Bark to the Future (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 5) Read online

Kat waved, “Yes. Come meet Arlo.”

  The man ducked back into the house and then reappeared wearing a heavy winter coat. As he started down the stairs, Beth bit her lip. It was Joel Ross. What was he doing here? He looked totally different with long hair and a beard. How odd and out of context. As he walked up to them Beth tried to smile, “Hi, Joel.”

  Joel stopped in front of them. If Beth had to guess, she’d say the look on his face was something akin to dismay coupled with extreme discomfort. He said, “Wow. Hi, Beth. It’s been a long time.”

  “Yes. How have you been?” Beth tried not to take his horrified look too personally. How unspeakably awkward was this?

  Kat looked back and forth. “Do you two know each other?”

  Joel nodded.

  Beth said, “I grew up here. As you can imagine, it’s not inconceivable that you might meet other residents over the years.”

  Kat raised her eyebrows and glanced at Joel. “I see.”

  Joel said, “Beth was home from college.” Beth could feel the heat on her cheeks as he glanced at her with those amazing green eyes. “It was back when I was just up here on weekends.”

  As a thought flashed through her mind, Beth exhaled loudly and giggled. “Wait! You mean my mother’s dog-walker Cindy is your bratty sister?”

  The tense expression on Joel’s face relaxed. “Yes.” He grinned. “And now she has her own bratty kid. It’s payback time.”

  “Karma always gets you in the end,” Kat said.

  Beth gestured toward the forest. “What happened to your house? It was out here somewhere, right? Did you ever finish it?”

  “Yes. I finished it. And it’s still there,” Joel said. “It’s rented now though, since I’m living here.”

  Beth fiddled with her necklace. “So, ah, I guess you got married.”

  Joel arched an eyebrow. “No.”

  “According to my mother, we’re living in sin,” Kat said. “So about Arlo? Do you have all his records and food? Your mom made it sound like he has a special diet.”

  “Oh…ah…yes! Yes, I do.” Beth reached into the backseat for the bag. “There are cans of pumpkin in here. It’s supposed to help with his digestive issues. And his veterinary information is in the manila envelope.”

  Kat took the bag and handed it to Joel. “Maybe you could take that into the house?”

  Joel nodded and said to Beth, “It was nice to see you again. Say ‘hi’ to your mom for me.”

  “I will.”

  Kat took the leash from her and looked down at Arlo, who was standing quietly sniffing the air. “Okay, I think I’ve got everything. Feel free to call and check in.”

  “Thank you.”

  Kat turned toward the forest behind the house. “We’re going to take a little walk now, so Arlo can meet the other dogs.”

  Beth let go of her necklace. She was such a social clod. This was her cue to leave. “Okay. Well, I’ll just be going now.”

  “We’ll see you in a few days. I hope your mother feels better soon.”

  Beth crawled back into the Explorer. What were the odds of seeing Joel Ross again? He used to work in Los Angeles, for heaven’s sake. What was he doing here? Was she doomed to meet every person she wanted to forget in Alpine Grove on this trip?

  Chapter 3

  Daffodils & Deloreans

  Kat walked with Arlo around to the back of the house. She looked down at the dog, who had a definite waddle to his stride. What a pudgy sheltie. Sheep would probably laugh in his face if he tried to herd them. She opened the back door partway and called into the house. “Could you bring everyone outside?”

  Joel emerged from his office. “All right. Be right there.”

  Kat slowly walked Arlo toward the forest trail she usually took with her dogs. Arlo poked along, stopping to sniff at every piece of forest debris they passed. The door opened and Linus the huge brown dog galloped out with Tessa the golden retriever in tow. They were harnessed together so Linus could use his substantial weight to keep Tessa from disappearing off into the woods forever. Linus skidded to a stop when he saw Arlo, who started barking at the canine intruders. Kat bent down. “Arlo, meet Linus and Tessa. Consider establishing a friendship with them. It’s much better for you if you do.”

  Arlo stopped barking long enough to sniff the dogs to determine if they met with his approval. Tessa lost interest quickly and started indicating she wanted to continue her walk. After his social obligations were over, Linus obliged and the two dogs ran ahead down the trail.

  The door opened again and the border collie Lori, and Lady, Joel’s collie mix, ran outside followed by Joel, who was walking Chelsey, the Australian shepherd mix, on a leash.

  Arlo started barking again and Lori leaped around him for a few seconds before getting bored and running off into the forest. Lady stopped and Arlo glared at her. Lady put up her hackles and straightened her tail, apparently not appreciating the smaller dog’s uppity stance. Kat glanced at Joel. “Bad news. I think your dog is having an attitude problem.”

  He waved his hand toward the forest and said in a stern tone, “Lady! Be nice or go away.”

  Lady looked up at him and ran off after Lori. Joel turned to Kat. “They don’t seem to appreciate one another. Shelties are basically just short collies. Maybe it’s an inter-collie dispute.”

  “I don’t know. But it’s not good.” Kat looked down at Arlo. “I hate to break it to you, but this means you’re staying outside in the Tessa Hut. Only those who play nice in the sandbox get to stay inside the house.” The Tessa Hut was the nickname for the outbuilding in front of the house, which was where Tessa had been confined when Kat inherited the house. The outbuilding had been substantially rehabilitated and had a chain-link enclosure and a heater inside. Although it worked as a kennel, Kat was pretty sure Arlo was used to far more plush accommodations.

  Chelsey and Arlo seemed to have no problems with one another and they all began walking slowly through the forest. Joel took Kat’s free hand. “This could take a while. Arlo has to be the most lethargic sheltie I’ve ever seen.”

  “I think he isn’t getting much exercise at home. Hopefully he won’t have a stroke while he’s here.” Kat looked up into Joel’s face. “So that was fun. Our first Valentine’s Day together and I get to meet one of your ex-girlfriends.”

  “It’s not my fault. I had no idea she was in town. She moved away years ago.”

  Still annoyed, Kat let go of his hand and stopped to wait for Arlo to finish a complex sniffing maneuver. “I suppose not. I guess this was before the super-model girlfriend?”

  “Yes.”

  “Care to elaborate?”

  “No.”

  Kat raised her gloved hands, palms up. “You know I’ll just invent something and probably get mad at you.”

  “Fine. Yes, I went out with her. She was home from college. We met at her mom’s bookstore and started talking. It was a long time ago. And if it makes you feel better, although we went out a couple times, neither of us really had much fun. She’s incredibly smart and we talked about geeky stuff, since that’s what she was studying in college. I’ll spare you.”

  “Thank you.” Kat followed Arlo as he began lumbering back along the path. “I suppose it might have been like my date with the lawyer when I first got here. Worst date ever.”

  He grinned. “It wasn’t that bad. Beth is kind of shy, but she’s a nice person. We just didn’t hit it off. In retrospect, it was sort of odd, since we do have a lot in common.”

  Kat took a deep breath, trying to let go of the anxious ache that had settled in the pit of her stomach. Talking to Joel about prior girlfriends was a sure way to trigger a bout of extreme insecurity. “Come on Arlo. Let’s get a move on. We could die of exposure out here.”

  “The other dogs are probably waiting at the back door wanting to be let inside.”

  “Yeah, let’s turn around before Arlo completely grinds to a halt. It could take the rest of our lives to get this dog through the whole lo
op trail. I think he may be even slower than Roxy the dachshund. And that’s saying something, since she had really short legs.” Kat spun on her heel, with Arlo trailing after her. “C’mon Arlo. I think you’re getting walked separately from now on.”

  Joel took her hand again. “You’re still mad, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe a little. But I’ll get over it.”

  He stopped and pulled her around to face him. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes. I need to get back and get Arlo settled in so I can work on my article.”

  “How’s it going?”

  “It’s not.” She glanced up at him. “Sometimes I think I’m not cut out for the whole writing thing. And then I have problems with a dog and wonder if the whole boarding kennel idea is just stupid too.”

  “Wow. You’re not in a good mood.”

  “No.”

  Joel squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks. I’m sorry I’m surly.” She looked down at Arlo and sighed. “It doesn’t help that this is the most slug-like animal I’ve ever seen. I’m getting cold.”

  They stopped again as Arlo began another complex sniffing and pacing production that seemed to indicate something momentous might happen. Joel enveloped Kat in his embrace. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  “Happy is a stretch. Maybe next year.”

  He kissed her and whispered. “I love you.”

  She smiled. “Okay, I changed my mind. I love you back, so that makes it the best Valentine’s Day, ever.”

  After getting Arlo ensconced in the Tessa Hut, Kat spent most of the rest of the afternoon listening to the distant sound of his barking. It was a good thing that her office was in the daylight basement. The house was a log home with a concrete foundation that was set into a hillside, so the downstairs was partially underground, which did a lot to muffle the sound of angry sheltie.

  Kat felt bad that the dog was taking his confinement so poorly. Didn’t the dog ever sleep? She took him out for some extra walks throughout the day in an effort to tire him out. Eventually, every dog had to nap—it was the canine way. At least with umpteen opportunities to relieve himself, he shouldn’t have any accidents.

  By the time evening rolled around, Kat was ready to curl up in bed with her novel and forget about the day and all her writing frustrations. It was late and tomorrow she was going to regret staying up reading, but she just had to find out how the story ended. Joel rolled over in bed and laid flat on his back staring at the ceiling. “Okay, that was bizarre.”

  Kat looked up from her novel. “Care to share?”

  “Not really. I just had some weird dreams, that’s all.”

  “When I was so sick over Thanksgiving, I was the queen of weird dreams. Did you have fun wandering along the Yellow Brick Road like I did?”

  “No. But you were zapping people with a stun gun. You zapped that guy Rob and his hair stood straight up. It was disturbing.”

  “Maybe I was embracing my inner tough chick. I have had a pretty crummy day, after all. But Rob’s hair used to look like that anyway. So it wasn’t my fault. Tracy said the barber fixed it.”

  Joel groaned, rolled over, and draped his arm across Kat’s waist. “Maybe you told me that.”

  “At least I’m giving your subconscious something to do.”

  “I have too much on my mind, I guess.”

  Kat put her hand on his arm. “Like what? And if you say ‘old girlfriends’ I’m not going to be pleased.” One super-brilliant ex was hard enough on her ego for one day.

  “No, nothing like that.”

  “I’m thinking it’s definitely time for you to share now.”

  “You aren’t going to like it.”

  Kat squeezed his forearm. “Tell me anyway. I’ve been in a bad mood all day. Might as well keep the streak going.” Sometimes encouraging Joel to communicate could be challenging, but it was worth it. Fortunately, she could be persistent when necessary.

  “I have been trying to find a good time to tell you about this.”

  “Well there’s a bad lead-in to a conversation. I think you found the right time. You know if you don’t talk to me, I’ll just start worrying about it, whatever it is.”

  Joel sat up and looked into her face. “I have to go away for a while.”

  “What do you mean go away? Where?”

  “Out East. I have to pick up the airline ticket at the travel agent tomorrow.”

  She gripped his arm more tightly. “Are you kidding? You’re telling me this now.” This was taking reticence to a new level.

  “I’ve only known for a couple of days.”

  “I rescind my comment about Valentine’s Day. Good holidays don’t include ex-girlfriends or sudden travel plans that don’t include me.”

  “Sorry.”

  “I don’t understand.” Kat clutched at her novel. “Didn’t we just have this conversation a few weeks ago when you were thinking about renting your cabin? You didn’t want to go anywhere. And I didn’t want you to go anywhere either.”

  “Yes, but this is different. I don’t want to go. I have to go.” Joel took the book out of Kat’s hands and set it aside. “Shredding paper isn’t going to help. My aunt Eileen is having surgery. So I have to go. You know why.”

  “Surgery?” Kat slumped down on the pillows. He was right. She did know, since not too long ago he’d told her more about his family. “Okay, I do understand why, but I don’t have to like it. How long will you be gone?”

  “I’m not sure. The ticket doesn’t have a return date. I’m the only one who has the flexibility to help Eileen because I can work from anywhere. Have laptop; can travel. Cindy and Johnny are going to fly out for a couple days too, but Cindy has to get back, since she has to work walking dogs and Johnny has school.”

  “Wow.” Kat sighed. “An open-ended ticket? That implies a long time. This is serious, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Eileen wants to be at home. She doesn’t want to recuperate in a hospital.”

  Kat put her head down on Joel’s chest and hugged him. “I’m so sorry. I know it’s not something you want to do. But you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t go and help out.”

  “Eileen did the same thing for me after the accident when I was seventeen. She dropped everything and came out to care for me and Cindy after our parents died. It’s my turn.”

  “I know. But I’m going to miss you.” They’d barely been apart since he’d moved in. The idea of not having his calm, reassuring presence here with her was beyond depressing.

  “I’ll miss you too. But she doesn’t have any kids or much family left. Just me and Cindy. We’re the closest thing.”

  Kat stroked his arm. “The idea of you and your sister trapped in a plane together is more than a little alarming.” Small hostile countries got along better than Joel and his sister did.

  “I know. At least we aren’t sitting together.”

  “Good thing. I’m sure the rest of the passengers will appreciate that. Can I offer a word of advice?”

  “Okay.”

  “Don’t fight with Cindy in front of your aunt. The poor woman is already sick.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe you could drop me off at Cindy’s place. Then we can drive to the airport in her car. If it snows, you have the truck so you can plow.”

  “There’s a happy thought. Your truck and I have some issues with one another. We’re still working on it.” Kat’s plowing experiences with the old green Ford had not been a highlight of her winter.

  “You’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll be lonely and your dog is going to miss you too. Lady is not what you would call responsive to my requests for obedience. She only listens to you.”

  “I’m sure she’ll behave.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  Over the next two days at the bookstore, Beth spent a lot of time sorting books and dreading the idea of dropping off flowers and meeting the reunion decorating committee. Carting twenty-five daffodils around and then attempting
to be nice to people she didn’t like in 1985 was destined to be even more demoralizing than encountering Joel Ross, who years ago had made it clear he wasn’t interested in her, even though she’d had a terrible crush on him at the time.

  Beth picked a well-worn paperback out of a box and flipped through the pages. It appeared someone had ripped out the last chapter. She threw it into the growing recycle pile. She might not be a titan of retail, but even Beth knew that selling a book with no ending was a sure way to lose customers.

  She picked up another book, which practically disintegrated in her hands. Sheets of thin, aged paper fluttered to the floor. Recycle pile.

  The fact she hadn’t been able to reach Graham last night was also bothering her. It was Valentine’s Day and she’d left a couple of messages on his answering machine to say ‘hi.’ They hadn’t talked even once since she’d arrived in Alpine Grove. Then he hadn’t returned her messages yesterday. Sometimes he got busy and didn’t return calls. In fact, every once in a while Beth teased him about being an absent-minded professor, which he rarely found amusing. Sure, some people said she had no sense of humor, but Graham made Beth look like a laugh riot. What was he doing? It felt like it had been ages since she’d heard his scholarly deep voice.

  After a long day of sorting books, Beth closed the store and returned to her mother’s house. Loading all twenty-five daffodil pots into the Explorer took thirteen trips from the house to the car. She stood in front of the sofa facing her mother. “Okay, Mom, that’s all of them.”

  “Jill talked to Vanessa and she knows you’re dropping them off tonight. She’s excited about the flowers and said to go to the meeting area and let them know. She’ll round up some people to help bring them inside.”

  Beth was pretty sure she remembered who Vanessa was, which was reassuring. Vanessa was a heavyset girl who had been in a number of the same advanced-placement classes Beth had taken senior year. Maybe AP chemistry? Even though Vanessa had been brainy, unlike Beth, she seemed to embrace her geek factor. In high school, Beth had never felt comfortable like that. Mostly she wanted to be somewhere—anywhere—else. Putting her hand on her mother’s shoulder, she said, “Will you be okay here? It shouldn’t really take long.”