Finding Home by Georgia Beers Read Free Book Online Page A

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    everything in their power to repair it. Their efforts simply hadn’t been enough.
    Those facts didn’t keep her heart from aching, though.
    “I’ve got to get home. Unpack. Do laundry.” She rubbed at her forehead. “I’m tired.”
    “I’m sorry, Sarah.” Her mother’s voice was barely a whisper.
    “I know, Mom. I know.”
    Once back in her townhouse, Sarah felt like every ounce of energy had drained out of her and she ß opped onto her leather couch, staring off into space. She really needed to get up and open a few windows to air the place out, but she just couldn’t manage to summon the energy. Instead, she just sat.
    She knew exactly what had happened, didn’t need much of an explanation to Þ gure it out. Bentley had wanted to get home, it was that simple. He’d been worried about her. She’d learned when she got him about the herding instincts of his breed, about his need to be aware of his herd at all times, how it was his job and was in his blood. After so long without her, he must have been a nervous wreck, feeling like he’d failed her. Her idiot brother had probably forgotten to latch the door properly, a bad habit he’d been guilty of since they were kids, and it wouldn’t have taken long for Bentley to push his way through. The fact that Sarah had Bentley’s collar tucked into her purse—Ricky had taken it off one night because Bentley was scratching and it made too much noise—only served to make her grind her back molars.
    Her brother was lucky she hadn’t throttled him then and there in their parents’ kitchen.
    In the past twelve weeks, she’d become used to living completely alone, so she didn’t feel the emptiness blast her the second she walked in the door without Bentley, and that surprised her. She’d left at the end of February. It was now the Þ rst week in June and things had changed for her, just as she’d hoped. She felt stronger. She felt slightly more in control of her life. She
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    GEORGIA BEERS
    felt a little less vulnerable. Once she’d gotten past the idea of how much Karen would like the lush New Zealand countryside with its thick green forests and rocky, gorgeous beaches, she was able to push her ex into a dark corner of her mind and leave her there. To be honest, she hadn’t even thought about Bentley all that much. She’d forced herself to focus on the job at hand and she’d done so quite well.
    She dragged herself off the couch for the sole purpose of opening a bottle of wine—a nice, hearty red. Though gin and tonic was her cocktail of preference, she’d been surprised to Þ nd her latent enjoyment of wine brought to the fore during her trip.
    The wineries in New Zealand were really coming into their own and making big bucks, and Sarah had partaken of many, many wonderful Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs during her stay.
    But the climate there wasn’t all that helpful when it came to growing the grapes needed for a good red, and though the vintners were working diligently on them, Sarah found herself missing some of the delicious Napa Valley Zinfandels she’d grown so fond of over the years. She poured herself a generous glass and admired the deep crimson color of it as she returned to the living room and sat down with a world-weary sigh.
    Remarkably, Sarah had called Karen only once while she was away, and though she’d hung up like a coward the second Derek had answered, she was pretty proud of herself. She’d thrown herself into her work and—when she’d been able to sneak away without Patti knowing—she’d picked up a drink on occasion and a warm body once or twice. Yes, the trip had been very good for her, just as she’d hoped. She’d felt like she’d Þ nally recaptured some of the control and direction of her life that she’d somehow misplaced after her breakup, like she was Þ nally on her way back to being a woman she at least recognized.
    It depressed her to understand that losing her dog made her feel uncomfortably