by Debbie Burns
This morning, Ollie was plopped in front of a row of seven dogs that ranged in size from wiener short to Great Dane tall. He made up story after story from the two illustrated Harry Potter books included in today’s reading bag. As she cleaned kennels, Mia heard him saying endearing things like “Since you’re dogs and not birds, it’ll be hard to imagine flying in a car almost as high as the clouds. You probably don’t even notice the clouds, but they help make the sun not so hot in summer, and they bring snow sometimes in winter.”
His fantastical stories warmed her heart as she cleaned kennels and rotated the dogs in and out of the play yard. As she worked, she changed out their dishes and offered fresh toys for the day.
She was bringing in Clara Bee from the play yard when Tess asked her, Patrick, and Adrianne, a volunteer, to join her and Megan in the front room for an impromptu meeting.
Mia got Clara Bee settled in her kennel, exchanged yesterday’s chew toy for a new rope, and gave the sweet dog a pat on the head. “Sweet girl, one more day and you’re headed to your new home. I may cry when you leave, but I promise they’ll be happy tears.”
Finished with Clara Bee, she asked Ollie to relocate his reading stool to the Cat-a-Climb in the front room. The timing was perfect since he was in the process of switching out books.
Ollie trailed after her without complaint, and Patrick, who’d been hosing out a newly empty kennel, followed, eyeing Ollie a bit dubiously. Patrick was great with animals—spectacular, actually—and a bit awkward around adults, but he looked at kids and babies as if they were alien life-forms. Mia was well versed in Patrick’s eccentricities, having known him for the six or seven years he’d worked there, so she’d never taken offense. Thankfully, Ollie hadn’t seemed to notice.
Up front, everyone was gathering around Megan, who was on a stool behind the main counter. A bit uncharacteristically for a Saturday morning, especially one less than two weeks before Christmas, the only customers were a man and woman speaking in Russian over by the cat kennels and a woman heading out the door with two bags of gift-shop purchases.
As soon as everyone was together, Megan gave them an apologetic grimace. “So I know it’s our busy season, but I’ve just canceled the Saturday walk, and I’m hoping to divert as many of us as we can get by without over to Forest Park. My friend Bernie from animal control called. A jogger spotted some lady freeing several dogs from the back of a van near Steinberg Skating Rink. From what Bernie said, the dogs are loose and running everywhere in the park.”
“By freeing, do you mean dumping?” Fidel’s mouth turned down in a frown.
Megan gave a helpless shrug. “It sounds like it. Animal control has two people on it, Bernie and another guy who’s having a hard time on the uneven ground after a knee replacement. There are way too many dogs running around for them to handle. And you know as well as I do, the longer it goes, the more likely these dogs are to end up strays. If we go now, we could help catch them while they’re still safe in the park.”
She paused and looked around at the group. “Insurance-wise, I can’t send anyone out to work on an active dumped-animal roundup…but anyone who’d like to take a break for a walk around the park won’t be asked to make up their hours. Hint, hint.”
“I’m so in.” Tess raised a hand high, sending her long, dark hair tumbling over her shoulder. “I’ll call Mason too. I bet he’s up for it. Now that he’s so bonded with John Ronald, he’s a total sucker when he hears anything about a stray dog.”
“Great, Tess. The more, the merrier. We shouldn’t go as far as bringing catchpoles, but we could load up with the best treats and bring slipknot leashes. We have six open kennels. Any dogs we’re lucky enough to catch could be brought here or fostered into homes while animal control figures out what their owner was doing.”
Fidel offered to go as well.
Patrick, on the other hand, was less fond of abrupt routine changes and looked at his watch with a furrowed brow. “I’ll stay and cover the front. You’ll need a skeleton crew here. Unless you want to lock the doors. But as today is the second-to-last Saturday before Christmas, that wouldn’t be in the best interest of the current stock. Five or six animals could get adopted this afternoon.”
“I was hoping you’d offer to stay, Patrick. I know you’ll have everything handled.”
Mia raced through her options. She desperately wanted to go, but bringing a seven-year-old along on an attempt to catch unknown dogs wasn’t the smartest thing to do.
“I’m almost done in back and would love to help,” she said. “Let me see about getting someone to watch Ollie.” She stepped off to the side to call Irene and wasn’t that surprised when Irene didn’t answer. Her mother-in-law hadn’t been quick to answer many of Mia’s calls in the last few months. Even if she returned the call later, it would likely be too late for Mia to join the group.
Mia sucked in her lower lip. Her mom was in Kenya where she’d spent the last fifteen years teaching. A few friends who had kids Ollie’s age came to mind as possibilities, but Mia decided to try Ben instead. Over breakfast this morning, Ollie mentioned that he’d been invited to join Ben and Taye on whatever outing they had planned later this afternoon. And an outing with Ben and Taye would be one of the few things Ollie would be happy to leave here early to do.
Ben answered on the third ring. “Hey, Mia.” He was breathing hard enough to catch her attention, and his voice was strained.
“Uh, is this a bad time?”
“No. I’m at the climbing gym with Taye.”
She did a double take as she put the obvious together. “Are you on a wall right now?”
“Ahh, maybe.”
“How high? Do you want to call me back?”
“I’m good. Taye’s belaying me. And he’s doing a great job.”
Mia laughed. “How is it you don’t drop your phone?”
“It was zipped in a pocket. And I wouldn’t answer it right now for just anyone.”
A swell of happiness radiated out from her chest. “Well, if you’re sure you don’t want to call me back, remember yesterday morning when you said I never ask for help? I’m calling with a favor, and I don’t even require a mini-quiche to ask first.”
Ben chuckled and agreed even before Mia dove into the reason for her call.
“You can’t say yes before you know why I’m calling. I could be asking you to hop on a raft and float down the Mississippi with me. Wait, what am I saying? You climb mountains high enough to enter the death zone. You probably wouldn’t blink an eye at that.”
“You’re right. Anytime you want me to float the Mississippi with you, I’m game. Even if Huck Finn and Jim did it first.”
Ben would float the Mississippi with me. Not that she actually had any desire to do that. It was just the way he’d agreed. The ease in his tone. Her peculiar sense of delight was seeping down into her fingers and toes, but with a bit of effort, she forced her thoughts back on the reason she’d called in the first place. Once she’d finished filling him in on what was going on in Forest Park, Ben easily agreed. “Yeah, sure, but do you have any idea what kind of dogs they are, or why they were dumped?”
“I don’t, actually. Megan got a call from her friend in animal control. All she knows is that a dozen or more dogs were let loose in the park this morning. We’re hoping to catch some and bring them back here.”
After a pause of a second or two, Ben said, “Tell you what, Taye’s been up a couple times, but before we leave, he wants another shot at the top. I’ll meet you at the park in forty-five minutes and hang out with the boys until you’re finished. If you’ll agree to join us when you’re done, we’ll figure out how much time the boys have and where they’d like to go.”
Something about the way he said it caused Mia’s cheeks to flush. They’d hung out together before, loads of times, she reminded herself, but that didn’t calm her rush of nerves.
> She agreed, and they committed to meeting in the parking lot by the Steinberg Rink, a spot where they’d be able to find one another in the sprawling park.
Then, with a rush of excitement swelling inside her, she headed over to tell Ollie the news.
* * *
Right after pulling onto Jefferson Drive, less than a quarter mile from where he was meeting Mia, Ben had to slam on his brakes. A dog—he was guessing a border collie, judging by the color, shape, and size—dashed in front of his car. It jumped sideways as the Jeep jerked to a halt.
The striking black-and-white dog looked up at them and woofed. He woofed again and ran in a circle around the Jeep before dashing off, bound for the sprawling lake to the west.
“That dog is sweet,” Taye murmured.
As the dog sprinted toward the lake’s eastern shore, Ben spotted a small flock of ducks congregating on the water’s edge. Clearly, the dog had spotted them as well. As Ben watched, the dog skidded to a halt at the edge of the lake and began rushing back and forth and barking as the ducks flapped their wings and rushed closer toward the middle.
A fisherman standing on the bank nearby attempted to shoo him off.
Ben often jogged the trails in the park and couldn’t recall having spied a stray dog within the park boundaries before. In addition to its miles of trails and typical park amenities, Forest Park also held the city’s zoo, art and history museums, and planetarium. The thirteen-hundred-acre park was too busy for strays to take up residence in it.
But at least one of these recently dumped dogs was having a heyday.
If the rest of the dumped animals were as energetic as this one, it wouldn’t be easy to catch them. In an open, flowing park such as this, the dogs weren’t going to be cornered. They’d have to be cajoled with treats and encouragement, but they’d have to tire out before being enticed by such things.
Although Mia had only asked him to watch Ollie, Ben intended to lend a hand, and he was glad to have Taye with him. Ben pulled into the parking lot in front of the rink. Seeing a small crowd of ice skaters out on the ice, he raised an eyebrow at Taye. “You ever skated before?”
“Me? Nah. But I bet I could cut some grooves into that ice.”
“It’s harder than you might think. But you’re a natural athlete, so maybe you’re right. We could give it a try later, if we can talk Ollie and Mia into it after we round up some of these dogs. What do you say?”
Taye studied the skaters. “Yeah, that’s dope.”
Ben humphed at Taye’s expression as he stepped out of the Jeep. The temperature was hovering just under forty degrees, but the sun was out and it was shaping up to be a pleasant mid-December afternoon. “What does your mom say when you say that?”
“You met her. ‘Dope’ ain’t mother language.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, well, it’s not seven-year-old boy language either, if you can help it.” Taye had turned thirteen in November, and Ben had noticed more changes in him the last few months than in all the time he’d known him. He figured it was a combination of puberty and middle school. He was a good kid, though, and he was great with Ollie. Ben figured he’d gotten practice helping to raise his three younger siblings.
As he shut his door, he saw that Mia and Ollie had already arrived. They were standing by the edge of the rink, watching the skaters. As always, Ben’s chest tightened at the sight of Mia. Seeing her was a blend of torture and pleasure. He could scarcely imagine one day giving in to his desire and, instead of offering her a simple nod as he and Taye approached, pulling her into his arms and pressing a kiss to her cheek or, better yet, against those remarkable lips.
Mia’s cheeks were flushed an enticing light pink, and Ben wanted to lose his hands in the chestnut hair that framed her heart-shaped face, showed off her gray-blue eyes, and drew his attention straight to her mouth.
“Morning, guys. So, we passed one on the way in,” he said instead.
“Did you?” Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Ollie and I pulled in five minutes ago. We didn’t see anything.”
“It’s just over the hill, running along the edge of the lake. Judging by the excess energy it seemed to have, I’m guessing it won’t be there long.” After Ollie stepped in with a bear of a hug, Ben ruffled his hair. “How you doing, squirt?”
“I wanna help Mom catch the dogs, but she says it may not be safe.”
“Let me figure it out with your mom. We’ll come up with something.”
Ollie mumbled in agreement and turned to Taye to ask about the dog they’d seen, and Ben refocused on Mia. “Still no idea who dumped them and why?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I think the police are looking for the dumper. All Megan was told was that a woman was seen freeing them from the back of an old conversion van. That was nearly two hours ago now. You’d think they’d have run off that energy by now.”
“Yeah, no kidding. So where’s the rest of your group?”
“Driving around, searching for signs of them.” Mia pulled a walkie-talkie from one jacket pocket. She had a drawstring bag slung over the other shoulder, and a leash handle was poking over the top. “If you’re good with the boys, I’ll head up that way and radio them if the dog is still in sight.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like us to stick together. I could drive you around in the Jeep. The boys can help look out.”
Mia dropped his gaze for a second, then met it again. “Yeah, sure, if you want.”
“I do want,” he replied, causing her blush to reappear. “And Taye and I were talking about doing some ice skating when we’re finished. How’s that sound, Ollie? Assuming we can talk your mom into it.”
Mia looked from Ben to Taye as Ollie gave an enthusiastic yes. “You’re good with all this, Taye?”
“Yeah, it’s cool,” Taye said. “But if we catch that dog we just saw, Ben, you gotta keep him until I can convince my mom to let me have him.”
Ben laughed and shook his head. Taye wasn’t going to quit until he had a dog of his own. The kid took his aunt’s dog out whenever he could, but she’d would never part with Callie for good. “Sorry, kid. I’m not making any promises there. Your mom is going to have to make that decision when it’s right for her.”
“Come on, man. You know I’ve wanted a dog forever. And that one’s the one. I know it.”
As the group headed back to Ben’s Jeep, Ollie chimed in with a similar request of his own, and Mia laughed as well. It was good to see her laugh.
In minutes, they’d transferred the two kennels Mia had brought to his Jeep, the boys were loaded in back, and he was driving back up Jefferson Drive. As they crested the hill, Ben was disappointed but not surprised to find the dog seemed to have moved on. He scanned the roads and surrounding hillside but didn’t find so much as a trace.
“Hey, wait,” Taye said as Ben pressed the gas pedal to continue on. “I think I just saw him. He ran that way. Into those trees.” Ben followed the direction Taye was pointing. It was a small clump of trees on the northeast side of Jefferson Lake.
“Was it black and white?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, I think. Mostly it was just white, I guess. I don’t know. Maybe it was one of his friends.”
Ben looked to Mia. “I can drive around, but we’d have to leave the car along Faulkner Drive. I jog the trails there sometimes. There are smaller ponds and wetlands that way that I bet the dogs would be drawn to.”
Mia shrugged. “Sure. It’s worth a shot.”
Chapter 7
Mia was glad it was sunny and the winter winds were light. It was the perfect day to be outside. Ollie was usually good for a mile or so of walking, unless it was summer and the sun was scorching. Then his shoulders would slump like they were made of hot wax, and he’d complain every step of the way. She was hoping the excitement of looking for dogs would help keep him going for a while.
The rest
of the staff and volunteers had dispersed in pairs throughout the park and were maintaining contact through the walkie-talkies. Fidel and Sarah, one of the volunteers, seemed to be the closest at the moment, perhaps a few hundred yards west. Half a mile away, Megan and Adrianne had come close to catching a dog on the golf course, but the skittish animal ran away before they could get the slip leash over it. Tess and her boyfriend, Mason, were scoping out the woods across from the Jewel Box after a jogger pointed them to where one of the dogs had been sighted. From what everyone could gather, none of the dogs seemed to have a collar, and so far, almost every one of them seemed to fit the description of a border collie.
Mia shook her head that a dozen or so wound-up border collies had been let loose in the park. At the shelter, the crew was always saying that just when you thought you’d seen everything, hang around a bit longer. Mia was certain this unofficial rescue effort would be talked about for a while to come.
As they’d headed up Faulkner Drive to the spot where Ben parked the Jeep, she’d spotted two different news vans on the park roads. Mia wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out they were here to cover this story.
For nearly half an hour, she and Ben and the boys scoured the quiet waterway, a restored section of River des Peres that flowed through this section of the park, but didn’t spot a single dog. Along the waterway’s banks, they turned up several water birds, dozens of squirrels, and one groundhog, but there were no signs of the escaped canines.
The first few minutes around Ben this morning had been both awkward and exciting, and Mia had had to force herself not to think about the wink he’d added to the text or the way he’d said he wouldn’t answer for just anyone. Somehow, he was both the Ben that she knew well and yet he wasn’t. After taking a few minutes to process it, she’d realized she was okay with that.