by Deb Kastner
How could this have happened?
Simon’s mouth opened and closed but no words came out. Miranda watched his face blanch under his stubble.
“Where are they?” he ground out coarsely. “Where are my dogs? I know I shut the kennel doors. And the gate—”
From a distance came the sound of barking. At first it was just one or two dogs, but then the chorus picked up and howling filled the entire neighborhood.
Simon scrambled for the barn. The door was open there, as well. Dash was still stabled, but the cattle dogs were missing.
All of them. Even the puppies.
“Someone’s been in here. They stole the dogs. What am I going to do, Miranda?” His voice was coming in sharp, staccato bursts, his tone somewhere between panic and tears. “My whole life’s work. They’re all gone. If I lose the dogs, I’ve lost everything. I’ve got to go after them.”
She reached for his hand to steady him.
“Before we go off half-cocked, let’s go back inside and think things through.”
“There’s no time for that.” Simon’s voice had risen an octave.
“It’s better if we stop and make a plan,” she said, taking his hand and urging him to return to the house. She placed the twins in a portable playpen so they couldn’t get into too much mischief and turned her attention fully on Simon. “There’s two of us. If we split up, we can cover more ground, as long as we’re not crossing over each other. And I’m not positive the dogs have been stolen. With the cacophony out there, it sounds like your dogs are all over the neighborhood. I think they got out on their own somehow and escaped through the gate.”
He groaned. “That’s even worse. I don’t know how that could have happened. I know I shut the kennels tight, and the gate was closed when I came back inside the house.
“If they’re running all over town, I’ll never get them all back. Think of all the kids who won’t get their puppy on Christmas morning. And my herding dogs—I can’t replace them. And even if I could, I was training a few ranchers’ dogs for them. What am I going to tell them? That I lost their expensive cattle dogs?” He sank onto the couch and put his head in his hands. “I’m done for. Finished.”
“I don’t believe that.” She had no idea how she was going to fix this problem, but Simon was not going to lose his life’s work in one fell swoop. She would do anything in her power to see that didn’t happen.
She had to figure this out, and fast.
“The kennels were open. The barn door was open. And so was the gate. If it wasn’t someone trying to steal your dogs, then—”
“It was the pranksters,” Simon finished for her. “I told you things were going to get out of hand. I just didn’t realize I’d be the victim.”
His words could have been an accusation, but they weren’t. They were more of a statement of fact, as if he had already given up.
“Simon, listen to me. The pranksters. I think I know who they are.”
His head snapped up. “You what?”
Now she had his full attention. His eyes blazed into hers.
“What do you mean you know who they are? You’re part of the neighborhood watch team. You were supposed to report them to me if you caught them in action.”
“Well, that’s just it. I didn’t exactly catch them in action. I—”
She paused. “It will be easier for me to show you than to tell you. Can you watch the twins for a moment while I go get my camera?”
He nodded, his expression stony. Harper and Hudson were contentedly playing in the pop-up playpen Simon had bought for use at his house.
He was going to blame her for this—and maybe he’d be right in doing so. She was a member of the neighborhood watch. She should have told Simon about her theory as soon as she’d discovered it herself.
But she’d stayed silent, and now, because she hadn’t spoken up when she first found out, Simon might be losing everything that was dear to him.
She couldn’t imagine why the church youth group teens would play a cruel prank like this. They had to know how important Simon’s dogs were to him, even if he wasn’t a member of the church.
Simon was right. The pranks had gone from innocent to harmful.
But one piece of the puzzle didn’t fit.
There was nothing artistic about letting dogs loose.
She stopped just short of Simon’s porch and looked around for clues. What had the teenagers meant by this cruel act? Was it possible it was even the same people, or was it someone who’d taken advantage of the teenagers’ mischief to do something harmful that they’d be blamed for?
“Hold on a moment,” she said, racing outside to get her camera from the car. As she approached the porch, she took a determined look around. Her heart fell when she saw the evergreen wreath Simon had hung on his door. Inside, someone had placed a carved wooden Triple H.
So it was the youth group.
“I’m so sorry,” she said as she reentered the ranch house. “This is all my fault. I knew who it was, and I didn’t say anything.”
“How could you?”
She understood why he was directing his anger at her, and she didn’t blame him for it in the least.
She pulled up the photos on her camera and found the ones she’d taken of the youth group under the elm tree in the park.
“What am I looking for?” Simon asked. “Is this the bunch of kids who just ruined my life?”
“This is the church youth group,” she admitted miserably.
“The church youth group?” he parroted. “I don’t believe it.”
“Neither did I. That’s why I didn’t say anything. But if you look at the trunk of the tree just above where the teenagers are standing, you’ll see a carving of the Triple H brand.”
“How long have you known? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I thought it must be a mistake. I rationalized my way out of my original conclusions. I figured that anyone could have put that mark there. It didn’t have to be the youth group.”
“Which is true.”
“Yes, except they specifically asked me to photograph them under that tree. I think it might have been a joke to them.”
“I’m not laughing.”
“Neither am I,” she agreed gravely.
“What now?” He shoved both hands into his hair. “We both go and canvass the neighborhoods looking for the dogs? Even if I find some of them, I don’t see how I can recover from this.”
“Not if it’s just the two of us. Let me make a phone call. We need all the help we can get.”
She went into the kitchen to call Pastor Corbit. She had an idea, but she wasn’t sure Simon would go along with it. She thought it was better that she just put the plan in motion and then tell him what it was.
She returned to the living room a minute later.
“The youth group is on its way over. We’ll mobilize them to canvass the neighborhoods in cars and on foot. And Pastor Corbit has contacted the prayer chain. Everyone in town will know to look out for your dogs.”
“You’re bringing the pranksters over here to look for my dogs?” he asked, astounded. “Why would you do that?”
“Because despite everything, I think they want to help. There are some things that still don’t add up. There is nothing remotely artistic about what they’ve done today. I want to hear their explanation before I call in a judgment.”
“I’m not as kind as you. I want to call the police, except that I’d end up with animal control coming out and I’ll be the one taking the brunt of all this. Fat lot of good building the privacy fence along the south border did me.”
“You already are.” She brushed her palm across his face but he jerked away from her, refusing to meet her gaze.
“Let me talk to the youths. I think
I hear some of them approaching now.” She was afraid he might lose his temper with the kids before she was able to find out what had actually occurred. Somehow, she felt like there was more to the story than a group of teenagers sneaking onto a ranch in the dark and freeing all the dogs from Simon’s rescue so they would run off into the night.
That just didn’t sound right.
It wasn’t long before the entire group was assembled out in Simon’s front yard. She could tell by the looks on their faces that they were as appalled by what happened as she felt.
“Who wants to tell me what’s going on?” she asked gravely.
They all looked at each other without speaking. After a few seconds a boy with his hair dyed as black as night stepped forward. Miranda recognized him as Owen Blake, the son of a local rancher.
“It’s my fault. We all let the dogs out of their kennels, but I was the last one out. We heard a noise and thought someone was coming, so we left in a hurry. I must not have closed the gate correctly. I didn’t mean for this to happen, Miss Morgan, but I’m the one to blame. The rest of the group isn’t at fault.”
Another boy stepped forward. “I opened the barn door. I got sidetracked by the puppies. I must not have shut the door behind me when I left. You can blame me, too.”
“Let’s not point fingers here. We’re running out of time. Do you want to tell me why you all were here sneaking around in the first place?”
“The dog adoptions,” a girl with a short blond bob said. Her name was Wendy, although Miranda couldn’t remember whose daughter she was. “We brought out Christmas ribbons to put bows around their necks, since they’ll all be presents for little kids. We let the dogs wander outside the kennels because we thought Mr. West would be sure and notice them that way. We had some extra ribbon left over, and we thought it might be a nice surprise for Mr. West if we put bows on his cattle dog puppies.”
“That’s lovely,” Miranda said. “I knew in my heart you all were trying to do something nice.”
“Yeah, but I messed it all up,” Owen said miserably. “Now all of Mr. West’s dogs are gone.”
“We’ve already got the prayer chain going to let folks around town know to look out for stray dogs. We’re asking ranchers to saddle up and check out their acreages. How many of you have cars?”
Several of the teenagers raised their hands.
“Go in small groups. Park at the end of a street and canvass the neighborhoods by foot. Let’s designate a couple of you to bring Simon’s dogs back to the ranch as you find them. Who has a truck?”
Nearly everyone who’d initially raised their hands when Miranda had asked about having a vehicle raised their hands again. This was the country, and most of the residents of Wildhorn were ranchers. Folks tended to own trucks over cars so they could tow horse trailers.
They quickly organized who was going where, and who would be bringing the dogs back to the ranch. Miranda was staying at the ranch and playing point person. Everyone put her cell number on their phone before they left.
After a few final instructions, she walked everyone out past the gate and waved as they took off down the lane, then decided to check the barn.
As she entered, she thought she heard a sound from the far end of the barn. It was already twilight and it was getting more and more difficult to see by the minute. Soon it would be full-on night. Miranda prayed most of the dogs would be found before then. She didn’t want to think about what would happen to the ones who got away.
She pulled the gate of the farthest stall open, looking for the source of the sounds, and was delighted to see five little roly-poly puppies in a box half-covered in Christmas wrap with a roll of tape nearby. Someone had clearly moved them from the stall nearest the entrance, but it was equally obvious that that person had left in a hurry, just as the other teens had done. The puppies were all bedecked in red and green bows, crawling over each other as their mama paced around the box.
“Shadow,” Miranda said, crouching to pet the blue heeler’s neck. “Boy, am I glad to see you. And all of your puppies, of course. Let’s get you back to the stall where you belong, so I can bring Simon some good news.”
Chapter Fifteen
Just when Simon thought it couldn’t get worse, it got worse.
He was sitting on the sofa, watching the twins play and waiting for Miranda to come back inside and tell him why the youth group had ruined his life. He expected she’d probably have some kind of fancy story to tell, giving him some reason she thought he ought to forgive them for what they’d done.
Was this how Jesus felt in the Garden of Gethsemane, when His friends had turned their backs on Him and He had lost everything?
He had no idea what he was going to do next. He supposed that partially depended on how many dogs they managed to round up, and how many would be lost to him permanently. It made him sick to his stomach just to think about it.
What was he going to tell all those excited children on Christmas morning, when they woke up and didn’t find their puppy underneath the tree?
And what about the ranchers whose investments in their cattle dogs had now disappeared under his watch? He didn’t have the money to pay them back for what they’d lost, although he’d find the way to do it somehow, even if it took him years.
Chummy bumped Simon’s hand with his wet nose, demanding affection, but Simon barely noticed. Chummy jumped onto the couch and burrowed in his lap, determined to make him feel better.
He sighed. At least he hadn’t lost Chummy. And Loki was lying down by the fire. Zig and Zag were around somewhere, although now all of his plans with those two had been completely dashed to pieces on the rocks. With his life in ruins, he could not possibly ask Miranda and Hudson and Harper to be a part of it.
He’d lost his reputation.
He’d lost his dogs.
And now he was going to lose Miranda and the twins.
He didn’t even know how to start over, but whatever he did, he wasn’t going to drag Miranda down with him. She was loyal to a fault, and he knew she wouldn’t abandon him in his time of need. But she would never know about his true feelings for her, because he was never going to share them with her.
She deserved better, and though it would shatter his heart into billions of pieces to let her go, he knew that was what he had to do. It was the right thing to do. He couldn’t tell her how he felt now.
His cell phone chirped and jerked him out of his thoughts, startling him so much that he almost dropped it.
Good news?
Had someone found one of his dogs?
“Hello?” he said tentatively.
“How dare you let one of your dogs loose to roam about in the streets in the middle of the night.”
Blanche Stanton. Exaggerating as usual.
“You’ve seen one of my dogs?”
“I have it right here. I found it wandering around in my bushes. A little gray fluffy thing. It doesn’t bite, does it?”
“That’s Sasha, my senior toy poodle mix, and no, she doesn’t bite. She’s one of the sweetest dogs I have.”
How had Sasha gotten out? She wasn’t even outside with the rest of them. She must have slipped off when he’d been distracted.
“Well, I don’t appreciate her nosing around my house.”
“Look, Blanche, it’s been kind of a rough day. I’ll come get her as soon as I’m able, okay? But it might be a little while.”
“Don’t bother,” Blanche said gruffly. “I’m bringing her back to you. And I’m going to stay right there at your ranch until the animal control officer arrives. I’ve already called in to report you. Do you hear me?”
Simon didn’t answer. His breath had been punched from his lungs.
He was in trouble. Big trouble.
Even if they found most of the dogs, he’d stil
l be accountable for having let them escape, as well he should be. At the end of the day, he was responsible for every one of his dogs. And if they got into any mischief, it was all on him.
None of his dogs was unfriendly. They’d all passed the AKC Good Citizen’s certification. But he knew some people considered dogs in general dangerous. Officer Peterson had given him a break last time he’d visited, but there would be no bending rules this time, especially with Blanche Stanton looking on.
“Guess who I found,” Miranda said as she came inside the house.
He was leaning on his elbows, staring at the floor, and he didn’t even bother to look up. He couldn’t stand to look Miranda in the eyes right now.
Not because he was angry with her. He didn’t know why she had kept her suspicions about the youth group a secret, but he was sure she had her reasons. The truth was, he didn’t want to let her see him with tears in his eyes, in his greatest moment of weakness.
He was heartbroken.
“I found Shadow and her babies in one of the stalls in the barn,” Miranda continued animatedly, but Simon couldn’t wrap his mind around her words. “One of the teens must have moved them to the back of the barn, but they’re safe and sound. All five puppies. I made sure the door was shut good and tight this time.”
Shadow was safe. That was good news. And her puppies. Could he make a new start with one dog and her puppies?
“Simon, did you hear me? I found Shadow and the puppies. Isn’t that good news?”
When he didn’t respond, she sank down next to him on the couch and put her arm around his shoulders.
“This isn’t over yet. We’re working on getting all the dogs corralled as we speak. I’ve got the entire youth group out looking for them, and the church prayer chain is spreading the word throughout town to be on the lookout for stray dogs. It hasn’t been that long. They can’t have gone far. We’ll get them all back, Simon. I know we will.”
He held his cell phone up for her inspection.