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

by Susan C. Daffron

  “I didn’t see any cats.”

  “They’re really shy. After they showed up, I trapped them and got them fixed. They aren’t too excited about people, but they are best buddies with Scout.”

  Brigid washed her hands at the kitchen sink and took the glass of water Clay handed to her. He gestured toward the table inviting her to sit down. She tried not to sigh audibly with relief as she settled into the old wooden chair.

  Clay sat across from her. “So have you spent much time around horses?”

  “No. My best friend in junior high took riding lessons and I begged my mom for weeks to let me take lessons too. Finally, she gave in. But I took one lesson and the teacher was so mean, I never went back.”

  “You got on a horse once? That’s it?”

  “Yes and it was awful. I had to ride in a circle and this big mean old woman sat on an upside-down five-gallon bucket holding a riding crop and yelling at us. I had no idea what I was doing. By the end I was just trying not to let her see me cry.”

  “I can see how that would have ruined it. But riding can be fun.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” Brigid took a sip of water. “I’d probably just fall off.”

  “Well, I don’t recommend that, but maybe you can give riding another chance sometime.” He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table and cupping his large hands around his water glass. “In the meantime, you saw the horses out in the pasture. That’s Dusty, Willy, Chico, and Peppy. They’re old cow horses, kind of in retirement you might say, except for the occasional trail ride. They wouldn’t hurt a fly. My horse Hank is a bit more energetic, so just be a little careful around him. But the most important thing is that sometimes I board horses that I’m training. Any horse that isn’t familiar, you need to stay away from, okay?”

  “That’s fine with me.” Brigid said. “I’m here to deal with dogs, not horses. It’s just temporary, and I promise I’ll stay out of your way. Thank you for doing all this work.”

  “Well, I keep saying I’m gonna clean out that barn and use it for an indoor arena, but I never do it. Now at least one corner is a little cleaner.”

  Brigid brightened. “Yes, and tomorrow Judge has a place to go! Kat is going to be thrilled. I should get going, call her, and then continue with my efforts to convince various officers of the law that stray dogs now have a temporary home until they can be fostered or adopted. I don’t think they really believed me.”

  “Well, if they need verification, you just have them give me a call.”

  “I will.” Brigid stood up and tried not to wince as her rapidly stiffening sore leg muscles let her know how much work they’d done today. “Thanks again. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “I guess you will.”

  After she got home and took a long, hot shower, Brigid left a message on Clay’s answering machine and also talked to Kat to let them know that she would be able to pick up Judge the next afternoon and take him out to the ranch. Kat seemed pleased and volunteered that the dog had been a well-behaved guest during his stay so far.

  With a sense of satisfaction, Brigid curled up on the couch with Gypsy and the stack of self-improvement books. She didn’t appear to have burned any bridges with Kat, which was a relief. A woman in the process of building a bunch of dog kennels was someone Brigid needed to remain on friendly terms with if she wanted to get more dogs adopted into new homes. It was easy to imagine needing temporary boarding again. Even if she had to pay, it would be worth it to get those dogs out of the police station.

  Although she was determined to try to find people to adopt the homeless dogs of Alpine Grove, Brigid was quickly discovering she had no idea what she was doing. Volunteering at an animal shelter wasn’t the same as starting something new like this. Shouldn’t she have forms? There were probably legal implications to adopting dogs as well. Most organizations were nonprofits. Maybe she needed to look into that too.

  After the holiday weekend was over, she needed to go to the bookstore and the library and learn more about nonprofit organizations, pet care—pretty much everything. It was both overwhelming and exciting. For the first time in a very long time, she felt like she had a purpose.

  The next morning, she took Gypsy out for a long walk on a trail near the lake. It was another beautiful blue sky day and the gentle spring breeze was energizing. Both Gypsy and Brigid were getting in much better shape with all the exercise and fresh air. After they returned home, Gypsy settled into her dog bed for some serious afternoon nap time while Brigid got ready to pick up Judge.

  During the drive out to Kat’s house, Brigid considered what Dr. Cassidy had said about not leaving at the end of the summer. Even though she’d been living in Alpine Grove for only a few weeks, she felt more settled than she had in years. It was easy to imagine staying for the foreseeable future.

  Remaining in Alpine Grove also made her plans to help the dogs by starting a nonprofit more feasible. How could she start setting it up and then leave halfway through the process? It just wouldn’t work. She needed to stay at least for a while until something was established. Maybe she could find a job. Even little towns needed secretaries or clerks. She had such an eclectic work history, she’d undoubtedly be able to find something she was qualified to do that could pay the rent before her savings ran out.

  As she turned the car into the driveway, she was flooded with an overriding sense of optimism and hope. The good weather probably helped, but finally letting go of the past and making a decision about her future was mentally freeing. It was like a great cloud had been pushed aside, so she could see more clearly what lay ahead.

  She parked the car under a tree near the outbuilding and got out. Judge was barking furiously from within. Brigid turned at the sound of the front door of the house opening. Kat walked up to the car and gestured toward the building. “I think Judge has figured out you’re here.”

  They walked inside and Brigid spoke softly to Judge as she opened the chain-link gate. He settled down enough that she could clip the leash on. She then told him to sit before opening the gate and letting him out.

  Kat said, “Hey, good for you making him sit. I’m sure improved manners will help him find a new home.”

  “Along with some new fur. I need to figure out how I’m going to bathe him out at the ranch.”

  “I know the feeling. This house has a tiny bathroom. After a few unfortunate dog-bathing experiences, I decided to add a grooming area into the new kennels.”

  “When will the construction be done?”

  Kat made a wry face. “Well, we’re figuring that out. It may take longer than we were expecting.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Gypsy is a sweetheart and I could probably board her in the house if you really needed to, but I’m not going to take any more large dogs until the kennels are finished.”

  “Okay.” Brigid tried not to sigh at the not-so-subtle warning that Kat was going to say no if she asked to board another homeless dog. “I hope to set up more kennels at the ranch. There’s tons of room in the barn. And find foster homes. Please let me know if you think of anyone who could foster a dog. Oh, and if you know of anyone hiring, let me know that too. I’m going to try to stay here in Alpine Grove if I can find a job.”

  “That’s great. I’ll keep that in mind. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

  Brigid said goodbye to Kat and loaded Judge into the car. He was, as usual, enthusiastic about whatever his next adventure might be. She turned on the radio and as the strains of upbeat music filled the car, Brigid realized she felt the same way. She was looking forward to seeing the ranch again and enjoying the result of the hard work she and Clay had done. Sure, it was just one kennel, but it was going to give Judge more time to find a new home with a family who would love him.

  The ranch looked exactly the same as when she’d left. Horses grazed in the pasture and all was quiet and peaceful. As she got out of the car, the dog she’d seen the last time she wa
s here came racing out of the horse barn, barking at her. Judge started barking from within the car as the dog skidded to a stop in front of her. He seemed to realize that he’d already met her and wagged his long feathery tail. Brigid held out her hand, “Hi Scout. Remember me?”

  Clay opened the door to the house and whistled loudly. Scout leaped away from Brigid, ran up the steps, and shot across the porch and through the door into the house. Clay closed the door and waved at Brigid as he slowly ambled toward her.

  She opened the back door of the Honda, clipped the leash onto Judge’s collar and let him out. The dog bounded to the ground and stopped. He looked around and raised his snout into the air, enjoying the novel ranch smells. The equine scents were obviously quite thrilling.

  Clay put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the dog. “That’s certainly not the most attractive animal I’ve ever seen.”

  “I told you—he has a skin condition.” She stroked a patch of fur on Judge’s head and the dog wagged his tail happily. “But see how sweet he is!”

  “I’m sure he’s a nice dog. Do you want to get him settled into his new digs?” Clay gestured for her to follow him and started walking toward the barn. “I made a platform for him to sleep on, out of some old wood. I hope he’s not a chewer. It was all I had lying around.”

  They walked into the barn and Brigid led Judge over to the kennel, which was set up with the wooden platform bed and an old blanket in the back corner. She turned to look at Clay. “This is wonderful. I can’t believe you made this for him.”

  “Well, you seemed a little worried about him sleeping on the gravel.”

  Brigid busied herself getting Judge settled. “I need to get his food out of my car. Where should I put it?”

  “The tool room over there. I’ll go get a metal can out of the tack room for you to put it in, so the mice don’t get to it.”

  “Mice? Eww. Okay. Good idea.”

  Brigid walked back to the car and opened the trunk where she had a forty-pound bag of dog food. Levering it out of the trunk, she heaved it over her shoulder, straightened and returned to the barn. She dropped the bag on the floor with a thud.

  Clay walked in behind her, carrying the metal can. He put the can down and put his hand on her shoulder. Startled, Brigid leaped away from him and crashed into a wooden bench, causing some large rusty things to fall off with a clang. Ow. She was going to have quite a bruise. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she gasped for air, as if a hand were gripping her throat.

  Clay reached out as if to steady her, but she backed away. He said, “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, but didn’t say anything, squeezing her eyes shut for a second in an effort to try to will her heart rate to return to normal.

  With a shrug, he took off the metal lid, opened the bag of dog food, and dumped the contents into the can. “You sure are jumpy.”

  Brigid could tell her cheeks were probably thirty-nine shades of red. She put her hand up to her face and felt the mortifying heat. At least she could breathe again. “Sorry.”

  “I was just gonna say that you’re pretty strong for such a small person.”

  “I’ve been doing things myself for a long time.”

  “I see.” He bent to pick up the rusty artifacts and put them back on the bench.

  Brigid wasn’t sure what to say. The expression on his face indicated he definitely did not see and that she should probably explain herself, particularly after he’d been so nice and even made Judge a bed to sleep on. But she didn’t want to. Better that he just think she was weird.

  She turned to leave the room. “I, um, I should feed Judge and get out of your hair. I need to get his bowl out of the car. Oh, and he’s already had a nice long walk today. I’m not sure how this will work exactly. I’ll come back in the morning. Maybe you could check on him before you go to bed though. Just to make sure he’s okay?”

  Clay nodded and leaned against the bench, crossing his arms across his chest. “I can do that.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Brigid practically ran back out to her Honda. Pulling the bag of dog paraphernalia out of the trunk, she took a deep breath. The beating of her heart was stubbornly refusing to slow back down to a normal rate. What was wrong with her? Not every man was like John. She needed to get a grip on herself. Clay had been nothing but polite to her and he was doing her a favor.

  Slamming the trunk lid with an air of finality, she mentally gave herself a shake. It was time to get over this problem. Fifty percent of the world was male, and some of those men might touch her in a friendly, non-threatening way.

  She walked back into the work room and said overly brightly, “This won’t take a minute. Then I’ll leave you alone.”

  “You don’t have to keep reassuring me you’re gonna leave.” Clay put his hands on the bench and pushed himself forward. As he walked by her, he said in a soft low voice, “Relax, Brigid. It’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  She turned to watch him leave and looked down at her hands, which were still shaking. For her, relaxing wasn’t as easy as he might think.

  Brigid was sitting at the table eating breakfast when the phone rang. Carefully stepping over Gypsy, who was supervising the eating activities, she walked across the room and picked up the handset. “Hello.”

  “Hey Brigid, it’s Jake down at the police station. We’ve got another dog here.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right over.”

  When she walked into the police station, she greeted Jake, who waved toward the back. “You know where everything is.”

  Brigid smiled. “I do. Can you tell me anything about the dog?”

  “He was hanging around a farm south of town. He’s a skinny thing and seems kinda depressed. He hasn’t wanted to eat anything yet and I don’t think he likes men very much.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Brigid walked outside and went to the cages. The dog was a black greyhound who looked extremely unhappy to be there, curled up in a tight ball in the back corner of the cage. Brigid spoke softly to the dog. “Hi there, sweetie.” The dog lifted his head and pointed his long nose at her. “You’re very pretty. Would you like to go for a walk?”

  She grabbed a leash and collar off the hooks and opened the gate as quietly as she could. The dog stood up and slinked over to her with his head hanging low. He was wearing a collar, and she bent to stroke the fur on his shoulder, which was more gray than black, thanks to a fine layer of dirt and dust. “I want to look at your collar, sweetie.” The dog pressed his forehead against her leg, which Brigid took as an affirmative, so she unbuckled the nylon collar. The ring where tags would go was empty, but the collar had a brass nameplate riveted to it that said Nugget. Why would someone put the dog’s name on the nameplate and not a phone number? Brigid stroked the smooth fur on his head. “Are you Nugget?”

  The dog moved his head away and looked up at her, his dark brown eyes expectant. Brigid smiled. “I think you are Nugget, aren’t you? You certainly are quite a snuggler.” She put the collar back on and said, “Let’s go for a walk.”

  After walking Nugget, Brigid put him back in the kennel and reassured him that she’d return later. The dog seemed unconvinced and curled up in his corner again. Brigid sighed as she closed the gate. The pretty greyhound obviously had lived in a home once. Someone had even bothered to buy him a special collar.

  Nugget still had a couple more days and Brigid hoped someone would come looking for him. She couldn’t think about this dog right now though, since she had to haul herself back out to the ranch and deal with Judge. She was later getting out there than she’d thought she would be. Maybe Clay wouldn’t notice.

  When she got out to the ranch, Clay was out doing something with a horse in a fenced-in area. He seemed to be making it run in circles, then stop. It was hard to tell what they were up to. Maybe it was some training thing. Brigid waved at him and went into the barn to tend to Judge, who barked in hysterical joy at the sight of her. She clipped on the dog’s leash and
they walked back out into the sunlight. Glancing over at the corral where Clay had been, she noted that it was empty. He and the horse had disappeared. She stopped and turned around, wondering where they could have gone so quickly. Was that one of his horses? She couldn’t remember what he said about which ones were his. It was simpler to just avoid all of them.

  She walked down the driveway with Judge, letting him sniff and snuffle all he wanted. The four horses were in the pasture again. Maybe Clay was doing something with his horse. Hank? Whatever. Not her business.

  Judge turned around and woofed at a huge buckskin-colored horse walking toward them. Clay was riding the horse bareback and Brigid cringed at the thought. Wasn’t that uncomfortable? You’d think it would rub various tender body parts the wrong way. But Clay seemed perfectly content and tipped his hat at her as the horse walked closer to them.

  Brigid attempted to settle Judge, who did not seem to appreciate the equine presence. But after the initial notification woof, he just stared at the large beast in wonder. “Judge, you need to get used to horses. They’re everywhere here.” She probably needed to take her own advice. It was quite possible Judge had more horse experience than she did. Horses were just so big.

  Clay dismounted and held the horse’s reins in his hands as they walked closer. “How are you on this fine morning?”

  “I’m okay. Which horse is that?”

  He stroked the horse’s nose. “This is Hank. We were having a conversation about bags.”

  “Bags? What kind of bags?”

  “Terrible, scary, horse-eating bags. I was gonna throw away that empty bag of dog food last night and I guess I got distracted. I think Scout dragged it out here and this morning Hank was pretty sure he didn’t like it.”

  “I thought he was one of the good horses.”

  “He is. But he’s sensitive to new things and still pretty young, so he doesn’t have a lot of years of experience with new smells and scary bags sitting where they’re not supposed to be. Once he found out I was okay with the evil horse-eating bag, he was less worried about it. But we had to have that discussion and then I had to wait until his curiosity got the better of him and he checked it out himself.”