Chapter 6
From one crazy adventure to the next, Maisie couldn’t believe she and Robert were stuck on an island with Lady, all cuddling together in the cold beside a fire. This was so romantic despite her ankle throbbing, but the doctor was taking care of her properly, and she loved the way he was so gentle and caring. She was definitely rethinking her position of being alright about it if her sister became interested in dating Robert too.
Maisie rested her back against Robert’s chest, and he leaned around her and kissed her cheek. But she turned her head to have mouth-to-mouth contact with him again. She loved the way he kissed her, loved his lips on hers, alternating between slow and deliberate, gentle and hot and heavy, lots of energy, working her up good, making her feel total happiness. Oh God, yes, he was truly a consummate kisser. She really felt comfortable with him, something that usually didn’t happen right away when she met a wolf who appealed to her physically. With him, there was so much more.
And hot? Forget about being chilled by the ocean breeze. He was heating her blood right up.
Here, she’d thought she would be counting the minutes before they got picked up, but instead, she was really enjoying this time with Robert. She was even glad she’d gotten stuck with him here so that they’d have this alone time together.
“So did you ever…um, have a long-term relationship with anyone when you were back in Edinburgh?” She figured it was important to know more about him.
“Not long-term. Edeen says I wouldn’t allow it because I was so busy getting my education and working to build a practice. But really, it wasn’t that. I just never had a connection with a she-wolf who intrigued me enough. Now you…hell, that’s a whole different story.” He leaned over and petted Lady on her lap. “My sister always said I was more comfortable with animals than people. But that was just my excuse since I didn’t have any interest in a she-wolf long-term. What about you with guys?”
This was why Maisie had brought the topic up, truthfully. She wanted to know if he had any lingering feelings for another she-wolf he’d dated, but she also wanted to talk to him about her past relationships so he knew more about her.
“I’ve dated three wolves.”
“Three?” He chuckled and kissed her ear with a whisper-soft kiss, like it didn’t matter to him, and she was glad for it.
“Aye. In the first case, the wolf I had dated was way too controlling. He smothered me, and once we started dating each other exclusively, he didn’t want me talking to any other male wolves, as if he was afraid I would ditch him as soon as I found someone I liked better. He tried to isolate me from my sister and parents too. We had been seeing each other for three months, but the relationship just didn’t progress. I kept pulling away from him when he got amorous. I just didn’t feel for him what a she-wolf should for a male wolf that she was interested in mating. He was fun on dates, but beyond that, he just wasn’t the one for me. And trying to cut off my ties to my family? That wasn’t happening.”
“Controlling is not my style.”
“Yeah, I didn’t believe it would be. You’re so sensitive and caring.”
“Edeen would say I’m forgetful. I don’t know how many times I’ve forgotten a date with a she-wolf or even an outing with Edeen.”
Maisie laughed. “Because of work?”
“Aye. I mean, sometimes it was because of that. But sometimes, I would go home or grab groceries and then suddenly realize I’d forgotten a date. I would always feel genuinely terrible about it, but it proved that I wasn’t really into the girlfriend that much. Edeen was just used to it.”
Smiling, Maisie shook her head. “You’d better not do that to me unless you have a very good reason.”
He laughed. “Like rescuing a dog and getting stuck on an island?”
“You only get to do that with me.” She kissed him again. “Anyway, with that guy, I called it quits with him three years ago. So then I dated a wolf for two months, not as long as the other guy I had dated, but he was so jealous. He kept asking me if I was seeing other guys behind his back. It just seemed bizarre to me that he was so distrusting of me when I never gave him a reason to doubt me. Until I saw him with another she-wolf, having dinner at a restaurant where Anne and I went to celebrate my getting a really good-paying photography job. I could have pretended that I hadn’t seen him, but then they were kissing. That was the end of it for me.
“I fought with myself over whether I should confront him at the restaurant or talk to him later. I realized that he had been projecting his own deceitfulness on me. Sure, that was the first time I’d caught him at it, but how many other times had he been with another woman that I didn’t know about? Since he’d been thinking that I’d been with another man a month before that, I suspected that he had been doing it for a while.”
“Did you confront him at the restaurant?”
She smiled. “Yeah. At first, when I rose from my seat, Anne grabbed my arm and asked if I was sure. But I was. It was the easiest way for me to break up with him. He couldn’t deny he had been with another woman then. I joined them at their table and kissed him on the cheek. He looked horrified that I’d caught him at it, and the woman looked just as shocked that I would show up and kiss him. She immediately asked who I was.”
Robert laughed. “I’m glad you confronted him.”
“I had to. When I can’t trust the guy I’m dating, there’s no sense in dating him further.”
“I agree.”
“I haven’t been thinking about him, since we broke up six months ago, but when I found Lady’s collar in the flower bed, I also found Jude’s cell phone.”
“Oh?”
“Aye. He hasn’t stayed at the inn. Neither Anne nor I would have allowed him to make a reservation there.”
“That sounds…odd.” Robert sounded a little worried about it.
She had been too, but then searching for Lady had taken over any concern she had about Jude having been in their garden. “Yeah, I know. That’s what I was thinking. He never came into the office to talk to either of us. It’s a conundrum. The only reason I can think of is that he was visiting a guest. Yet he was from Glasgow, so what would be the likelihood that he would end up at the inn that Anne and I own to visit a guest who just happened to be staying there?” Then she paused. “You…wouldn’t happen to know how to hack into a cell phone, would you?”
Robert laughed.
“I’ll take that as a no,” she said, laughing. “I have to admit, I would love to know why he was at the inn, if I should be worried that he is stalking me.”
“Aye, I see where you’re coming from. I don’t know how to do it, but maybe someone in the pack can.”
She sighed. She was glad that Robert hadn’t just dismissed her concern. “I could call him at his work and ask him if he was at the inn, not mentioning that we had his phone, just seeing if he would be honest with me about it.”
“That could work.”
“I don’t want to give up his phone though.”
Robert chuckled.
“Because I really want to know what he was up to. He has lied to me before, and that’s just the one time I know about. I wouldn’t be surprised if he lies about coming by the inn. If I can break into his phone, I might be able to learn the truth.” She had to explain her reasoning. She didn’t want Robert to think badly of her.
“I totally understand.”
Did he? She hoped so. She let out her breath. “So the third guy was nice enough. I thought that three was the charm, but there really wasn’t any physical attraction between us. I think he didn’t want to find anyone else, so he just kept asking me to go out with him. He didn’t feel anything more for me than I did for him. We were just comfortable with each other. When Anne and I bought the inn, I called it quits with him. We had only been seeing each other for a month. He wasn’t unhappy when I told him I was leaving. There just wasn’t anything between us more than a nice friendship.”
“That makes sense. So back to the situation with the phone you found in the garden. Do you think Jude learned you were here and was trying to discover if you’re going out with someone else?” Robert still seemed concerned about her former boyfriend.
She was so glad she had met Robert. “I think that might be dangerous for his health if he returns again.”
“Oh?”
“I believe there would be a whole MacQuarrie wolf pack that would chase them off.”
Robert kissed her again. “Me leading the pack, not Grant this time. Believe me, I’ll find someone who can get into his phone, and maybe we can learn what he was up to. I don’t want you to have to worry about some guy stalking you.”
She kissed him back and sighed, glad he would be willing to help her out if she needed him to. “I’m so glad Anne and I made the move here.”
“I’m glad you did too, and that I did also, or I might never have met you.”
“Which would have been a real shame. So I know you have a twin sister, but what about any other family?” Maisie asked.
“A cousin, but he’s in America and we don’t expect to see him again.”
“Is there bad blood between you?” she asked.
“There is. He tried to take Edeen’s property away from her, claiming it was his inheritance. It wasn’t, and he didn’t have any right to it.”
“Oh no. I’m glad it was cleared up then.”
“Aye. What about you?” Robert asked.
“Our parents are in Glasgow still, but they plan to move here once they know we’re staying for good. They are afraid they would move, our business would go under, and we would return to Glasgow and then they would have relocated here for no reason.”
“I understand that. Did you tell them about our fishing incident?”
“No. I know if I had, they would have been here in a hurry to make sure I was okay, when I’m fine and I didn’t want to worry them for nothing.”
“How is your ankle?”
“It still hurts.”
“Okay, hold on.” Robert stood and pulled off his shirt.
She smiled to see his beautiful abs again. Robert was truly sexy. She watched him as he walked over to the water and dunked his shirt in, then wrung it out and brought it back to her. He wrapped it around her ankle like it was an ice pack. She shivered. “Cold.”
“Yeah, it might help with the swelling and bruising. I should have thought of it earlier.” Then he worked on the fire again to keep it burning warmly. “So what do you like to do for fun?”
“Just about anything outdoorsy—snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, fishing, hiking, running as a wolf. What about you?”
“I also love the outdoors, and I love archery.”
“You’ll have to teach me archery. Oh, and I sword fight. My sister and I love to do that. Our guests love it when we don kilts and fight each other. They share videos on social media, and then we end up getting more guests.”
“That’s a great marketing ploy.”
“It is. We didn’t know how successful it would be.”
Robert finally returned to his spot on the ground, Maisie leaning back against him, between his legs. His shirt around her ankle was wet but no longer ice-cold. The dog was sleeping across her lap, perfectly happy to snuggle with them for warmth as if they were her packmates. At least she wasn’t searching for a nesting spot, and she seemed perfectly comfortable where she was.
But Robert was shirtless, and Maisie was afraid he was cold. She wanted to warm him more. “I need to turn over. Are you okay? I haven’t cut off your circulation anywhere, have I?”
“No. Let me help you.”
They both sat up, and he moved Lady off Maisie. The dog didn’t look happy about it.
“Okay, lie back down and I’m going to lie on top of you, where I can hug you to keep you warm,” Maisie said to Robert.
He smiled. She laughed. She loved that he was enjoying this too. Then she laid down on top of him and snuggled against his chest. This was way better. Lady made a nest between their legs and got comfortable. The sun was setting, and it was beautiful, with pink paint spread across the blue sky and orange, blue, and pink coloring the loch, mixing and creating purples. The castle was silhouetted by the sky. Maisie wished she had her camera. She had never imagined being on a castle island at sunset, hugging a half-naked wolf. Anne and Maisie had talked about coming here when they had free time, but neither of them had taken the time to do it.
This was surreal and Maisie loved it, and she couldn’t think of any other wolf she would rather be with there.
***
Robert and his companions had been sound asleep for an hour when he woke to hear Lady scratching and panting.
Aw, nuts.
He had been dreaming about fighting off Jude, Maisie’s stalker, as a wolf, tearing into him so he wouldn’t harass her any further.
Maisie tried to sit up in a hurry, but she cried out. “Ouch, darn it! I forgot all about my ankle.”
“We’ll get you home and get it elevated with some ice, but for now, it looks like Lady’s getting ready to have a pup,” Robert said.
“Oh,” Maisie groaned. “Take your shirt, mine too, to use as a bed for her.”
“Mine is big enough.” He didn’t want Maisie getting cold. He carefully removed his shirt from Maisie’s ankle, and he heard her suck in her breath. “I’m so sorry.”
“Nay, don’t be. Lady needs it for her and her pups.”
The heat from the fire had dried his shirt, and between that and the warmth of Maisie’s leg, it was warm when he laid it on the ground for Lady. She scratched and scratched at it, circling around and around, looking just for the right spot.
“She’s going to have the first pup before she lies down,” Maisie said.
Robert smiled. “I know. They have to find just the right spot.”
Then Lady finally settled down and began moaning and groaning.
“How many pups do West Highland terriers normally have?” Maisie asked.
“About three.”
The water sac came out, and he knew a puppy was in the birth canal. “The first puppy is coming.” He looked at Maisie, and she was watching, looking on in awe. He was glad for it. He sure wished he was at the clinic delivering Lady, in case she had any real difficulties though. As far as he recalled from having taken care of her at the clinic, she’d never had puppies before.
The puppy finally delivered fifteen minutes later. Lady was being a good mother and licking the puppy vigorously, tearing off the membrane. Lady cleaned the little male pup up and severed the umbilical cord. The pup cried, which was a good sign that the puppy was going to be fine. Robert wanted to wipe the puppy’s tummy with iodine to prevent infection, but he would have to do that at Maisie’s house. “Do you have iodine at home?”
“Yes, in our first aid supplies.”
“Good.” He took a corner of his shirt and cut it with his knife without disturbing Lady, then made some tiny strips of cloth. He tied off the umbilical cord an inch away from the first pup’s belly.
“Two more, right?” Maisie asked.
He placed the puppy next to Lady’s belly so he could nurse. When he began suckling, Robert was relieved. “Or just another or maybe three more. It depends. We’ll just have to wait and see. Sometimes it can be hours, or it can happen really quickly. You never can—”
Then the next pup arrived, and Lady did her duty with him. Once she had cut the umbilical cord and cleaned him up, Robert tied off the cord and placed the second male next to his brother to begin nursing.
“Her owner didn’t say anything about her having puppies, did he?” Maisie asked.
“No. This was a real surprise.”
“Could he possibly not have known?”
“Yeah. Some pet parents can be in denial that their dog ended up getting impregnated.” Robert smiled at her.
“Boy, will this be a shock to him if that’s the case.”
“Yes, they might not have taken her in to see the other vet after I left and thought she was just overeating. I’ve had a couple of cases like that.”
Maisie watched the pups nursing. “You can’t tell what they are, can you? I mean, if she got mixed up with another breed.”
“No. Not yet. DNA would tell me. Or if Lady had been around a male dog that they know of and they didn’t realize she could end up with pups.”
Another pup suddenly came.
“They are so adorable,” Maisie said. “It’s a little miracle.”
“It truly is.”
Lady worked to take care of the first little female. She wasn’t having any more contractions, and he had three placentas for the three puppies, so he hoped that was the last one. The female snuggled against her brothers and began nursing. That was a good sign for all three of them, though she had some catching up to do.
About an hour later, they heard voices on the mainland nearby—Grant, Lachlan, and Enrick—and a splashing sound. Lady woofed, alert, concerned, though he could tell she was tired from delivering her pups.
Lachlan and Enrick were coming to their rescue in a rubber dingy, motoring to the island. Grant was waiting on the mainland shore for them to return.
Robert was relieved and gave Maisie a hug. “We’ve been saved.”
She kissed his mouth. “We survived with a kaboodle of pups.”
Robert chuckled. “Totally unexpected when I first followed the two of you onto the island.”
“Sorry it took us so long to get here.” Enrick pulled a plastic storage bin lined with newspaper and rags to serve as a temporary whelping box out of the boat. He carried it to them, then smiled to see the pups, as Lachlan joined them. “Hell, we have little pups. Well done, you three. We didn’t realize she would have them before we got here.”
“I was just watching how this was all done,” Maisie said. “Lady and Robert did all the work. It truly is amazing.”
“It is.” Lachlan handed bottled waters to Maisie and Robert and another one for Lady. “They’re adorable. I wonder what they are.”
“A DNA test will tell,” Robert said.
“Well, no matter what they are, they’re cute.” Enrick pulled a water dish out of the box and handed it to Robert. “We realized we had to patch the boat and wait for it to dry before we could bring it here. Plus, Edeen was trying to put together a temporary whelping box in a hurry. She said the pet owners could keep it.”
Lachlan raised his brows when he noticed Robert was shirtless, then he saw the shirt underneath Lady and her litter of pups. “Talk about an emergency delivery.”
“It sure was.” Maisie drank from her bottle of water. “Lady was so lucky to have Robert.”
“How are you doing?” Lachlan asked Maisie.
“My ankle hurts, but I’m sure it will heal up soon. Thanks for asking.”
Robert gave Lady some water in the dish, and she lapped it up. Then Robert drank from his own bottle of water. “I’m going to put Lady’s puppies in the box because her fur is standing on end. She’s worried about you guys around her puppies, and I don’t want her to bite anyone. She’s used to Maisie and me now.” Robert took one pup and set him in the box, and naturally he began to cry. He’d lost his nipple as well as his siblings’ and his mother’s warmth. Lady was already standing up, frantic, wanting to get her pup out of the box but not wanting to leave her other pups behind. Then Robert set the others in with the first. Lady was jumping at the box to get to them. He lifted her up and set her inside with them, and she quickly inspected them, making sure they were all there, then quietly settled down with them. Robert put his shirt in the box behind her so she would feel she hadn’t lost her nest.
“I’ll get Maisie,” Lachlan said.
“Okay, thanks.” Robert carried the whelping box to the boat.
Lachlan smiled at Robert. “Any excuse to remove your shirt in front of the lassie.”
Robert laughed. “Well, if it hadn’t been for her ankle and then Lady having her pups—”
“You would have removed your shirt so that Maisie could have worn it to keep her warmer.” Enrick continued to put out the campfire.
Maisie chuckled. “He is so my hero.”
The MacQuarrie brothers laughed.
Smiling, Robert shook his head at them and climbed into the boat.
“You’ve got your car there, right?” Lachlan joined him in the boat. “You don’t need us to drive you home after we take Maisie and Lady to the inn, do you, Robert?”
“No. Thanks. I’ve got my car there and I’m having dinner with the ladies before I return home.” Robert was looking forward to it.
As soon as they reached the mainland, Grant leaned over to help Robert climb out of the boat as he held on to the whelping box. Enrick climbed out of the boat and Lachlan lifted Maisie and handed her to Enrick while Grant steadied the boat.
Enrick and Lachlan followed them, carrying the boat to the truck.
“We’ll drive you back to the inn,” Grant said.
“Thank you,” Maisie said. “If you hadn’t, I was afraid Robert would have to carry me all the way back there.”
Lachlan laughed. “No. We’ll get there so much faster this way, and you can return Lady to her owner.”
Lachlan and Enrick loaded the boat into the back of the truck and secured it.
Maisie peered over Robert’s lap to look into the whelping box. “They are so adorable. She seems to be happy enough about the whelping box and the transportation. Poor worn-out momma.”
“She is. I’m glad it turned out so well. I’ll clean the pups up a bit at your place, use some iodine on their tummies, and if you’ve got some unwaxed dental floss, I’ll retie their umbilical cords.” Robert put his hand on Maisie’s knee. “Can you put your leg up on my knees and elevate your injured ankle?”
“I’ll try.” Maisie and Robert moved around in their seats until she could rest her leg over his.
He wasn’t sure that was helping her any, but he wanted to keep her ankle elevated. “I should have made a list of stuff that I needed,” Robert told the MacQuarrie brothers as they climbed into the truck. “I really didn’t expect Lady to deliver. A dog that is that close to delivering isn’t usually that active. She could have ended up having pups on the way.”
“Did her owner tell you she was ready to have pups?” Grant started the engine and drove his truck down the one-lane road. At least at this time of night, no one else was out here.
“No.”
“They’re lucky the two of you found her. She could have had her puppies anywhere,” Lachlan said.
“That’s for sure. And she could have been in trouble herself.” Robert pulled out his phone and called Bruce Abercromby. “We’re bringing Lady and her three puppies to the inn.”
“She had puppies?” Bruce sounded shocked.
Robert smiled. So her pet parents didn’t know it. “Yes, you’re the proud owner of two male puppies and a female pup. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Thanks so much, Doc.”
Robert knew Bruce was glad to get his dog back safe and sound, but he wasn’t sure he was as excited about the prospect of having puppies he hadn’t been planning.