One Day in Apple Grove (17 page)

“What?”

“Someone called about the puppy you and Caitlin found out on Eden Church Road.”

Recoiling like he’d just taken a blow to the solar plexus, he couldn’t get any air in or out.

“Look, I know it’s been days and you thought no one would come looking for him,” Mitch said, “but if this is truly his owner, then she must have been beside herself looking for him.”

“Why didn’t she come looking right away?”

“Not sure, not the point.”

“You’re right,” he said, resigned to the inevitable. “When is she coming?”

“She’ll be here in an hour. Can you come back with the dog?”

Give
up
Jamie?
His new best friend, the puppy he’d rearranged his life for?
The
black
ball
of
fluff
that
curled
up
against
him
in
the
middle
of
the
night
for
comfort?
“Uh…yeah, yes. I’ll come back.”

Now that he knew what Mitch wanted, he wished he’d told him that he had a few house calls tonight. Mitch would never know…would he? Well, he thought, it didn’t matter now. Not much mattered now; he was going to have to say good-bye to his new best friend.

He dragged his feet all the way back to his office and didn’t look up this time, even when he heard his name being called. Life wasn’t fair. Caitlin had lived through God knows what last night because of him, and now…now…they’d have to give up Jamie too.

He had to call Cait. She’d want to be there when he returned Jamie to his rightful owner, wouldn’t she?

Walking around the back of his office, he dialed her number, unsure of how to tell her the news. When she answered, he blurted it out. “Jamie’s owner wants him back.”

The silence hung in the air between them until he thought he’d go quietly insane. Finally he asked, “Cait, are you there?”

“Yes. Yes, I’m here. There’s no mistake?”

“Mitch just told me. She’ll be here in an hour.” He had to pause to clear his throat. “Will you go with me when I bring him to the sheriff’s office?”

“I’ll meet you at your house.”

“Thanks, Cait.”

Caitlin pulled up into Jack’s driveway behind his Jeep and got out. She wouldn’t let herself think about losing Jamie…about Jack losing Jamie. Were they too old to claim finders-keepers and make his former owner go home?

And how come Jamie’s owner took a whole week to try to find him? She wasn’t giving up on the hope that Jack could keep the puppy.

She knocked on the back door and opened it when Jack called out to her. He was sitting in the middle of the floor with Jamie in his lap. Jamie was licking Jack’s face as if he hadn’t seen him in days, instead of just that morning.

Not knowing what to say to Jack, she called out to the dog, “Hey, Jamie!”

He lifted his head, yipped, and leaped off Jack, bounding to the back door to say hello. When she bent to scratch his head, she heard Jack getting up, but she couldn’t bear to look at him yet, knowing she’d see the aching sadness she felt reflected in his eyes.

“Thanks for coming…I didn’t know what to do.”

Taking her cue that she had to be the practical one and let Jack start the separation process—she could cry later—she offered, “How about if I pack up his bed, his toys, his food, and his treats?”

“What am I going to do?”

She finally looked up at him and wished she hadn’t. Stark devastation stared at her from lifeless blue eyes. “Take him outside and toss the ball. He’ll like that and get some of his energy out for the ride to town.”

“Cait,” he said, then hesitated. “I don’t know if I can—”

“You can do this,” she told him.

“But, Cait—”

“No buts, Gannon,” she ground out. “You gave him the temporary home he needed. He won’t forget you.”

Jack nodded and walked to the back door, Jamie hot on his heels.

She could hear the happy barking as the dog demanded Jack throw the ball. Drawing the ache inside of her, she got down to business, packing everything up. “You are one lucky dog, Jamie,” she whispered, emptying the pantry of dog food and treats. When she was finished, she looked at the clock and shrugged. They were going to be late…
too
bad
, she thought. For once in her life, Cait didn’t care.

“OK, guys,” she called out, stepping onto the deck.

With a nod, Jack picked up the leash he’d brought outside and clipped it onto Jamie’s collar.

“Red is definitely his color,” Cait said. When he didn’t say anything, she decided she’d drive, so Jack and Jamie could sit together.

“OK,” she said, “here’s the deal. I’ll drive your Jeep and you and Jamie can ride shotgun.”

“Thanks.”

She was so going to cry buckets later; right now, she’d do what she had to and drive them to town.

They arrived at the sheriff’s office all too soon. Jack and Jamie got out first and walked around to the back, so Jamie could sniff at the privet hedge that outlined the parking lot behind the building.

“Caitlin,” the sheriff called out as she stood next to the Jeep waiting for Jack to come back. “Where’s Jack?”

“Walking Jamie so he doesn’t pee in your office.”

Mitch nodded and motioned for her to come inside, but she wasn’t going until he answered a question. “How do you know this person is Jamie’s owner?”

He hesitated, then said, “She showed me his adoption papers. She got him from a shelter in Newark.”

“But he’s a black dog…maybe she’s confused him with another little black dog.”

He shook his head. “The timing’s right and she had a photo.” He paused. “Hear her out before you get your Irish up, Mulcahy.”

Chastised, she realized she’d been doing just that. “Boy you do know me,” she grumbled. “But if you could see how happy Jamie is at Jack’s—”

“Good to hear, but not the point.”

“Sheriff.”

Mitch acknowledged Jack’s greeting with a nod and bent to pet Jamie. “He looks like he’d be a great dog.”

“He is.” Jack looked at Cait and said, “Let’s get this over with.”

Cait agreed. It was time. She walked inside and her first thought was that the woman was too well dressed to own a dog. The woman’s sharp intake of breath and beaming smile had that thought shriveling up and dying. Dogs don’t care what you wear; they respond to love and this woman obviously loved Jamie.

“Crackers,” she cried, rushing over to hug the puppy.

Jamie backed up and hid behind Jack. The woman pulled up short and looked from Jack to Jamie and back again. “Why is he hiding from me?”

Keeping her voice as neutral as possible, Caitlin said, “Good question. Maybe he doesn’t remember you. How long did you have him before he ran away?”

The woman’s hand went to her throat and she toyed with her pearls. “I…uh…” The hesitation bothered Cait, and she knew without looking that it would bother Jack too.

“Not long.”

“He doesn’t seem to know you,” Jack said at last.

“He’s mine,” she insisted. “I have his adoption papers with his picture on it.”

Still not convinced or ready to turn the dog over, Caitlin asked, “Sheriff, could I talk to you a minute while Jamie gets reacquainted with his owner?”

Mitch nodded and motioned for her to follow him back to his office. When they got there, she asked him to close the door. “What’s going on?” she demanded.

He drew in a deep breath, and for a moment, she thought he was going to lay into her. She’d never been on the wrong side of Sheriff Wallace before, but her sister Meg had. Those tales alone had her backing up a step.

“You want to rephrase that question, Caitlin?”

“Um…yes. Sorry, Mitch. But can’t you see how much that dog loves Jack? And Jack…he loves that dog.”

Mitch nodded. “And so do you, I get that. But the law’s the law. He belongs to Ms. Blackwood, and while she’s grateful that Jack has cared for Jamie, she wants him back.”

“There has to be more to the story.”

“If there is, I haven’t been able to get to the bottom of it yet. Legally, my hands are tied.”

She whirled around and had her hand pressed to the door before she realized that she wasn’t helping the situation. She turned back. “I’m sorry…it’s just that it seems so wrong.”

“I know. Let’s finish this.”

He was right. “OK.” She let him open the door and walked down the hall to where Jack was now down on one knee petting Jamie, encouraging him to go to Ms. Blackwell. Something just seemed off…wrong. She’d have to let it go for now, but she’d be calling Rhonda over at the
Gazette
to help her dig up all of the information they could about the diva in the designer suit and pearls.

With a plan firmly in mind, she felt better. Action instead of reaction, her dad would be proud. “Hey, Jamie,” Cait said, calling attention to herself, wanting to see the redhead’s reaction when Jamie listened to Cait and not the other woman.

As expected, the little puppy tugged at his leash to get to her. Jack grinned and shook his head. “We’ve been working on his manners, but he forgets them when he sees someone he loves.”

Jack’s words went straight to her heart; she knew how hard this was for him.

***

Jack watched the way the woman who claimed to be Jamie’s owner frowned as Jamie jumped up on Cait. “Jamie, down,” he said.

The dog put his little rump on the floor and raised his front paw. “Good boy,” Cait said with a smile, shaking his paw.

“Do you mind if I see the adoption papers?” Jack knew he’d have to turn Jamie over to her, but he didn’t have to make it easy for her.

When she started to protest, Mitch added his two cents. “Seems only right, since Jack here was the one who found Jamie running wild out on Eden Church Road.”

“I was there that night too,” Cait said. “He had to catch him first. If he hadn’t Jamie wouldn’t be sitting here so healthy and happy right now.”

Ms. Blackwell finally acquiesced. “I adopted him from the Newark Animal Shelter.”

“But that’s forty-five minutes away by car,” Jack said, scanning the paperwork. The picture was definitely the dog who’d been spending his nights sleeping in Jack’s bed. “How do you think he got all the way over here?” he asked, handing the paperwork to Cait for her to look it over.

“I have no idea,” the woman said, but there was something in her eyes that he didn’t trust. She was lying; he was sure of it.

“Lucky for you, Jack was out by the McCormack farm last week,” Cait told her. Jack was grateful for the interruption; he needed to think about what to do. Did he have legal recourse? Wasn’t possession nine-tenths of the law? He’d have to ask Mitch.

Before he could ask, Cait did. “I thought possession was nine-tenths of the law.”

Mitch frowned. “Unless there is proof otherwise.”

Ms. Blackwell had obviously had enough. “I have an appointment. May I have my dog, please?”

Jack wanted to say no but knew he had to say yes. “We have all of his stuff in the Jeep.”

“He didn’t have anything when I…that is when he ran away.”

That one slip might be all the ammunition he’d need in order to get Jamie back. With a glance at Cait, he knew she’d heard it too. Their gazes met and held; they’d let Jamie go now, in order to get him back in a few days.

“Then you don’t need his bed, food, treats, and dog toys?” He watched her face go from determined to confused.

“I don’t have—” she began only to stop and start again. “Since you won’t be needing any of it, thank you. I’m sure it’ll make him more comfortable.”

“No problem.” But it would be for her, because Jack intended to find out all that he could about the woman. He’d made a mental note of her address; he’d be checking up on his dog.

Jack handed her Jamie’s leash, but Jamie was far less cooperative. He lay down and wouldn’t budge. “Come, Crackers,” she demanded.

Jamie didn’t even acknowledge her command. He closed his eyes.

She tugged on the leash. “Crackers.”

Jack had seen enough, unsure if the woman would raise a hand to the dog, he told her, “He answers to Jamie or Jameson.”

“I named him Crackers.”

Needing to prove his point to Ms. Blackwell, he walked over to stand beside her and said, “Jamie, come.” The dog got up and walked over to where Jack stood and promptly sat down, waiting for his next command.

“Fine,” the woman grumbled. “Jamie, come.” She tugged on his leash again.

Jack’s heart broke watching the way Jamie looked at him, but after the second tug, the dog must have sensed he had to go.
Smart
dog
, Jack thought watching him go.

“I’ll help you get his stuff,” Cait said, tugging on Jack’s arm.

Grateful, he nodded. They transferred the bags to the trunk of the woman’s silver, four door, late model Mercedes.
Figures
, he thought.

While Ms. Blackwell tried to get Jamie into the backseat of her car, he said, “He gets motion sickness unless you keep the window open. He likes to ride shotgun.”

“Shotgun?”

Cait snickered, and said, “In the passenger seat.”

With a hand to her pearls, she said, “Oh.”

When everything was loaded up and Jamie was in the backseat, Jack had to dig deep to keep from going over to the car, ripping the door open, and grabbing Jamie.

The hand at his back stopped him; Cait’s touch centered him. With a heavy heart, he watched Jamie spin around and put his paws on the top of the back of the seat, watching them as the Benz drove away.

“Let me drive you home,” Cait offered.

“I’m OK,” he told her, holding the passenger door open for her. “Are you hungry?”

She hesitated before getting inside. “Not really.”

“As a doctor, I should tell you that you need to eat.”

“What about you?” she asked when he got in and shut his door.

“You keep me on my toes, Mulcahy.”

“Jack, I’m sorry…”

“Me too.” He put the car in gear and backed up. “How about a ride before we go back and make dinner?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Cait’s ready agreement had him deciding to drive out past the spot they both loved. When he turned onto Eden Church, he was surprised that she was busy sending a text instead of watching where they were going.

“Who are you texting?”

“Rhonda.”

“About?”

She finally finished typing and looked over at him. “I got a hinky feeling about Jamie’s owner. I understand that the law is the law, but I don’t trust her. She’s hiding something.”

He nodded and slowed down as they approached the spot where they’d found Jamie—halfway between Bob’s Gas and Gears and the McCormack farm. He pulled over and parked. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

“Sure.” She got out and waited for him.

Reaching for her hand, he laced his fingers with hers and started walking toward the farm. “It’s funny how life doesn’t always work out the way you hope.”

“This was as close as I’ve been to having a dog,” she told him, staring at the woods off to the left.

When they passed the spot where Jamie had run into Cait’s arms, he felt her stiffen and then slowly relax the farther they walked. “I wasn’t planning on getting a dog yet, but now that I’ve had one, the house is going to feel empty without him.”

“Especially if he was sleeping with you instead of in his bed.”

Jack agreed. “The only time he didn’t sleep with me was when you were.”

He stopped and pulled her into his arms. “Will you stay with me tonight, Cait?” He didn’t need to tell her that he didn’t want to be alone in the house.

She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” When he didn’t move, she squeezed him tight and said, “Are we walking to the farm?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I thought you might want to see it by moonlight.”

They walked in silence, stopping now and again when a bat swooped low over the road, chasing a bug. A sharp bark off to the left had them both coming to a halt. “Was that—” she asked.

“Did you hear—” he said at the same time.

When the bark came again, he relaxed. “Sounds like a fox.”

She tilted her head to one side, waiting. When it came again, she agreed. When they reached the edge of the McCormack’s field, he pulled her over to the stand beside the fence. “The corn’s sprouted already.”

They leaned on the fence together. “It’s been warm.”

“What does Meg think about the bet?”