Cupid to the Rescue: A Tail-Wagging Valentine's Day Anthology

by Lisa Mondello

  Kathy stood quietly for a moment before turning toward the loving canine Teresa had rescued as a pup almost five years ago. Sheba sat at attention, her eyes following the young woman’s every move.

  “I’m not leaving you behind, girlfriend. Don’t you worry. You and I are taking a road trip!”

  The dog whined and trotted to the door, tail wagging.

  Kathy looked at her in astonishment. “How the heck did you understand that?”

  Sheba sighed, walked to Kathy’s suitcase, and waited.

  “Goodness, Sheb. Maybe we should have called you Einstein.”

  A small yelp came next.

  Kathy laughed and started staging the rest of her belongings. “Okay, puppy,” she said with affection. “Let’s pack up the car and go to a place called Pilgrim Cove. You’ll be able to run on the beach all you want. And I will be able to work in peace. No one to bother us.” Exactly what she needed to keep up with two careers, especially her writing.

  “Sea View House will be perfect.”

  Her Roadside Rescues: Chapter 2

  Halfway to her destination, Kathy struggled to see through the onslaught of rain hammering on her windshield. The darkening sky in Boston had been the prelude to a true winter storm.

  “Dang, Sheba. Those drops are turning into pellets of ice. Should have waited until tomorrow.” She tapped the brakes, took a deep breath, and focused ahead. Sleet could turn the roads into slippery runways with little traction for her snow tires, good ones her dad had insisted she buy. She’d taken his advice—it was easier than arguing—and now was glad she had. But if the temperature continued to drop, the freezing rain would turn into solid ice.

  “And we’ll all be like bumper cars in an amusement park,” she muttered, “slamming each other all over the place, snow tires or not.”

  The SUV in front of her had set a slow, steady pace, and Kathy adjusted her speed to match. So far, so good. In the rearview mirror, dim headlights shone through the sleet. Just stay back. Ten minutes passed, then twenty. The SUV continued to maintain the same speed even when the sleet changed again to rain.

  “Rain’s better than ice, Sheba, but I’m going to stay behind that SUV as long as it’s going our way.”

  A whine came from the back seat as soon as the dog heard her name. Her grandmother’s precious companion was tethered securely with a harness attached to the seat belt. Kathy could see the top of her blond head in the mirror.

  A rotary ahead sign appeared. “I think we’re getting closer, Sheb.” Kathy reduced her slow speed further, easing the car into a gentle turn, and followed the circle around to the opposite side of the rotary before exiting. A straight path lay ahead, which, according to a dimly lit road sign, led to a bridge and Pilgrim Cove.

  “I did my research, Sheb, and three miles after the bridge is all we have.” She almost let herself relax. Almost. A native of New England winters, however, she knew better than to let her guard down when the prize was in sight.

  “A quick visit to Bart Quinn for the keys, and we’ll be cozy in our new place before we know it.” Chatter, chatter. A real chatty Kathy. Not her normal habit. She grasped the wheel more tightly and spotted another road sign.

  Welcome to Pilgrim Cove. Population: Winter—5000. Summer—Lots Higher.

  “Well, someone has a sense of… Oh, oh…!” From the corner of her eye, she saw movement—maybe a dog or a cat—limping from the berm onto the road. The brake lights of the SUV blazed on. The car skidded and fishtailed left, right, and around, stopping only when it hit a tree on the right-side road edge, beyond the animal. Kathy tapped her brakes several times, kept control of the car, and pulled up in front of the damaged vehicle.

  “Stay there, Sheba. I’ll be right back.” She opened her door and almost lost her breath in the cold air. The driver she’d happily followed for the last hour, confident that he or she knew what they were doing behind the wheel, had opened the driver-side door. Definitely a he with work boots and jeans. She ignored him, however, and raced to the injured animal. A whimpering, shaking black-and-white mix who favored his front right paw.

  She squatted to the ground. “Oh, you poor thing.” All the admonitions about not approaching strange dogs fled her mind, and she stretched out her arm toward the injured pup. “Come on, sweet boy.”

  A deep voice came from above and behind her. “No, I’m not hurt, but thanks for asking. My car’s a mess.”

  “Just look at this poor pup,” she replied. With not a glance at the man, Kathy focused on the dog and spoke softly. “Come on, sweetheart. You can trust me.”

  The mutt stood still and cocked his head. One ear came up. Kathy continued to coo and reach out. Slowly, the dog limped to her and she scooped him up. “You’ll get warm in the car, fella. And that guy over there will have to get you to a vet.”

  The guy was on his cell phone. She walked over and parked herself next to him. No hat, dark hair blowing around. A frown marred his forehead. He definitely did not look happy.

  “Cavelli’s Garage, right?” He checked a paper he held. “Good. This is Brandon Bigelow, Ralph’s nephew. We met at the diner. Yeah. I’m here now. But I seem to have had a run-in with a tree right outside town, near the neck.”

  He paused to listen, then studied his vehicle. “Yes, you’ll need a tow truck. Thanks. I’ll wait for you.” He disconnected.

  “No!” protested Kathy. “Call them back. You need to go to a vet. I’ll give you a ride.”

  His wide-eyed expression said it all. He thought she was crazy. “Number one, this is not my dog and his care is not my problem. In fact, he caused me problems. Number two, I have to wait for the tow. And number three, why were you following me for an hour?”

  “It’s too cold to talk outside. I’ll wait in my car until your tow comes, and then we’ll go to the vet.” Her heart pounded. Arguing with strangers was a lot harder than arguing with her brothers.

  “You haven’t been listening, sweetheart. This dog is not my resp—”

  “Oh, yes he is,” she interrupted. “You saved his life, and now he’s yours—at least temporarily. You’re responsible.”

  “And this is why I choose to work alone, live alone, and not get involved. It’s better that way.” With that, he turned and opened the door of his SUV.

  “Well, sweetheart,” she mimicked, “You’re involved now. I’ll be waiting to take you and poochie to the animal doctor. In the meantime, you can figure out where the vet’s located.” She leaned toward the rescue. “C’mon, buddy. Let’s get you warm. Sheba will love hanging out with you for a while.”

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Brandon slid back into the driver’s seat and took a deep breath. Hitting the tree counted as his third strike. First, the horrible breakup that caught him like a deer in the headlights, second, getting kicked out of his apartment building, and now, this…this stupid, unnecessary dog incident. And the woman! A small brunette with long wavy hair hanging down beneath her woolen hat. A petite brunette who thought she was an Amazon. If he weren’t so annoyed, he’d laugh.

  His palm itched, and his fingers started dancing. He chuckled at the familiar feeling and went with it. Reaching for a pad and pen, he quickly sketched the outraged Amazon with her hands on her hips, sporting an Avenger-type costume. He glanced toward her Honda Civic. Could see her bending over the rescue in the front seat. He turned back to his sketch and scattered a bunch of hearts around the figure. An Avenger with heart. Heck, nothing new there. Weren’t they all like that beneath their costumes?

  He pressed the voice option on his cell and asked for a veterinarian in Pilgrim Cove. He’d give Avenger woman the address and send her on her way. Hopefully, the collision shop could lend him a vehicle for a couple of days.

  As he scribbled the information, he saw the woman leave her car and open the back door. A moment later, a different dog—a leashed one—jumped out and trotted toward the tree line to do some business. The woman was obviously a sucker for canines, exactly the right perso
n to help the injured mutt.

  He exited his vehicle with the vet’s address just as the tow truck appeared. Action! Brandon felt himself relax, glad to get on with his day.

  The driver parked and walked over. “Charlie Cavelli from the shop. My dad took your call.” He extended his hand. “Lousy weather, but we’ll tow her in and get her fixed up. You can ride with me.”

  “Great—”

  “No, he can’t. There’s an injured dog involved, and we need to get him to a veterinarian.”

  Taking him off guard, she’d planted herself at his elbow.

  Charlie looked from one to the other, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the damaged vehicle. “Is that what happened here?” As he turned toward Brandon, a smile lurked. “Well, you did the right thing, and we’ll get your CR-V fixed up ASAP. The dog might have come from old Rita Murray’s collection. She lives way back over on the other side of the trees.”

  That was more information than Brandon needed or wanted to know. The man walked toward his truck, then turned. “Oh, you folks’ll be needing Adam Fielding, left side of this main road as soon as you hit town. He’s the vet around here. Excellent man. Our family trusts him.”

  Brandon dangled his research paper in front of Avenger woman. “Here you go. Good luck. I’ll wait here while Charlie does his work.”

  Even in the waning light, Brandon could see renewed determination in her strong posture and set jaw. Her alert gaze pierced him. But it was her low-pitched voice that held him. “You saved his life,” she began, “but he still needs help, and now you’re going to walk away? I don’t think so.”

  “Start thinking again.”

  She stood taller. “Then you consider this: if I go to the vet alone, I will have two dogs—one injured—in the car with me while I’m behind the wheel.

  Next thing you know, I might crash into a tree myself. Is that what you want?”

  “Of course not!” The woman’s imagination knew no bounds. It matched her ability to manipulate him.

  “I knew it! I knew I could trust you.” From a determined woman to a delighted girl.

  Man, he had to straighten her out. “Nonsense. We’re strangers. You don’t know me at all. How could you make a judgment like that?”

  A smile lit her eyes. “Stop sounding so tough. Why do you think I followed you on this horrible drive? You kept a steady, safe pace, eased to your stops, and signaled way in advance if you were changing lanes. I felt a lot safer than navigating through this crud all alone.”

  He recognized defeat when he met it. So strange that the Avenger trusted him without a personal meet, while it took a year for his ex-fiancée not to trust a future together. A corporate-world exec had caught her eye. And he had caught them—in bed.

  “Okay, sunshine. You win this round.” He turned toward Charlie, who was standing closer than he’d thought—and laughing.

  “Buddy, you’ve got your hands full.” He handed Brandon some paperwork.

  Surprised at the man’s assessment—and confused—Brandon could only ask, “What do you mean? We just met. Don’t know each other at all.”

  This time a deep belly laugh lingered in the air as Charlie Cavelli took the signed papers and went to his truck. “But you will, my friend. You surely will.”

  A familiar feeling swept through Brandon, that down-the-rabbit-hole feeling he’d had in the Diner on the Dunes the week before. He shrugged it off. By tomorrow, he’d be back to his routines and the pleasure of being satisfyingly alone at Sea View House.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Kathy tossed her car keys to the man she’d followed. “You drive. I’ve got to hold little Rocky on my lap.

  “How do you know his name?”

  “I just gave it to him. Seems to me his life has been a rocky road, hm?”

  The man shook his head. “He probably has a name. And a home…”

  “Not a good home or he’d never have left. The only collar he has is a dirty piece of red string.”

  She opened the front passenger door. The dog lay exactly as she’d left him on the seat. Quiet. Resting. Breathing. Gently, she maneuvered her arms underneath him and maneuvered herself inside. Books and a carton took up all the floor space, so she folded her legs crosswise as best she could and wriggled onto the seat. Sheba whined and stuck her snout under Kathy’s arm. “You’re fine, girl. We’re all just fine.”

  The man opened his door and Kathy felt Sheba stiffen. Barks emerged.

  “A damn menagerie,” he muttered, shoving something at her. “Here, can you take my laptop?”

  “It’s okay, Sheba,” she said, putting his computer atop the book carton. “He’s a nice guy, no matter how grumpy he sounds. His name is…sheesh…I don’t even know it.”

  “No reason to. Consider our meeting a brief interlude.” He tried to adjust himself behind the wheel. “You must be three feet tall. I’m a folded taco.”

  She giggled. “Sorry. I had to adjust the seat. My entire life is in this car, at least all the important stuff. So, no extra room.” She stroked the dog on her lap over and over.

  “I know the feeling well.” He started the car, checked the mirrors, and pulled onto the road.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.”

  “I don’t like his loose coat, and I’m feeling some ribs underneath. Not a good sign.”

  He pointed ahead. “Tell it to the vet. Remember, he’s about a mile up on the left. Keep your eyes peeled for the office. Cavelli back there told me this Adam Fielding is a sucker for strays. You’re in luck.”

  She continued stroking the bedraggled mixed breed on her lap and heard the dog sigh. “I bet Charlie meant that the doc is tireless in finding good homes for his rescues.”

  “Spin it however you want, sunshine. We’re almost there.”

  “My name is Kathy, and I’m not your sunshine or sweetheart. So, cut it out.”

  She heard his long whistle of acknowledgement. “Yes, ma’am. Kathy. Katherine. Kat.”

  “Katarina.” She pivoted slightly in her seat. “Don’t ruin your image. I’m really starting not to like you at all—even though you’re a great driver.”

  His laughter filled the car. All the tension, the furrows, and tight mouth disappeared as her companion made a left turn into Dr. Fielding’s driveway. “Maybe I’ll come back as an Uber driver in my next life.”

  He parked the car and said, “Stay put until I ring the bell. It’s still raining.”

  Like she cared. The entire day felt like an out-of-body experience. Since when did she make a habit of befriending strangers? Since when did she verbally spar with anyone? She lived a quiet life. By herself. On a computer. Calculating numbers, statistics, risk—as well as writing mysteries. And enjoyed writing so much that she’d left Boston and her family to find a quiet place. Right now, however, her road seemed as rocky as her rescued pup’s.

  A minute later, Uber-man was opening her door. “Let’s go.”

  “You take Rocky,” she said, offering him the dog. “I need to get Sheba.”

  He mumbled something, but scooped the dog up, while she untangled her legs and stood on firm ground.

  A minute later inside the office, a smiling man and young girl greeted them and led them to an exam room in the back. “Let’s get this boy on the table.”

  “Uh-oh, Dad. It’s one of Rita Murray’s.”

  “I’ve heard that name,” said Kathy. She glanced at her partner-in- rescue. “Didn’t Charlie mention that name when he came to tow the car?”

  “No doubt,” said the vet while running his hands over the dog. “It’s a problem. Mrs. Murray thinks the red string is a collar, and that makes her the owner. Therefore, the dogs have a place to live.” He sighed. “Doesn’t work that way. This fellow is undernourished. Now, let’s take a look at these feet.”

  “I’ll be in the waiting room.”

  “But it’s your dog….” Kathy protested.

  Uber-man had suited action to words so quickly, however, she’d
spoken to an empty corner. “Well don’t let the door hit ya…”

  “Squeamish?”

  “I wouldn’t know. Don’t even know his name. It’s been quite an adventure.”

  “That’s life,” said the vet in a satisfied voice. “Take your girl to the waiting room and leave her there. This rescue has fleas, a cut paw and malnutrition. Very normal for a homeless canine.”

  “Oh, my…” said Kathy, walking toward the door and motioning the Uber guy over. “Take Sheba for a few minutes.” She leaned over to kiss her. “It’s okay, girl. I’ll be right back.”

  When she returned inside, Dr. Fielding’s words offered some relief.

  “I’ll keep him overnight and doctor him, as my patients’ parents like to say.” He turned toward his daughter. “Sara, get some of the puppy chow and a bowl of water.”

  “I know, Dad. Puppy food is easier to digest, even though this one’s not really a puppy anymore.” She glanced at Kathy. “I love rescuing animals and finding homes. I’m glad you brought this dog here. And I’m so glad he really does have a new home.”

  “You’d better take those gorgeous dark eyes and dazzling smile into the waiting room and tell Uber man he’s now a proud dog owner. He’s the one who saved Rocky’s life and hit a tree for his efforts.”

  The girl’s eyes widened. “Wow! Then he’s got to love him.” She cooed at the dog. “Underneath all your dirt and matted fur is really a pretty boy.” The youngster ran for the dog food, then darted into the waiting room, seeking her prey.

  “She wants to be a vet, too, but she’ll give away more than she earns,” grumbled her dad while offering some chow to his patient.

  “She’ll be happy,” said Kathy. “And she’ll figure it all out.” Like she had. Half corporate, half self-employed. And very happy.

  The door opened and Uber man entered. “I left your daughter with Katarina’s dog so I can wind things up here and be on my way.” He reached for his wallet. “So how much will this little visit set me back?”