Chapter 10 Ransom
RANSOM
Ransom stood in the meadow the next morning, watching the dogs run as the sun rose.
The full-grown shepherds tore up and down the snowy field, their breath clouding the air.
Raven, the biggest female, barked for joy as she ran.
Constance, her sister, simply flew, her ears back and her dark body stretching impossibly against the snowy backdrop.
The others streaked after them, muscles bunching and releasing under their shining coats.
Even Henrietta, who was expecting her first litter any day now, ran along gamely with the others.
Meanwhile, the four puppies scampered around, stopping frequently to tussle with each other, tails wagging hard. At three months old, they were starting to learn the standard commands, and just as importantly, they were getting socialized with each other and with people too.
Ransom liked to start all the dogs’ days early with basic obedience training and then a nice run to burn off energy. Later in the day, he would work with them individually on various commands related to the jobs he hoped they would one day have.
Some would succeed and spend their lives making life safer and easier for the people they served. Others wouldn’t be able to handle the rigors of career training, and would go on to be companion animals instead.
But Ransom was committed to making sure that all of them were well-mannered and calm before they left his care.
Watching their unbridled joy as they ran and played settled something in his chest, and gave him a little perspective.
He hadn’t slept well last night, thinking about Hailey.
It was funny how easily things just seemed to snap back to the way they always had been between the two of them—Hailey trying new things, and Ransom admiring her in awe, just like when he was a teenager, knowing he was lucky to have her nearby. And knowing she would leave one day and break him.
But the way she talked about keeping the books on the shelves last night made it sound almost like she was going to stay…
Maybe she thinks she is going to stay. But I know better. When the phone rings with another opportunity, she’ll take it. And good for her. She deserves it.
But he couldn’t imagine waking up knowing he wouldn’t see her again, or thinking about her every time he passed the house where he had grown up.
I’ll deal with it the same way I deal with everything else, he told himself.
It would have been easier to believe if last night hadn’t seemed almost magical. It was cruel to be offered a vision of what his family would look like with Hailey in it, only to have it snatched away.
As he alternately dreamed and stormed, the dogs ran themselves out and turned to wrestling each other, rolling down the slight hillside, locked together in furry knots, barking and panting in wild delight.
“Okay, guys,” he said at last, clapping his hands. “Time for breakfast.”
They all capered up to him, tails wagging happily, and he crouched to pat them, accepting sloppy kisses as he scratched behind ears and rubbed bellies.
Being with the dogs always brought him back to his center. He felt incredibly lucky to have found the thing he wanted to do with his life, and even luckier that he actually got to do it.
“Let’s go,” he said, straightening up and heading for the barn with his pack flowing out after him like an inky river.
He had an appointment to stop by the local shelter today. The director had called yesterday to let him know that she had a border collie who showed signs of former training. She thought maybe Ransom would want to visit with her to see if she had potential.
In his experience, border collies were very smart but needed a lot of early training. It wouldn’t hurt to have a look at her though, and he’d been meaning to stop by the shelter anyway since he had some equipment to donate.
Once the dogs were all enjoying their morning meal, he headed back to the house to get the kids ready for school. After they were safely on the bus, he would shower and head into town.
He had his mother’s farm and the Army to thank for being such an early bird. And being up early was the only way to finish all the things he had to do for the kids and the dogs.
“Never would have thought I’d choose to be up at four every day,” he said to himself as he came in the back door and hit the button on the coffee maker before heading upstairs.
As soon as they were up, the kids were filled with talk about Hailey and her house and all the painting she was going to do.
Ransom did his best not to let it get into his head, but it seemed like they were almost as taken with her as he was.
Before long, they were fed, dressed, backpacks packed, and coats on. He stood on the porch and waved to the school bus as it headed off, feeling the same out of place unease he always did when he watched them be carried away from him.
But they were only going to the same country school he’d loved as a boy. And he was never far away if anything went wrong. The counselor had met with him at his request on the kids’ first day.
“You know this is a big transition for them,” he told her. “So, if they’re not feeling good, or they’re sad, or they just want me, I’ll never be doing anything that I wouldn’t drop in a heartbeat. I need to be sure that you understand that.”
“Mr. Wright, we’ll take good care of them,” she had replied kindly.
But that wasn’t at all what he meant. So he’d gone to Principal Tucker next, and she had picked up on his fears.
“You’re worried that they’ll be sad or scared and we won’t call,” she said.
“Exactly,” he told her. “I want a call no matter what, not just because someone is sick or in trouble. They shouldn’t have to tough anything out on their own.”
“You have my word,” she had assured him, her eyes crinkling as she smiled at him, and he had known to his bones she was telling him the truth.
Once the bus was out of sight, he headed back upstairs, took a quick shower, got dressed, and was heading up the driveway himself twenty minutes later.
The drive to town was peaceful and he pulled up at the shelter exactly three minutes before the time he’d told Helena Fox he would be there.
Christmas decorations brightened the front of the building and he thought again that it might be fun to get some things for the kids to decorate the front porch with.
“Ransom Wright,” a familiar voice called out.
He looked up to see Helena Fox approaching him with her hand held out. She looked just the same as always, sensibly dressed for her work, but with something regal in her posture.
He shook her hand enthusiastically.
“I really appreciate you coming in,” Helena said with a smile. “I know very few dogs fit the criteria you’re looking for. But this girl is something special, and it didn’t feel right not to have you at least meet her.”
“Of course,” Ransom said. “Thanks for thinking of me. And I brought some crates and toys and a couple of leads. They’re in the truck, but you can take a look when we’re done. If there’s anything you can use, it’s all yours.”
“You’re an angel,” Helena said. “I really appreciate that.”
“It’s nothing,” he said, feeling a little embarrassed. “Just things I can’t use anymore.”
“You know as well as I do that the animals here need every bit of help they can get,” she said as she led him back through the staff door and down a hallway of cages.
He tried and failed not to look at the animals inside. Helena ran a tight ship. The cages were clean as a whistle and the pets inside each had warm bedding and a toy or two.
But what they really wanted was a family. He wished he could take every one of them.
“Here we are,” Helena said. “I hope you don’t mind meeting outside, but I thought you’d like to really be able to work with her.”
“Definitely,” Ransom said as the most beautiful black and white border collie made a beeline for him.
The wide smile on her sweet face and the speed with which she was hurtling across the yard told him that he’d better brace himself if he didn’t want to get knocked down.
But before she got to him, she leaped in the air and landed in a seated position at his feet, like a writer dotting an “i” with a flourish.
She smiled up at him, ears down, tail sweeping the snow, as if she was excited to see what he thought of that demonstration.
“Good girl,” he told her. “What a good dog.”
When he crouched to pat her, she stayed where she was and let him give her a good scratch, leaning into his hand while he gave her a once-over.
“She’s very sweet,” he said to Helena.
“Strong and healthy too, according to our volunteer vets,” she told him, a hint of pride in her voice. “She was picked up out in Ohio and brought here since we’re a no-kill and we had space. No microchip, no nothing.”
“Does someone miss you, sweetheart?” he asked the dog. “What’s your name?”
“We’ve been calling her Shadow,” Helena said. “Take a little walk and you’ll see why.”
Ransom straightened up and strode across the snowy yard.
He could sense the dog moving to follow him instantly. She moved right along with him, almost in a heeling position, but further out from his side.
He tried moving differently, but she held her position perfectly, even when he sped up, slowed down, and moved side to side.
“Interesting,” he said.
“She’s almost heeling,” Helena said. “Isn’t that funny?”
“I think she is heeling,” Ransom told her. “But she’s giving space, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s used to working with someone who uses a wheelchair. If that’s the case, she was trained to leave more room so the wheel won’t hit her and she won’t be bumped by a door.”
“My goodness,” Helena breathed. “Do you think that could be it?”
“It could,” he said. “Though she’s also hanging back a bit, and if she’d been trained by a pro for wheelchair work that position should actually be slightly forward.”
“Do you think her owner trained her?” Helena wondered.
But Ransom wasn’t sure. He tried a few commands, like sit, lie down, and wait.
Shadow eagerly did as she was told each time.
“You’re such a good dog,” he told her, stopping at last to pat her and play a little.
“She is, isn’t she?” Helena said fondly.
“She’s okay with other dogs?” he asked.
“Wonderful,” Helena said. “She’s a true lady, through and through. Do you think you could do something with her?”
“I do,” he told her. “I’m pretty sure we can find a job for her to do, though I’ll want to spend some time with her to figure out exactly what, and to make sure she’s really ready.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Helena said. “You take her with you today, and if anything makes you rethink that decision, you bring her right back to me. Most times we ask our adopters to make a full commitment, but obviously this is a very different scenario, and I appreciate you giving Shadow a chance to have a more interesting life.”
“Worst case, she’ll make someone a wonderful companion dog,” Ransom said, giving the pretty girl another pat. “Want to come home with me, Shadow? It’ll be a lot of work.”
Shadow smiled at him, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as her tail swept back and forth like she understood him.
“Let’s do the paperwork,” he told Helena. “Then you can take a look at those donations.”
“She’s a lucky girl,” Helena said. “Right time, right place, right person.”
Ransom smiled at that. Lately he’d been feeling lost, but suddenly he felt the puzzle pieces of his life sliding back together like they were always meant to fit this way—not just the dog, but the kids, his sister, the house, and especially the arrival of his new neighbor.
I just need to manage to hold it all together this time.