“I’d—” have to ask Auntie she almost said, “I haven’t tried it,” she said. “My schedule isn’t consistent enough to try, I think.”
“Yeah, I could see how that’d be a problem. Ever since I started the clicker with Rhoda, we’re both happier, I think. Speaking of which, I’d better go help your aunt.”
Vivian was holding up the windbreaker and a princess cape, but Rhoda’s eyes were bulging as if to say, You’ve got to be kidding me!
Leggo tumbled back and forth around Rhoda, huffing encouragement, but when Vivian squatted down, the setter backed away.
Tom went to her and began rubbing her cheeks. “Is my Rhodie scared of a little jacket! Huh? It’s okay, girl! There’s nothing to be afraid of!”
“Maybe she just needs a demonstration. Marty!” called the witch. But before Marty could get down off the picnic table, Leggo marched forward. Closing his eyes, he held himself still in front of Vivian.
“Oh, my!” said the witch.
Alanna Lu raised her phone and began snapping pictures as fast as her finger could hit the screen. “He looks like a little soldier!” she said. “Ohhh, I can’t wait to Photoshop a little uniform on him!”
Within seconds, the princess cape was around Leggo’s chest. Miles too big for him, it dragged in the leaves when he circled around to Rhoda. He smiled at her.
Rhoda began to whine—until Tom tossed Leggo a treat from his pouch. The Frenchie snapped it up. Rhoda’s whine ended with a squeak and she pushed her nose into Tom’s palms.
“Not me, you goof! Go to her!” He pointed to Vivian, holding up the windbreaker. Rhoda trotted over and sat down.
“Oh-ho, now she wants in!” said Alanna Lu.
Once the windbreaker was on his dog, Tom fed her a treat.
“Wow, don’t you look cool, Miss Rhoda?”
She barked once.
Marty and Freckles ran up to her, play bowed, and soon the entire pack—including Leggo in the baby-blue cape with rhinestones—whirled through the leaves. Alanna Lu sat in the leaves, getting the shots.
“Tom, could you hide some treats under—yeah, thanks, Auntie!”
The witch had squeaked a toy in the opposite direction of Tom; the pack changed direction like a school of fish to chase it.
“—yeah, just under the leaves! Like that!”
Chapter 6
Sometime later, Vivian was switching out Rhoda’s purple felt peacoat for a yellow rain slicker when a chipmunk rustled in the trees outside the trail fence.
Rhoda took off like a shot after it. Her sudden departure bowled the witch over.
“Rhoda!” said Tom.
“Viv!” Frank dropped Freckles’ leash to help her up, only to have the little brown and white dog dart under the fence into the woods after the setter.
“Oh no, oh no!” wailed Vivian.
The Frenchies began barking.
Leggo charged forward a few feet, as if to follow Rhoda off-trail.
“STAY.”
The witch’s tone was enough to make both Frenchies plant their bottoms down on the ground. They panted, eyes rolling in concern.
The witch reached for Tom. “I am so sorry! I am so sorry!” she said.
But Tom didn’t hear her. “Rhoda! RHODA!”
Tom faced the line of autumn-colored trees where his dog had disappeared. He whistled for her, but Rhoda did not return.
“Freckles! Freckles, honey, come!” But there was no sign from the other dog, either. Tom whistled again.
Nothing but birds chirping in the woods.
Tom took a step forward towards the wilderness, but Frank grabbed his arm.
“We need a plan. You getting lost won’t help anyone.”
“She’s not wearing her collar!”
“Is she microchipped?” asked Alanna Lu.
“Yeah,” said Tom, shoulders slumping in relief. A second later, he whipped out his phone.
“What are you doing?” asked Alanna Lu.
“Texting work. We’ll need more searchers.”
Keeping their heads down, Marty and Leggo skulked over to Vivian. Marty whined to be picked up. When she had cradled the dog to her, Marty leaned in and whispered, “Don’t you have a tracking spell on Freckles?”
“No, of course not, you silly dog. That’d be a violation of his privacy!”
“Well, our noses ain’t good enough to scent ’em out. What’re you gonna do?”
“We’ll find them,” said Vivian, her gaze planted on Alanna Lu. “Imagine losing her beau’s dog on a first date!”
“This was a date?”
“Hush!” she said, and set him down.
Tom was coming over, rubbing his face. “I’ve got some people coming up. They’ll be dressed bright, and bringing flashlights—but Rhoda’s coat is as red as those leaves…and then there’s your foster, too!”
He looked over at the trail, where they had been taking pictures minutes before. The automatic trail lamps weren’t lit yet, but judging by the paling sky, they would be soon.
“Aren’t there bears up here?” said Tom.
No one spoke.
Vivian looked at Frank, hoping for reassurance.
“No,” he said softly. “Just cougars.”
Leggo whined.
Alanna Lu came up behind Tom. She touched his arm and he turned. She lifted up her phone. “I need you to friend me on Facebook and repost these pics. I extracted the GPS coordinates on the photos and posted them to the trail’s Facebook, but, you know, the more signal boosts, the better.”
Tom’s phone was out, thumbs flying.
“I can repost the info to our company page, and Instagram, too.”
“Did you repost it to ours, honey?” asked Aunt Vivian.
“Already done. Sorry—I know you wanted Rhoda’s product line to be a big reveal.”
She waved her off, bangles rattling. “This is more important, honey. We’ve got to get our dogs back.”
Chapter 7
An hour later, volunteers from Tom’s work and local fans of Marty’s were spread out in the woods. Someone’s brother volunteered part-time doing search and rescue for the Berryville Sheriff’s Department, so there was a radio headquarters set up in the parking lot, and everyone had been given GPS units, neon vests and flashlights. It was getting dark enough to use them.
The air echoed with calls: “Rhoda!” “Freckles!” and even “Jimmy!”, which had been Freckles’ old name. Vivian had wanted to go out with the searchers, but after much pleading from Frank, she remained at the radio van with him. “You’re too old to go clomping through the woods in the dark. What if you tripped and broke something?”
What was worse was that her Frenchies had not stuck around with her. There was only one other dog out there tracking, the search-and-rescue brother’s Belgian Malinois. But Slade was trained to find human cadavers; his owner didn’t know how he’d do at finding two live dogs wandering the woods.
“Let us help, Mom,” Marty had whispered to her. “We know both their scents. We may not be able to smell ’em a long way off, but at least we’ll recognize ’em if we come across ’em.”
So Vivian had sent Marty off with Tom and Leggo with Alanna Lu. Right now, the four crunched their way through leaves and brittle fallen branches. While Marty and Leggo tracked with their flat faces to the ground, Tom and Alanna Lu called and whistled, and even shook bags of jerky, hoping to elicit a bark.
Distantly, other volunteers could be heard calling and whistling. From time to time, lights shone through the forest.
Alanna Lu watched the Frenchies. How much they were able to help, she didn’t know. Didn’t those pushed-in faces mean they couldn’t track as well as other dogs?
She glanced at Tom. His mouth was a thin line of worry.
Then again, any canine’s nose had to be better than a human one.
“She’s been gone almost two hours,” said Tom. “Could she really have gotten far? She’s prob
ably so scared—!” His voice caught.
“She has to be out here somewhere,” said Alanna Lu.
“Yeah, but what if a mountain lion found her first?”
“You can’t think like that. I won’t let you! She’ll be fine, probably think this is some great joke—”
Alanna Lu almost tripped over Leggo, who had halted, bat ears pricked.
Marty stopped, looking in the same direction as his brother. Silently, Alanna Lu and Tom turned their heads, too.
They waited a moment, frowning. Leggo took a step forward, tail ticking once.
“Do you hear something?” said Alanna Lu.
Tom shook his head. “I can’t tell. Go on, boy.”
Leggo plodded forward, off their search path. Now Marty’s tail was beginning to wag, too. He followed along.
Tom and Alanna Lu held their breath as they followed the dogs, lifting them over logs when they ran across logs they couldn’t climb. Suddenly, Alanna Lu’s face lit up. “Can you hear it now?”
“It’s a dog barking!”
They picked up their pace, careful not to overtake the Frenchies, whose ears were stuck upwards, tails wiggling constantly now. The distant barking, at first almost a trick of the ears, grew clearer until Marty had no choice but to bay in reply.
“I think it’s Freckles!” said Alanna Lu.
Pushing their way through a thick brush, they came upon a clearing. There, sitting upon a rock and barking his head off, was Freckles. Pacing below him, shivering more from fear than cold, was Rhoda.
“Rhoda! Here girl!”
Rhoda stopped pacing, staring at Tom. Then, with a joyous whine, she was upon him, licking his face.
“It’s okay, it’s okay…!”
While Tom scritched her all over, Freckles ran to Marty and Leggo. After snapping on his leash, Alanna Lu checked Freckles’ forepaws. But the dog sat down when she touched his back paws. Better leave it to Auntie. Instead, she took the collapsible dog bowls off Tom’s backpack and poured her bottled water into them.
While Freckles and the Frenchies slurped, Alanna Lu put the walkie-talkie to her ear.
“We found her! Um…Over.”
“Great!” said Slade’s owner, radio static hissing through his voice. “If you upload your GPS coordinates, I’ll send someone out to pick you up, over.”
Alanna Lu fished her GPS unit out of her pocket. “OK, I’m doing that now. Over.”
“Roger that. Sit tight, keep your radios on, and I’ll send someone over to get you out. Do you copy, over?”
“Got it. Um, over.”
“And out, over.”
“Over and out,” repeated Alanna Lu. Sighing, she put the walkie-talkie back on her belt.
The wind made the leaves nod, bouncing the flashlight’s shadows over the forest. Alanna Lu shivered. The Frenchies circled her and cuddled close. Marty pawed Freckles, and he joined them, leaning up against Alanna Lu.
Rhoda padded to the water bowls. After checking over her shoulder to make sure Tom was still there, she drank it dry.
“Here.” Tom took the bottle from Alanna Lu and crouched down to refill the bowl. Rhoda drank that halfway down, then tried her best to sit on Tom’s lap. He rubbed her furry back. Alanna Lu quickly clipped on the other leash and handed it to Tom. He clenched it in his fist.
“Tom?” she said. “I’m glad we got your dog back.”
He smiled back.
“Tom?”
His smile crooked. “Yeah?”
“Leggo’s not my dog. I don’t want to lie to you. It was my aunt’s idea.”
His smile straightened out, broadened. “Your Aunt’s old enough to use two Kohl’s senior discount cards, wears plaid and…I don’t know what kind of patterns together…yeah, I figure she’s got a couple big ideas behind those crazy glasses of hers!”
Alanna Lu pushed up the bridge of her own acid-green glasses.
She looked at him. He looked at her. They both laughed. The dogs joined in, panting, though they didn’t know why.
When Alanna Lu, Tom, and the Frenchies came out of the woods with Rhoda and Freckles, everyone at the radio van cheered and clapped. Vivian ran to her dogs who gamboled and yipped for joy. She grabbed up Leggo and exclaimed, “Mommy’s so glad to see you back safe! Oh—OH!” She clutched her dog, looking at Tom and Alanna Lu. Alanna Lu was grinning. “It’s ok, Aunt Vivvy. I told him.”
“Ack! But—but—our plan!”
Leggo licked her on the cheek.
Chapter 8
Twenty minutes later, all the dogs were being checked out by Marty and Leggo’s vet, Dr. Kim, who’d come down of her own accord when she saw the news online.
Frank and Vivian sat in the car, rubbing their hands, waiting for the heater to come on. They watched Alanna Lu and Tom texting under the orange lights of the parking lot.
“On their phones again!” said Vivian. “And she went and told him about Leggo!”
“Gosh, no!” said Frank, clutching his imaginary pearls.
“Hush, you! Leggo was supposed to be—you know, something they had in common, something to talk about! Now look at them, on their silly little boxes like they’re in separate worlds! How are they ever going to…to discover one another if they’re not talking to each other?”
“I’m sure there’s an app for that.”
That earned Frank a grim stare. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”
“I’m retired. Those kinds of questions are above my pay grade. Besides, things usually work out.”
“Mm,” said Vivian, leaning around to try and see her dogs. They were still behind Dr. Kim’s car.
“Besides,” said Frank, “we use technology for our business. You don’t send your outfits out on the Pony Express to get delivered.”
“That’s different. That’s commerce.”
“Which still needs the human touch. Which you manage to provide, despite the Facebooks and the picturegram we use,” said Frank.
Vivian pulled at her peacock-colored scarf.
“Trust ’em,” said Frank.
“I do!” said Vivian. “I’m just…nudging them a little. That’s all.”
Tom was jogging towards Vivian’s side of the car. Frank had the window down just as the boy got to them.
“Um…Missus Feng?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Do you have some more outfits planned for Rhoda?”
“I certainly do. Why do you ask?”
“Because with all the hubbub and the dogs being found safe…my boss, she’s already got a company Valentine’s party scheduled for the end of next week, but now she wants to make it open to the public.” He held up his phone. “She announced it on Facebook and she just asked me if Rhoda could show up dressed up with your dog…”
Frank had his phone out. He pulled up the calendar.
“We’re clear that day, honey.”
“That’s not a lot of time…” said Vivian. “But if you’re willing to work with me and Alanna Lu, we can get Miss Rhoda spiffed up by then. And, do ask if I’ll be able to sell my wares at the party, won’t you?”
“Yeah, sure! Hold on.” Tom’s thumbs flew over the screen. A minute later, the phone went bloip! and he looked up. “She says they can set you guys up a table if you want. I’ll forward Mr. Feng the info and stuff.
“Send it to Alanna Lu as well. And I’ll need Rhoda at my house for fittings…and if you have Alanna Lu over a few times between now and then, I’m sure she’ll be able to put Rhoda in a mini-campaign on Instant-gram to drive up publicity…that is what your boss wants, right?”
“Yes, uh huh!”
Dr. Kim was walking the pack towards them. Rhoda was straining at her leash trying to get to Tom first.
“All clear. But make sure they drink lots of water!”
“Great, thank you, doctor!”
The witch turned to Tom. “Why don’t you drop Rhoda off at my place early Wednesday morning? T
hat’ll give me time to do up some preliminaries.”
“Sounds great! Thank you—ooooh, hi, Rhoda girl!”
The setter whined, jumping up on Tom and licking his face.
“I’ll send Alanna Lu over in the next few days to get some shots of Rhoda at home. Oh boys, Mommy’s so glad you’re okay!” Vivian opened her door to get out, but Tom said, “Allow me,” and loaded all three dogs into their kennels.
As they drove away, the witch looked back at Tom and Rhoda. A grin appeared on her face when she saw Alanna Lu running up to Tom.
“Boys,” said Vivian. “This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship.”
Chapter 9
Leggo groaned. For once, Marty’s snoring hadn’t woken him up. Instead, the distant clatter of the sewing machine startled him awake. He peeled his eyes open. He could barely make out Freckles’ patterned fur in the crate across from his. The brindled Frenchie lay still in his crate, too tired to move, too disgruntled to fall back asleep.
Chattachatta went the sewing machine.
“Too early,” he grumbled as Marty plodded into view, wearing a smoking jacket.
“Mornin’, gigglebug. Rhoda’s here.”
Leggo’s eyes popped open. “What?”
“Tom dropped her off earlier. He’s goin’ outta town, but Mom says Tom’s boss said me and Rhoda’s pictures upped their traffic thirty percent, and conversion shot up to fifteen percent—”
Leggo groaned and fwumped his face to the floor.
“—long tale short, they’re putting on a Valentine’s shindig for her and me to be at at the end of the week.”
“So?”
“So Mom’s gotta do up Rhoda’s look for the party, and since Tom’s crazy busy, Rhoda’ll be staying with us! She even gave her a talkie treat!”
Freckles yawned in his crate. “Whuzza? Breakfast?”
“Not yet,” said Leggo. “Where’s Rhoda?”
“Sleeping in the front room. So, Romeo, you wanna get up, or not?”
“Still locked!”
Nah, Mom unlocked ’em quiet-like before she went to the dungeon.
Freckles’ ears jumped. “Dungeon?!”
“Sewing dungeon. You know, where Mom works? You been there.”
Love Potion Commotion! Page 3
