama Beth’s and helped her cook dinner. The two were growing very attached to each other. I could tell Mama Beth was everything in a mother that Annabel had never had yet had longed for. In turn, Mama Beth had always wanted daughters, especially those who wanted to help her with the things she loved, like cooking. While I loved that they got along so well, I knew it was only going to cause pain in the long run for both of them when Annabel left. But I kept my mouth shut.