The dog seemed to want to come out, but he appeared to be too scared and nervous. Its little paws danced as it whined, wanting so badly to go to them, but clearly afraid. It would dart towards them for a couple of steps only to change its mind and quickly turn back around for safety.
“Maybe it’s hungry. I still have a little bit of my ham sandwich left over from lunch,” Wade said as he slowly crept back to the car. He knew it was risky to go back to the car, because if it caused the dog to bolt and if he ran away, there might be no way to catch him. They had to keep the little dog calm. Wade carefully opened the car door and pulled the sandwich out of his bag. It only made a soft thump, but still the dog flinched. “Are you hungry?” Wade asked as he returned to Holly’s side.
Breaking off a piece of the sandwich, he tossed it as close to the dog as he could. Tentatively, the little dog emerged from the bushes and sniffed it. Once he realized it was food, he quickly gobbled it down. He seemed to relax slightly, realizing they weren’t going to hurt him.
“Good boy,” Holly said quietly. The dog had obviously been on its own for a while. It was skinny and its golden-brown fur was matted and dirty. She looked around the area where they’d found him. There was nothing there. No houses, no businesses. Nobody had even driven by since they’d been stopped.
“Poor little guy,” Wade said softly as he tore off another bit of sandwich. “I wonder if someone dumped him out here?”
“Awww,” Margo said. “Who would do such a thing? He’s so stinkin’ adorable.”
Wade tossed the next piece of his sandwich just a couple of feet in front of the dog, trying to encourage it to come even closer. “My dad told me once that people often dump their pets out on these side roads when they can’t handle them anymore. I hope that’s not the case with this little guy who I can tell by looking at him is a male. He’s too cute to be left on the side of the road like this.”
The dog drew closer still, eagerly eating another piece of the sandwich. He’d begun to wag his tail off and on. He didn’t seem to mind being closer to them.
“Well, let’s see if he’s wearing a collar. If not, I can call the sheriff and see where the nearest shelter is,” Holly said. “That’s got to be better place for him than being out here all alone. He could get hit by a car or worse.”
Margo and Wade agreed as another bit of sandwich was thrown, getting the dog almost in arms’ reach. The bottoms of his legs were coated with dried mud and pine needles. He clearly needed someone to take care of him, because there was no way he could last much longer out here on his own.
“Here, buddy,” Wade said as he extended the rest of the sandwich towards the little dog. The dog sniffed the air and seemed to realize that what was in his hand was more of what he’d been eating. He bobbed his head as if he were trying to convince Wade to drop it.
When he didn’t, the dog took a single tentative step closer to him. He whined and took two more steps towards Wade before carefully taking the last bite of sandwich from him. He let it hit the ground as Wade released it, pulling the pieces of ham out first, before eating the rest.
Holly slowly extended her hand in an attempt to pet the dog. He froze while he watched her hand as it drew closer, but he didn’t make a sound. She was almost afraid to touch him, for fear he might try to bite her. With one finger she touched him, ready to jerk back. Yet once her hand gently began to stroke his fur, she could tell he wouldn’t hurt her. He stopped watching her and turned back to eat the last piece of bread.
“Hey,” she cooed softly. “It’s okay.” She scratched behind his ear and smiled. “You’re a sweetie, aren’t you?”
As he finished the sandwich, sniffing around looking for more, his little tail started to wag much faster. He cautiously moved closer to Holly and began to lean into her hand, as if he were asking her to scratch him some more.
“What a cute little dog,” Wade said. “See if he’ll let you pick him up.”
Holly slipped her hands under his belly and slowly lifted him up. He stiffened at first, but as she pulled him closer, he relaxed. “Poor little guy,” she said. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Carefully cradling him, she carried the small dog back to the car and opened the door. He seemed a little leery of the car, but when Holly held him closer to her, he seemed to relax. Once they were inside, Wade reached over and gave him a scratch.
“No collar, huh?” he asked as he searched the dog’s neck.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Holly said sadly. The dog looked up at her with his soft brown eyes as if he were pleading with her. “Let’s take him with us to the church. We can ask Missy what the best thing is to do with him. He obviously needs help, no matter what. There’s no way I can just leave him out here like this. It’s not right.”
“Good idea,” Margo said from the backseat. “But the poor little guy definitely needs to be groomed. A bath and something to make him smell better would be a major improvement.”
“Yeah, and lots of food. The poor thing is really skinny,” Holly said as she made kissing noises to the dog. He got excited and began to lick her face. She couldn’t help but laugh as she tried to get him to stop. “Well at least his kisses aren’t as wet as Jett’s.”
“That’s no joke,” Wade said as he started to drive again. “Jett can wash your whole face with one swipe of his tongue.”
“Good job of spotting that little guy while you were driving,” Margo said. “If you hadn’t seen him, who knows how long he may have been out there? He’s lucky you saw him.”
“Oh, that should be his name,” Holly said excitedly. “How do you like that? Huh?” she asked as she turned her attention back to the little dog sitting quietly on her lap. “Can we call you Lucky?” The dog sat back and seemed to listen as she spoke before finally giving out a small little yip.
“Sounded like a yes to me,” Wade chuckled.
“Then for as long as we have you, your name will be Lucky,” Holly said as she scratched his face. “So, who’s going to keep you until we figure things out?”
“There’s no way I can take home a dog,” Margo said shaking her head. “My parents rent our house, and there’s a strict ‘no pets’ policy in the lease.”
“I can’t take him, either,” Wade said shaking his head. “We already have one dog, and he doesn’t do well with small dogs.”
“Guess that means you’re stuck with me, Lucky,” Holly said as she worked a burr out of his fur. “I just hope Brigid doesn’t kill me when she finds out.”
“Nah, I bet she’ll think he’s adorable,” Wade said as he smiled at the little dog. “You know how big-hearted she is. There’s no way she would have left him there, either, and you know how much Linc loves dogs.”
Holly nodded. “That he does. Still, I don’t want to make Brigid mad.”
Margo leaned forward from the backseat. “Haven’t you learned the golden rule yet?” she asked.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?” Holly asked.
“No, the other one,” Margo said shaking her head. “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.”
Holly laughed. “That’s not exactly something I’m known for doing, Margo.”
CHAPTER 4
Holly was a little nervous as she walked through the back door of the church holding the dirty little dog in her arms. She’d done her best to pull most of the burrs and debris from the dog’s fur, but the rest of them would have to be trimmed out with scissors. Did Missy even like dogs? Knowing Holly’s luck, she’d show up with the dog and find out that Missy was terribly allergic to dogs. She began to worry that maybe she was making a mistake when Wade held open the door to the large storage room where Missy had said they’d meet.
When they stepped into the room, Holly could see why Missy had felt overwhelmed. There were multiple boxes overflowing with coats and jackets of all sizes and colors. Some had even fallen out onto the floor. Missy had her back to them as she leaned over one box, a
pparently doing her best to separate the kids’ sizes from the larger ones. She had her hair pulled back in a messy bun with a pencil jabbed through it. It was obvious she’d been hard at work for quite a while.
“Hey Missy, we’re here,” Holly called out.
Missy turned around, clearly surprised, her mouth in the shape of an ‘O’. “I didn’t hear you come in,” she gasped.
“Sorry, we didn’t mean to scare you,” Holly said apologetically.
“You’re fine,” she said waving her hand. “And you brought friends. Wonderful! Hold on, who is this?” she asked as she drew closer. She squinted as if she wasn’t exactly sure what she was seeing.
“We found him on the side of the road over on Willow,” Wade offered. “We couldn’t just leave him there. He was so scared and hungry.”
“Oh my gosh!” Missy said as Lucky turned and looked at her. She seemed to realize it was a cute little dog and not a wadded up, dirty blanket. She lifted the little guy from Holly’s arms and began to make kissy noises to him.
“You are just the cutest little thing, aren’t you?” she asked him as she lifted him in the air. “But you’re so dirty!”
“I wasn't sure what to do with him. Do you think I should call the sheriff and see if they can put him in the pound or something?” Holly asked. She smiled as she saw the way the dog wagged his tail and gave Missy kisses. Lucky was obviously a sweetheart, and thankfully Missy appeared to have no problem with dogs.
“Oh, don’t send the cute little thing there,” she said shaking her head. “They only hold dogs for so long before they put them down. If you can't keep him, it’s better to try and find a place for him yourself.”
“I’m not sure how Brigid will feel about him,” Holly admitted. “I don’t want to make her mad.”
“I don’t think she would be, but why don’t I take the little darling and give him a bath and something to eat. I’ll call Brigid and make sure it’s okay. Meanwhile, you guys can get started, and I’ll order the pizza. Sound good?” Missy asked as she absently scratched the dog behind the ear. “He can hang out with me and get clean,” she said in a baby voice.
“Sure,” all three of them said as they nodded.
“I really appreciate it,” Holly said.
“Don’t even think about it,” Missy said waving her hand. “Little dogs are my weakness. We’ll get this guy smelling nice and looking fine before you take him home. We don’t want him getting Brigid’s house all stinky, now do we?” she said switching over to her baby voice again.
Holly chuckled. “It would probably help my case if he wasn’t, but I don’t see how he could make any more of a mess than Jett does.” She turned and looked around the room. “Where should we get started?”
Missy tucked Lucky in her arms. “I collected all of the boxes this afternoon. I have them in separate piles, because I wanted to keep track of how many coats we got from where. This will help me when I do this next time, because I’ll know which locations were more successful than others, and if I should use a bigger or smaller box. Does that make sense?”
She turned and looked at them, as they nodded in agreement. “Good. I was sorting them first by children’s and then adult sizes. After that I started sorting by the coat sizes themselves. You can kind of see what I started on the tables over there?” She pointed to several tables that lined the walls. “Make sure you check the pockets of each one. If they look like they’re dirty, make a different pile, and I’ll see if I can get them clean.”
“Sounds good,” Holly said with a smile.
“Missy, you are so organized,” Margo said in disbelief. “You know where everything is in all of this mess, and I can’t even find a sharpened pencil in my room.”
Missy chuckled and shrugged. “I kind of have to be in order to do what I do. Oh, by the way, did you guys come up with a name for this little guy?”
“I’ve been calling him Lucky,” Holly said beaming. “He seems to be really happy with the name.”
“That sounds like a perfect name. Okay, Lucky and I are going to go get him cleaned up, and I’ll order the pizza. Let me know if you need anything,” Missy said as she headed for the door and left the room.
Holly turned and looked at Margo and Wade. “Well, how do we want to do this?” The entire room was filled with piles and boxes of coats. It was pretty overwhelming. As she looked around, Holly realized this was the same room where Missy had held the items the community had donated to her after her mother was murdered.
It was hard to believe it really hadn’t been all that long ago when she’d stood in this very room and sorted through all of the donations that had been made just for her. It felt good to know she was helping to give back in some small way.
“Why don’t we each take a pile and start to pull the kids’ coats out while we count?” Wade suggested.
Margo nodded. “Seems like as good a place as any to start.”
They split up as they each picked a pile and began to work. It didn’t take long for each of them to find their own way of sorting their piles and keeping track of the coats.
“Did you guys see the new kid in school today?” Margo asked as she folded a coat.
“No,” Wade said shaking his head. “There’s a new kid?”
“Yeah,” Margo nodded. “He’s kind of strange if you ask me.”
“I didn’t think so,” Holly commented. “I met him and I thought he seemed nice.”
“I didn’t talk to him, but he looked weird,” Margo said. “Did you see his hair? Not to mention his glasses. Like, who would choose those on purpose? I mean, who actually wakes up and decides to look like that?”
“Maybe he didn’t,” Holly said, doing her best not to get annoyed with her friend. “Maybe they were all his parents could afford.” She looked over at Wade who gave her a supportive smile. He knew the life she’d had before Brigid and how tough it had been for her. Holly hadn’t had many options when it came to choosing clothes, or anything else, for that matter. “Besides, I thought they suited him well.”
“Whatever,” Margo said. “All I know is I wouldn’t be caught dead in them. Of course, I wouldn’t be a boy with hair that looked like that, either.”
“Dang, Margo. Tell us how you really feel. Please, don’t hold anything back,” Wade said sarcastically as he looked at Holly.
“He’s from Denver,” Holly explained. “You know how they do things different there. Everyone’s a little more colorful in the city. Here, not so much.”
“That’s the truth,” Wade began. “I went to the mall with my parents not too long ago, and there was a guy who looked like he was in his forties with a green mohawk.”
“Are you serious?” Margo gasped. “In his forties? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I wish I was,” Wade said. “But it’s true.”
“I don’t think I could have kept a straight face if I saw that,” Margo said as she continued to sort the coats and jackets and then toss them in to separate piles. “I mean, when you’re younger, sure. Do your thing, I guess. But by the time you’re in your forties? I think it’s time to give some of that stuff up, you know?”
“I’d have to agree with you on that,” Holly nodded. “I think there comes a time when you have to give up your punk rock days, but maybe that’s just me.” She couldn’t imagine the guy Margo had described having any kids or a family. After all, how would you feel if your dad came to your parent-teacher conferences with green hair? Let alone a mohawk.
They continued to chat and work until eventually Jordan, Missy’s husband and the pastor of the church, pushed the door open with two pizzas in his hands and a tray of cookies balanced on top.
“Hey guys! How’s it going in here?” he asked brightly. He turned to the nearby table and slid the boxes onto the table.
“We’re making progress,” Margo said with a smile. “That pizza smells amazing. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until you walked in with them.”
“Good, I’m glad
. Thank you so much for helping Missy out. She’s always so busy, and we hardly get a chance to just sit down together and relax,” he explained. “Knowing you kids are down here working hard is really taking a load off her mind.”
“It’s no trouble,” Wade said. “We’re happy to help.”
“Boy, that little dog is a cutie, isn’t he?” Jordan said. “She gave him a bath and is brushing him right now. He may need a haircut to get out some of those tangles,” he told Holly. “Missy called Brigid, and she’s okay with him coming home with you. Truth be told, I think she’s a little excited,” he said with a mock whisper.
Holly relaxed for the first time since she’d realized she was going to take Lucky home with her. “Good, I was a little worried.”
“Don’t be,” Jordan said with a reassuring smile. Setting the tray of cookies to the side, he flipped open the boxes of pizza, displaying one pepperoni and one cheese, before he pulled out his wallet. “Here’s some money, so you guys can get a soda from the machine in the other room. If you end up needing more, just let me know. I really appreciate this. More than you know.” He held up a handful of one-dollar bills before setting them down beside the pizza boxes.
“Thanks,” they said as he turned around and left the room.
“Let’s take a break to eat,” Wade said as he set down the coat he had in his hands. “I’m starving. What do you guys want to drink?” he asked as he made his way over to the money and picked it up.
“Just get me whatever you’re having,” Holly said as she reached into the last pocket of the jacket in her hands. She’d mostly found things like receipts and some change, so when her hand hit something solid that made a noise, she was a bit surprised.
Wrapping her fingers around it, she pulled it out and was shocked to find a pill bottle with the label peeled off. Looking up she saw that Wade and Margo were talking and not paying any attention to her. She shook it for a second, still a little shocked at her find.
Holly Lewis Mystery series Box Set Page 15
