The Good, the Bad, and the Pugly (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 7)

by Susan C. Daffron

  “A couple of treatment options exist, but because we don’t know his breed make-up and you won’t be there to monitor his reactions closely, I’d advise that we dip him. It’s a somewhat unpleasant option because you’ll have to dip him every week.”

  “What do you mean dip?”

  “You give the dog a bath with a special shampoo and then apply the dip solution with a sponge. You need to wear gloves when you apply it, and you don’t wash it off. The solution is designed to kill the mites, and you need to be very careful to measure and dilute it correctly since it’s nasty stuff.”

  Brigid leaned back on the counter. “Wow, I’m not sure what to do. He’s not my dog. I didn’t think about it before, but am I legally allowed to have him treated? I have no idea.”

  “Technically he’s not your responsibility. In this state, the stray holding period is three days. I’m surprised they let you bring him here today actually.”

  “I think Jake was a little disturbed when he saw the state of Judge’s skin.”

  “I don’t think I’ve met a dog named Judge before. That’s an unusual name.”

  “I suppose. Jake said he was worried about getting coffee for a judge, and I have to call this dog something, so I named him Judge. I’m not sure Jake thought about the legality of me taking the dog. Mostly he was worried about the coffee. I only met the guy yesterday, but he doesn’t really seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed.”

  Dr. Cassidy chuckled. “I’ve met Jake. For a while he was hanging around here drooling over Tracy, until she finally told him to get lost.”

  “Well, I guess that explains what he said about her.” Brigid raised a hand in a Boy Scout oath sign. “Don’t worry, I promise I’ll pay for this appointment. But what should I do about treating Judge?”

  “Since he’s here and we’re closed now anyway, I’ll show you what to do. Even just doing one treatment and giving him a bath with the medicated shampoo will help his sores and probably make him feel better as far as the itching.”

  Brigid smiled. “That would be great. If Judge’s owner shows up to claim him, I can explain everything.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that, but yes, that would be a good idea.”

  The two women worked together to bathe and dip Judge, who took the whole process with remarkably good humor, particularly considering how bad the dip solution smelled. Brigid was glad she was wearing thick rubber gloves. The stuff was just as noxious as the vet had warned.

  While they were working on Judge in the bathtub, Brigid finally asked the question she had pondered earlier. “When I volunteered at animal shelters before, they had foster programs where people took in dogs temporarily. Is there anything like that here? If Judge isn’t claimed, maybe I could foster him and try to find him a new home after his treatments are done.”

  “No, there’s nothing like that here. You should set up a program.”

  “Me? I can’t do that. I’m just visiting.”

  “Even in just one summer, you could do a lot of good for these homeless dogs. I can introduce you to some other people who might be willing to help. A few people have complained to me about the situation, but nothing has ever happened. You have a lot of ideas and experience from volunteering at other shelters. If you can get a foster program going, maybe someone else can take it over when you leave.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Or you could just move to Alpine Grove permanently.” She grinned. “People do it all the time.”

  Brigid sponged some more dip solution onto Judge’s leg. This was a lot of information to take in. “Okay, I’ll think about what you said.”

  “In the meantime, let’s get this guy cleaned up, so you can take him back for his dinner.”

  The next day, Brigid walked to the police station to tend to Judge in the morning and evening. No one had come forward to claim the dog and Jake had been unconcerned about the fact that the veterinarian had treated the dog. Mostly, he’d been pleased to hear that this type of mange wasn’t contagious. Judge was thrilled to see Brigid and seemed somewhat less itchy, which was encouraging.

  In a way, it was a relief to Brigid that she hadn’t gotten in trouble for taking the dog to the vet, but it was also a little heartbreaking to find out that no one was looking for Judge. He was such a sweet dog and Dr. C. had made it sound like it was unlikely anyone would ever claim him.

  Brigid had volunteered at enough shelters to know that sometimes dogs with medical issues seemed to “get loose” when their former owners didn’t want to deal with the problem. In two days, Judge’s hold period would be up and he’d be shipped off somewhere. Sadly, Jake didn’t seem as impressed by Brigid’s idea of foster care as the veterinarian had been. It was something different and mostly he seemed confused by the concept.

  The conversation with Jake had been somewhat aggravating and Brigid needed some time to decompress. Since she wasn’t ready to go home yet, she turned down the main street of Alpine Grove to explore a little. She walked slowly and stopped to look in the window of a gift store. It had closed for the day, but she made a mental note to return, since the window display was filled with lots of pretty things she’d like to check out. At the sound of a whooping noise, she turned to look across the street.

  It was the women from the grocery store again. Maria was dancing in front of Kat, gesturing wildly about something. Or maybe it was a dance move. It was hard to tell. Kat looked across the street and waved to Brigid.

  Did small-town protocol dictate crossing the street to chat? Brigid wasn’t sure, but she waved back and tried to look friendly. Maria said something to Kat, grabbed her hand, and dragged her across the street toward Brigid.

  They walked up to her and Maria said, “Hey, I heard through the grapevine that you adopted that dog at the vet and you’re going to adopt another one.”

  Brigid raised her eyebrows. “That’s a serious grapevine.”

  “You have no idea,” Kat said.

  Maria put her hand on her hip. “Well, I work in that ad agency across the street there. And the man who owns the building—his name is Michael, and if you haven’t seen any pretty men lately, I recommend you stop by and take a look. Anyway, he rents office space to another guy named Rob, who is Tracy’s boyfriend.”

  “Tracy from the vet clinic?” Brigid asked. “So that means Rob is the geeky guy?”

  “Yes he is! I’m impressed.” Maria patted her arm. “You are already starting to be in the know. Anyway, that means I get all the vet dirt from Rob.”

  “You know, it sounds disgusting when you say it like that.” Kat said. “She means she hears stories about what’s going on at the vet clinic.”

  “So, two dogs in less than a week is really sort of over the top,” Maria said. “I’m guessing there’s a story there.”

  Brigid shook her head. “I did adopt Gypsy, but I haven’t adopted the second dog. He’s a stray down at the police station. I just took him to the vet.”

  “He’s in one of the cages down there?” Kat said. “That’s not good.”

  “I know. I decided to volunteer to help out.” Brigid gestured toward the station. “I live really close by and I felt bad for those dogs stuck there all sad and alone. No one has claimed Judge and he has a skin condition that has to be treated. He’s only got a couple of days left.”

  “That’s nice of you to help out before they get sent away.” Kat said.

  Brigid glanced at Kat and grinned as an idea flashed into her mind. “I want to take you up on your offer of dog boarding.”

  “You want to board Gypsy already?” Kat said.

  Maria raised her eyebrows. “Uh oh, I think I see where this is going.”

  Brigid wanted to jump up and down with excitement. “No, not Gypsy. Judge! The stray dog.”

  “The dog you just took to the vet because of a skin condition?” Kat looked dubious. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. The new kennels aren’t built yet and the one space I have isn’t exactly ideal for a sick dog.”

/>   “It’s an ugly outbuilding that leans kinda funny,” Maria said.

  Kat shook her head. “I’ve got five dogs of my own and I have to think about them too. I’ll be able to disinfect the new kennels, but they aren’t done yet.”

  Brigid said, “The problem isn’t contagious. It will be fine. Will you do it? It will just be for the two days you promised if I adopted Gypsy. I’ll figure out something else after that.”

  “We’re in the middle of construction,” Kat said. “My place is kind of a mess right now, so I haven’t taken any dogs in the last couple of weeks. Pouring concrete and dealing with plumbing and electrical stuff is more complicated than I thought it would be.”

  “Hey, that part is done,” Maria said and turned to Brigid. “You might think that the word construction would imply sexy guys wearing hard hats with washboard abs, but let me assure you, it does not. I checked. It’s more like creepy dudes with beer guts wearing grimy baseball caps.”

  “I just need a couple of days to find a better placement, so I’d like to use my free boarding,” Brigid said evenly.

  “You did promise,” Maria shoved Kat’s shoulder. “You always do this kind of thing.”

  “I know. My life would be a lot simpler if I just kept my mouth shut.” Kat sighed. “Okay, fine. Bring him over when his hold period is up. I’ll give you directions.”

  “Thank you!” Brigid really did jump and down this time. She clapped her hands. “It will be Sunday. I just need to get permission. This is so exciting. Judge is the sweetest, sweetest dog. You’ll see.”

  “I guess I will,” Kat said and then mumbled to Maria, “You realize Joel is going to kill me for this, right? Do you know how many people I turned away for Memorial Day weekend? We agreed to hold off on boarding any more dogs until after the major construction was done.”

  “Oh, he’ll get over it.” Maria waved toward Brigid. “So why are you wandering around here all by yourself? Everything is shut.”

  “The guy at the police department irritated me. I just wanted a little time alone I guess before going home. Gypsy is very sensitive to my moods,” Brigid said.

  “I’m alone too and that’s why Kat and I are out here on the mean street of Alpine Grove. It’s Friday and I need some action. So we’re about to take this town, such as it is, by storm!” Maria opened her arms expansively. “It’s time to get out there. Want to come with us?”

  Kat added in a mocking voice, “Yeah baby, we’re on fire here on this single, solitary mean street. You’d better watch out for us.”

  Brigid couldn’t help but smile. “Okay. Where are you going?”

  Maria’s pointed down the street, “Well, you’ve got your choice of two dive bars. After careful consideration, we’ve opted for the Soloan, rather than the 311.”

  “We flipped a coin,” Kat said.

  Brigid looked in the direction Maria had pointed. “The Soloan? That’s an odd name for a bar, isn’t it?”

  “Actually it’s the Mystic Moon Soloan, which sounds more poetic than the place actually is,” Maria said.

  “It’s not poetic at all, and it offends my writerly sensibilities,” Kat said. “A long time ago, a couple of drunk guys put up the sign and failed to spell saloon correctly. No one ever fixed it.”

  Brigid said, “Are you kidding? That’s hilarious.”

  “Actually, it’s lame,” Maria said. “But it’s a bar, so we’re going because my social life has reached an all-time low. Oh, and just to warn you, the bartender is missing teeth. I try not to hold that against Fred, but it disturbs me. Dental hygiene is important, you know.”

  “Huh, that’s the second man I’ve heard about here with dental problems.” Brigid said.

  “Yeah, don’t remind me. I don’t wanna talk about it. It’s not like there aren’t dentists here.” Maria took Kat’s and Brigid’s arms in hers and began strutting down the street. “Let’s hit it, ladies. Happy hour awaits!”

  They crossed the street in front of the bar, which truly did have the name spelled wrong on the sign. Somebody probably got in big trouble for that way back when. They opened the door and Brigid looked around the dimly lit area. Lots of mirrored signs advertised a wide range of beers and the neon beer sign above the bar seemed to have some sort of problem that caused it to flicker erratically. A few people were standing around pool tables in the back of the room, leaning on their pool cues and looking irked at one another.

  Maria gestured toward the bar with a flourish. “Welcome to Alpine Grove night life.”

  Brigid walked up to one of the bar stools and tried to smile politely at the huge bartender. With his leather vest and bandanna, he looked like he was ready to jump on his motorcycle and ride off into the sunset. As Maria and Kat settled into their bar stools, he put a napkin in front of each of them and said, “What can I get you?”

  Given John’s drinking habits, Brigid had always been the designated driver and she hadn’t been out since he died. She glanced at Maria and Kat.

  Kat said, “Just a club soda. I’ve got to drive home later.”

  “I’m walking.” Maria said, “What’s the most complicated drink you can make, Fred? I wanna see what you can do.”

  “Maria’s still proud of her Queen’s Park Swizzle,” Kat said.

  “Yeah, top that!” Maria said.

  Fred grinned, revealing the gap in his teeth, and Brigid was glad she’d been warned. Alfred E. Neuman of Mad magazine fame had nothing on Fred. The bartender gestured dismissively at the row of bottles, “Oh c’mon—that’s child’s play. Let me think for a sec.” He turned to Brigid. “What can I get you?”

  “Well, I’m walking too, and I don’t know what a Queen’s Park Swizzle is.” Brigid looked past Maria to Kat. “Do you have any suggestions?”

  “Well one time Maria made me an iced tea that was great,” Kat said. “Mmm.”

  “That’s a Long Island iced tea, Fred,” Maria said.

  “Gotcha. I kinda figured that,” he said as he reached for a bottle of liquor.

  “So, you need to wow me with some mixology here. What can you do?” Maria said.

  “Well, if you’re into layered drinks, how about a B-52?” He pointed at the bottle of Bailey’s behind the bar.

  “Okay, not bad.” Maria gestured toward the bottles. “Show me your stuff while I try to get the lyrics to ‘Rock Lobster’ outta my head.”

  “It’s better than ‘Love Shack,’ baby,” he said as he poured the Grand Marnier on the top of the liquids in the glass and handed it to her.

  Maria cringed as she took the glass. “Oh noooo...that was just cruel.”

  Brigid smiled as Maria commented on Fred’s bartending technique while he poured drinks for other people. The woman was really pulling out all the stops, flirting wildly with the guy, which he seemed to appreciate and reciprocate. Maria had warned them she was on the prowl, but for Brigid it was impossible to imagine even wanting to get a man’s attention like that anymore.

  After John died, she’d sworn off men for good. Some people were good at romantic relationships, but Brigid had ample proof that she wasn’t one of them. At first, it was kind of worrisome to discover that she had zero interest in meeting anyone. For a while, she was afraid there might be something wrong with her. But now, after all this time, she was more than fine with her single status. Life was a lot simpler when you didn’t have to worry about someone else. Well, except for Gypsy, but she wasn’t particularly demanding and she was always glad to see her.

  Although Brigid would never say it out loud to anyone, even after such a short time the sweet little dog was a whole lot easier to love than John ever had been.

  Brigid looked down the bar at Kat, who seemed to be quietly amused by Maria’s exuberant coquettish behavior. Kat’s long dark hair fell around her face as she sipped her club soda and methodically folded her straw wrapper into a tiny square, and then unfolded the accordion. Brigid wondered what Kat was thinking and if she should go talk to the woman. There was no doubt
Kat had been annoyed with her earlier. Now she was obviously a little bored, but resigned to wait out the evening to make sure her friend made it home okay.

  Brigid hadn’t had a best friend like that since high school. Moving around a lot wasn’t good for establishing deep friendships. She’d made a lot of acquaintances, but no good friends. After John died, people seemed to shy away because they didn’t know what to say to her, which was fine, since she mostly just wanted to be left alone.

  Fred walked toward her end of the bar and raised his hand in greeting, “Clayton! Thanks for stopping by. How’s my horse?”

  Brigid looked to her right and found Clayton Hadley leaning against the bar. He was wearing a beat-up old leather jacket, a white t-shirt, and faded jeans. He transferred his hat to his other hand, reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that he handed to Fred. “That horse may be getting up in years, but he’s still a sweetheart. And his hooves are all trimmed up nice and pretty now. I’m not sure your poodle is too fond of me though. He barked his head off.”

  “Yeah, Charlie likes to defend the ole homestead. Sorry about that. Let me get you the check. Want a beer?” Fred said. “On the house.”

  “I don’t think I can say no to free beer.” Clay set his hat on the bar, took off his jacket, and sat down next to Brigid, giving her a cordial smile. “Hi again. How’s your little dog doing?”

  “Gypsy is doing very well. Thank you for asking.” Brigid noticed the scar on his chin again and another long scar that stood out on his tanned forearm. Maybe that had happened when he fell off the horse and knocked out his teeth. Riding a 1200-pound animal had to be dangerous. The whole thing about getting back up on a horse after you fell off had always struck her as idiotic. If a horse didn’t want her on its back, she’d take the hint and stay off.

  The whole male tough-guy thing caused men to do unbelievably stupid things. She’d seen plenty of testosterone poisoning among the military men she’d met. Maybe it was true of the rodeo crowd too. Half of them intentionally got on animals just so they could be thrown off. How dumb was that?