The Good, the Bad, and the Pugly (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 7)

by Susan C. Daffron

  Clay cupped her cheek with his hand and kissed her in a way that made the to-do list in her head vaporize into the ether. He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I’m glad to see you.”

  “I, ah, am glad to see you too.”

  “Just making sure we’re still more than friends.”

  Brigid nodded. “Yes…yes, definitely.”

  “Good. Because I was thinking I liked it when you stayed over here.”

  “I did too.”

  “You think that might happen again sometime?”

  “Not until after this meeting and things settle down a little. You’re a turtle, remember?”

  “Even turtles like to know they’re getting somewhere.”

  Brigid threw her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest, hugging him hard. “You are. I promise.”

  “I’m glad.” He kissed the top of her head. “I hear a car. It’s probably filled with a couple of horse-crazy little girls that I need to corral before they get to petting poor old Willy to within an inch of his life. We can talk more later.”

  They walked outside back into the sun and Brigid started up the driveway to the house. She turned to look back behind her as two little brunette girls rushed out of the car toward the barn, their long braids bouncing as they ran.

  Clay intercepted them before they got to the horses, crouching down so they could hug him. One climbed on his back and a woman who was obviously the mother waved to Clay and made an “oops, sorry” face.

  He put down the smaller girl and showed the taller one how to carry the bridles, so she wouldn’t drag the reins on the ground. Brigid thought about her first horseback ride in junior high school. If she’d had someone like Clay teaching her about horses, she probably would have enjoyed it. She’d never met a more patient person. He’d be a great father someday.

  An unfamiliar ache of sadness reminded Brigid that she would never be a mother. She hadn’t thought about that fact much since she’d arrived in Alpine Grove, pushing it out of her mind to focus on other things. But most people, including men, wanted kids. For all his complaining about being old, Clay wasn’t that old. It was far from too late for fatherhood, if that was something he wanted.

  Why on earth was he still interested in her, after all the things she’d told him? The guy must be a glutton for punishment. She was an emotional disaster area. Nobody was that patient, and eventually, he’d probably figure out that being with her was just too much work and say forget it. But at least they’d never have to have an uncomfortable conversation about her permanently child-free status.

  With a sigh, she opened the door of the Honda and picked up Gypsy. “You’re my baby, right Gypsy? Let’s go finish up my documents so we can go home and start getting ready for our big party tomorrow.” The little dog wagged her tail as Brigid carried her up the stairs to the house.

  Chapter 7

  Meetings

  The next day, Brigid rushed through her dog-tending duties at the station and the ranch so she could get home and prepare munchies for the meeting later in the afternoon.

  Clay had been out in the arena with Aziz, and she waved at him in passing, being sure to walk Nugget the other way up toward the house, so he couldn’t see the horse. Judge, as usual, didn’t care one way or another, happily continuing on his walk oblivious to everything except the exciting scents along the ground.

  When she returned home, Brigid moved into power cooking mode. While Gypsy supervised, she created mini-spanakopitas, stuffed jalapeños, eggplant crostini, three types of dip, and chopped up countless veggies. She hadn’t done much cooking in a long time, since making meals for herself wasn’t particularly interesting. As she sampled her creations, she remembered how much fun she used to have cooking for her family when she was growing up. Mom had been thrilled when Brigid asked to make dinner once a week, so she could experiment with some of the recipes in her mother’s huge collection of cookbooks. One thing was certain: no one would be leaving this meeting hungry.

  While Brigid was out giving Layla her afternoon walk, Clay left a message wishing her luck and letting her know that the dogs were fine. He also said that TJ was driving up to attend the meeting, which surprised Brigid. The last time she’d seen the woman, TJ had been furious with her. But TJ obviously knew a lot about nonprofits, which could be extremely helpful in the long run. Maybe Clay had talked her into it. In his low-key way, he could be absurdly persuasive.

  The doorbell rang and Gypsy started barking vigorously. Brigid picked her up and answered the door. Tracy stood outside with her veterinary smock draped over her forearm. She saw Gypsy and held out her hands to caress the dog. “Gypsy! Look at you. The cushy life definitely agrees with you.”

  Brigid waved her hand toward the living room. “Come on in.”

  Tracy walked into the house and turned her head to look at the dining room table, which was covered with an array of platters and bowls. “You made food! I think I love you. Sorry, I’m a little early. I came here on my way home, since I had to work late again and I didn’t have time to run home first. I’m starving.”

  “Help yourself.” Brigid put Gypsy back down on the floor and the dog followed Tracy toward the table. “I hope everything is okay at the clinic.”

  Tracy popped a chip into her mouth. “It is now. And before you ask, the puppies are fine too.”

  The doorbell rang again and Brigid said, “Could you keep an eye on Gypsy?”

  “Sure.” Tracy crouched down and offered the dog a corner of a corn chip.

  Brigid opened the door and greeted Kat, Joel, and a number of women Brigid didn’t recognize. Although she’d seen everyone’s name on the list, she had no idea what most of the meeting attendees looked like. The women introduced themselves and everyone made a beeline for the food table. Tracy gave Kat a hug and picked up Gypsy so they could pet and coo at her.

  More people turned up, including a tall woman with sandy hair who chatted with Joel and Kat. It was clear they knew each other well. TJ was the last to arrive. Brigid thanked her for coming and pointed her toward the crowd around the food. Everyone seemed to know someone. It was like Alpine Grove old-home week right here in her dining room.

  Once everyone had a plate of goodies and something to drink, Brigid clinked a fork on her glass. “Thank you all for coming. Could you take a seat in the living room so we can get started? I have a lot of information to give you and I’m sure you all want to get home.”

  Everyone milled around selecting seating and Brigid was amused to see that Gypsy settled herself in Kat’s lap. The dog knew an easy mark when she saw one. Kat was holding Joel’s hand, but released it long enough to give the dog a little piece of crostini crust. TJ was staring at Kat for some reason. Did they know each other? Brigid shook her head, trying to ignore the various allegiances and friendships that pervaded the room. Now was not the time to figure out small-town social dynamics. She had way too many other problems to deal with at the moment.

  Brigid handed out papers for people to pass around. “Some of this was mentioned on the flyer, but here are the things I would like to talk about this evening. The first thing is the dogs that are in foster care right now. There are a mother dog and her five puppies, a greyhound, a schnauzer, and a Lab mix with a skin condition.”

  A woman raised her hand. “I talked to you about the puppies the other day. Remember me?” She peered around at the others. “I’m Leslie and my kids and I talked about fostering the mom and puppies. I’m home all day and the rug rats have been begging me for a dog for ages. I want them to understand that pets take work. If they live up to their promises and help me care for the dogs, we might adopt one of the pups too…permanently, I mean.”

  “That’s wonderful. And thank you for introducing yourself. I’m not sure how many of you know each other, so maybe you could say your name. Plus, even though I think I talked to most of you, I’m new in town, so it will help me put names with faces.” Brigid set more papers on the table and sat down. “The
re are forms I’ll need you to fill out if you want to foster a dog. And there’s a document with information about how the program works and your responsibilities. All dogs will need to be fixed before they are adopted, so I’ve set up an account with the veterinarian. Foster parents will need to set up the appointments and take care of the dog while it recuperates from the surgery.”

  A sleek, well-dressed woman with shoulder-length chestnut hair said, “As I’m sure most of you know, I’m Judith Alistair. And I, for one, would like to know more about what you’ve been doing up until now before I commit to anything. Where are the dogs staying now?”

  “The puppies are at the vet because they’re still really small. Tracy says they are ready to go to a foster home though.”

  “In fact, we’d like them to go,” Tracy volunteered. “They’re starting to get more active, so they need more room.”

  “Layla is the schnauzer. She’s at the station now, but her time there is up tomorrow.” Brigid took a sip of water. She hadn’t talked this much in years. “The greyhound is named Nugget and the Lab is named Judge. They are out at the V Bar H ranch off the highway. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but there was an empty barn and Clay Hadley set up kennels for me to use temporarily.”

  “Well, that’s not acceptable.” Judith said.

  Another woman piped up, “Oh my goodness, you have dogs out there? Aren’t you worried?”

  Judith waved off the comment, “Debbie, I agree, but right now I’d like to know what the greyhound is like. I think they are lovely aristocratic-looking dogs, but I’d like to know more about this one’s history.”

  “Nugget is a sweetie.” Brigid smiled. “He puts his forehead on you to snuggle. It’s so cute. He’s quiet and I think he’d probably prefer to spend his days being a couch potato.”

  “He doesn’t like horses though,” TJ said. “So it would be good if he can stay somewhere else.”

  Judith looked over at the people on the sofa. “Tamara, I didn’t see you there. I assume you would know about the current arrangement, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes, I would, Judy,” TJ said.

  Brigid mentally cringed. Clearly, there was no love lost between these women. “Judith, if you’re interested in taking Nugget, that would be great. That leaves room for another dog to be able to go out to the ranch. I should mention that Layla, the schnauzer, needs a little work on housebreaking, which I know makes her more challenging to foster.”

  A bald man wearing glasses with heavy black frames said, “I’m sure she just needs a little structure. I’ve housebroken dozens of dogs over the years. Sometimes using a crate can be very effective. Or a doggie door. There are many approaches. Oh, my name is Ed, by the way.”

  Brigid handed him a form. “As you saw on the flyer, another thing I was hoping to do is find people who are willing to walk dogs while they are being housed at the station. I’ve been walking and feeding them twice a day, morning and evening.”

  A blonde woman with a pixie haircut raised her hand. “My name is Maren. That’s what I’m interested in doing. I work at the clerk’s office and I just need to get away sometimes. I kept thinking about your flyer and the poor dogs there. Thinking about them just made me want to cry.”

  “I have a sign-up form with time slots.” Brigid quickly handed Maren the paper, hoping she wouldn’t start sobbing. The shape of Maren’s eyebrows made her look perpetually on the brink of tears. “Please pass it around.”

  A woman with long stringy black hair sitting next to Maren hunched over writing her name. That was two people anyway. Brigid marveled at the idea that she might not have to go to the police station every single day anymore.

  By the end of the meeting, Brigid felt like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The puppies, Nugget, and Layla had foster homes. Maren, her shy friend Maddie, and a woman named Cindy—who as it turned out was Joel’s sister—had agreed to walk dogs. Kat and Joel offered to help with computer-related tasks like flyers and forms. Brigid wanted to jump for joy that she wouldn’t have to stay up all night fighting with Clay’s computer anymore. TJ said she’d work with Brigid on getting the nonprofit set up.

  After all the papers had been filled out and discussed, Brigid suggested that they get some more munchies, and finalize arrangements with one another. Leslie huddled with Tracy about the puppies and Brigid was busy dealing with Judith and Ed about their foster dogs. The dog-walkers left and Kat and Joel ended up talking with TJ over near the window. Maybe they were discussing geeky stuff. In-between Judith’s pet-care pontifications, Brigid glanced at them from the corner of her eye. Whatever they were talking about, it seemed serious and Kat had a death grip on Joel’s hand.

  Debbie came up next to Judith and Brigid and announced, “I’m so happy you’re taking the dog, Judith.”

  “I’m sure I can provide a better environment than that,” Judith said.

  Brigid smiled at Debbie. “You still could take Judge if you’re that worried about him staying in a kennel in the barn.”

  Debbie scrunched her shoulders like a turtle retreating into its shell. “What you said about his fur—it sounds so icky. I can’t handle that. Judith has years of experience with dogs. She showed miniature poodles, you know.”

  “She told me about her experience showing and caring for dogs. It’s very impressive. And I understand about Judge. I know we’ll find him a home. To be honest, he’s such a happy-go-lucky dog, he’s the one I’m least worried about. I have a vet appointment to get him dipped again this week. It’s hard to tell, but I do think it’s helping,” Brigid said.

  A look passed between Debbie and Judith, and the two women seemed to tacitly agree on something.

  “I’d like to talk to you privately about this arrangement you have at the ranch,” Judith said.

  “That’s fine. You have my phone number,” Brigid said. “Please feel free to call.

  “I will.” Judith turned to Debbie. “Are you ready? We should get going.”

  The two women said their farewells and Brigid breathed a small sigh of relief. TJ, Kat, and Joel came up and thanked her for the food and Brigid gave Kat a hug. “Thank you for taking over the computing things. I was tearing my hair out.”

  Kat said, “Just send me an email. I’m using my computer all the time anyway and it would be a welcome diversion from writer’s block.”

  “Okay, I might need to call you until I figure out how I can get an email account. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and get my own computer,” Brigid said.

  “Realistically, the nonprofit should have one.” TJ said. “I think the next thing we need to talk about is raising money. You’re footing the bill for everything, aren’t you?”

  “I am. I wish I were independently wealthy, but I’m not. My widow’s pension only takes me so far,” Brigid said.

  TJ put her hand on Brigid’s shoulder. “Are you coming out to the ranch tomorrow? I’ll be there in the morning before I head home.”

  “Yes, I need to get Nugget ready to go to Judith’s house,” Brigid said.

  “Okay, we’ll talk then.”

  Once everyone had left, Brigid thought she might collapse from exhaustion and the interpersonal stresses of so many guests in her house. She wasn’t used to dealing with multiple people at once and her nerves were shot.

  Gypsy was contentedly snoring on the sofa and Brigid sat down next to her. “I think you’ve got the right idea. I’m going to set an alarm and clean up this mess tomorrow.”

  Gypsy just raised her head and wagged her tail a few times, which was enough encouragement for Brigid. She picked up the dog and went upstairs to lose herself in some escapist fiction that had nothing to do with homeless dogs or small towns.

  The sweet scent of lilacs wafted through the open window as Joel and Kat drove though the leafy residential side streets of Alpine Grove and out of town after the meeting at Brigid’s house. Fruit trees were blooming and gardens were starting to explode with color.

 
Joel shifted gears and put his hand on Kat’s leg. “You’re okay, right?”

  “I’m fine. I guess it never occurred to me that I’d meet someone who knew my mother… I mean my birth mother.” She covered his hand with hers. “But that’s stupid, when you stop and think about it. Obviously, people would have known my mother before she died. It’s like I didn’t consider the fact that Alpine Grove existed before I got here.”

  “I guess you look a lot like her.”

  Kat released his hand so he could shift gears. “I suppose. I saw a few pictures of her when she was little, but not very many. Louise probably has a lot more.”

  “It sounds like your mom and TJ were really good friends.”

  “I think so. She knew all about Kelly’s pregnancy…well, me, I guess…and then Louise shipping me off to be adopted after Kelly died. It was kind of weird to hear a different perspective on the whole story. Like it became more real. When Louise told me I was adopted, it really wasn’t a big surprise in some ways, since, well, you’ve met my mom. Or my adoptive mom. The way TJ described Kelly, she wasn’t just someone from a long time ago that I never got to meet. She was a person with faults, a weird sense of humor, hopes, and dreams. Someone I would have probably liked. TJ still really misses her.”

  “I know. Seeing you seemed to upset her, since she had no idea you lived here.”

  “When I found out I was adopted, some people thought I should freak out or be upset by the whole thing. Maria, for example. She thought I took it too well.” Kat turned to him and gestured in frustration. “What does that even mean? What was I supposed to do? Run around the house screaming and crying? So, I was adopted. So what? Nothing changed. I’m still me.”

  He glanced at her. “Well, I for one, am glad you didn’t run around screaming, particularly since I live in that house.”

  “Thanks for coming with me to this meeting. You know how I hate social scenes with a bunch of people I don’t know.”

  “No problem. I was surprised Cindy showed up.”