Snow Furries (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 4) Read online

  Snow Furries

  An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy

  Book 4

  Susan C. Daffron

  Published by Magic Fur Press

  An imprint of Logical Expressions, Inc.

  PO Box 383, Sandpoint, Idaho 83852, USA

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business organizations, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 by Susan C. Daffron

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher.

  ISBN:

  978-1-61038-029-4 (paperback)

  978-1-61038-030-0 (EPUB)

  Digital Edition 1.2 – November 8, 2015

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Copyright Page

  Table of Contents

  Synopsis

  Chapter 1 - Big Flurries

  Chapter 2 - Into the Wilderness

  Chapter 3 - Lights Out

  Chapter 4 - Kung Fu

  Chapter 5 - Bigfoot & Lodgepole

  Chapter 6 - Right Now

  Chapter 7 - Dreams

  Chapter 8 - Light & Simplicity

  Chapter 9 - Adjustments

  Chapter 10 - Boots

  Chapter 11 - Other Plans

  Chapter 12 - Get Happy

  Chapter 13 - Decisions

  Chapter 14 - Changes

  Thanks for Reading

  Dedication & Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Books by Susan C. Daffron

  Snow Furries

  An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy

  Book 4

  by Susan C. Daffron

  Synopsis

  After a life-altering setback destroys Rebecca Mackenzie’s career, she jumps at the chance to start over as a real estate appraisal trainee in her uncle’s office. Although a job change had been in order, being the new kid did have some downsides, including being forced to do a rush appraisal in the small town of Alpine Grove over Thanksgiving weekend.

  Although map reading has never been her strong suit, Becca’s navigational skills are pushed to the limit in a town that doesn’t believe in road signs. When the supposed-to-be flurries turn out to be a record-setting blizzard, the trip literally goes downhill after Becca’s car slides nose-down off the road into a ditch. Accompanied by his huge mountain dog, a scruffy stranger wearing a massive coat with dozens of pockets drags Becca to safety. In the darkness of a small log cabin in the woods, Becca confesses far too many secrets to Jack Sheridan. Sure, if she’d known she’d end up trapped in the middle of nowhere with a guy named Jack, she never would have watched that scary movie. But maybe Jack isn’t such a dull boy after all.

  Snow Furries is a romantic comedy novel of approximately 75,000 words.

  Chapter 1

  Big Flurries

  “Alpine Grove?” Rebecca Mackenzie put her hands on her hips and glared at her uncle. “Why do you want me to go? I thought Joanne was doing that appraisal. I’m going to be at Thanksgiving dinner with you. Mom wants me to make my world-famous mashed potatoes.”

  Patrick Radcliffe ran his hand over his smooth bald head. “I’m sorry, Becca. I already talked to your mom about it. I know your mother is my sister, but I was unaware she knew such colorful words to describe her feelings about this situation. The problem is Joanne has to go back East to see her family. Her mother hasn’t been well lately.”

  “You told Mom about this before you told me?” Becca turned toward the copy machine, opened the lid, and slapped a piece of paper on the glass. “You know what happened the last time I went to Alpine Grove.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t understand why that place has no road signs. All the directions are things like ‘turn at the ugly green house next to where that feed store used to be.’ I’m not psychic. How hard would it be to put up road signs?” She jabbed the green button on the machine. “And how am I supposed to get a reservation now for Thanksgiving weekend? Alpine Grove is a touristy place. I’m sure everything is full. Can’t we just put this trip off until later?”

  Patrick leaned against the file cabinet, crossed his arms across his chest, and faced her. “No. The bank needs the appraisal by December first, and they tend to take deadlines pretty seriously. You’re the only one, other than me, who has enough experience with the area. Joanne already had a reservation at the H12 motel. You can stay there.”

  “Do they take dogs? I can’t just leave Mona here. And Mom and everyone else are going to be way too busy with the whole family Thanksgiving party to take care of her.”

  “Can’t you board her somewhere?”

  “I guess I can call around.” Becca sighed melodramatically. “But Pat, I can’t believe you’re making me miss Thanksgiving!”

  “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to get into the wild and wacky world of property appraisal, you know.”

  “I know.” Becca collected the papers from the copier’s output tray and placed them on top of the machine. She reached out and gave her uncle a hug. “And you know I appreciate you letting me be an appraisal trainee here all this time. I really do. I’m so close to getting certified now and I’m grateful. So I’ll be a big girl and stop whining. I guess I need to go make some calls.”

  Pat patted her shoulder and turned to walk back toward his office. “I’ll miss your mashed potatoes. Thanksgiving 1995 won’t be the same without them.”

  “Mine are the best!”

  “There’s always next year.”

  Becca picked up her copies and held them to her chest. A career change had definitely been in order, but starting over at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder had some real down sides. Her glory days as a property manager were over, and after what had happened, she certainly could never go back to her old job. She’d tried, but she just couldn’t do it. In the end, she’d had to quit. Then when Uncle Pat had suggested that she become an appraiser, it seemed like a perfect fit. She already had experience working in a somewhat related field and she had enjoyed all the courses she had to take to get her trainee license. Pat had even let her bring Mona into the office with her.

  Becca opened the door to her small, crowded office and found Mona curled up in the monogrammed dog bed located in a dark corner under the desk. The small shepherd mix lifted her head, waved just the tip of her tail slightly, and put her muzzle back down on the pillow to return to her nap. It was way too early for her walk, and the dog clearly knew there was no point in getting up.

  Although Mona had decided Becca was okay as a human being, the dog was extremely shy and seemed to be mortally afraid of everyone and everything else. With the exception of her lunchtime outing, sleeping under the desk was Mona’s preferred way to spend the work day.

  The irony was not lost on Becca that the dog she had adopted from the humane society “for protection” turned out to be a total scaredy-cat. At least Mona had mostly stopped randomly piddling on the floor. Uncle Pat had really not appreciated that aspect of Mona’s behavior. The fact that Becca had paid to have all of the office carpets cleaned had helped, and now Pat and Mona had reached an uneasy truce.

  Because almost no one in the office ever saw Mona, having her around wasn’t a problem. She loved hanging out under the desk while Becca worked on her computer. Before Becca became the most junior associate at her uncle’s company—Radcliffe an
d Associates—her office had been a storage area for files. The office was so small, it was almost impossible to move around. It was a good thing Mona didn’t take up much space.

  The dog loved going for car rides, and she seemed to welcome the excursions to visit properties with Becca. It was too bad the dog couldn’t read maps, because Becca desperately needed a navigator. She spent a lot of time at the side of the road trying to decipher directions and flipping through her tired old Thomas Guide book of street maps.

  The prospect of going to Alpine Grove was daunting, since Thomas Guides for the middle of nowhere didn’t exist. And as she had told her uncle, the Alpine Grove town leaders apparently were not big believers in road identification. It was way too easy to end up on some meandering dirt road that went off into the deepest, darkest depths of the wilderness. Becca sighed. Maybe she’d buy some bear spray before she left the city. Becoming snack food for a grizzly was not how she had envisioned spending her holiday weekend.

  Becca navigated her car down the long driveway, clutching the piece of paper with directions in her hand. This had to be the correct house. Maybe. After Becca arrived in Alpine Grove, she’d checked into the H12 motel and verified the directions she’d received from the boarding kennel owner with the guy at the front desk. He had patiently answered all her navigational questions, and yet here she was, still wondering if she was in the right place. Turning up in some stranger’s front yard would be more than a little embarrassing.

  As Becca had predicted, every boarding kennel in the greater Los Angeles area had been full for the holiday weekend. And the H12 motel in Alpine Grove didn’t take pets. However, they said there was a new boarding kennel that might be able to take Mona. It had taken a complicated, frustrating series of phone calls to actually find out where the rumored kennel was located. Becca shook her head. Everyone seemed to know someone who knew someone else.

  First Becca had to call some web site company and the guy who answered the phone had her talk to a woman named Tracy, who gave her a phone number for Kat Stevens, who owned the dog boarding kennel. At last, she’d tracked down the person. But what a production!

  Becca was already sick of Alpine Grove and she hadn’t even dropped off Mona yet. It was going to be a long trip. At least Kat had seemed nice enough on the phone, if a little concerned about Mona’s shyness issues. But at this point, Becca had no choice. She looked over the seat at Mona. The dog seemed to be enjoying looking out the window at all the huge trees.

  “It’s okay, Mona. I’ll do the inspection and the photos just as fast as I can. I know it’s going to be a little scary at first, but I promise I won’t leave you here any longer than I have to. We might still be able to make it back to Mom’s for Thanksgiving. I’ve got everything all laid out on my list. We’ll be back home before you know it.”

  Mona wagged her tail in response. At least the dog didn’t seem too worried. Mona was probably less concerned than Becca was about the stay at the kennel. Maybe the knot that was lodged in her stomach would finally go away once she had Mona settled in.

  Becca tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. It was taking forever to get out to this place. A real estate listing would probably euphemistically refer to it as private, as opposed to remote or in the middle of nowhere. Maybe Kat was some type of recluse or granola-eating back-to-the-land type.

  The weather was starting to look ominous, with heavy dark gray clouds that hung so low it seemed like they were curling around the treetops. Snow flurries had followed Becca all the way up the mountain to Alpine Grove, and now that she was outside of town here in the sticks, it was snowing with significantly more enthusiasm.

  The car didn’t have snow tires, but the roads still seemed okay. After dropping off Mona, next on Becca’s extensive to-do list was to get back to various offices in town and look up legal information before everything closed for the holiday. With any luck, she wouldn’t get lost again trying to get back to Alpine Grove. This whole trip was a nightmare. Best to get it over with as fast as possible.

  The car slammed into a giant pothole and slid sideways a little as it came up out of the crater. Becca’s heart lurched in her chest as she jerked the steering wheel and caused the car to fishtail back and forth. She let off the gas and pressed her foot on the brake, and the car slid to a stop. Taking a deep breath, she berated herself for hitting the brake so hard. That was stupid. There was hardly any snow on the ground and she was going two miles an hour. After another long breath, she carefully put her foot back on the accelerator and eased the car forward. At last, the forest opened up and a log house came into view. It was nestled in a clearing surrounded by huge evergreen trees. With the dusting of snow on the pines, the scene looked like a Christmas card. Becca’s heart finally slowed down, returning to a more normal rate as she carefully nosed the car under a tree and parked.

  She grabbed her coat from the passenger seat and turned to look at Mona. “Be good for a minute. I need to check and make sure this is really the right place.” She got out and walked up the steps to the house. The sound of barking came from inside and as Becca raised her hand to knock, the door opened. A petite woman with long wavy dark hair smiled and said, “Hi. You must be Becca. I’m Kat.” She peered out the doorway. “Where’s Mona?”

  Becca put out her hand. “Yes, I’m Rebecca Mackenzie. Mona is in the car. I got a little lost and I wasn’t sure I was in the right place.”

  Kat glanced at her quickly, and shook her hand. “Well, you found it.” She moved inside and grabbed a coat off a hook. “Let’s go get Mona.”

  Becca followed Kat down the steps back to the car. As her left foot slid, Becca shrieked and circled her arms like a windmill as she tried to regain her balance.

  Kat looked back at her, “Those might not be the best shoes to wear here.”

  “I’m fine.” Mortified, but fine. She loved these pumps and they made her look professional. The shoes had been a gift to herself after she got her first check from Uncle Pat. They went perfectly with her outfit, which was a grayish-blue suit that matched her eyes and looked great with her light brown hair. Unfortunately, the cute bouncy curls created by the hot rollers she’d used this morning were starting to look a little tired. It had already been a long day and it was far from over. She still had a lot of items on her list to deal with.

  Becca motioned toward the house. “This is a very pretty log house. How big is it?” At Kat’s surprised expression, she added, “Sorry…appraiser curiosity. I love finding out about houses and their stories.”

  “I inherited the place from my aunt. Or grandmother.” Kat waved her hands dismissively. “It’s a little complicated. Anyway, it’s three bedrooms. The master bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen are upstairs and there’s an open great room with the living and dining area. Downstairs, in the daylight basement, are two more bedrooms we use as offices, plus a hallway and some storage areas.”

  “Sounds nice. How much property do you have?”

  “I guess you could say the house is nice in a kind of vintage rustic way. It’s on eighty acres. The house sits right in the middle. That’s why the driveway is so long. I think my aunt wanted privacy.”

  “There aren’t many big parcels like this available anymore, even out here.”

  “My aunt bought the land a long time ago.”

  “Interesting.” Becca moved around Kat and unlocked the car door.

  “You locked your dog in the car? Here?”

  Becca opened the door and clipped a leash on Mona. “Force of habit.” Mona peeked her nose out and then daintily leaped out of the car. “Good girl!”

  Kat crouched next to the dog. “Hi Mona. How are you?” Mona wagged her tail happily, seeming to enjoy all the fun snowflakes falling around her.

  Becca squinted at the dog. “Like I said, she’s really shy. Don’t be surprised if it takes her some time to warm up to you.” Mona was remarkably relaxed, just sitting there. What was that about? Mona was never relaxed.

  Kat reached out an
d scratched Mona’s shoulder. “She seems fine to me. What do you think, Mona?” Mona’s tail flapped back and forth cheerfully. “Do you want to walk around a little and sniff? You’ll love it. There are all kinds of great sniffies here.”

  Becca handed Kat a manila envelope. “Here are Mona’s veterinary records. I also wrote up some details about her history and behavior, so you know what to expect. It should only be one night. I’m still hoping to make it back home for Thanksgiving, if I can get everything done quickly today.” Becca looked back toward the driveway. “I really do need to get going. I still have to get back to town and look up some information at the assessor’s office before they close.” If she could find it again.

  Kat took the envelope and leash from Becca. “That’s fine. You have my number. If you have any questions or just want to check in, feel free to give me a call.”

  “That would be great.” Becca reached out and grabbed Kat, hugging her fiercely. “Thank you so much for taking Mona right before the holiday. I know it’s an imposition. You’re really saving me.” In the city, a last-minute holiday drop-off like this would never happen.

  Looking bewildered, Kat said, “It’s no problem. A couple of people are stopping by later, but other than that, it should be a quiet holiday here.”

  Mona sat next to Kat, not even having the decency to look sad that Becca was leaving. Traitor.

  Kat looked up at the sky and said, “I’m glad we’re not going anywhere. Please drive carefully. It looks like there might be a storm.”

  Becca shook her head and fat snowflakes flew off her hair every which way. “No. They said it would just be flurries. I’m sure it will be fine.”

  “These are some big flurries.” Kat bent to sweep some snow off Mona’s back. “I haven’t lived here very long, but I’ve noticed that the weather guys don’t seem to be particularly accurate. Usually I find it’s better to just look out the window.”

  Brushing a clump of snow off her head, Becca said, “I think I see what you mean.”