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

  Beth shook her head. “I’m fine. And I was just telling one of my old high-school classmates last night that except for needing a new job, everything in my life is perfect. Well, almost anyway.”

  Jill gave her another hug. “I hope so, Beth. I really do. Thanks for agreeing to mind the store. I appreciate it. I have to get back to the library and harass Jan now about printing out the cruise brochure. The stupid printer jammed and I couldn’t get it to go again.”

  “I have to pick up Arlo from the kennel tomorrow after I close up here. Could I stop by your place and take a look at the brochure? I’d love to see pretty pictures of sun, beaches and ocean.”

  “Sure. I’ll see you then.”

  Chapter 4

  Smells & Secrets

  Several hours after Joel left for the airport, Kat decided to give Arlo provisional access to the house for a few hours during the day while the other dogs were sleeping downstairs. The dog had done okay so far and even now Arlo was contentedly sleeping on the living room rug. The little sheltie seemed placid enough at the moment. Given the horrendous mess and associated smell he had generated out in the Tessa Hut, there was no way this animal was ever staying inside overnight. A few hours of inside time was all Arlo was going to get.

  Although cleaning up the Hut had been incredibly unpleasant and almost caused Kat’s fingers to freeze off, she felt bad banishing Arlo all the time. There was a heater in the outbuilding, but it was still not exactly balmy out there. He was probably cold and lonely. Beth was picking up Arlo the next day, so he should have at least one opportunity to be Mr. Special Dog. And inside, they could be lonely together. Maybe if Kat started howling with him, she’d feel better.

  She’d called her friend Maria, who was not sympathetic to her complaints about missing Joel. Maria had just started working at the new ad agency in town and the owner, Michael Lawson, had given her a bunch of books on psychology. Now Maria was calling Kat ‘codependent’ just because she wished Joel were here. Kat hadn’t been in the mood to hear that and she’d told Maria to go eat her Twinkie and get back to work. But now she felt bad. Maria was her best friend and she was probably just trying to be helpful in her own unique way. Flying off the handle at her like that had been mean. Kat needed to get a grip on herself. What was her problem?

  The phone rang, disturbing Kat from her depressing self-recriminations. She got up and walked to the kitchen to answer it. Joel’s sister Cindy said, “Hi Kat. I’m glad you’re there. Joel said I had to call you.”

  Kat twisted the phone cord around her finger. Given how poorly Cindy and Joel got along, that had undoubtedly been an unpleasant conversation. “Is your aunt okay?”

  “Yes. Joel probably told you that the surgery went well. I’m at Eileen’s house with her. But Joel is in the hospital.”

  “Why isn’t he with you?” A heaviness settled in the pit of Kat’s stomach and she sat down in a chair. “Wait. He’s in the hospital. Are you saying he’s a patient?”

  “Yes. He tripped. Only Joel would end up hurting himself in a hospital.”

  “What do you mean he tripped? On what?”

  “Johnny ran in front of him. He was being a fire engine and Joel tripped on him and hit his head. They’re keeping him there overnight. So he said I should call you, since they’re doing some test or something and he won’t be able to call you tonight at seven thirty like he usually does.”

  Kat clenched the phone cord in her hand. “A test? Is he okay?”

  “Yeah. It’s no big deal. Just a precaution, I guess.”

  “You’re sure? This sounds like a big deal to me.”

  “That’s what they said.”

  “Could you ask him to call me as soon as he can?”

  “Okay. He’ll be back here at the house tomorrow morning, since he’s gotta take me to the airport.”

  Kat wished Cindy a safe trip and hung up the phone. She felt like she was going to throw up. What if Joel wasn’t okay? Didn’t people sometimes die after a concussion? Brain swelling or something? Leaning her forehead down on the cool wood surface of the table, she tried not to cry. Please don’t let anything be wrong with Joel.

  Ugh. What was that smell? Kat peered under the table and found a gift from Arlo precisely placed right in the middle of the rug. Gross.

  Grabbing the leash off the table, she hastily swiped a tear off her cheek and strode across the room. She clipped the leash on Arlo, who looked up at her in surprise. “Special Dog time is officially over, Arlo.”

  After putting Arlo back outside in the Tessa Hut, Kat set to work cleaning the rug. It had seen better days, since multiple generations of animals had undoubtedly committed equally if not more disgusting acts of badness upon it. But really, sneaking over and taking a dump while she was on the phone was really rude. It was going to be quite some time before she let Arlo inside the house again. Like maybe never.

  As she scrubbed furiously at the rug, she finally let herself cry. A few tears couldn’t do any more damage to this old rug. Maybe a little extra salt would help get rid of the hideous smell.

  Later, after spending some time staring at her computer monitor worrying about Joel and not writing her article, Kat gave up. She walked out into the hallway. “Okay guys, work isn’t happening. It’s time.” All the dogs got up and stretched, readying themselves for the big afternoon walk.

  After donning her dog-walking outerwear, she hooked up Linus and Tessa to their harnesses, leashed up Chelsey, and opened the door. Lori and Lady shot out toward the forest trail, followed by Linus and Tessa. Kat started strolling with Chelsey, who looked up at her in concern. “I know Chels, I’m upset. Sorry. But what if something is really wrong with Joel? It’s too awful to even think about.”

  Chelsey didn’t seem to have any suggestions and they continued on. Kat tried to focus on taking deep breaths, letting the cold air fill her lungs. It was best not to think about the fact that she had to wait until tomorrow to talk to Joel. It was probably only twelve hours, but it felt like forever. Maybe she’d go to bed early. Tomorrow had to be better than today. She’d talk to Joel and then Arlo would go home. It would be a relief to have just her own dogs and cats to worry about again.

  Kat and Chelsey watched as Linus and Tessa ran around with Lori ahead of them on the trail. Kat turned around. Where was Lady? The collie-mix had a habit of disappearing into the forest, but she always came back to annoy Lori some more. The two dogs had a complicated game of ambush that was fun to watch. But now it looked like Lori was playing the game with Linus and Tessa instead.

  They completed the loop and Linus, Tessa, and Lori stood at the door panting happily, waiting for Kat to let them inside. She peered around the back of the house. “Okay guys, what did you do with Lady?” All four dogs wagged and gazed up at her, but didn’t offer any clue about their missing canine cohort.

  Shaking her head, Kat let the dogs in and removed leashes and harnesses. Chelsey went to her favorite spot under the table and the other dogs milled around settling themselves in for their afternoon naps. Kat went upstairs and out the front door. She didn’t want to take Arlo out until she found Lady, since they didn’t get along. And after his explosive event under the dining room table, there couldn’t be anything left for him to do anyway.

  Kat walked around toward the back of the house again and then back down the trail calling for Lady. Where could she have gone? It was cold out here. What if Lady had hurt herself and was trapped in a hole or something? Joel would never forgive Kat if something happened to his dog while he was gone.

  “Lady, Laaaaaydeeee” Kat went around the loop trail twice, calling until she was hoarse. Frozen tears made her face feel stiff and her fingers hurt from the cold. Where could the dog have gone? They did this walk every single day. It wasn’t like Lady didn’t know the way home.

  Kat stopped and gazed at the towering trees. This wasn’t working. Maybe she should get in the truck and drive down the road. At least it would be warm. The heater in the truck mostly worked
. Sometimes. Kat went in the back door and all the dogs stood up, looking concerned. “It’s okay, guys. I’ll find her. I promise. I’m just going to take a little drive. I’ll be right back.”

  Kat got the truck keys out of a kitchen drawer, grabbed a leash, and went out the front door. Walking across the driveway, she was overcome with sadness. What if she lost both Joel and his dog? On the same day? Was that really what was happening now?

  She went to open the door of the old green Ford and looked toward the back. Lady was curled up in a tight ball in the truck bed. Kat reached over the side. “Lady! Are you okay?” The dog raised her head and gave Kat a sleepy look. She stood up and stretched.

  “Have you been here the whole time?” Kat clipped the leash on the dog. “We are going inside. Right now.”

  Kat lowered the tailgate and Lady jumped down daintily. “You are so not going to be off-leash again until Joel gets back here. I almost froze to death looking for you.”

  Lady wagged and looked pleased with herself. Kat stomped back around the house with Lady in tow and went back inside. Stupid dogs.

  After stewing about Lady’s disappearance for a while and making herself some food, Kat picked up the phone and called Maria at the ad agency. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. What I said was kind of mean and I feel bad.”

  “It’s okay, girlfriend. You are experiencing undue stress. Not to mention you aren’t getting any at the moment and I, sadly, can relate. It’s unfortunate that my financial situation has forced me to relocate to such a dating wasteland. I feel your pain.”

  “I know it’s Monday and I know you have to work tomorrow, but can I stop by your place for a while after you get off work? No wine, just whining. I’ve had a very bad day and I’d like to get out of the house for a while.”

  “Sure. Maybe you can help me with some questions I have on decor.”

  “Decor?”

  “Yeah. There isn’t any in my sad little apartment. I need ideas. My place needs some style.”

  Kat grinned. “Okay. I’m not exactly Martha Stewart, but that sounds like fun.”

  “See you later.”

  After walking Arlo several more times and feeding dinner to all the animals, Kat got in the truck to head into town. She used both hands to grind the ancient transmission into reverse. “C’mon, I’m not making you plow anything, it’s just reverse. Let’s go.”

  After Kat swore at the truck a few times for emphasis, the old Ford finally obliged. Kat wished again that Joel were here. She hated driving his truck. With the plow blade on it, she felt like she was driving a tank. A curmudgeonly uncooperative tank.

  Maria’s apartment complex was an older boxy brick building that had been built in the early sixties. Although Maria would have preferred to rent one of the cute cottages in town, the bland one-bedroom apartment in the ugly building had the advantage of being cheap.

  Kat knocked and grinned at Maria when her friend opened the door. Maria spread her arms wide, “Girlfriend!” They embraced and Kat handed her a bottle of wine. “You can partake if you like, but I can’t, since I have to drive home. Mostly I just wanted to talk to you and hang out somewhere without dogs that I’m incredibly pissed-off at.”

  “That sounds like a good enough reason for a Wine and Whine to me.” Maria took the wine and went to the small kitchen. “You never get mad at those furry things. What happened?”

  Kat settled onto the sofa and sighed. “Well, this sheltie I’m taking care of is, well, for lack of any other term, gross. His owner mentioned that Arlo had ‘sensitive’ digestion. But what comes out of that dog smells like nothing I’ve ever smelled before. It’s like…I don’t even know what it’s like.”

  Maria sat down next to Kat on the couch. “That’s okay. You can spare me the details. I’m trying to drink. Don’t spoil the bouquet of my vintage here. I’ll use my imagination.”

  “It’s bad.”

  “Girlfriend, you know dogs stink. They just do.”

  “I know. But this one is extra stinky. I don’t think my nostrils are ever going to be the same. I suppose it just feels worse since Joel isn’t around to sympathize.” She glared at Maria. “And don’t call me codependent again. I looked it up online and I was right. It’s definitely not the same thing as missing someone.”

  Maria tilted her wineglass toward Kat. “Wow. You really are cranky, girlfriend.”

  “I know.” Kat slumped on the sofa. “Then I thought I lost Joel’s dog.”

  Maria stopped drinking in mid-sip. “Okay, that’s definitely not good. I take it you did not, in fact, misplace Lady?”

  “No. I was walking out there for ages calling her name, freezing my toes off. And Lady was in Joel’s truck sleeping the whole time. I was so cold, and it was all I could do not to kill her.”

  “Maybe she misses him too.”

  “Yeah, maybe. Probably.” Kat sat up straight again. “But that’s not even the worst thing at all! Something happened to Joel. Cindy called. He hit his head and he’s in the hospital.”

  Maria turned and looked into her eyes. “The engineer is okay, right?”

  “That’s what they say. But I couldn’t talk to him.” Kat leaned on Maria’s shoulder. “What if something really happened to him?”

  “Listen to me, girlfriend, you do not want to cross that bridge unless you have to. Assume he’s fine until you find out otherwise.” Maria sipped her wine thoughtfully. “But now I know why you got so mad at the wildlife. Transference. You’re mad because you can’t talk to the engineer so you’re blaming his dog.”

  Kat groaned. “Oh no, not more psychobabble.”

  “Hey, I’m learning new stuff. The ad game is all about psychology. People buy for emotional reasons. I didn’t know that. When I look at a pair of shoes, I think about how they’ll look fine on me. I have lists of reasons why I need a new pair of shoes. I think my reasons sound logical, but according to Michael, I guess they aren’t.”

  “Probably not. I’ve heard your reasons.”

  “Speaking of fine and Michael. He is fine, and I like to look at him when he talks about advertising, psychology, and stuff. So this job is working for me so far, even though it’s a bit of a tragedy that he’s taken. Anyway, I guess the whole transference thing doesn’t explain the stinky dog.”

  “Maybe it does. I probably would be better able to take Arlo’s digestive indiscretions in stride if I weren’t so upset about this other stuff. It’s not like I don’t have lots of experience cleaning that house. Or bad smells.”

  “Well, that’s a fact.”

  Kat waved her hands in exasperation. “It’s making me insane that I can’t just fly out and see Joel and make sure for myself he’s okay.”

  “I’m sure he’s fine, girlfriend. You’ll talk to him tomorrow and he’ll sound just the same as he always does. Which, fortunately, you actually find appealing.”

  Kat shoved Maria playfully. “Don’t be a smart aleck. You know how I feel about him.”

  “I know, girlfriend. And I mean it. He’ll be fine.” She raised her glass. “Good thing my glass was almost empty. Spilling the wine at a Whine and Wine is a punishable offense, you know.”

  “I know. That would be alcohol abuse and we can’t have that.” Kat wrapped her arm around Maria and leaned her head against hers. “Thanks. I’m so glad you’re living here now.”

  “You can repay me by finding me an available man in this town who actually has all his teeth.”

  “Yeah, that’s a tough one. But I’ll work on it.”

  The next evening after closing the store, Beth drove out to pick up Arlo. Her mom adored Arlo and was eager to have him back at home. Although she hadn’t said anything specific, Beth got the distinct impression that Kat was quite ready for Arlo to go home as well. Beth hoped he hadn’t done anything too disgusting.

  The Explorer thumped through the potholes in the driveway and Beth pulled in next to the green truck. She saw Kat come down the steps and hurried to get out of the Explorer. Arlo was ba
rking furiously in the outbuilding. “Hi Kat. How are you?”

  “I’m fine.” Kat walked over to the outbuilding, opened the door, and shouted over the noise of Arlo’s barking. “I’ve got everything all packed up for you. It looks like Arlo is happy to see you again.”

  Beth waved at the dog. “Arlo, for heaven’s sake, be quiet.”

  Kat unlatched the gate, pushed in the door, and leashed up Arlo.

  Arlo ran out and leaped up on Beth, who belatedly pushed him down. “Arlo, no!” She was too slow. So much for her nice clean slacks. Oh well. She looked at Kat. “I detect the scent of enzymatic cleaner. Along with the distinctive stench of Arlo.”

  “Probably.” Kat handed her the leash. “You, uh, weren’t kidding about his digestion. I’ve spent more time scrubbing than I have in months. I scrubbed the kennel. I scrubbed my house. I scrubbed his feet and various other body parts, which I can report, he didn’t appreciate.”

  “I’m sorry. I have been cleaning too. My mom is going to have to give up and throw away her dining-room rug. I don’t think the pumpkin works for him. I’ll talk to her about taking him to the vet again.”

  “Just so you know, I tried keeping him in the house so he wouldn’t be too lonely, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do that again.”

  “I understand. I’ll be happy to pay for carpet cleaning if he did something truly atrocious.”

  “That’s okay. My aunt had dogs for a lot of years and I think the rug has lived through worse. But thanks for offering.” Kat looked down, fiddling with a pocket on her coat. “I was on the phone and not paying attention, so really it’s partly my fault. Normally, Joel probably would have noticed and gotten him outside in time.”

  “Where’s Joel?”

  “He had to go out East. His aunt is sick.”

  “I hope everything is okay.”

  Kat shrugged. “I think so. I talked to him this morning. Although I’ll probably faint when I get my long-distance bill. Plus I keep getting calls from companies asking me if I want to change my long-distance provider. It’s like all of a sudden, they know they can make a fortune off me.”