Chapter Two
Saturday afternoon, Savannah sat on her sofa, watching TV as the snowstorm raged outside. She could hear the sleet hitting the windows.
“It’s April for heaven’s sake,” she muttered.
When she moved to Clifton last year, she’d arrived in mid-May, and though some mornings were still chilly, she thought everyone was joking when they told her she just missed a big snowstorm.
But as she sat listening to the wind howling, she knew they’d been telling her the truth. As much as she loved the snow, she was not fond of it stranding everyone indoors. Not that she planned to go out either, but if she did, she knew she’d have no customers in this weather. That was why she didn’t open the store today.
She hated being alone, but it was the way it had to be. Kirk had divorced her three years ago, but right now, she refused to think about it. It took her years to get past the pain he had caused her. After counseling, she knew it was not her fault. It happened quite often, but Kirk blamed her and walked out. With all she’d gone through, then he left her, she wanted to die, but a wonderful therapist helped her come to terms with it, and now she was fine with what he did. She was not the one who did anything wrong.
Getting up from the sofa, she entered the kitchen and made herself a hot cup of tea. She doubted she’d even make it to work Monday if this kept up. She looked out the window in the door and shook her head as the snow continued to pile up.
With a sigh, she walked back to the living room and sat back down on the sofa. As the wind picked up, she pulled the quilt off the back of the sofa and tucked it around her feet. Her feet were always cold. It could be ninety degrees, and her feet would feel like a block of ice.
As she sat there trying to get into the movie, she thought she heard something outside. She put her cup down, got up, and walked toward the window. She pulled the curtain back and peered out but all she saw was snow.
But, as she turned to head back to the sofa, she heard it again. She walked to the door, opened it and peered out. Still not seeing anything, she started to close the door when she heard the noise again and looked down to see a small dog hunched up against the house.
“Oh, my God! You poor thing. Stay right there. I’ll be right back.”
After closing the door, she quickly ran upstairs and grabbed a few towels, then ran back down the stairs. She opened the door, knelt, and put her hand out toward the dog.
“Come here, baby.” She almost cried when the dog licked her hand and inched closer.
Savannah wrapped the towel around the pup and took him inside. She sat on the floor and dried the dog off as much as she could.
“Who left you out in this weather? You have ice frozen on your fur. No wonder you’re shivering. I see you’re a male.”
Briskly rubbing the dog, a tear rolled down her cheek for the poor pup. She was an animal lover, especially dogs and she’d like to meet the person who put this guy out in the snow. She looked for a collar, but he didn’t have one. It looked like he’d worn one at some point. She walked onto the porch to see if she could find one, but it was nowhere around. Of course, the snow could have covered it, or, as much as she hated to think about it, someone removed it when they dumped the poor animal.
“I’ll call the vet once I get you dry, to see if anyone is missing you.” She laughed when he licked her nose. “Thank you for the kiss.”
Once she got him dried off, she sat on the sofa, and picked up her phone to call the veterinarian’s hospital.
When the phone was answered, she explained the situation to the woman on the other end of the line, then she was put on hold while the woman put the vet on.
“Hello, this is Dr. Russell, can you tell me about the dog?”
“He seems young, and he’s not neutered. It looks like he had a collar, but he doesn’t now.”
“Is he a big dog?”
“Not yet, but his paws are huge.” Savannah laughed.
“Color?”
“Brown with white on his legs. He has a bushy tail that seems to never stop. He has the face of a Bernese Mountain dog but his ears stand up.”
“He’s probably a mix of some kind.” The vet laughed. “Can you hold for a few minutes while I look on the computer to see if anyone is missing their dog?”
“Yes, I can do that.” Savannah smiled as she played with the dog.
“Ma’am? I don’t have anything about anyone missing a dog. Could you bring him in and we can check for a microchip?”
“If the weather clears enough, I can do that. Should I make an appointment?”
“Not necessary. It just takes a minute to scan for a chip.”
“Great! Then once the snow clears, I’ll bring him by.”
“Alright. I look forward to it. I hope to see you soon. Thank you taking him in out of the cold.”
“I sure couldn’t leave him outside. I just hope he’s house trained but I’ll put him in the laundry room for the night. I’m Savannah Collins, but everyone calls me Vanna.”
“I’ll see you soon. Thank you, Vanna.” The vet hung up.
Savannah looked at the dog. “Are you hungry? I can scramble you some eggs. How does that sound?” She laughed when the dog barked, and it was definitely a puppy bark.
After scrambling the eggs, she put them on a paper plate, then found a bowl to use for water.
After the dog cleaned the paper plate, he sat, looked up at her and belched, making her laugh.
“Come on, let’s go out so you can do your business, which is not to be done inside my home. Are we clear on this?” He barked. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll let you out the back door since the backyard, though small, is fenced.” She walked toward the door and looked back at the dog. “Come on, sweetie. You have to go out.”
Opening the door, she motioned with her hand for him to go out, but he continued to stare at her. No doubt, he was afraid she wouldn’t let him back inside. She pushed the door closed and squatted.
“I promise I will let you back in.” She said, then laughed when he laid down, put his head on his paws and looked up at her.
“Oh, boy. Okay, let me get my coat and shoes on.” She removed her coat from the hook, pulled it on, slipped her feet into her shoes, then opened the door. She stepped outside and hissed in a breath at the freezing weather. “Come on, baby.”
The dog stood and cautiously walked toward the door. There was no doubt in her mind that he had been dropped off.
“Assholes. You should have taken him to the animal shelter. He would have had a better chance than being out in this stuff.”
Once he walked outside, she closed the door and had to laugh when the dog spun around with wide eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere. Please go pee or whatever.”
He ran out to the yard, sniffed around, then lifted his leg and peed. He ran around the yard, sticking his nose into the snow.
“Hey!” she yelled then laughed when he raised a snow-covered face. “Come on. I’m freezing.”
He ran toward the house, stopping beside her, then shook. She squealed.
“You just had to do that, didn’t you?” She opened the door, and they entered the kitchen.
She took off her coat, hung it up, slipped off her shoes, then went to the living room to get one of the towels. The dog followed her. She sat on the floor, and he came to her and let her rub his wet fur.
“You’re so pretty. I hate people who do this. I bet you loved your owner too. This is the thanks you get for unconditional love.”
Savannah rubbed him as much as she could, but he kept rolling onto his back. She rubbed his belly, then put the towels in the hamper in the laundry room. She walked back to the living room with him on her heels.
“You don’t have to worry about me throwing you out. In fact, if no one claims you, I’m going to keep you after I ask Kinley if I can. I’ll call her now.” Savannah sat on the sofa, scrolled through her contacts until she found Kinley’s number.
“Vanna, how are you?” Kinley Wilson asked her when she answered.
“I’m fine, Kinley. How about you?”
“I’m wonderful. Is there something wrong?”
“No, not really. A dog showed up here. He’s very young and once the weather clears, I’m going to take him to Dr. Russell to see if he’s microchipped.”
“What if he’s not?”
“Well, that’s why I’m calling. If he isn’t claimed, I’d love to keep him, but I’m not sure how you would feel about that. If not, I suppose I could move into the apartment above my shop. That would be no problem. I don’t want to upset you about the dog.”
“Of course, you can keep him.”
“Kinley, I don’t even know if he’s house trained.” Savannah nibbled on her lower lip, anxiously waiting.
“Then you’d have to train him. What is he?”
“I don’t know. He still has a puppy bark, but he’s going to be big whatever he is.”
“As much as I love dogs, how can I tell you you can’t have him?”
“Thank you so much. That’s the only thing that worried me.”
“It’s no problem. Let me know what you find out from the vet.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Wonderful! Oh, Levi is calling for me. I’d better go. Talk soon.”
“Yes. Thank you again.”
“You’re welcome. Bye.” Kinley hung up.
Savannah placed her phone on the coffee table and pulled the quilt over her as she tried to find a movie. The dog jumped onto the sofa, curled in a ball, and then put his head on her leg and stared at her. She figured the dog knew she’d taken in him from the cold. She rubbed her finger over his snout, then smiled when he sighed.
“You’re safe. How about we find a good movie, then we’ll head to bed.” She smiled as she hoped no one claimed him.
It was three days before she was able to get to the store. She walked out toward her car, opened the back door, and Bentley jumped into the back seat. She named him because she couldn’t keep saying, hey, to get his attention. He was completely house trained and slept with her at night.
She decided to take him to the vet today, then just keep him with her in the store. He was so well behaved that she knew someone had taken the time to train him. Sighing, she realized that if he did belong to someone, she’d have to give him up and that broke her heart. After only three days, he had wormed his way into her heart.
After pulling into the parking lot of the animal hospital, she made her way inside and asked the girl at the front desk if she had a leash she could use.
“I was able to get him into the car by holding onto his fur, but the parking lot isn’t as close as my door. I can just slip the leash on him by using the loop.”
“Sure, let me get you one. Dr. Russell said you’d be coming by but didn’t know what day.” The young woman entered a closet and came out with a leash. “Here you go. I’ll hold the door for you.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Savannah quickly made her way to her vehicle to see the dog watching her and his tail was going crazy. She opened the door enough to slip her hands in and put the leash on him, then she pushed it open and he jumped out, but stayed beside her.
“Come on, Bentley. Let’s see if you belong to someone.” Her heart broke just thinking of letting him go back to someone who wasn’t even looking for him.
The young woman opened the door, and Savannah entered.
“Oh, he’s so pretty,” she said.
“I’ve been calling him Bentley. Much better than hey, dog.” Savannah laughed.
“Bentley seems to fit. Let me get the vet for you.”
“Thank you.” Savannah sat in one of the plastic chairs in the lobby to wait.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Garrett. Dr. Russell is in surgery right now. Let’s take this big boy back and see if he’s been microchipped.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Garrett.”
“You too. Follow me. Jodi, hold my calls unless it’s Sam.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Dr. Garrett led her into a room and removed a handheld scanner, then moved it over the dog’s neck.
“He’s not chipped.” She ran her hands over his body. “He’s a little thin and his coat is dry. I think he’s been out there on his own for a while. Have you fed him anything?”
“I’ve been giving him scrambled eggs because I couldn’t get out to get him food.”
“You’ll need to get him some good dog food if you plan to keep him.”
“Am I allowed to? I mean, what if he does belong to someone?”
“I’ll put flyers up but after three days, and no one claims him, you can keep him. If I were you, I’d go to The Feed Store and get him a good brand. He’ll also need a leash and collar. How about I give him a rabies shot while he’s here?”
“Yes, please.”
“Great. I’ll be right back.” The doctor walked out the door.
Savannah squatted down. “I hope I get to keep you.” She laughed when he licked her face.
The door opened and Dr. Garrett stepped back into the room, then knelt by the dog.
“Hey, big boy, let’s get you protected.” She expertly gave the dog his shot and he didn’t even budge.
“Any idea on what breed he is?” Savannah asked.
“He looks to have some Bernese Mountain dog in him, along with Malamute. He’s going to be a big dog. Are you sure you want a dog that big?”
“I’m in love with him.”
“What’s not to love? Both breeds are very affectionate, so you’ll have a cuddler on your hands. He is beautiful though. I’m so glad you took him in. He could have died out there in that storm. I’d estimate him to be around a year and a half old and still has some growing to do.”
A knock sounded on the door and when it opened, another woman stuck her head in.
“Hey, Markie. This is Bentley.” Dr. Garrett smiled.
“You must be Vanna, I’m Dr. Russell. It’s so nice to meet you in person. He is one big boy,” Dr. Russell said as she squatted down to pet him.
“I hope I can keep him.”
“No chip, Tess?”
“Nope. He’s a little thin and his coat’s dry. I was telling Ms. Collins I think he’s been out in the elements for a while.”
“I’ll get him some good food. If you could recommend some.”
“We’ll give you a small bag to take home. Once he eats well enough, his coat will get better too.”
Savannah stood. “Will you let me know if anyone claims him?”
“Someone here will call you in three days. I’m hoping you can keep him because he looks like he’d get a better home with you. I’d take him if you couldn’t.”
“I can see Sam now if you take another dog home, Tess.” Dr. Russell laughed.
“What can I say? He knows there’s a chance every day that I could bring another one home.”
“Good thing that man loves you,” Dr. Russell said.
“I should go. I want to run to The Feed Store, then to work. Bentley is going to spend the day with me in my shop.”
“Where is your shop?”
“On Main Street. It’s Timeless Treasures.”
“The antique store? Oh! I love antiques. I will definitely be stopping by.” Dr. Russell smiled.
“I’d love to have you both stop in. Uh, do I pay out front?”
“Yes, but just for the rabies shot. We never charge for scanning an animal for a microchip. Have a wonderful day.”
Both vets walked out of the room, and Savannah led Bentley to the counter to pay for his shot. When she reached the lobby, she told the young woman at the desk, she’d wait for the call, then walked out toward her car.
After stopping at the Feed Store, she parked in back of her building, went in the back door, and opened up for the day. The snow had been plowed off the street and the sidewalks were clear, but she knew it would still be a slow day. She couldn’t wait for tourist season to start again.
****
Grady cursed under his breath as he cleaned out the horse stalls. It was his assigned task for the day, and he didn’t mind it too much. At least he was out of the cold and not freezing his ass off.
“Who are you swearing at?” A voice called out from behind him.
Grady turned to see his boss, Warren Coleman, standing in the doorway.
“Me,” Grady replied with a sigh. “I just realized my mother’s birthday is next week, and I have no idea what to get her.”
“I understand that struggle. Did you ask her what she wanted?” Warren asked with a grin.
“Yeah, and I’m sure you can guess her response.”
“She doesn’t want anything, right?”
“Bingo.” Grady removed his sweaty gloves and stuffed them into his back pocket. “I’m at a loss.”
“What does she like? You know, Shay’s shop has some amazing pieces.”
“Blown glass, right?”
“Yeah, so you could get her a figurine, vase, or bowl,” Warren suggested with a shrug. “Or if she’s into antiques, there’s Minnie’s old place. Shay said it had a lot of great pieces.”
“I think my mom does like antiques. I just don’t know what she already has.”
“Ask your dad for advice. He might be able to help you out.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks for the suggestion, Warren.”
“No problem. I always struggle with buying gifts for my own mother and Peyton.”
“I feel lucky that I only have to worry about my mom.”
“You never know, there could be a special woman in your future,” Warren teased.
“Not interested.” Grady chuckled.
Warren shook his head. “Well, I better get going. We’re going out to dinner tonight, and I need to make some calls before the end of the day.”
“Enjoy your evening.”
“Same to you,” Warren said as he left the barn.
Grady got back to work, grateful that it was finally Friday. He planned on doing absolutely nothing tonight, but tomorrow night he might go to Dewey’s. It had been a while since he last went there. He just hoped it didn’t snow.
As he headed toward the back of the barn to get in his truck, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and called Maverick.
“Hey, wanna go to Dewey’s tomorrow night?”
“Hell yeah.”
“Don’t you need to ask for permission?” Grady tried not to laugh.
Maverick let out an exasperated sigh. “Very funny. No, I don’t need permission. In fact, Parker will be there anyway. It’s their monthly girls’ night out it will be nice to get out, so I won’t be bored at home.”
“You’re driving.”
Maverick groaned through the phone. “Fine. I’ll only have a beer or two.”
“I’ll drive next time.”
“Deal. I’ll pick you up around seven-thirty tomorrow evening.”
“I’ll be ready. See ya then.” Grady hung up.
He was exhausted and ready to head home. Most days ended for him around five or six, and he and Maverick had weekends off. The other two foremen took Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. They both lived off the property with their wives, but he and Maverick still lived in their cabins, only now, Parker lived with Maverick. Parker was a good woman, and Grady was happy for his friend, but he was content living alone, and he was determined it stayed that way.
****
Savannah sat in her antique shop, browsing a website for rare finds. Her phone rang, revealing it was the animal hospital on the line.
“Oh boy,” she muttered under her breath before answering the call with a hesitant “Hello?”
“Ms. Collins? This is Dr. Russell. I wanted to inform you that no one has claimed Bentley, so it seems he’s officially your dog.”
Savannah smiled. “Oh, my goodness! That makes me so happy. I’ve grown quite attached to him.”
“I could tell, and I’m glad you saved him. He’s going to be a big boy for sure.”
Savannah chuckled. “I’ll have to prepare for that. He’s been coming to work with me at the shop and loves greeting anyone who walks in.”
“We’re grateful you’ve taken him in. Please keep him up to date on his shots and he’ll have a long life ahead of him.”
“Don’t worry, I promise to take care of him. Thank you so much.”
After ending the call, she made her way to where Bentley was lying on the floor, basking in the warmth of a sunbeam. She knelt beside him and affectionately patted his head, and his tail thumped on the floor.
“Looks like you get to stay with me, Bentley. I couldn’t be happier.”
Bentley sat up and placed his paw on her leg, inching closer toward her.
“You’d sit in my lap if you could, wouldn’t you?”
The sound of the door opening caught their attention and Savannah stood up, smiling when she saw Parker walking in.
“Hey there, Vanna,” Parker greeted, scratching Bentley behind his ears. “Any news about Bentley yet?”
“I just spoke to Dr. Russell. Bentley is officially mine.”
“That’s wonderful. He loves you already.”
“I love him too. What brings you by?” Savannah smiled.
“Are you free tomorrow night?”
“Yes, why?”
Parker grinned mischievously. “It’s girl’s night out.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes, we all get together once a month for drinks and dancing at Dewey’s. There will be designated drivers, so you don’t have to worry about that. Shay and I never miss it, and we’d love for you to join us.”
“I’d love to,” Savannah eagerly accepted.
“Great! I’m driving this time; just give me your address and I’ll pick you up around seven.”
Savannah quickly wrote down her address and handed it to Parker with a smile. “I can’t wait. It’s been ages since I’ve gone out. What should I wear?”
“We all usually wear jeans, nothing fancy. And feel free to wear boots, flats, or sneakers if you want to dance.”
“I’m excited,” Savannah said with a laugh.
“Well, I better get back to the shop. Tourist season will be here soon, and we have a ton of boxes to unpack.”
“Same here. I have three dollhouses to assemble.”
“You should hire some help, Vanna. Last year was crazy busy for you.”
“I’ll definitely consider it. Is there a local site where I can post an ad?”
“Yes, let me write it down for you, and you should put a help wanted sign in the window.”
“I’ll do that.”
After giving her the information, Parker left to go back to work while Savannah headed to the back room of her shop. She opened a box containing a dollhouse and began assembling it. She had always loved dollhouses as a child, but the ones she sold were on another level. They were so intricate that they could easily be mistaken for real houses if someone saw them from afar. The thought made Savannah chuckle.
By the end of the day, she managed to finish putting together one dollhouse, but she didn’t mind the interruptions from customers browsing her shop. As she locked up for the night, she opened the back of her car and Bentley hopped right in. With a smile, she got into the driver’s seat and drove home.