The Luck of the Paw (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 9) Page 10

  “I don’t know.”

  “Did you ask your dad?”

  “I haven’t talked to him in years. He did something unforgivable, and our relationship was really bad, then nonexistent. He moved out of the house and I refused to talk to him. Then after my mom married Howard, he moved away.”

  Chris handed the postcard back to her. “You have no idea where he moved to? After all this time? Didn’t your mom tell you?”

  “Nope. I made it pretty clear I hated his guts after what he did. And my mom, well, she refused to even acknowledge the fact I had a father. Howard got jealous if she even mentioned his name.”

  “Weren’t you curious?”

  “Not really.”

  “So why are you now?”

  “I think he sent the postcards to me. There are a bunch of them, and who else would have twenty-year-old postcards addressed to Dan Riggins? And they just happened to arrive on my thirtieth birthday. Who else would know that?”

  “I guess that is a little strange. Maybe he’s trying to make amends. What did he do that was so bad?”

  “He took my dog away. My golden retriever Rusty was my best friend in the whole world.”

  “What do you mean he took him away? Where?”

  “Well, he said Rusty was going to a good home, but every kid above the age of six knows that’s just a line for dumping a dog at the animal shelter.”

  “That’s awful. Are you sure he did that? I mean the Windiberg shelter was, well…not a place I’d ever want Lulu to end up.”

  “Yes, I know. That’s why I refused to speak to my dad. There was nothing to say.”

  As they strolled along the trail, Chris was silent for a few minutes. Maybe he was busy digesting the information. Mia had already thought about it way too much. She’d spent years trying to get over the grief of losing Rusty and her father’s betrayal.

  The trail turned to the right and suddenly the view from the postcard was in front of them.

  Chris stopped and pointed at the lake. “It’s exactly like the photo. I guess some things haven’t changed here in the last twenty years.”

  “Looking at the postcards, it’s interesting to see how much is the same. The motel I’m staying at, for example.”

  Chris picked up Lulu, who was sitting next to him with a surly look on her face. “I’m guessing I’ll be carrying her back.” He stroked the fur on the dog’s head thoughtfully. “So who are the babies ‘CA’ mentions in the post card?”

  “I have no idea. Maybe my dad had a second family. I’m hoping to ask around a little and see if anyone has heard of him.”

  “Well, if he did have another family, maybe that’s where your dog ended up. Maybe that’s why he sent you the cards. As proof.”

  “Yeah, I thought about that possibility. It would be nice to know that was where Rusty ended up. Maybe I have stepsiblings. That would be strange.”

  “Maybe you do.” He took her hand. “I think I finally understand why you’re here now.”

  “I’m not really sure what I’m looking for exactly. I don’t know what to think about it all and I’m half afraid of what I’ll find out. I’m not even entirely sure my father is the one who sent the postcards because Gizmo ate the return address. If I had that, I’d know a lot more.”

  “Your dog sure is an enthusiastic eater.” Chris gave her palm a squeeze. “I’ll help you find—whatever it is—if I can.”

  After dropping off Chris and Lulu back at the Enchanted Moose, Mia drove north to the kennel. She was looking forward to seeing Kat again, not to mention Gizmo. It was difficult getting used to not having him around all the time. Back at the H12, she found herself expecting him to jump up with his cheerful expectant face when she turned around or walked out of the bathroom.

  When she got to the kennel, Kat was already outside with Gizmo and Lewis. She waved as Mia drove up.

  Mia got out of the car and gave Gizmo a big hug. “How’s my goofy guy?” The dog wiggled and wagged with joy.

  Kat handed her Gizmo’s leash. “I think he’s glad to see you.”

  “In some ways, I feel bad leaving him, but it is nice to be able to eat in grown-up restaurants again.”

  “Ready to go?”

  Mia nodded and followed Kat up the driveway and around the back of the house. Kat disappeared inside and when the door opened, dogs burst forth, followed by a tall man with long sandy-colored dark blonde hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Kat gestured toward him, “Mia, this is Joel, my fiancé.”

  He smiled and gestured toward the dogs running through the trees. “Welcome to the zoo.”

  “It’s nuts to meet you…nice. Nice to meet you,” Mia said. Joel had dark-green eyes and a short beard. The red-and-black flannel shirt completed the lumberjack-mountain-man motif he had going.

  “Joel has been swearing at his computer, so I suggested he might need a break,” Kat said.

  He poked her in the ribs with his index finger. “I never swear.”

  “The dogs all ran into my office,” Kat said.

  “That was Tessa’s fault. Everyone wanted to leave after she generated that smell, including me.” He took Chelsey’s leash from Kat because Lewis was yanking her toward a particularly special bush. “So speaking of swearing, how’s that article going?”

  Kat stopped and waited for Lewis to finish his shrubbery investigation. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Mia said, “What are you writing about?”

  “Nothing at the moment. Sometimes I feel like I spent more time procrastinating and avoiding writing than actually writing. Oh, and sometimes I spend time whining about it too,” Kat said.

  Mia glanced at Joel, who wasn’t disagreeing. Perhaps he was used to the whining. “I can’t imagine getting paid to write. I would never be able to think of anything to say.”

  “Well, I get assignments. Right now, I’m supposed to be explaining why someone would want to buy one inkjet printer versus another.” Kat stopped to wait for Lewis again. “But so far, I wouldn’t want to buy any of them. An article that says they are all garbage doesn’t tend to go over well with the editor.”

  Joel chuckled. “And your office looks like the corrugated cardboard fairy exploded in there.”

  “The dogs are all annoyed because all the packing and unpacking of printers is affecting their sleep time,” Kat said.

  “Not to mention all the swearing,” Joel said.

  “I haven’t been swearing. That was you. Well, maybe a little. Half the time some hairy dog is under my office chair and I end up rolling on tail fur.” Kat started walking again. “Then there’s a whole yelping incident, and everyone else runs into my office to see what awful thing I did. They glare at me, and then decide everything is okay and leave.”

  Mia laughed. “That is so easy to imagine. Back at home, there wasn’t much space and I was always stepping on Gizmo. He always forgave me though.”

  “Dogs are like that,” Kat said.

  They continued to chat as they walked along the trail that looped through the forest. Gizmo was panting happily, thoroughly enjoying his walk. After making the circuit through the forest and dropping off Lewis and Gizmo at the kennel, they returned to the back door of the house, and Kat invited Mia inside.

  The entrance led into a long hallway. At the other end, a gate blocked access to the bottom of the staircase that led upstairs. Two rooms went off to the right and left. Joel disappeared into one of the rooms while Kat unhooked Chelsey and undid the harnesses Linus and Tessa were wearing.

  Kat hung the harness-and-leash contraption on a hook next to the door. “Sorry the place is kind of a mess. Don’t look in my office. Upstairs is better. Well a little. At least there are fewer boxes. But there’s an equal amount of dog hair.”

  The dogs milled around for a few minutes, then Chelsey curled up on a dog bed under a table in the hallway, and the rest of the dogs vanished into the two rooms for afternoon naptime. Kat opened the gate and indicated that Mia should follow her up
stairs.

  At the top of the stairs, Mia turned to look at the house. The kitchen led to an open dining room and living area that had a high cathedral ceiling. The walls were log and the ceiling was tongue-and-groove. The scent of aged wood filled the space.

  Kat leaned back against the counter. “I’m going to chop up some veggies and make some hummus for people to eat. I’m not much of a hostess. Fortunately, Brigid is bringing munchies, because she knows this about me.”

  Mia tried not to panic. How many people were showing up? The thought of a huge social event requiring elaborate hors d’oeuvres made her want to crawl under a rock. “I don’t think you mentioned Brigid.”

  “She started the rescue group. We tend to refer to it as ‘Brigid’s Dogs,’ but technically the name is Alpine Grove Animal Adoptions or AGAA. I think I told you that Lewis is an alumnus.”

  “That’s nice.” It was good that the dogs were getting new homes. It was bad that Mia now had to meet all these new people. “So, uh, how many people are coming over?”

  Kat paused in her food-gathering activities and looked at Mia. “You have the same deer-in-the-headlights look I get when I have to go to a party.”

  “I’m not good with groups. Or people I don’t know.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s just three people. Brigid runs the dog rescue, Tracy works at the vet clinic, and Maria works at the ad agency in town. They’re all really nice. You’ll see.”

  Mia wasn’t sure about this, but it would be incredibly rude if she left. And Kat had been really nice about letting her come by and go on walks with Gizmo. She turned at the sound of the gate closing downstairs. Joel walked into the kitchen and smiled at them. “Going for the default veggie dip, huh?”

  Kat said, “It’s my cooking speed. Are you heading out?”

  “Give the ladies my regards. I’ll be at the Shack if you need anything.” He turned toward Mia. “It was nice meeting you.”

  Mia wondered where he was going. Was the Shack a bar? “You too.”

  Kat followed him to the front door and stood on tiptoes to give him a hug. It looked like she whispered something in his ear before kissing him goodbye because he grinned.

  After Joel left, Kat walked back into the kitchen. “Okay then, want to chop some carrots? Tracy is like a bunny. You’d think the woman never eats.”

  Mia nodded and took a few carrots from the bag on the counter. Maybe they had passed through Round House Distributing. “You said Tracy is the woman who grew up here, right?”

  “Yes, and I don’t think I mentioned it, but Brigid is living with a guy who grew up here too. Except she won’t say she’s living with Clay. She’s renting his guest house.” Kat held up the knife she had been using and tilted it for emphasis. “But it’s just semantics. She spends all her time at the ranch. Anyway, Clay is a second-generation Alpine Grove native, I think.”

  “Okay.” Mia looked down at the carrots “I hope I don’t say something wrong.”

  “You won’t. But don’t be surprised when Maria razzes Brigid about the fact that she’s living with Indiana Jones. She does it all the time.”

  “Indiana Jones?”

  “Clay kind of looks like Harrison Ford a little. He has the same hat anyway.”

  “I see.” Mia didn’t see, but she wasn’t going to worry about it. Right now, she had larger worries, most notably the possibility of making a fool of herself in front of Kat’s friends.

  Kat put down her knife at the sound of a knock on the door and the resulting clamor and ferocious barking from the pack of dogs downstairs. She smiled at Mia as she went to answer the door. “I don’t have to worry about burglars.”

  A woman yelled, “Girlfriend!” from the entryway.

  Mia put down her knife and turned to look. A woman with lots of brunette hair piled up on her head was hugging Kat. They released one another and Kat said, “Mia, this is my friend Maria.”

  Maria was wearing clothes that seemed to be several sizes too small. Her ample curves were seriously taxing the power of the magenta spandex top.

  Mia tried not to look nervous and waved the knife in greeting. “Hello. I’m, um, my dog is straying…staying here.”

  Maria dropped a small duffel bag onto the floor and walked into the kitchen with Kat. “Lucky you. That means you should be meeting a man in approximately fifteen minutes.”

  Mia raised her eyebrows. How did she know? “Did Kat tell you Chris gave me her phone number so I could board my dog?”

  Maria turned and glared at Kat. “Chris? I’m guessing this is a Christopher and not a Christine. Is she kidding me here?”

  Kat turned her palms toward the ceiling. “I boarded his poodle, Lulu.”

  Maria strolled toward the pantry, shaking her head. She pulled a bottle of wine out of the cabinet and pointed the top at Kat. “This is unbelievable. Are you ready to drink wine? Because I am. Today, I am having a bad hair day, I broke up with Fred, and you still won’t board cats. I swear I’m doomed to be the last single woman in this wretched town.”

  Mia was confused. What did cats have to do with anything? “It doesn’t look like the kernels…kennels are set up for cats. Is there a separate area?”

  Kat shook her head. “They’re not, and I don’t board cats. Maria is convinced that every time I board a dog for a woman, she meets a man and falls in love.”

  Maria stomped her foot. “It’s true! I’m developing a serious complex about this. I’m gonna need to talk to a shrink or something.”

  “Chris is just a friend. We went to the same high school,” Mia said.

  Maria poured wine into a glass. “That’s just like Beth and Drew, and they got married…what…last summer? I think I have a cat-lady curse or something.”

  “You do not. They wrote their own vows for the ceremony and it turns out they were high school sweethearts,” Kat said. “I didn’t know that, and I swear everyone was just bawling their eyes out at the story. Drew is a really good writer. He writes mysteries, but maybe he should try romance instead.”

  “Chris and I didn’t even know each other in school. And he has a girlfriend,” Mia volunteered. “I’m sure you’re not cussed…I mean cursed.”

  “I might want to cuss. In fact, I’m feeling an urge to do a lot of cussing. Loudly and vigorously.” Maria poured wine into two more glasses and handed them to Kat and Mia. “To women who use bad words. Say them loud and say them proud. Let those nasty words run wild and be free!”

  Mia laughed as Maria launched into a fair recitation of George Carlin’s seven dirty words with a number of creative embellishments.

  Kat said, “I don’t think that one is physically possible.”

  “You have no imagination, girlfriend,” Maria tilted back her glass and sucked down the last droplets of wine. “Where are these women? Brigid’s never late.”

  “They’re carpooling. Tracy had to bring a rescue dog out to the ranch that was neutered at the vet clinic today, so she’s picking Brigid up there,” Kat said. She pointed at Maria’s head. “So I hate to ask, but what’s with your hair?”

  “I told you I’m having a coiffure situation. I need to sit down. It was a long day in the ad game and I’m spent.” Maria poured herself some more wine and settled into a chair at the dining room table.

  Kat collected Mia’s carrots from the cutting board and put them on a tray, along with the celery she’d chopped up, and a bowl of hummus. She walked to the table and set the tray down in front of Maria. “So I’m guessing hair-gel failure.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Maria said.

  Mia sat down next to Kat. “In my hair-gel days, I found out that the really cheap stuff can dry out your hair. Mine started to get stiffy…I mean stiff and icky!” Mia could tell her face was turning red and she hurriedly took a gulp of wine.

  With a grin, Maria tilted her wine glass at Mia. “Sadly, I haven’t heard the word stiffy in far too long, but returning to the subject at hand, you’re right. My hair was experiencing some stre
ss.” Maria said, “So I decided to take action. I read in one of those magazines that natural hair care is the way to go. So I tried to get all healthy and do a homemade hot-oil treatment. The problem is I may have overdone it. My hair is naturally curly and I think I killed it dead. Now it’s the opposite of a stiffy.”

  “It does look remarkably limp,” Kat said.

  “This turn in the conversation is distressing me. Let’s not be using words like limp in my presence. I have enough problems right now,” Maria said. “The recipe was an olive oil-mayonnaise mixture, but I didn’t really have that, so I improvised.”

  Kat set down her glass. “Uh-oh.”

  “I figured that ranch dressing was pretty close,” Maria took a sip. “And it’s from some hidden valley, so I thought that might help too, since it has those secret family recipe ingredients and stuff.”

  Mia wasn’t sure what to say, but her ruminations on secret ingredients were interrupted by a knock at the door and subsequent frantic dog barking. Kat leaped up to answer it and quiet the dogs.

  Maria had her palm on her chest and yanked on the edge of the magenta spandex top, pulling it back into place. “I don’t know how Kat stands that. Every time someone comes to this place, those animals go nuts and I practically jump out of my skin. At least the girls are still under wraps. I hate having a wardrobe situation every time people come to the door.”

  Kat walked back into the kitchen followed by two women. The first was as short as Kat, with flaming red hair. She was carrying a grocery bag that she set on the kitchen counter. The other, taller, woman had bone-straight blonde hair and made a beeline for the food on the table. Kat pointed to the redhead and said, “Mia, this is Brigid.”

  Mia smiled and glanced at the other woman, who was gobbling down a carrot. “I guess you must be Tracy.”

  With a nod, Tracy said, “Sorry, I’m starving. Brigid made a bunch of food and it smelled so good on the way over here, so now I’m dying. That’s probably the best that evil hunk-of-junk car has smelled since at least 1980.”