Hounded in Christmas River

by Meg Muldoon

  I raised my eyebrows, looking at him.

  “But they’ve got a pretty solid security system up there at the farm, and since nobody reported those puppies going missing, I figured it had to be an inside job. I made a wild guess that it was Tyler Lecky’s wife – Kacey. Last night, she went out grocery shopping and Vicky approached her at Ray’s. At first, Kacey pretended like she didn’t know what Vicky was talking about – nothing about those puppies. But then, she broke down and confessed to it. And to the whole puppy mill operation. She said Tyler was abusive toward her and she wanted to leave him. She couldn’t stand the way he was treating the dogs. One night last month, she had enough. She took the latest batch of puppies and left them at the Humane Society’s door. Tyler found out later and laid into her for that. But we convinced her to file domestic charges against him, and this evening, we arrested him.”

  My mouth dropped in surprise.

  “We got two birds with one stone,” Daniel continued. “We got to put an abusive bastard like that behind bars. Plus, we also got a search warrant for the Lecky farm. The county is officially possessing the two dozen dogs there. And not a moment too soon from what I could tell.”

  A feeling of relief coursed through me.

  I’d put it out of my mind as best I could, the way you sometimes had to when it seemed there was no way of helping a situation. But it had been gnawing at me, nonetheless – the notion that there were animals being mistreated here in Christmas River.

  “What’s gonna happen to those dogs?” I asked.

  “A few are going to the local Humane Society. But most will go over to a bigger shelter in Portland. With a little luck, they’ll all find forever homes soon.”

  I gazed at Daniel for a long moment in silence.

  Then I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, shaking my head.

  “What?” he said.

  “Just… I knew that if anybody could save those dogs, it’d be you, Sheriff Brightman.”

  He grinned, looking away.

  “You’re making me blush, Cin.”

  I laughed and pecked him on his red face.

  “Let’s stop at Geronimo’s for a beer after the pet store,” I said. “I think we deserve one after the weekend we’ve had.”

  “I’ll say,” he said. “Sewing dog costumes and solving crimes ain’t for the faint of heart.”

  “No sir,” I said, smiling. “It sure ain’t.”

  I locked the pie shop up and we headed out into the cool, breezy evening.

  Chapter 27

  I stepped into the Humane Society office the next morning, giddy as a bird in spring at the prospect of finally taking Brighty the basset hound puppy home.

  I’d had a restless night of sleep, thinking about the little pup and how things were going to change at our house with his arrival. I’d also been thinking about Hucks and Chadwick, hoping they’d get along with our new addition, and that they wouldn’t feel too sore at having to share our attention with another dog. Huckleberry and Chadwick were friendly sorts of dogs. But still – new siblings, especially cute ones – had a way of causing jealous feelings. And I wanted to make the transition as easy as possible on my two beloved pooches.

  When I walked into the Humane Society building, the place was empty and there was nobody behind the desk. I went up and rang the bell, craning my neck to look down the hallway for any signs of life.

  A moment later, I heard voices. I saw Aubrey walking down the hallway toward the desk, talking to a young woman who looked like it might have been her first day on the job.

  “So when people come in, you’re going to want to—” Aubrey was saying to her, but she stopped speaking when she noticed me there.

  “Oh… Cinnamon.”

  “Hi there, Aubrey. How are you?”

  I couldn’t lie – she looked a little worse for wear – like maybe she’d been up late the night before crying.

  But who wouldn’t be after what she’d been through? I didn’t know the details of her relationship with Luke. But a year was a long time to be with somebody, and I knew she must have loved him. I knew that because I could see the devastation in her eyes when she’d found out he’d been lying to her.

  But still, as she stood there across the desk from me that morning, it wasn’t all sadness that I saw. There was something like relief in her eyes, too. Knowing that nobody was out there trying to harm her must have been a big weight off her shoulders.

  “I’m doing okay,” she said, the young assistant taking a seat behind the desk as she spoke. “It’s all been… a lot to take in. Here I’d been thinking I was being stalked by Connor Redfield. When really, it was just an old friend trying to help.”

  I nodded.

  “I wish he’d just have come out and told you plainly,” I said. “Probably would have saved you a lot of worry.”

  “That’s just never been Bill’s way,” she said. “At least when it comes to me. Even though we’ve known each other for a long time, he always had trouble talking to me straight. It was like I scared him or something. When I left for college, we kind of lost touch. I see him every now and then in town, but we haven’t really talked in years.”

  “Bill told us that there’s something about you that’s always made the words go right out of his head. You make him nervous. He said he doesn’t know why.”

  But of course, I knew why.

  Anybody with any sense knew why a man got nervous around a woman.

  Aubrey fell silent. She looked off in the distance, as if remembering some past memory from long ago.

  She caught me looking at her after a moment, and then she shook her head.

  “I was just remembering how he used to be such a good listener…”

  I smiled.

  “Maybe the two of you ought to go get coffee one of these days,” I said.

  A small, spontaneous smile crossed her lips at that.

  A moment later, she cleared her throat.

  “Anyway, you’re here for your puppy, right Cin?”

  I nodded.

  “Daniel’s out in the parking lot, getting the car ready as we speak,” I said.

  “Great. Let me get the paperwork going,” she said, disappearing into the back. “I’ll only be a minute.”

  Just as she disappeared, I heard the squeak of the building’s front door open. A few seconds later, a mother and young child came up to the counter.

  “Hi, there,” the woman – who was wearing a Ray’s Grocery uniform – said to the new hire. “My name’s Lydia and this is my daughter, Sophie.”

  I glanced over when she said the name.

  I immediately recognized the young girl as being the one from the Pooch Parade who had been petting Huckleberry. She was wearing the same paw print heart shirt, even.

  I smiled.

  “What can I help you with today?” the assistant at the desk asked.

  “Well, I know it’s a long shot… But, we were hoping to adopt one of those basset hound puppies everybody in town’s been talking about.”

  The receptionist frowned.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid they’re all reserved,” she said.

  The look on the little girl’s face when the receptionist said that had to be one of the saddest sights I’d ever seen in my whole life. Her cheeks flushed red. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes, and I could see her gulping hard several times, trying not to cry

  The mother looked down at her, squeezing her little hand.

  “It’s okay, honey. They have plenty of dogs here that need a good home. We’ll find another one.”

  The young girl nodded, forcing a sad smile.

  Just then, I heard Aubrey coming down the hall. A clipboard was under one arm and she held a box out in front of her.

  There was a little ball of fur just peeking over the edge of the box.

  My heart ballooned up like a car sales lot air dancer on a windy day.

  “Here we go, Cinnamon,” Aubrey said in a cheerful, sing-son
g voice.

  She set the clipboard down in front of me on the desk.

  “Just sign here and here, and this little guy’s all yours.”

  I reached over, unable to help myself. I pet his soft head, and as if somehow knowing all the years we would have ahead together, he nuzzled my hand with his wet little nose to greet me.

  “Oh, he’s just so sweet,” I said, grabbing the pen and clipboard.

  I began filling out the necessary details, my heart hammering a little faster in my chest.

  “Do you have any other kinds of puppies?” I overheard the little girl ask as I finished up the paperwork.

  “No, I’m afraid they’ve all been adopted out,” the assistant said matter-of-factly. “But if you have your heart set on a puppy, then maybe you should come back next month and check again.”

  I glanced over when the receptionist said that.

  It was as if the words themselves rolled over her like a semi-truck. The girl just looked crushed.

  I stopped writing.

  “It’s okay, honey. Really,” her mom was saying. “I told you this might happen. Remember? I told you how you usually can’t get exactly what you want in life. And about how that’s something you have to learn sooner or later.”

  The little girl nodded.

  “I…” she stammered.

  I thought she might be on the verge of a sob. But then, an unexpected thing happened. The kid drew in a deep breath.

  Then she gulped hard.

  “I understand, mom,” she said quietly, a blank, resigned expression drifting across her face.

  A kind of hollow empty expression that looked too at home on her small features for my liking.

  I felt the pen slip out of my hand.

  I glanced over at Brighty, looking so happy and joyful and full of life.

  I bit my lip, suddenly seeing with crystal-like clarity where this was all headed.

  Because I knew myself too well these days.

  And I knew that there was no way I’d let this girl walk out of the Humane Society without a puppy.

  It already hurt a little. After all, I’d already created a whole future in my head for little Brighty and his new place in our family.

  But being me, I didn’t have a choice.

  I let out a quiet sigh. Then I pushed the clipboard across the counter and knelt down next to Sophie.

  She looked at me with those big, bright water-logged eyes.

  “Did I just hear that you were looking for a puppy?” I asked, hiding the hurt in my voice as best I could.

  The little girl nodded.

  “Well, wouldn’t you know it – I’ve got one right here that told me he wants to go home with you today.”

  Sophie’s face lit up like the Meadow Plaza Christmas tree.

  She looked at the box in Aubrey’s arms with wide eyes.

  “Oh, that’s very kind,” Sophie’s mom said. “But we couldn’t possibly take your puppy away from you. It just wouldn’t be right—”

  I stood up and gently took the box from Aubrey. I gazed at Brighty’s sweet little face one last time, then pecked him lightly on the head before handing the box over to Sophie.

  “He’s going to make a great pet, so be sure to care for him well,” I said to her. “He’ll need lots of water and food, and he’s also going to need all the love you can give him.”

  I smiled at Sophie’s mom – her eyes were now as water-logged as her daughter’s.

  Then I nodded to Aubrey and before anybody could say anything else, I turned and left.

  I could hear Sophie squealing with joy all the way out into the parking lot.

  When I got to the truck, Daniel gave me a questioning look.

  “Say, where’s—?”

  I shrugged, getting in.

  “Turns out someone else needed him more,” I said.

  “That little girl I saw go in?”

  I nodded.

  Daniel peered at me.

  “You okay?”

  I shrugged.

  I wasn’t going to lie – I was sad.

  But in the end, I knew the puppy had ended up with the person he needed, too.

  Daniel started up the truck. He reached over, squeezing my hand.

  “You know what I think?” he said.

  “What?”

  “I think the only thing for a moment like this is an extra-large marionberry milkshake. What do you say, Cin?”

  I squeezed his hand back.

  “Extra butter crumbles on top?” I asked.

  “Any topping you want, darlin.’”

  I smiled.

  A moment later, we pulled out of the lot and into the crisp blue mountain day.

  Chapter 28

  As it turned out, we weren’t the only ones who left the Humane Society that day without a puppy.

  Tiana and Tobias had had a change of heart, too. With the bust at the Lecky Farm puppy mill, some older dogs that had been discovered on the property ended up as guests at the Humane Society. One of the dogs happened to be the mom of all the basset hound puppies. When Tiana and Tobias noticed the sad-looking mama dog in one of the kennels on their way to pick up their reserved puppy, something came over them – a feeling that maybe the older dog needed them more than a puppy.

  So instead of coming home with a small, fluffy ball of fur, they’d come home with a sweet five-year-old basset hound. They named her Frankie and seemed pleased as pecan pie to have her in their lives. In fact, Tiana confided in me that she was relieved at the turn of events. With Tobias’s back acting up, she’d been worried whether he’d be able to handle a high-energy, destructive puppy. The older dog seemed to be a much better fit for both of them.

  About a week after the Pet Parade, Daniel and I had them over to our house for a late summer barbecue along with Warren, Aileen, Kara, John, and Laila. We all sat around our backyard deck eating homemade sweet potato fries, Tillamook white cheddar cheeseburgers, and Whiskey Apple Pie. Warren also brought several cases of his newly-bottled Gourd’s Gold Ale – the old man’s take on the traditional fall pumpkin ale. It went down like warm sunshine on a cold winter’s day, and the whole meal was the picture of perfection.

  The dogs didn’t do too badly either. I’d made some special pumpkin-inspired Canine Crumble treats for Huckleberry, Frankie, and Chadwick, and after eating, they spent the evening running around the meadow. Frankie the dog seemed downright joyful with her new, loving family, and it was a long, pleasant evening of smiles, laughter, and more than a couple of Warren’s tall tales.

  When the beer had just about run out, and all our guests had moseyed on home, Daniel and I added a few logs to the fire already going in our backyard fire pit. We warmed ourselves next to it, drinking hot cider as we watched the stars pop out from the evening sky.

  “So, Cin,” Daniel said, leaning back in his Adirondack chair and looking over at me.

  “Yes, Sheriff?”

  “Tell me – how come you really gave the puppy to that little girl the other day?”

  I took a sip of cider, then pulled the fleece blanket I was under tighter around my body.

  “I told you, didn’t I? I thought about what I was like at her age. And how I would have given anything to have a dog, but I never got to have one.”

  I gazed into the flames, remembering that desperate longing I’d had growing up, wishing for a dog or some kind of pet. I’d been an only child and had come from a broken family, too. And I knew just how lonely that could be.

  “Yeah, you told me about that,” Daniel said. “But my gut tells me there’s something else to the story that you haven’t said yet.”

  I glanced over.

  Daniel always seemed to have a sixth sense about these things.

  “Well, her mother said something in there,” I said. “Something about how people usually don’t get exactly what they want in life, and that the girl had to learn that sooner or later.”

  A faint smile crossed Daniel’s lips.

  “And you
wanted to show the kid that that wasn’t always true?” he said.

  “Yeah,” I said, nodding. “I guess I did. Because I don’t think it is true. I think if you have a dream – and you want it bad enough – there’s no reason you can’t turn it into reality. It doesn’t always show up the way you imagined. But sometimes it does. Sometimes, it shows up exactly right.”

  I gazed over at him in the firelight.

  “I know that better than anyone.”

  Daniel reached for my hand, the faint smile on his lips turning into a full one.

  “Well, not anyone, Cin,” he said, correcting me. “I know a little something about dreams coming true, too.”

  The fire crackled, and we just sat there a while, enjoying its warmth and each other’s company.

  A little while later, the pooches came trotting over to us. As if sensing the emotion in the air, Huckleberry came up, sitting on my left side. Chadwick, not to be outdone, came up on my right side.

  I reached out, running my hands through their soft, downy fur.

  “Good boys,” I said.

  A warm feeling spread out across my chest as I thought about how everything worked out this summer just as it should have.

  I hadn’t realized it before, but it turned out that I already had everything I needed and wanted right there with me in our backyard meadow.

  Hucks and Chadwick both looked over at me at the same time. And in the firelight, I could have sworn that they were smiling.

  I smiled back.

  “Good boys,” I said again.

  ***

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