The Unexpected Shelter

by Abby Tyler

  The tears had been a lot. Way too much. She had to pull herself together. Self-pity wasn’t going to get the dogs fed or the kitty litter cleaned. She threw her covers aside and forced herself to start her day.

  At least Boone was all right. His potassium and sodium levels had both been low. That’s all. He’d gotten an injection, and now she had a diet and some supplements that would help.

  When she entered the kitchen, she saw Boone had gotten up before her and dressed himself in the old farm clothes. She was getting used to this version of her father, the one who dressed and talked like her Grandpop.

  It was comforting in some ways. Savannah had only known Grandpop ten years before he had passed on. When Boone got like this, it was sort of like seeing Grandpop all over again.

  Luke always told her that she could find the bright side of anything.

  But she couldn’t find the bright side of him leaving.

  No, that wasn’t true

  The bright side was that Luke would get to finish school. He’d become a veterinarian. Live his dream.

  She was living her mother’s dream. That was something.

  And it wasn’t like she would never see Luke again, or hear anything about him. His father was here. And T-bone was part of the Town Square proprietors. They all gossiped something fierce. She would hear about him, at least secondhand.

  This was just the way it had to be.

  She fixed Boone his breakfast, and not feeling like eating herself, headed to the kennel room to release the dogs into the yard. Today she took out Nero and held onto his collar as they stood by the door.

  “Are you up with hanging with the pack today?” she asked him.

  She had done lots of test runs with Nero and the rest of the gang under her close supervision. After a few altercations that Sergeant had managed to shut down, Nero finally recognized the German Shepherd as the alpha, and more or less folded in with the pack.

  She opened the door and let the big Doberman run with the others.

  The whole lot of them had made a beeline for the back fence. That was odd. Was something back there? Probably it was a rabbit.

  Although it was getting cold for rabbits. The first freeze was expected any day now, with a cold front blowing down from the north.

  “Sergeant?” she called. “Nero! Pudge!”

  None of them listened to her at all. She walked out into the yard to see what the fuss was about.

  The dogs were all lined up along the fence, sniffing at its edge.

  As Savannah approached, she caught the scent of freshly tilled earth and cedar mulch.

  That was weird. She didn’t have a neighbor close enough for her to be able to smell their gardening.

  Only when she got within a few feet of the fence did she realize that a large area on the other side had been landscaped.

  What in the world?

  She squeezed alongside the dogs. In an area about ten feet long and three feet deep, a fresh layer of mulch was spread. Several little stakes, fashioned from what looked like wire clothes hangers and the label from a plant bag, were set at intervals. Savannah leaned over the fence and peered at them. Crocus. Tulips. Lilies.

  Anemones.

  Savannah caught her breath. Her favorite.

  The dogs quieted down, realizing that the new smells did not pose any threat or even an interesting find. As they began milling the yard again, Savannah passed through the gate to walk around the other side of the fence for a closer look.

  She knelt down by the garden, touching the fresh mulch her with her hands.

  Who would have done this for her?

  She looked around at the woods, and her yard, then turned to peer at the side of the house.

  She got so surprised at what she saw that she fell back on her bottom.

  Luke’s truck was parked out near the road.

  She got up and dusted off her jeans, planning to head toward it, when a stout little figure began bounding toward her at top speed.

  Well, top speed for an overweight pug.

  She knelt down to greet Luigi, laughing when he instantly flopped on his back for a belly rub. “What are you doing here?”

  A million thoughts ran through her head. Maybe the dog had been too much trouble on the trip, so Luke had brought him back. Maybe the flowers were his way of saying he was sorry to have to return the dog.

  When she looked up, Luke was walking toward her.

  Her breath caught. It seemed like forever since she had seen that lanky stride, the tilt to his head, his broad shoulders.

  Luke bent down to scratch Luigi behind the ears.

  “The bulbs should come up in the spring,” he said.

  So it was him.

  “Thank you for planting them,” she said. “I never would have made the time.”

  “You found any volunteers yet?”

  So this was how it would be. Small talk. Savannah swallowed her disappointment. “I have somebody coming out a few times a week starting Monday.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Dr. Brigham, a vet who is good friends with Boone, is going to have the new volunteer coordinator at Fisher College send me more. He feels like enough people have come and gone over there that we can try again. I won’t be caught by surprise now. Boone is diagnosed, and I know what I’m dealing with.”

  His brows drew together. “Is that the same Dr. Brigham who is the advisor of the veterinary school?”

  “It is. You know him?”

  “I talked to him yesterday.”

  Savannah’s heart sped up. Dr. Brigham followed up on their conversation? She thought they were done. Nothing he could do. That’s what he had said. “When?”

  “When I got back. I only drove maybe an hour.” He laughed. “I saw the flowering bulbs and stopped. When I got back, I called the school and they had a note on file that I should talk to Dr. Brigham.”

  Savannah’s heart hammered painfully. “What did he tell you?”

  “He suggested that I get my vet tech license at Fisher. It would only take a semester to finish with all the things I had already done in Montana plus my hours with you.” Luke looked down at the dog, as if meeting her gaze was a struggle right now.

  “But you want to be a veterinarian. You were in that program!”

  “Dr. Brigham said that if I did a good job and got to know some professors, they could probably work out an arrangement where I’d finish my bachelor’s degree, and when I did get to the vet school, I would have a lot of credit. He’d make sure my vet tech work counted for something.”

  “But won’t you still lose everything you did in Montana?”

  “More or less, but it’s a really good deal. Instead of spending another twenty grand up there trying to finish on the old timeline, I would basically be working my way through here without incurring any more debt. They have a special program for vet school if you’re already working in the field. In the long run, it’s a better plan.”

  “Where would you get that extra vet tech work?”

  “Right here. Dr. Brigham said between him and Dr. Black, they could be the sponsoring vets for a weekly clinic here at the shelter. I will be the tech.” This time he did finally look at her. “I mean, as long as you’ll have me.” He gave her a grin that melted her bones. “Somebody’s got to tend those flowers in the spring. And we know you don’t have time.”

  It took a moment for it all to sink in. And when it did, Savannah lunged forward, surprising both herself and Luke so completely, that she knocked him over, and they landed in the damp dirt.

  “You’re not leaving?” she asked.

  He laughed. “And you’re not back with Billy Bob?”

  She grabbed a smear of mud and rubbed it on his nose. “Of course not.”

  He touched her cheek, leaving a smudge of wet dirt. “Why are you always so dirty?”

  “Oh!” Savannah ran her hands through a good bit of earth, this time smearing his jaw. “Now who’s covered in mud?”

  Luke
laughed and rolled over, smashing her into the dirt. “I like you messy. It means you’re a real girl who does real work.”

  “I’m glad you don’t want me to be all fancy.”

  “I wouldn’t know what to do with fancy.”

  She grabbed his head and made him kiss her, dirt and all. The chilly mud seeped into her clothes, and a pudgy pug sniffed in annoyance that he wasn’t being scratched.

  And it was absolutely perfect.

  Chapter 19

  Savannah pulled down the wicker picnic basket that she and Boone used every year. She opened the lid, letting her fingers glide across the cups and plates and napkins they only used for this one annual picnic.

  She shifted things aside to make room for sandwiches, chips, some water bottles, and the traditional bottle of orange soda. Neither Boone nor Savannah really liked orange soda, but on this one day, they always drank some.

  Even if Boone didn’t remember, she’d keep the tradition.

  She hefted the basket on her shoulder and headed to the living room. “Five minutes Boone,” she said to her father, who was watching Wheel of Fortune.

  He nodded at her and she checked the clock. She had timed their departure with the end of the show to avoid any hiccups in their leaving. On this day above all others, a fight with Boone would be hard.

  She hurried back to the kennel room, where Gayle and her newest volunteer, Gabe, were handling a huge litter of newborn kittens. Savannah was so grateful for the new recruits Fisher College had sent her, because that many kittens, six in all, would have meant she would not have been able to leave the house.

  Or else, she wouldn’t have taken the kittens in the first place.

  It was nice having them. Since Tom and Jerry left last fall, she’d tried to always keep some babies in the sick bay. It helped.

  She peeked in at the kittens. “How are they doing?”

  Gabe looked up at her, his merry eyes bright and happy. He sure did love the animals. He was going to be a great vet one day. “Jasmine and Aurora are eating well, and Belle is starting to get the hang of the bottle. Moana is greedy and keeps trying to eat Elsa’s breakfast. And Tiana was a little sluggish today. I’m keeping an eye on her.”

  “Who would’ve thought all six kittens would be girls,” Savannah said, reaching out to stroke their fuzzy little heads.

  Gayle looked up from where she was filling one of the tiny eyedroppers. The kittens were only three weeks old. “And who would’ve thought Mr. Brown Eyes here would’ve named them all after Disney princesses.”

  Gabe shrugged. “I have three little sisters. It’s all I know.”

  “Well, it looks like you have it under control,” Savannah said. “I should be back in a couple hours. At least one of you can stay that long?”

  “I’ll be here,” Gabe said. “I need more experience with newborn cats anyway.”

  “I’ll be sure to make a note in your file about your hours with them,” Savannah said.

  She patted her leg two times, and Sergeant popped up from his bed in the corner. Savannah gave him regular breaks from his duties as the chief of the yard dogs. Sergeant needed a little time to just be an ordinary pet. The two of them returned to the living room.

  Boone perked up when he saw the dog. “Come here, Sergeant,” he said. He looked over at Savannah. “Is he coming with us?”

  “I thought it would be fun.”

  Savannah picked up the basket and the three of them headed out to Boone’s truck. Late February was still pretty cold, and Savannah bundled her jacket more tightly around her as she helped Boone into his side of the truck.

  As they drove along the highway, the familiar melancholy settled over her. She didn’t mind it. The feeling connected her to her mom. She was so little when her mother had died that she didn’t have a lot of solid memories to attach to her. But this aching pressure in her chest was something she could always count on to help her get in the right mindset for this day.

  For the very first time, she and Boone wouldn’t be doing this alone. As they pulled into the cemetery, she spotted Luke’s truck already parked along the road that wound its way through the headstones.

  Savannah had given him a rough location of her mother’s grave. It was nice that he had gone there ahead of them, so they didn’t have to wait. She glanced over at Boone. Last year, the picnic had been cut pretty short because he didn’t know why they were there and didn’t want to stay. Today, though, he scratched his stubbly chin and looked out thoughtfully over the cemetery, as if he might be conjuring old memories.

  This definitely wasn’t easy, whether Boone remembered or not. She was glad for Luke, someone to walk this path with her.

  As she parked, she spotted him sitting on a bench near where she told him to be. He looked strong and masculine in a camel coat and a ball cap from the RV Park. He walked up to the truck and opened Boone’s door.

  “I have a basket in the back,” she said.

  He nodded, his face solemn. Savannah walked Boone out among the headstones until they reached her mother’s. They stood there a moment, looking at the grave.

  Savannah wasn’t sure Boone knew what was going on, but then he said, “So many years gone. You were such a small thing. Still feels like yesterday.”

  Savannah’s eyes smarted, grateful that Boone was aware of where they were and why they had come. Luke hung back near the truck, holding the picnic basket and blanket. Savannah turned and waved him forward.

  “He knows,” Savannah whispered as she showed Luke where to spread the blanket.

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  Boone turned to them. He looked at Luke a little curiously for a moment, then said, “It’s nice for you to come out here.”

  “Happy to,” Luke said.

  Savannah sat next to the basket and began to unload. Whenever Luke was around, they never knew if Boone would remember exactly who he was. He did seem to recognize that Luke helped out at the shelter. And he never acted antagonistic, as if he didn’t remember punching him once.

  She and Luke were slowly figuring out the details of how to set up the clinic. Luke would be finished with his vet tech certification by June, and they needed to have a place for him ready.

  T-bone had volunteered to assemble a prefab outbuilding for them to use, and it was supposed to be delivered during spring break, when Luke would have the week off and could put it together.

  It would be nice to have another space, if for nothing else than to spread out her volunteers instead of crowding everyone in the cat room and the kennels.

  Boone sat down with them, and Savannah passed him a sandwich and spread some chips on his plate. Luke helped sort the food out, pausing when he got to the bottle of orange soda.

  “That was mom’s favorite,” Savannah said. “Boone and I always split a bottle in her honor when we come out here.”

  “I’ve never seen you drink it.”

  She laughed. “Boone and I can’t stand it. We do it for her.”

  A cold wind whipped at her hair, and she zipped her jacket all the way to her neck.

  “Was it this cold on that day?” Luke asked.

  “An ice storm,” Boone said. “Lena had pulled over because she saw an injured dog on the side of the road.” He picked up a chip, then set it down again. “The couple was driving back from some sort of party. He saw her car and swerved to avoid it, then overcorrected on the other side. He never saw her or the dog. Got ‘em both.”

  Savannah guessed that some details could be so buried in your mind, making so many connections in all parts of your memory, that even in the later stages of dementia, they were still fully there.

  She wished those memories didn’t exist. She tried to imagine this scene at Applebottom Park instead, the lake spread before them, and her gracefully aging mother sitting alongside them.

  It was a pretty picture.

  Luke still held the orange soda in his hand. “I’m mighty sorry. She sounds like a g
reat lady.”

  “She was,” Boone said. He looked off into the sky.

  “Should I pour this into a couple of cups?” Luke asked.

  Savannah sighed. “I guess so.” She nudged Boone. “You ready to down this nasty stuff in honor of Mom?”

  “If we have to.” He grinned at her. They had this conversation every year. At least in the good years.

  This was one of the good years.

  “You know, I can see it’s a tradition and all, but I could help you out,” Luke said.

  “How’s that?” Savannah asked.

  “Seems like the person who drinks your mom’s soda shouldn’t hate it.”

  “I’m all ears,” Boone said.

  “We thought about pouring it on her grave instead,” Savannah said, “but we started feeling sorry for the grass.”

  Luke unscrewed the top. “I’ll do it.”

  Savannah glanced at Boone. “Shall we let him?”

  “He’s volunteering? Definitely.”

  Luke tipped the bottle and downed it all in one long swig.

  “Oh my gosh!” Savannah cried. “That was easy!”

  “Of course it was,” Luke said, replacing the cap. “I love orange soda.” He lifted the bottle to the sky. “Thanks, Lena! I’m happy to take on your favorite.”

  Savannah’s eyes pricked, and she scooted closer to Luke.

  “That settles it then,” Boone said. “Good thing you’re already my son-in-law.”

  Savannah and Luke glanced at each other, and neither of them felt any need to correct him.

  Epilogue

  On the third day of spring break, it happened.

  Savannah stood in the large yard, watching Luke and T-bone construct the portable outbuilding that would become the clinic come summer. Savannah had been keeping her eye on the dogs, who were a little out of sorts to be crowded in the small yard to keep them out of the men’s way.

  At first, it was just a bit of color barely visible from the corner of her eye.

  It shouldn’t be a butterfly, not at this time of year. Maybe it was a bit of trash blown over from the highway. It nagged at Savannah, so finally, she turned and gave the spot of color her full attention.