Jessie’s Dusty Dreams

by Kat Carrington

Brady watched them play and said, "I sure like the looks of that one. What do you think?"

  Annie nodded approvingly. "Good choice. She's a little on the small side, but she's smarter than snot. She'll make Jessie a good companion."

  The puppy was a tri-color, black, brown and white. She sat down and cocked her little head at Brady and made him laugh. Her stubby little tail wagged furiously, and when he picked her up after getting a nod from Annie, she tried her best to lick his face.

  "So, Miss Annie, will you let her go to Jessie?"

  Annie nodded and said, "I will. Jessie knows about Aussies so she doesn't need to be educated. They've all had shots and been wormed, but she'll need to take her in to Doc Carter and just get her checked out and schedule her next shots."

  "Okay if I pay you, then go get what we need for her before I pick her up?"

  "I'm good with that. If you go by Doc Carter's office, they sell a starter package that has everything she needs, including the food she's on."

  "Then I'll do that."

  Brady and Annie took care of the business and then he went to get the starter package. The girls at the vet's office were happy to help the tall, good looking stranger. Brady loaded the big box into his truck and then made one other stop before he went back for the puppy. When he drove into Jessie's driveway, she came slowly out the front door, frowning in his direction.

  "I haven't called you, and I'm not nearly done thinking," she said.

  Brady took a good look at her, noting the dark smudges under her eyes and the messy hair.

  "I didn't come for an answer. I promised Jake that I would make sure you got one thing, no matter what you decided."

  Jessie stood watching, her hands on her hips. Brady got out of the truck and then leaned back in for a moment. When he walked toward the porch, Jessie's mouth dropped open.

  "What did you…oh my god, how did you…oh, just look at her!"

  Brady handed over the puppy, and Jessie held her wriggling little body and laughed as the puppy tried to lick her face. When she finally looked up at Brady, her face was radiant. He felt his gut clench as he looked at her and said a silent thanks to Jake. Jessie plopped down in the grass and let the pup dance around her, rolling onto her back to have her belly rubbed. Jessie was completely charmed by the little dog.

  "Oh my gosh, I don't have anything I need for a puppy."

  "All taken care of. Miss Annie knows her business. I think maybe she gets a kickback from the vet."

  "Brady, you got her from Annie? How did you know? Whatever made you think of this in the first place?"

  Brady ticked off his answers on his fingers. "Yes, I got her from Miss Annie. And I knew about her because I saw where you had the newspaper ad circled. And I knew because Jake made me promise that this would be the first thing I did. He said he was willing to bet you hadn't even gotten a dog yet. And he said you need one."

  Jessie bent her head to hide her face. "Oh, Jake," she whispered. "How am I going to do this without you?" For the first time, she really considered making the promise to her brother.

  Brady watched her for a moment and then went to his truck and unloaded the big box, bringing it to set on the porch. "I don't know exactly what all is in here, but they promised it was everything you need to start out with your puppy. And Miss Annie said you need to take the pup in to see Doc Carter, get her checked out and schedule her next shots."

  Jessie's heart was full. "I will. Brady, thank you. Really. I love her already."

  Brady's voice was gruff. "I'm just following my instructions. What are you going to name her?"

  "Oh! I have to name her. And it has to be perfect. Wow, I haven't named a dog since I was a kid. This is going to take some real thought."

  "Well, there's Wolf or Fang. Killer."

  Jessie actually laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you don't get to name the dog."

  Brady looked insulted. "What, you don't like my choices?"

  "Nope. Wait. Indy. Jake always said the best dog he ever knew was when he was only seven or eight years old and the guy next door had a dog named Indy. Jake always wanted a dog by that name. That's it."

  "Indy. I like it," Brady said. "It might have been a male dog, though."

  Jessie looked untroubled. "Doesn't matter. She's Indy."

  "Well, look at that. You just made a decision."

  Jessie's mouth dropped open. Then she sniffed at him. "Ha. That's different."

  Brady shrugged and said, "Looked like a decision to me."

  She picked up the puppy and talked to her, introducing her to her new name. Then she scrambled up and said, "Let's open the box."

  Brady pulled out his pocketknife and slit the box open. They proceeded to pull out food and water bowls, a bag of puppy food, toys, leash, a medium sized fleecy dog bed, another dose of wormer, treats, dental chew bones, and a pamphlet of instructions and tips. Annie had put a bright red collar on when Brady chose the puppy.

  "Look at all this. Brady, I owe you money! Give me the total and I'll write you a check. Or, if you don't want a check, I'll get you cash tomorrow. Or I can get it today, what am I thinking?"

  Brady was shaking his head. "Jake arranged for this. It's all paid for, no worries."

  Jessie's eyes filled with tears and she shook her head, speechless. She started to speak then shook her head again. Her mind was racing, and Brady read her thoughts.

  "Jessie, I didn't come here for your decision. Jake wanted me to do this right away. He said that whether you agreed to what he wanted or not, you were to have your dog. You've got to think it through clearly. If you decide to agree to it, we're taking it through to the finish. It's not going to be half assed. If we do it, we're going to do it right, and neither of us is going to back out."

  Jessie stared at him. "Well, then. I have a whole hell of a lot more thinking to do. I thank you for the puppy. It means a lot to me."

  "Thank Jake. I'm doing what he wanted. But I'm glad you like her. Miss Annie said she's going to make a great companion for you. I'll leave you to your thinking now."

  Jake got the puppy's crate out of the truck, and with that, he was gone. Jessie made sure the little dog did her business in the grass away from the house and then took her inside, making a couple of trips to bring all the goodies in. She chose places for everything and then sat on the floor petting Indy until the pup fell asleep in her new bed. Then Jessie's mind was free to work, and she found her thoughts more confusing than ever. Finally, the puppy woke and she was free of fretting about Jake's request for a while.

  Jessie and Indy had an eventful night with potty trips and Indy's first night sleeping without her littermates. They finally shared Jessie's bed for a few hours of sleep.

  "It sure will be good when the housebreaking is done," Jessie said, watching Indy squat in the grass to pee. "I really hate to use the crate, but maybe it is the best way to get through the nights. If Doc Carter recommends it, I guess it's probably okay. Well, I didn't get much sleep but I did get some thinking time."

  Jessie carried the puppy up the porch steps and then let her down to scamper after her and into the house. She made a pot of coffee and fed Indy, then scrambled a couple of eggs for herself. Fortified by coffee and food, she got dressed and pulled her long golden hair up into a ponytail. She cleaned the kitchen, stopping often to pet and play with Indy. Soon the pup was sound asleep on a rug and Jessie stood thinking for a long minute. She picked up the phone and dialed Brady's cell phone.

  "Hi, Brady, It's Jessie. I was wondering if you could come over here sometime today to talk some more about this proposal of Jake's. I have a lot of questions about exactly what Jake's plans were and how this is all supposed to work."

  Brady said, "Sure. I was hoping you would want to get some more specific details. Is about two hours from now okay?"

  "Yes, I'll see you then."

  When Brady arrived, he had a large envelope with him. "How was your first night with Indy?"

  Jessie laughed. "Well, I've certainly
had better nights as far as sleep. But she's so lovable. I've decided that Doc Carter probably knows what he's talking about when he advises using the crate for nights until her housebreaking is done and she gets used to being away from the other pups."

  Brady chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right. She'll be comfortable in there, and Aussies are usually easy to train so she won't have to be in there long."

  "Well, let's sit down at the table and talk. Would you like something to drink?"

  "No, I'm good for now." Brady sat down at the kitchen table and pulled papers out of the envelope. "Jake had a lot of plans made and he was pretty thorough about writing it all down. He wanted me to know exactly what he had in mind, and he wanted me to make sure that those were the things that happened."

  "I didn't know how specific his plans were, but I knew he had solid ideas about how he wanted to do things."

  "Okay, you probably know that he wanted to raise and breed Black Angus beef cattle. He knew it would be a long process, starting small and gradually growing. Eventually, he wanted to have a good bull for breeding, but he planned to start with twenty heifers with calves. This paperwork has budgets for fence, feed, purchasing the cows, breeding them when the time comes, a tractor and a lot of other stuff. You have a nice hayfield already and one fenced pasture. The grass is good, and there's a pond for watering."

  Jessie was a little stunned. "Wow, he has all that detailed?"

  "Yep. He was really serious about all this. And he was organized and accurate. He picked the brains of a lot of people to make sure he was making the right decisions, including mine. We were on the phone a number of times before we had to go to Afghanistan."

  Jessie got up and paced the floor for a little bit. "And what about your role in managing all this?"

  Brady smiled faintly. "Well, Jake told me, and he has that written down too, that he wanted me to carry out his plans. He expected me to keep you informed about everything at all times but to expect that you would object and argue about it. A lot. He said you would be full of doubts and nervous about spending the money and I should overrule you when appropriate."

  Jessie's eyes were flashing. "That's such bullshit! This is not your place; it's mine!"

  Brady's face was impassive. "And Jake's."

  She stopped short. "God damn it, he has me in a corner. How could he do this?"

  "Jessie, how well did your brother know you? How well did he predict what you're doing up to this point? How well did he know that it would be driving you crazy?"

  She stared at him and then dropped into her chair with a heavy sigh. "Why did he trust you so much? How do I know I can trust you?"

  Brady leaned forward and spoke with intensity. "Jessie, I'm alive today because of your brother. We were brothers in more ways than one. It's my responsibility and my honor to do what he asked me to do. If I let him down in any way, it would be against everything I believe in. Jake was my brother in arms, and I loved him like a brother. Now, if you agree to this, I expect you'll have plenty of times that you'll be really pissed at me. But I will do exactly what your brother wanted. And I'll do it right."

  Jessie thought for a long minute. "So how will it be handled? In practical terms, I mean. There are going to be things to buy and money that has to be spent. What comes first?"

  "Jake has that all down on paper. I'll make the lists of what needs to be purchased, and you have to okay it and sign the checks. If you balk at what has to be bought, it's my job to convince you. And, if necessary, overrule you. I hope that doesn't happen."

  "What do you mean, overrule me?"

  "In case you absolutely refuse to okay something that needs to be done, Jake made arrangements for me to have the ability to access the funds myself."

  Jessie's mouth dropped open. "You've got to be kidding."

  Brady shook his head. "I'm not kidding. There's a copy of the document in here. Why don't we look at some of this paperwork so you can see that Jake's plans are really well organized. Maybe you'd feel better about it if you can see how he wanted to have things done. In the end, this is all to turn this into a place that works for you and honors your brother's wishes."

  Jessie got up and got herself a bottle of water and brought one for Brady. "I hope you know that I'm really biting my tongue right now. I'm going to look at this paperwork, but I think Jake went way too far making this ridiculous plan. I can't believe he ever thought that I'd agree to let you have control over all of this. That I would just sit back and follow your instructions."

  Brady cocked an eyebrow and said, "Oh, I'm pretty sure he didn't think that."

  "Well, that's what he's expecting, isn't it?"

  "Let's look at this; you'll at least know a lot more than you do now."

  For more than an hour, they pored over the paperwork, and gradually, Jessie could see the ranch of Jake's dreams taking shape. She couldn't deny that he had been thoughtful, thorough and practical about how to build the ranch. She got a sudden mental image of a pasture holding sleek black cows with little calves at their sides. She saw the chicken coop he mentioned and herself gathering eggs in the mornings. She saw a couple of quarter horses in their stalls in the barn and imagined riding across the ranch with her dog chasing after her. Jessie got quieter and quieter.

  Finally, Brady sat back and rubbed his eyes. "So what do you think?"

  Jessie said softly, "I can visualize Jake's ranch. Damn him!"

  "I should go and let you have time to digest it all."

  Jessie was distracted. "Yes. I have to think. It's so much."

  "Okay." Brady gathered up the papers and put them back in the envelope. "I'll wait to hear from you."

  Jessie waved a hand at him, lost in thought. Brady let himself out and got into his truck. As he drove away, he said out loud, "Damn, Jake. What have I let myself in for? She's more upset than ever, and I can't blame her. I hope you knew what you were doing, buddy."

  By the time Jessie crawled into bed that night, she was mentally exhausted. She got the puppy's crate ready with a blanket, toy and a warm water bottle under the blanket. She set the crate not far from her bed and the little dog settled down nicely. Jessie pulled the covers up under her chin and drifted off into a deep sleep. Sometime during the night, her brother came to her in her dreams.

  "Hey, Jess, I miss you."

  "I miss you too, Jake."

  "When are you going to quit giving Brady a hard time and admit this is a good plan? I asked for your promise. Just like I asked for his. It was our dream, you know, not just mine. I want to see you on your horse, looking over the new calves. I want you to have our dream. I have to go now."

  "No! Jake, stay."

  "Promise me, Jess. Promise me…"

  Jessie woke with a start. There were tears on her face and she could still see her brother in her mind. She lay there for a long time, and just before she fell back to sleep, she thought, okay, Jake. I promise.

  * * *

  Jessie woke, feeling rested and lighter, somehow. Then she heard her puppy whine and scrambled out of bed to rush her outside to pee. She made breakfast for them both and after the pup had done her business outside, she let her play in the bedroom while she took a shower. She thought about her dream and tried to find the outrage that she had felt the day before, but it was gone. Instead, she felt peaceful. With a little start of surprise, she realized that she had accepted her brother's plans. She dressed and dried her hair, laughing at Indy's startled reaction to the hair dryer.

  She debated waiting a while to call Brady but realized that she was feeling a little thrill of anticipation at the thought of getting Jake's plans started. With a little flutter of butterflies in her belly, she dialed Brady's number.

  "Hello? Jessie?"

  "Good morning, Brady," she said and took a deep breath. "Okay. I say okay. Don't make me regret it."

  Truly surprised, Brady said, "Really? You're sure?"

  Firmly, Jessie said, "I'm sure. I have to see Jake's dreams happen."

  "O
kay. I guess you and I should make some plans then."

  "Yes. For one thing, you might as well bring your things here. You can stay in Jake's room. Or, if that makes you uncomfortable, there's another bedroom. I assume you're going to be here full time, right?"

  "Yes, it's going to be a fulltime job. You sure you want me staying there?"

  "Jake said I could trust you. So, yes. I'm going to trust Jake."

  "Okay, I'll be there in a couple of hours. I won't let you down."

  "Just don't let Jake down, and we'll be good."

  A short time later, Brady arrived, and Jessie showed him into Jake's room. "I can't stay in Jake's room. I'd feel like he was watching me all the time. I've got enough to live up to without him breathing down my neck."

  Jessie laughed. "Okay, come on down the hall. This room is a little smaller but not much."

  "Okay, this'll be fine. I've got another bag out in the truck." He dropped his duffel bag near the dresser.

  Jessie said, "The dresser is empty and so is the closet, so you should have plenty of room for your stuff. The bathroom is right at the end of the hall, and there are plenty of towels and stuff in the linen closet in there. Just make yourself at home."

  Brady got his other bag out of the truck and put his things away neatly and efficiently while Jessie busied herself in the kitchen. He looked around the neat, comfortable room and shook his head. I hope this doesn't turn out to be a real mess. Jake, maybe you ought to be breathing down my neck a little. Wish me luck, buddy.

  He walked out into the kitchen and said, "I'm going to go out and take a look at the fence around that pasture and the barn, see if we need some repairs right away. We're going to need something to get around the fields besides driving a truck all over the place."

  "Well, what's in Jake's plan?"

  "First thing he had down to purchase is a dependable four wheeler. There's a place in town that has some used ones. Hopefully, we can find something decent there."

  Jessie felt an anxious little knot in her belly. "A four wheeler. That sounds expensive."

  "Better get used to it. There's going to be a lot of expense at first. Don't worry; I'll find a fair deal. I've got no intention of being wasteful with your money."