The More Mavericks, the Merrier!

by Brenda Harlen

  “Considering that I’m only twenty-four, it might be a little premature to slap the ‘old spinster’ label on me,” she said lightly.

  “You were twenty-three when you started helping with the triplets,” her mother noted. “And you’ll be twenty-seven before they’re ready for preschool. And maybe that is still young, but not as young as many of the women who have recently moved to Rust Creek Falls looking to marry handsome cowboys.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but there’s no reason to worry about me,” she insisted. “Besides, Jamie’s planning to start the babies in day care in the New Year.”

  “Well, I think that’s a good idea,” Maureen said. “For a lot of reasons.”

  Fallon nodded, because she knew her mother was right. But she also knew she was going to miss HJK—and their father—terribly when she wasn’t seeing them four times a week.

  “Speaking of good ideas, Presents for Patriots is coming up,” her mother reminded her.

  Fallon wasn’t sure that was a natural segue, but she was happy enough about the shift in topic that she didn’t question it. “I’ll be there.”

  “Good. It’s a popular community event.”

  “I’m aware of that,” she acknowledged.

  “And it might be a good opportunity for you to meet some single men,” her mother pointed out.

  “Really, Mom? You want me to hook up with some guy at a local gift-wrapping event?”

  Maureen flushed guiltily. “I’m not suggesting a hookup.”

  “I didn’t realize you were so eager to marry me off,” Fallon said. She didn’t dare tell her mother that she’d already invited Jamie to attend the event with her. She knew that he didn’t like to go into town except if absolutely necessary, because he was weary of the pitying glances he always received. But she wanted to coax him out of his comfort zone, get him involved in something for the community.

  “I’m not trying to marry you off,” her mother denied. “I just want you to be happy. You’re working at Country Kids because you love children—and I know that’s one of the reasons you were so quick to sign up for the baby chain when Bella was looking for volunteers.”

  Fallon opened a cupboard to put away the pots and lids she’d finished drying.

  “You’re not asking me what I think the other reasons are,” her mother noted.

  “Jamie and Bella have been friends of mine since we were all kids.”

  “That’s true,” Maureen acknowledged. “It’s also true that you’ve had a crush on Jamie for a lot of years.”

  She kept her face averted so her mother wouldn’t see the color that flooded her cheeks. “That was a long time ago—before he went away to college.”

  “And you were devastated when you found out that he was marrying Paula,” her mother said gently.

  “And all this time, I thought I’d done a pretty good job hiding my true feelings.”

  “You did. From everyone else. But a mother knows when her child is hurting,” Maureen said. “And it hurts a mother, too, when there’s nothing she can do to help.”

  “Well, I got over it,” Fallon told her.

  “Did you?”

  She sighed. “Okay—I’m trying to get over it.”

  “Do you really think that’s going to happen when you see him three or four times a week?” Her mother pulled the plug in the sink to drain the water, then turned to face her daughter. “Or are you hoping that seeing you three or four times a week is going to somehow change Jamie’s feelings for you?”

  “Maybe I am,” she finally acknowledged.

  Maureen brushed a strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear as she’d done so many times over the years. “I’m not going to say it couldn’t ever happen—because if the man had half a brain in his head, he’d be head over heels in love with you,” she said. “Unfortunately, I think he’s got so much going on in his life right now, he just can’t see the beautiful, incredible woman who is in front of him, and I don’t see his situation changing anytime soon.”

  Fallon nodded, accepting the truth of her mother’s words.

  “And I don’t want you to miss out on falling in love with some other terrific guy who is capable of loving you the way you deserve to be loved because you’re hung up on Jamie,” Maureen continued.

  She felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. She wished she could tell her mother to mind her own business, but she knew that her concern was sincere. And truthfully, Fallon wanted what her parents had—a loving, supportive relationship that had endured through five kids and thirty years of marriage.

  Her mother was right—things were going to change in the New Year. Which meant that she had less than four weeks to get Jamie to see her as a woman instead of a friend. And if she had any hope of succeeding, drastic measures were required.

  * * *

  When Jamie made his way downstairs Monday morning, his gaze automatically went to the corner of the living room where the Christmas tree was standing. Though he wouldn’t have thought it was possible, seeing it there did lift his mood a little. Or maybe seeing the tree made him think about cutting it down and decorating it with Fallon, and that was what lifted his mood.

  He was still thinking about her as he rode the fence-line Monday afternoon, checking for any new problems, when he heard something unexpected. He strained to listen, but the sound—a whimper?—was too quiet and distant to ascertain the direction.

  Or maybe it was just the wind that he’d heard.

  But as he continued to ride, he heard it again. A low and plaintive sound.

  Definitely not the wind.

  “Do you hear that?” he asked his mount.

  The mare tossed her head, as if in agreement.

  “Should we check it out?”

  He loosened the reins to let Willow take the lead, trusting that she would lead them in the right direction.

  She turned toward the shelter he’d built for the expectant stray who had been hanging around the property.

  That’s where he found the puppies.

  He scanned the horizon, looking for the mother, but she was nowhere to be found and the puppies sounded scared and hungry. Though they were huddled together for warmth, they weren’t newborns. At least six weeks old, he guessed, which meant that if he scared them, they could—and likely would—scatter. And there was no way he could chase down six puppies.

  His attention was snagged by a movement at the corner of the shelter.

  Ah, hell—there were seven.

  * * *

  “Looks like you’ve got your hands full there,” Brooks Smith said when he entered the exam room and saw the crate of puppies on the table.

  “Not my hands,” Jamie denied.

  After he’d discovered them, he’d called his neighbor and asked if he could borrow a dog crate. While he didn’t like to think that the mother had abandoned them, it was obvious the puppies were scared and alone and hungry, and there was no way he could leave them outside with the temperature steadily dropping. Dallas Traub had provided not just the crate but helped round up the animals so that Jamie could take them to the Buckskin Veterinary Clinic to be checked out.

  He’d called ahead to let Brooks know that he was bringing in a whole litter of puppies, and the vet had apparently assumed they were his—an assumption he was eager to dispel. “I’ve seen a stray golden wandering around the north side of the property for the past several months—I’m guessing they belong to her. Or they did before she abandoned them.”

  “They weren’t abandoned,” Brooks told him.

  “How do you know?”

  “The mother was brought in yesterday afternoon by Gene Strickland. He and Melba were out for a drive yesterday and the dog darted out into the road in front of them. He slammed on his brakes but the vehicle didn�
��t stop in time. Both Gene and Melba were devastated that the dog didn’t make it. And though we could tell she was a nursing mother, we had no idea where to begin looking for her pups.”

  “So now they’re orphans,” Jamie realized.

  Brooks nodded.

  “How old?”

  “Between six and seven weeks,” the vet said, confirming Jamie’s initial guess. “The mom was definitely a golden retriever but, looking at the puppies, I’d guess the dad was a shepherd.”

  “In other words—they’re going to get a lot bigger than they are right now?”

  “Probably between sixty to eighty pounds.” Brooks made some notes in a file, then glanced up at Jamie again. “You thinking of keeping them?”

  “No way,” he said immediately. Firmly. “I can’t. I’ve already got three babies.” And the only way he was managing to take care of them was with a lot of help.

  “I’ll have Jazzy come in to take some pictures,” he said. “We’ll post an ad in the waiting room, another at Crawford’s and maybe one at the community center.”

  Jamie nodded, because he agreed the vet’s plan was the best idea.

  But still he lingered, thinking that he’d always wanted a dog at the ranch. That a ranch needed a dog.

  He looked down at the little bundle of fur that was attempting to climb up his leg, desperately trying to snag his attention. While its siblings were wrestling with one another, this one—the first one to tentatively come forward out of the makeshift shelter to sniff his boots—seemed eager for human contact.

  Even though he knew he shouldn’t, he reached down and scooped up the little guy, rubbing the soft fur beneath his chin with a knuckle. The puppy panted happily. “You’re going to do just fine wherever you end up,” he said.

  “They’ll find homes quickly,” Brooks said. “Puppies always do.”

  Jamie nodded, but he made no move to put the little furball down.

  “So if you’re thinking that maybe you’d like to keep one, you’d better decide fast,” his friend warned.

  “I’d have to be crazy to take on the responsibility of a puppy,” he said.

  Brooks just grinned.

  Jamie watched the other puppies playing together on the floor, attempting to climb over one another, chewing on ears and chasing tails. He knew it was ridiculous to hope that they would stay together. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to take in seven puppies that would grow up to be seven fairly large dogs.

  But maybe he could keep just one.

  No. He immediately discarded the thought of tearing one of these adorable puppies away from its siblings. Maybe it wasn’t a reasonable comparison, but he remembered how he’d felt when he’d been separated from his siblings after their parents had died. How lonely and alone he’d felt when they were gone. But at least he’d had Bella.

  So how could he possibly keep one puppy and force it to say goodbye forever to its six siblings?

  The answer was simple: he couldn’t.

  He also couldn’t keep them all...but maybe he could find room for the little guy in his arms...and one more.

  * * *

  It was snowing again.

  Fallon glanced at the clock and then out the window and tried not to worry too much about the fact that Jamie wasn’t home. He’d sent her a quick text message more than an hour earlier, just saying that he’d needed to run an errand in town but shouldn’t be long.

  She didn’t mind staying late, but the way the snow was blowing around outside, she was beginning to worry whether he would make it home at all. The eight to ten inches that had fallen last week had laid a pretty blanket of white on the ground, but the storm that was blowing through town now was hitting Rust Creek Falls with both fists and visibility was practically nonexistent.

  Since he was going to be late, she’d fed the kids and put them in their play yard while she tidied the kitchen. A plate of leftover steak pie had been set in the oven to stay warm for Jamie when he got home. If he got home.

  She glanced out the window again, exhaling a shaky sigh of relief when she saw, in the distance, a set of headlights turn into the drive. She checked on the babies again, then slid her hand into an oven mitt and removed Jamie’s dinner from the oven.

  She set the plate on the table, beside the bowl of salad, as she heard the creak of the back door opening. She heard him kicking the snow off his boots, then soft murmuring.

  Puzzled by the quiet tone and words indecipherable over the howl of the wind, she glanced toward the door and saw him holding two tiny, furry bodies close to his chest.

  Puppies.

  The first one had butterscotch-colored fur with brown ears, white paws and a white tipped tail. The other had slightly darker fur, with a lighter patch around its muzzle and down its throat.

  “Oh. My. God.” The words were a whispered squeal of excitement. “They’re beyond adorable.”

  He grinned. “They are, aren’t they?”

  She eagerly took the soft, wriggling bodies from his arms so that he could shed his coat and boots. The puppies, happy to make her acquaintance, tried to climb up her chest to swipe at her mouth with their tiny pink tongues. “You found them?” she guessed.

  He nodded.

  “And you’re keeping them?”

  “That’s the plan,” he admitted.

  Fallon shook her head as she nuzzled the puppies. “You’re crazy. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Quite possibly,” he agreed.

  “What do you think your sister’s going to say when she comes home and finds you’ve added two puppies to your family?” Though the question was obviously intended as an admonishment, the effect was negated by her cuddling with and cooing over the puppies.

  “She’ll probably say that I’m certifiably insane,” he guessed. “And then she’ll take one look at them and fall head over heels in love—like you did.”

  Fallon didn’t doubt it was true. Her friend had always loved playing with Duke when she hung out at the O’Reilly house, which she’d done as often as she could. Bella had confided in Fallon about her wish for a dog—although, in retrospect, Fallon suspected that what her friend had really wanted was the love and affection that a dog gave so readily and easily. Whatever her reasons, her wishes had been denied. Agnes and Matthew Baldwin had refused to allow any animals in their house.

  “Yeah, she’ll love the puppies,” Fallon agreed. “But that doesn’t preclude the possibility of her killing you.”

  “I can handle my sister,” he assured her.

  “I hope so.”

  The lights flickered as the windows rattled their protest against the howling wind.

  “It sounds nasty out there,” she noted.

  He nodded. “That’s another reason I’m so late—I could barely see two feet in front of the truck while I was driving home.”

  “Then I should head out before the storm gets worse.”

  “No,” he said. “You should stay here tonight.”

  She’d been waiting a long time to hear those words, though whenever she’d imagined him saying them to her, it hadn’t been because of unsafe road conditions.

  But regardless of his reasons for issuing the invitation, there was only one answer she wanted to give. “Okay—I’ll stay.”

  Chapter Seven

  When Fallon called to let her parents know she would be staying at The Short Hills Ranch rather than drive home in the storm, she knew they would approve of her decision if not the situation. So she was relieved when Brenna answered the phone and told her that both Paddy and Maureen were out at the barn, alleviating any guilt about leaving the message with her.

  She played with the puppies while Jamie spent some time with the triplets before he gave them their bath and got them ready for bed. Conscious of the fact t
hat little puppies had little bladders, Fallon decided to take the pair of them outside. In the knee-deep drifts, she got no further than the corner of the porch, where she set the puppies down.

  She was surprised—and grateful—that both puppies actually squatted and peed. When she scooped them up again, their little bodies were shivering, so she tucked them close to keep them warm.

  She could smell the familiar comforting scent of wood-smoke when she stepped back inside the house and knew that Jamie had lit a fire in the hearth. The way the wind was howling, it wasn’t just possible but likely that the house would lose power and though he had a generator—as most ranchers did—the fire would help keep the house warm so that he didn’t have to use it for that purpose. He’d also set candles in holders around the room, although they remained unlit.

  “Did you get in touch with your folks?” Jamie asked, when she set the puppies on the floor in the living room.

  “I talked to my sister,” she said.

  “Good. I wouldn’t want your family to think you were on your way home in this storm.”

  “What about Bella?” she asked. “Do you know where she is?”

  He nodded. “Hudson took her to Maverick Manor for dinner, before the storm hit, so they’ve decided to spend the night there.”

  “Why do you sound so disapproving?”

  “Because she’s my little sister—and yes, I know that she and Hudson are engaged, but they’re not married.”

  “And, of course, you never had sex with your fiancée before you were married?” she teased.

  He winced. “Please. I do not want to even think that word in conjunction with my sister.”

  Fallon laughed. “Okay, big brother, I’ll leave you with your delusions.”

  “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

  “I can’t help but wonder, though...if you’re this protective of your little sister, what are you going to be like when Katie is old enough to date?”

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But at least I’ve got thirty years before I need to worry about that.”

  “Thirty years, huh?”

  “At least,” he confirmed.