Montana Dad

by Jeannie Watt

  “The good-old-boy network can be a hard thing to work around.”

  “What do you call what goes on in there?” she asked as she pointed at the co-op building with her chin.

  Will smiled, his teeth white against his tanned skin, and Rosalie felt something shift inside her. Will smiled so rarely, and when he did, it transformed his face. His whole being, really.

  “I’d offer you a ride to your house, but I think I know what the answer would be,” he said.

  “I like to walk.”

  “And to stand on your own two feet.”

  He was referring to the things she’d told him right here at the co-op when she’d explained rather forcefully that if she wanted assistance, she would ask for it. “That, too.”

  He smiled again and then touched his hat. “I have an appointment, but it’s good seeing you, Rosalie.”

  “You, too, Will.”

  She bit her lip as he headed to his truck, then turned and continued toward her house, walking a bit more briskly than usual, needing to expend the energy that seemed to have pooled inside her during her conversation with Will.

  It had been good to talk to him in a casual and neighborly way, because that was the relationship she wanted to have with the man. Casual and neighborly.

  Because at this point in her life, she was staying on paved streets.

  * * *

  “EVERYTHING CAME IN,” Emmie said when Nick walked into the office of Cooper’s Building Supply. “Even the newels that they didn’t think they had. Lucas has the odds and ends on a pallet out back. The newels are in bay two.”

  “Great.” He nodded a greeting at the other woman standing at the counter, Jenna Hayes, who did Emmie’s books. Her twin sister, Reggie, had been brokering the real-estate deal between him and Juliet Dunlop before Alex came into the picture—another reason Emmie might have picked on Alex.

  “How’s it going, Nick?” She adjusted her glasses as she gave him a smile. The glasses were the only way to tell the Murray twins apart when they wore the same haircut.

  “Can’t complain. Brady will be back just in time to do the heavy lifting on the ranch, so I can continue taking jobs on the side.” He read over the invoice Emmie printed out and slid across the counter, then signed his name. Emmie tore off the bottom copy and handed it to him.

  “Your new neighbor is settling in okay, then?” Jenna asked with just a little too much concern.

  “She’s doing fine,” Nick said.

  “Reggie thinks the whole deal was a little screwy. First one thing was happening—that would be you buying the house,” she explained helpfully, “and then wham bam. You’re out, and this gate-locking chick is in.”

  Nick let out a breath. Part of his deal with Alex was that he would tamp down rumors. He looked first at Jenna, then at Emmie. “This is confidential, okay?”

  Both women nodded.

  “My new neighbor was mugged before she moved here and is still suffering from the trauma. Thus the locked gate and not wanting anyone to drive through her property. She’s nervous, okay? But she’s loosening up.”

  Jenna tilted her head, a sympathetic expression on her face. “Well,” she said softly. “That explains a lot. But it doesn’t explain the screwy real-estate deal.”

  “I can’t explain that, either.” Or rather, he wouldn’t. “But here’s the thing. I can live with it.”

  “Reggie is still out her commission.”

  “That bites,” he agreed. “But I think that’s more on Juliet Dunlop than on this new buyer.”

  Jenna nodded, but she wasn’t agreeing with him. Her brain was working, and that was never a good thing if that brain happened to be working against you. Jenna was the kind who took calculus for fun. He knew—he’d seen her do it.

  “I’ll head out and help Lucas load,” Nick said, patting the counter. Because he knew better than to protest too much. He just hoped that Jenna and Reggie would be able to let the lost commission go. It was part of being a real-estate agent. But losing dollars hurt no matter what, and Alex was an easy target to blame.

  * * *

  ALEX WHEELED HER car through the gates of the Rescue Society and parked next to the office, thankful that Nick had finished the fence and that she could finally pick up Gus, her foster dog. With the gates open and traffic ready to drive through, she was going to appreciate the added sense of security a dog would bring.

  She had one of Juliet’s old blankets spread on the back seat to protect the leather from canine toenails and a new harness and leash sitting on the seat beside her. A ripple of excitement went through her as she got out of the car, leash in hand.

  This was it. Companionship. Protection. Affection. No more nights alone wondering whether the creaking was something to worry about or just the house doing old house stuff.

  Alex headed into the office and was met by a trio of tabby cats sitting side by side on the desk where she’d filled out her application form several days ago.

  “Hello?”

  “Just one minute,” Wanda called from the back, setting off a new round of barking.

  The cats blinked at Alex simultaneously, then one lifted a paw and began licking it in the most casual way.

  “I’m here to get a dog,” Alex explained to the cats, who blinked at her again.

  All three cats gave a start at the sound of a kennel opening, followed by toenails on concrete. “Roger! Roger, no.”

  After a brief scuffle, Alex heard the kennel shut again, and a few seconds later Wanda appeared leading the gentle giant that was to be Alex’s new dog. She immediately knelt, and the golden retriever mix ambled up to lean his head against her arm. A bloodcurdling howl from the rear of the building made her back snap straight. She looked at Wanda, who rolled her eyes.

  Another howl sounded, followed by the sound of nails desperately digging at concrete.

  “Roger, calm down,” Wanda called in a weary voice. She was answered by a howl that sounded like a cry of pain.

  “What is that?” Alex got back to her feet, shooting an alarmed look toward the kennel area on the opposite side of the cinder-block wall.

  “That is Roger.” Wanda gave a glance over her shoulder as the digging continued. “Roger is Gus’s best friend.”

  “And I’m going to separate them?”

  “Sweetie, it beats the alternative.”

  “You mean keeping them together?” A heartrending howl reverberated through the room.

  “Yes.”

  No explanation. Just yes.

  “Can I see him?”

  Wanda shook her head. “Roger has issues.”

  Yes. He was losing his best friend.

  “What kind of issues?”

  “Well, for one thing, he has separation anxiety. For another, he’s an escape artist.”

  “Did he and Gus come in together?”

  “Oh, heavens no. But they bonded when Gus first came in. Gus was in a state of depression after losing his owner, and Roger demanded that they share a kennel.” Wanda frowned at Alex’s disbelieving expression. “Roger has been here for almost a year. I pretty much understand everything he says.”

  “That makes sense.” Even if it sounded a little out there.

  Gus moved closer to her and sat, leaning his weight against her leg in a comforting way. Then he glanced up at her with sad brown eyes. He didn’t want to leave his friend behind any more than Roger wanted to be left.

  “Maybe I could foster Roger, too.” As another heartrending cry echoed through the building, she knew she had to do something.

  Wanda gave her a look that clearly said she didn’t think Alex would be able to deal with Roger, which in turn made her all the more determined. For the past several weeks, she’d focused on nothing but herself. Her needs. Her fears. It wasn’t healthy.

  “I’m afraid he’ll get away
and go back to roaming the country,” Wanda said grimly.

  “Do you think he’d leave Gus?”

  The older woman’s lips pressed together. “I don’t know.”

  “Could we give it a try?” It occurred to her that she was working hard to bring trouble into her life, but this was a different kind of trouble. Positive trouble, if there was such a thing.

  “Do you have a photo of the fence?” Wanda asked in a resigned voice.

  Alex dug her phone out of her pocket and brought up photos of the fence that Wanda had inspected personally the day before.

  “Nick built a barrier into the ground to keep a dog from digging out,” she added helpfully.

  Wanda glanced up. “Did he add something to keep the dog from climbing the fence?”

  “Roger climbs?”

  “He does.”

  Alex wavered, thinking that maybe it was best if she headed home with the perfect, trouble-free dog who was already looking at her as if she was some sort of a hero, when another cry came from the back kennel and all but crawled up her spine. Wanda stiffened, too.

  “Please let me try. A week. If he gets out...well, he won’t,” Alex promised recklessly.

  “Maybe you should see him first,” Wanda said. “I’m not trying to keep Roger from having a home. I’m trying to reduce the stress on Gus. Leaving his buddy here is different from having his buddy leave the new home they share.”

  “Maybe there won’t be any stress on Gus. Maybe Roger will become part of my family.”

  “Very well,” Wanda said on a sigh. “Follow me.”

  Roger turned out to be a cartoon of a dog. A scruffy little terrier mix with bat-like ears that lifted in the most comical way when Gus lumbered back into the kennel area. He started yipping, turning circles and doing little barrel rolls.

  Alex couldn’t help laughing.

  “It’s not so funny when he does those things just out of arm’s reach when you’re trying to catch him,” Wanda warned.

  Gus’s tail hit Alex’s leg with a slow whump, whump as he went to the kennel fence and pressed his nose against the chain link.

  Alex looked at Wanda. “Do I need to fill out another form?”

  “Yes. For my files.” She let out a long breath. “I really hope this works out, but Roger should go to an experienced dog handler.”

  “There doesn’t seem to be any of them lining up to offer him a home.”

  “Good point.” Wanda opened the kennel and Roger shot out like a scruffy rocket, scrambling around Gus as the big dog gave him a few nudges with his head. “I’ll have to lend you a collar and leash.”

  “I’ll get them back to you next week.”

  Without Roger wearing them, she hoped.

  “Do you want a cat?” Wanda asked absently as she pulled a notebook out from under one of the triplet tabbies, who in return gave her a glare.

  “Maybe next visit?”

  Wanda lifted an eyebrow. “If you have any trouble with Roger, any trouble at all, call.”

  “I will,” Alex promised, crossing the fingers on the hand that held Gus’s leash. If she had any trouble with Roger, she would deal, unless it was some major issue, like him climbing a fence and disappearing.

  * * *

  GUS RODE HOME in the back seat of the car, staring out the window in a dignified way. Roger spent the drive ricocheting between front seat and back, scrambling over the console to check on Gus, then scrambling back into the front to ride shotgun and watch the oh-so-interesting scenery pass by. He barely looked at Alex.

  Trust issues. She understood. She had a few herself.

  Her big hope was that he wouldn’t feel the need to escape her yard and leave Gus behind. Gus, she hoped, would be his anchor. Anchors were good. She wished she had one. Maybe this house was her anchor. This wreck of a house that could be a home.

  If she didn’t keep it, she would sell to Nick Callahan, which was what he wanted. He wanted access to his ranch, but more than that, he wanted friendly relations so that if and when she sold, he would be in the running. Or so she deduced.

  And she was certain she was right.

  Alex might have been overly trusting of Jason, but recent events had cured her of making that mistake again. Not that she’d been particularly naive concerning Jason; he’d groomed her, eased her into trusting him more than she should. She couldn’t say that she’d fallen in love with him, but she’d liked him. A lot.

  And then he’d absconded with the company funds and left her, his guilty-looking girlfriend, to deal with the fallout.

  Roger perched himself on the console, balancing as she rounded a corner, then, assured that all was well in the back seat, turned to the front, staring straight ahead, his warm little body only three or four inches from her arm.

  An overture? A test?

  She didn’t know, so she murmured, “Good boy, Roger,” before slowing for the turn into the driveway. When she got out to unlock the gate, she was careful not to let Roger have a means of escape, but he showed no interest in leaving Gus.

  Excellent. She hoped the attitude stuck. She did not want to confess to Wanda that she’d lost her charge after being so adamant that she wouldn’t. Yes, she was a dog rookie in many regards, but she really wanted the situation with the little terrier to work out.

  Once home, she led Roger into the house, then returned to the car for Gus, who nudged her with his nose before lumbering out of the vehicle. He looked up at her with those trusting brown eyes, then ambled beside her through the front gate and up the porch steps. Roger’s head appeared at the window, disappeared, appeared again. The dog had springs in his feet.

  “You two are quite the pair,” she said. “Let me show you your bed and your dish.” The singular would have to become plural, since she had a bonus dog.

  She’d bought a bed for Gus and a big ceramic dog dish at the local general store, but now she had to improvise for Roger. One of Juliet’s ramekins with the mushrooms on the side and an old pillowcase stuffed with rags would do until she had a chance to visit Gavin again.

  “What do you think, boys?”

  One of her boys thought it was prime time for a nap. Gus flopped onto the floor next to his new bed rather than in it, thus bringing a frown to Alex’s face, while Roger commenced exploring. Alex watched as Roger snuffled his way into the dining room; when he disappeared from view, she went to the sink to fill the kettle. The energy of her house had shifted. Life was no longer all about her and her fears and anxieties. And by fostering dogs, she’d locked herself into a future where she had partners to consider when making choices. Partners who wouldn’t sell her out or do her wrong. Roger might not acknowledge her, but he wouldn’t do her wrong.

  She was sure of it.

  * * *

  AS NICK LEFT his truck and headed for Alex’s back door to discuss the most pressing house issues, he was welcomed by a duet of deep rumbling barks and high-pitched yips. Either Alex’s new dog had a dual personality, or she had two dogs.

  He raised his hand to knock as one of the dogs started scratching furiously at the floor on the other side of the door. Then, before his hand connected with wood, the door swung open and Alex held back a small dog with her foot as she quickly ushered him inside. Once the door was closed behind him, a stately golden retriever gave him the once-over before ambling up for a pet, but it was the smaller dog that stood stiffly to the side that caught his attention.

  “Roger?”

  Alex shot him a surprised look. “You know him?”

  He crouched low and held out a hand. Roger looked at him suspiciously. “Well, you know how it is in a small town. Everyone knows everyone.”

  “Right,” she said dryly.

  Nick stood up again and the big golden-brown dog thumped his tail on the floor. “You’re fostering two dogs.”

  A wry smile curved Alex’
s lips, and there was something about seeing her smile as if she was in on a joke that made Nick feel like a barrier was starting to come down. “I hadn’t planned on getting two. Wanda didn’t want to let me have two, but here we are. Roger adopted Gus, and he threw a fit at being left behind.”

  “So you took him.”

  “I did.” She settled a hand on Gus’s head. “How do you know Roger?”

  “His owner lived in the house next to the one my grandmother bought. The guy moved and left him behind.”

  “That’s so cold.”

  “Roger kept looking for his owner. He traveled between the house and the office where the guy worked. He refused to let anyone near him. Dog on a mission.”

  “I hope he’ll stay with me because of Gus, and I hope that he’ll warm up to me eventually. He’s slow to trust.”

  “That happens when you get burned.”

  “Yes.”

  The heavily ironic note in her voice reminded him of why she was slow to trust. The guy she’d dated had stolen from the company and, as near as he could figure, left her holding the bag.

  “I’ll put these guys into my very secure backyard so that you can work.”

  “Before I forget, my grandmother is driving through to the ranch today. Red SUV.” Until she was familiar with who drove what, he’d fill her in on the comings and goings of his family and, hopefully soon, the bridge crew. “And... I told Emmie at the building supply that you had a mugging incident in your past and that was why the gate was locked.”

  Alex gave him a cautious look followed by a works-for-me shrug. “That’s not far from the truth.”

  “I won’t say anything else, but it seemed best to throw something out there for people to chew on. I just thought you should know.”

  “Thank you.” She appeared to mean it.

  Alex opened the back door and Gus lumbered out. Roger gave Nick one last suspicious look, then trotted after his big friend. He instantly spotted a black-and-white bird on the opposite side of the yard and charged after it. The bird took to the air and Roger skidded to a stop, staring after it as if to say, “Next time will be different, Mr. Magpie.”