Chapter 13 Hailey
HAILEY
Hailey looked around the patio with satisfaction. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago this had been a simple slate rectangle overlooking the old oak tree and the fields beyond.
Now, there were trellises with lights strung on them flanking two sides of the patio, where heat lamps and tables were set out with beautiful appetizers. Gorgeous displays of flowers added a lush element to the wintry spread. And twinkle lights lined the trunk and branches of the old oak tree.
She took a few photos and posted them to her social media feed. Hopefully, that would get the website some hits, maybe even her first real booking.
The sun was just going down and soon the snow would reflect its glow of pink and gold.
Mal and Sage had dropped off their contributions earlier, so they would be seeing the whole picture put together for the first time in just a few minutes, right when the sunset magic combined with everything else to create the kind of scene Hailey had been dreaming of.
She headed back into the house and went all the way to the front porch to do a final walk-through.
The front door was painted pale blue and hung with a red berry wreath. She and Ransom had painted the wooden benches from the church thrift shop a snowy white and they flanked the front door.
She stepped inside to admire the roaring fire and the soft colors and satisfying textures of the interior. Most of the house was painted white with pink and blue accents, and pitchers of fresh and dried flowers brightened almost every surface.
The library looked amazing now that it was all put together again. If she looked closely, she could see that her painting technique wasn’t as good as Aidan’s. But mostly it just looked cheerful and welcoming.
Stepping into the kitchen, she had to smile at the palette of greens that made the copper tea kettle and the sprays of red berries she had put in vases really pop.
Mal had brought about twice as much food as Hailey thought they would need. Big foil trays of extra appetizers covered the kitchen table. And she had a plastic table with a pretty tablecloth set up where Mal could place the buffet dinner dishes she was bringing when she came back.
“Everything is perfect,” Hailey said softly to herself as she headed out to the patio again.
Her first clue that maybe she was wrong about things being perfect was the sound of yapping followed by a small crash.
She hurried out to find that the patio had been invaded by four enormous German shepherd puppies.
“No,” she moaned.
Two of them were on one of the tables, fighting over a baguette while another ran around in circles with a whole bagel over his snout.
The last one noticed her and hurtled itself forward, its back legs going faster than the front so that it ran in an awkward almost sideways movement, with a horrible smile on its face as its tongue lolled out of the side of its mouth.
Hailey wanted to duck back inside, but the beast was already between her and the house.
She screamed, taking off for the only solid thing she could think of.
Hailey hadn’t climbed a tree since she was a little girl, but it came back to her blessedly quickly.
She could feel the string lights she had spent so much time setting up slipping under her shoes and she was rubbing her pretty dress into the slimy bark, but all she cared about was getting up high enough that the dogs couldn’t get to her.
Can dogs climb?
She was pretty sure she had seen a video once of a dog climbing a wall. Was that a German shepherd?
Heart pounding in her ears, she began to sob as she pulled herself up onto a branch that felt like it was out of reach of the menacing monsters.
She hugged the trunk, willing herself not to look down.
But as soon as she caught her breath, her eyes went straight to the patio, where all her beautifully displayed appetizers were spread across the tablecloth and the slate.
Some of the flowers had been knocked over, and a puddle of something that looked suspiciously like puppy piddle glistened in the light of the setting sun beside one of the trellises.
Worst of all, the four awful creatures had spotted her and they were all circling the trunk of the tree, jumping up and down and barking like they wanted to do to her what they had done to her beautiful feast.
Do something, Hailey thought desperately to herself.
But she was frozen in terror. There was no way she was climbing back down, and her cell phone was back inside, charging at one of the kitchen outlets.
Just as she decided that things couldn’t get any worse, she heard voices carrying through the house.
Her heart sank as she imagined what her guests would think when they came to the farm and found this scene of horror. No one would ever work with her after word got out.
This is what it looks like when a dream dies.