He thought he was stopping for a stray dog in the snow-until he saw what she was hiding beneath her body

“I saw Claire’s truck,” she said. “Figured trouble had found you.”

Cal stepped aside.

Ruth took in the puppies, the thin mother, the towels, the notebook on the coffee table. Her expression changed, but she didn’t fuss. She set the basket on the counter and crouched carefully near the hearth, keeping her hands folded in her continue reading …