“Gracie!” the woman cried in horror as she reached Kristine. “Did she hurt you? Gracie,” she moaned. “What am I going to do with you?”
Joe, who was still holding Kristine upright, watched the woman angrily. “That dog could have killed Krissy. Until you can control her, you have no business bringing her downtown.”
“Kristine. I’m Kristine,” she said shakily. Why Joe insisted on calling her Krissy…?
“I’m so sorry,” the woman said, watching Kristine with concern.
“That dog is out of control,” Joe insisted again.
The woman’s eyes filled. “I know! I told my husband that, right before she dug out of her dog run and jumped over our six foot fence. Funny, she’s his dog but you don’t see him chasing after her.” She visibly deflated before them and began to cry. “I can’t keep her,” she said resignedly. “I’ve tried everything to keep her contained, but…” She threw her hands up in defeat.
“She wants to be around people,” Joe said. “You wouldn’t enjoy being confined, would you?”
“She’s confined only when we have somewhere we have to be,” the woman said in her defense. “She spends most of her time inside the house with me. Unfortunately, it turns out she’s a runner and takes off at the first opportunity. Today, my youngest opened the screen door and she took off like a shot before I could stop her.”
Joe spun around, attempting to spot the dog. He saw her standing in the doorway of the bakery, as if waiting for the doors to open for the day. “Her name’s Gracie?” he clarified.
The woman nodded. “Yes. I figured if I gave her a ladylike name, she might live up to it.”
“No such luck,” Joe said, now smiling sympathetically. “What kind of dog is she?”
“She’s a pitsky,” she informed, “part American Pit Bull Terrier, part husky.”
He nodded and eyed the dog thoughtfully. “She’s a beautiful dog.”
Kristine turned to look at the dog. Joe was right. Gracie, bright white with green eyes, had one orange ear and one speckled ear, and was gorgeous. Her face resembled that of a pit bull, but her body was husky, though her coat was short. She was all muscle, still a puppy, and they soon learned, a ball of wriggly love.
Gracie seemed to sense she was being watched and dashed back to them. She leapt at Joe, attempting to put her front paws on his chest. He took a step back and watched her sternly. “No!” he commanded and she promptly dropped onto all fours and began circling his legs, desperate to be petted. “Gracie, sit!”
To his surprise, and that of Gracie’s owner, the dog promptly sat down. Joe moved closer and Gracie tipped against him and pressed the side of her face against him. She looked up at him with adoring eyes.
Joe knelt down and began petting her. He tousled her head, rubbed her ears, grasped her mouth and looked at her teeth. Next, he ran his hand along her back and finally, gave her tail a gentle tug. She rewarded him by kissing him squarely in the mouth.
He laughed and rose up. “She’s a good girl,” he said. “Spirited but sweet.”
The woman eyed him tentatively. “Would you…? I mean, is it possible…?”
“Are you asking me to take her?” he asked.
She nodded. “I just can’t do this anymore. As I said, Gracie is a runner. We’ve tried everything to keep her home.” She shrugged. “Nothing can stop her from bolting. I’ve finally concluded that maybe we’re not the family for her. If she loved us, she wouldn’t run.”
Joe shook his head. “It’s not that,” he assured her. “I’m afraid Gracie is part husky and they’re noted for having the wanderlust. The only thing that will keep this one corralled when the mood to roam strikes her is to put her dog run on a concrete pad, so she can’t dig out.”
“Gracie can climb…”
“Which is why her dog run will need a roof,” he added with an indulgent smile directed at the dog.
The woman gave a weary sigh. “I… I honestly can’t do this anymore. I have five kids… And this one is a full-time job,” she said, nodding toward Gracie.
“I’ll take her,” Joe said.
Kristine searched his face. What was he thinking? The dog was part pit and was a runner to boot. She speculated he’d just signed up for a whole lot of doggie drama.
The woman watched Joe gratefully. Relief was evident on her face, until… She glanced at Kristine with alarm, and back to Joe. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about you. I do love Gracie. I can’t give her to just anyone. I couldn’t bear it if someone was mean to her. She’s actually very submissive. Someone could really hurt her—or even her feelings…”
Joe smiled with understanding. “I’m a dog lover,” he assured her. “I would never hurt her, or her feelings. And I promise to make every effort to assure Gracie doesn’t run off.” He winced. “The thing is, since she’s part pit, if someone happened to see her running toward them, and with the undeserved stigma the breed has, something horrible could happen to Gracie. I promise I’m going to assure that doesn’t happen. I’ll construct a large dog run on a thick concrete pad—with a roof,” he added. “She’ll only be confined when absolutely necessary. She’ll spend most of her time with me, riding along with me in my truck to job sites. And I intend to do intensive training with her. Frankly, Gracie is bored and needs to be kept busy so she isn’t overcome by the instinct to run.”
“What is it you do exactly?” the woman inquired.
“I own a commercial construction company. I grew up here and moved back to town recently.” He turned to Kristine. “Krissy here can give you a character recommendation, if need be.”
Kristine swallowed hard. He wanted her to vouch for him? She didn’t know him any longer. She never really had known him that well. He’d been Lori’s friend. Sure, he’d spent time at her house when they were kids, but she hadn’t spent any quality time with him. Frankly, he had frustrated her to no end, constantly teasing and harassing her at every turn. She often wondered how he could make her heart go pitter patter when she wanted to strangle him much of the time.
When she didn’t immediately come to his aid and give him a glowing recommendation, he watched her, mouth agape. He nodded her way, as if encouraging her to speak. The woman watched her intently. Finally, Joe nudged her with his elbow.
“Oh!” Kristine gave herself a shake. “Joe is…” She swallowed again. “I mean…”
“Krissy!” Joe cried, unsure whether to laugh or be offended. “Help me out here.”
She turned to the woman. “Joe is…”
“A great guy,” he supplied, watching Kristine with a mock-wounded expression on his handsome face.
The woman suddenly burst out laughing. “It’s all right. I feel as if I’m a good judge of character, and Gracie seems to adore you.”
“I promise I’ll take good care of her,” he assured her, but continued watching Kristine as if she were a space alien. He directed his attention to the woman again. “Just so you’ll feel more comfortable, I’m going to give you my address. Please stop by anytime to check on Gracie. In fact, why don’t you plan on bringing the family by on Sunday—say, two o’ clock? I’ll have her dog run built and the backyard fully fenced by then. I promise. You’ll leave feeling good about her new living situation—and me.”
She smiled gratefully. “I really appreciate that. My kids will really appreciate that,” she said, and then her face fell. “They’re going to be devastated when I tell them I’ve given her away…”
“Have you considered getting a smaller dog? They’re so much easier to manage than a big one like Gracie.” He pulled out his wallet and counted out four hundred-dollar bills. “I saw the cutest little pups at the humane society yesterday. I believe they were part Chihuahua and poodle. Honestly, they were the cutest little things I’ve seen in a long time.”
“So you were looking for a dog?” the woman said with a relieved smile. “Getting a dog isn’t an impromptu decision at all?”
“No. My lab Jake passed away
six months ago.” He smiled sadly. “I miss him every day. I was hesitant to get another dog until recently, but I think I’m finally ready. I think Gracie and I will do great together.”
The woman seemed unsure about accepting the money. “I only paid two hundred dollars for Gracie.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her. “I’m sure you’ve invested quite a bit of money since. And if you adopt a small dog, you’ll need to buy a collar and leash, as well as dog food. He or she will need a vet visit.” He brightened. “Maybe there’ll be money left over to take the kids out for pizza tonight—to celebrate their new puppy.”
The woman extended her hand. “I’m Mary Williams, by the way. And thank you—for everything. I think you’ll be wonderful for Gracie. She really is a sweet dog.”
“It’ll be nice having a companion, and a watch dog,” he added.
“Er, well, Gracie isn’t much of a—”
“Kristine, you ever plan on opening up this morning?” a surly voice called from nearby.
She glanced over at Mr. Clark, one of Cooper Glenn’s many octogenarians and a regular customer at the bakery. He was waiting impatiently by the door. “I’m craving an apple fritter,” he announced.
Kristine smiled at him. “Mr. Clark,” she said kindly, “as you know, we don’t open for another hour, but if you’ll wait just a moment, I’ll join you and I’m sure we can find something to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours.”
His cranky demeanor appeared to shed off him like a coat and he smiled winningly. “I was hopin’ you’d say that, Kristine.”
“Don’t I always?” She turned to Mrs. Williams, and then to Joe. “Well, I’d better get moving this morning. Congratulations on your new dog, Joe.” And to Mrs. Williams, she said, “Bring your new puppy by later for a dog biscuit. We bake them up fresh for our canine customers.” With a final smile, she hurried toward the front entrance of the bakery and pulled open the door. “After you, Mr. Clark,” she said.
“Oh, no, ladies first,” he insisted, and followed her inside.
Just as they entered, Minnie joined them—having entered through the back door—ready to start her shift. She greeted Kristine and Mr. Clark and hurried to begin baking. Much of the preparation had taken place the evening before, but filling the glass case out front with delectable baked goods took time.
“I’ll join you in a minute, Minnie,” Kristine called, but turned her attention to Mr. Clark. “I’m afraid we haven’t prepared the fritters yet, but I do have a couple set aside for you. They were baked late afternoon yesterday.”
He grinned sheepishly. “You put them aside for me?”
She nodded. “I knew you’d be by.” It was a dance they did each morning. Mr. Clark was lonely, having outlived many of his friends and family. After having lost her father, Kristine certainly understood the pain of loss, and Mr. Clark had experienced it often in his many years. If she could make him feel cared for by setting aside a couple fritters for him every evening, she intended to do so for as long as he continued to come to the bakery.
He grinned as she bagged up the treats. He happily paid and ambled out of the store. Joe passed him coming the other direction. Kristine glanced up, surprised to see him and Gracie now standing in front of the empty case. Joe looked disappointed, but Gracie appeared perhaps more so. “We’ve come for a doggie biscuit,” Joe announced with an impish grin. “Well, Gracie wants a biscuit, that is. I’d like something meant for humans.”
Gracie glanced his way and gave a thump of her tail. He laid a gentle hand on her head.
“Gracie seems to have settled in with you pretty quickly,” she observed. “Didn’t she fuss?—leaving Mrs. Williams?”
He shook his head and gave a shrug. “I think she tends to respond better to men. Mrs. Williams explained they hadn’t had her for long, and that her previous owner was male.”
“Oh, well, then it makes sense then that she’d respond better to you.”
“Well, that, and she is a female,” he said, arching his brows.
Kristine sighed and nearly rolled her eyes. She suddenly remembered why she found Joe so irritating. He was confident to the point of obnoxious.
Gracie suddenly let out a cry, as if asking for her treat. Her patience was apparently wearing thin.
“Hold up, girl,” Joe said. “Krissy’ll get you a treat.”
“Well, I do have a treat for Gracie, but you’re going to have to wait an hour or so. I have yet to fill the case this morning.”
She retrieved a couple dog biscuits and rounded the display case, joining them at the front of the store. “Here you go, Gracie,” she said.
The dog gently took the treats from her fingers. “Good girl,” Joe praised. “What a sweet girl. You did that just perfectly.”
Kristine looked on, wondering why he was so enthralled by the dog receiving a treat. He read her confusion. “It’s actually rare for a dog to take a treat so gingerly. Often, they’ll practically take your hand off. Gracie is a good girl,” he repeated, for the dog’s benefit.
“Oh, okay. Good Gracie,” she said, and then dusted the imaginary crumbs from her hands. “Well, Joe. If you come back in an hour or so…”
He seemed disappointed. “But Mr. Clark…”
“Mr. Clark and I have a sort of routine,” she explained. “He arrives early every morning, pretending he doesn’t know that we don’t open for over an hour. For his trouble, I reward him with a couple apple fritters left over from the day before.”
“Okay. I’ll take a fritter.”
She laughed. “I don’t have any fritters. I gave them to Mr. Clark. I do intend, however, to join my friend, Minnie, and begin baking shortly.” She forced a smile. “Or in the case of fritters—frying. Anyway, it’s been great seeing you, Joe. Really. But I need to scoot…”
“Oh, okay,” he said congenially. “I’ll see you in awhile.” He turned to leave, but hesitated. He watched her for a moment, seeming to assess her from head to toe. “Actually, I’ll be back around noon. You are in dire need of a cheeseburger,” he said finally.
She watched him, perplexed. “I don’t know what you…”
“I’m taking you to lunch,” he clarified.
She struggled to maintain her cool. “That’s really nice of you, but I don’t actually take a lunch hour. You see…”
His mouth dropped open. “Hence, you’re so skinny,” he said. “Kristine, has no one ever told you, you must take care of yourself first, in order that you can continue to care for others?”
“Uh, huh. Well, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that,” he said with a cheeky grin. “We’ll continue this discussion at lunch.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he hurried out of the store before she could manage another word.
Minnie suddenly appeared beside her, hands and arms covered with flour. “Did that gorgeous hunk of man just invite you to lunch?”
Kristine spread her hands in confusion. “No, I think he actually ordered me to lunch.”
“Semantics,” Minnie said, arching her brows suggestively. “If you don’t go with him, I will.”
Chapter Three
True to his word, Joe arrived at the bakery promptly at noon. Kristine was in the back work area, carefully icing a wedding cake, when Minnie informed her he’d arrived.
“Tell him I’m busy,” she said, swiping at a streak of flour on her cheek that had suddenly begun itching terribly.
“Okay,” Minnie said, though she gave her a look that suggested she thought Kristine was a few cups of flour short of a cake.
Kristine finished icing the smallest layer and gingerly placed it on the top of the other tiers. She began carefully decorating it with pink roses. The work took a steady hand and a strict attention to detail. Her customer wanted a particular shake of pink, and had demanded she add additional shading by hand—in order that the roses appeared true to life. Although Kristine didn’t consider herself much of an artist, she had perfected her decorati
ng skills over what seemed like a lifetime.
She had begun helping out at the bakery as a small child and had been employed there since she was fifteen. She’d learned to work the front counter, as well as had spent a good deal of the time in the back, preparing every manner of baked good.
At twenty-eight, she often wondered how different her life might have been had her family not owned a bakery. Though she had gone off to college, she had returned home after graduation, only to pick up where she’d left off in the family business. In reality, she had no complaints. She loved her town of Cooper Glenn and the people in it. All in all, she was content, but sometimes…
Sometimes she wondered if she should have exerted her independence more—if she should have moved away after college and pursued an entirely different career. Her business degree had proven beneficial at the bakery, but she could have applied it to any number of other occupations.
One regret she did have was that she had never traveled. She had yearned to see the world and had intended to take an extended trip to Europe upon her graduation from college, but unfortunately, her sister had been going through a difficult divorce at the time and she was needed back home, both at the bakery and in order to help her sister pick up the pieces of her shattered life.
Kristine sighed as she continued working on the cake. Working on the cake… If only she could have her cake and eat it too.
She laughed at the thought, having no idea why it came to mind. She wasn’t certain what ‘having her cake’ meant to her. Was it perhaps moving into a home of her own? Finding someone with whom to share her life? Leaving the bakery for another line of work?
Heck, at this moment in time, she’d settle for a long nap. She hadn’t slept well the evening before and since she rose at four each morning, she was feeling entirely sleep-deprived. She unsuccessfully bit back a yawn.
“He won’t leave,” Minnie suddenly announced, drawing Kristine from her reverie. “He said he’s going to stand out front until you do him the courtesy of speaking with him.”
The Icing on the Cake Page 2