On Saturday, after all the attendees had left the North Fork, Robin and Alec packed up the Jeep to get ready to go. Alec stood next to the open driver’s side door with his forearm resting on the top. “Are you ready?”
Robin gazed out at the blue water. “Almost. I’m saying goodbye to the lake.”
He walked over to her. “You’ll be back here before you know it.”
She whirled around and wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. “I know. I can’t wait!”
Alec hugged her. “I’m so glad I was able to convince Darrell to sell the lodge. Things were looking bad there for a moment.”
“He did lose his mind a little about you quitting your job.”
“I was going to do that no matter what he decided. I think he realized that if I’m here, he knows where to find me.”
“Threatening to disappear to a remote island with me was a good strategy. But he should have known you’d never do that, because it would be too hard to bring Leroy and Emma with us.”
Alec grinned. “True, although knowing you, you would have figured something out.”
“But I don’t have to! I’m so excited that the next time we see this place, we can let Leroy and Emma run and play to their heart’s content at the new, improved dog-friendly North Fork Lodge.”
“Let’s go pick them up from Kat and give them the good news.”
She gave him another kiss and waved at the lake. “See you soon!”
Chapter 16
Epilogue
They went north through the town of Alpine Grove and wound through the forested back roads toward Kat’s place. Robin said, “That’s it! Turn here.”
“Wow, somebody redid the driveway. I bet that was expensive.”
“It wasn’t much of a driveway before.”
As they drove up, Kat and another woman were sitting and chatting on the bottom step, holding Leroy and Emma on leashes. They all stood up and Kat made an obvious effort to restrain Leroy as the other woman pointed at Emma, who sat attentively.
Alec said, “Your dog is somewhat better behaved than mine.”
“Leroy is still working on it.”
They got out of the Jeep and the women let Leroy and Emma run up and say hello. Robin crouched down and hugged Emma. “Oh sweetie, I missed you so much!”
Kat walked up and waved at Alec. “Hi, I’m Kat Stevens. I’m guessing you’re Leroy’s dad. Thank you for the check.”
Alec stopped petting Leroy and grinned. “Yes, hi. I’m Alec Montgomery. Leroy looks like he had a wonderful time.”
Kat gestured toward the other woman, who had very large curly brown hair and a very small red dress. “This is my friend Maria.”
Maria said, “It’s nice to meet you. I like Emma. She’s a polite dog, which I’ve learned is an unusual thing.”
“She was a star at obedience classes,” Robin said. “I’ll work with Leroy more after we get back up here.”
“When are you coming back?” Kat said.
“I’m buying the North Fork Lodge and it will probably close in the next couple of months. We’re going to try to come back soon so we can start working on repairs,” Alec said.
Kat said, “You’re buying the lodge? I had no idea it was for sale.”
“It was a private transaction, I guess you’d say. It needs quite a bit of work, but once it reopens, Robin’s going to manage it,” Alec said.
Maria put her hand on her hip. “So wait, am I the only person in this town who is dateless? Because I’m thinking you two are doing the deed. How does this keep happening?”
Alec raised his eyebrows. “What?”
Robin said, “Well, yes, Alec and I are together.”
Maria stomped her foot. “This is starting to get to me. Why am I not meeting men who can afford real estate?” She waved her hand at Alec. “I mean, look at this guy. He’s got all his teeth. And he’s hot.”
Alec glanced at Robin, then at Maria. “Thanks, I guess.”
Kat’s eyes widened and she turned to Alec. “Sorry. Maria feels there is a shortage of men with good dental hygiene here in Alpine Grove.” She gestured at Maria in exasperation. “Plenty of guys have teeth. You just moved here. Give it some time. Things will get better.”
“Girlfriend, I’m telling you, it’s time for you to start boarding cats. I mean it! This is becoming tragic.” Maria crossed her arms in front of her.
Kat turned to Robin. “Will you need to board Emma and Leroy when you return? We might be in the middle of construction by then. They’re pouring concrete for the new kennel building next week.”
Robin smiled. “No. My first official management decision is that the lodge will allow guests to bring dogs as long as the dogs have had all their shots and are friendly.”
“I know a few people who will like that.” Kat said.
Alec said, “Robin has lots of ideas.”
Robin nodded. “And once I have an idea, I can be quite persuasive.”
The End
You’ve reached the end of Book 6,
but not the end of the series.
For more Alpine Grove adventures,
check out Book 7: The Good, the Bad, and the Pugly!
Thanks for Reading
Thank you for dedicating some of your reading time to Howl at the Loon. I hope you enjoyed Robin and Alec’s adventures. I’ll be writing more books that will feature Kat, Joel and various other residents of Alpine Grove who bring dogs to the new boarding kennel. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next novel.
If you would like to be notified by email when I release a new book, you can sign up for my New Releases email list at SusanDaffron.com.
I know that not everyone likes to write book reviews, but if you are willing write a sentence or two about what you thought of Howl at the Loon, I encourage you to post a review at your favorite book vendor site or share a message with your social networking friends.
If you would like to share your thoughts about the book with me privately, you can reach me through the contact page on the SusanDaffron.com web site.
I look forward to hearing from you!
~ Susan C. Daffron
Dedication
Like all of my books, Howl at the Loon is dedicated to
my husband James Byrd,
my best friend and biggest supporter.
Thanks for everything!
Acknowledgments
Writing a novel is never easy and I’d like to thank my husband James Byrd for his support and encouragement throughout the writing and publishing process.
I’d also like to thank my alpha and beta readers for their eagle-eyed reading and great feedback:
James Byrd
Kate Turner
Dian Chapman
Clare Cinelli
Adele Hudson
About the Author
Susan Daffron is the author of the Alpine Grove Romantic Comedies, a series of novels that feature residents of the small town of Alpine Grove and their various quirky dogs and cats. She is also an award-winning author of many nonfiction books, including several about pets and animal rescue. She lives in a small town in northern Idaho and shares her life with her husband and two really cute dogs.
Books by Susan C. Daffron
Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy
Chez Stinky
Fuzzy Logic
The Art of Wag
Snow Furries
Bark to the Future
Howl at the Loon
The Good, the Bad, and the Pugly
Treasure of the Hairy Cadre
Susan is also the author of a number of award-winning nonfiction books, including several about pet care and rescue. A complete list is available at:
www.susandaffron.com/books/
Get book release notices by email:
www.susandaffron.com/releases
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Howl at the Loon (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 6) Page 26
