by Sue Pethick
Addie lifted her head and whined again.
“What’s she doing?”
“That’s her alert,” the man said as she tugged on her leash. “It means she’s picked him up again.”
Renee hurried forward with Travis at her heels. She knew it was snowing, knew that Kieran would be in danger from the cold, but somehow she’d still been thinking of him as he’d been inside the house: clearheaded enough to find shelter if things got too bad. Now, the sickening realization that he might be stumbling around, disoriented, in the woods hit her like a slap in the face. She found herself praying that Addie would find him soon.
They came to a place in the woods where the ground had been recently disturbed and Addie stopped. She sniffed the ground, whined again, and sat down, glancing back at her handler as if seeking his approval.
“It looks like she’s given up,” Travis said.
The man slipped Addie a treat.
“No,” he said. “She’s telling us he’s here.”
He looked around.
“But I’ll be darned if I know where.”
Renee grabbed Travis’s arm.
“Could she be mistaken?” he said.
The man shook his head.
“No. The boy is definitely here.”
“Kieran!” Renee could hear the panic in her voice. “Kieran, where are you?”
Travis took her by the shoulders.
“Tell me again. Where did Kieran tell your niece he was going?”
She took a deep breath and tried to think.
“She said he’d built a fort in the woods and that he and Max used to play there.”
He looked at the disturbed ground, saw how it disappeared next to a bowed sapling.
“It’s in here!” Travis said.
He yanked the sapling upright and snow went flying. Renee ducked under and saw a small clearing where Kieran sat, his eyes closed and his back against a tree. Lying on top of him, his head resting against the boy’s chest, was Max. As she rushed forward, calling his name, Kieran opened his eyes.
“Look, Mom,” he said, his voice weak. “I thought someone put a blanket on me, but it was Max.”
He sat up straighter and pulled his arms free.
Renee gasped.
“Oh my God! Are you hurt?”
“No, Mom. I’m just cold.”
She pointed at his chest.
“Then where did all that blood come from?”
Kieran looked down at the smear of red on his coat and the dog, who lay unmoving across his lap.
“Max!”
CHAPTER 38
Christmas dinner was almost ready by the time Renee and Kieran got home from the hospital. As they stepped into the foyer, the smells of supper cooking brought tears of joy and relief to Renee’s eyes, and she felt profoundly grateful for a family she could rely upon in an emergency. She took off her coat and helped Kieran with his, then hung them up and followed him into the living room. Grace and Lilly were in the middle of the floor playing with their new toys under Dylan’s watchful eye. When Lilly saw Kieran, she jumped up and came running over.
“We saved your presents!” she cried, trying to drag him toward the neat stack of boxes on the club chair.
Kieran winced and reclaimed his bandaged hand.
“Thanks.”
Lilly’s lower lip trembled.
“Are you mad that I told your secret?”
He shook his head.
“No,” he said. “I’m glad you did.”
She looked longingly at the stack of unopened presents.
“If your hands hurt, I can help you open them.”
Kieran shrugged.
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
As Lilly plopped down, waiting for the present opening to start, Renee hoped Travis would get there soon. She was looking forward to meeting his brother, Hugh, and anxious to see how his dog was doing. If it hadn’t been for Max, after all, her family might not have anything to celebrate.
When the ambulance arrived to get Kieran, Travis had taken off for the emergency veterinary clinic with Max. As horrifying as the smeared blood on Kieran’s jacket had been, none was the result of a bullet wound. Instead, the laceration on the dog’s neck had torn open when he pulled free of the deputy’s collar, and injured further as Max broke through the frozen branches to get to Kieran. The vet had had to remove one of his back toes, however, but Travis swore that Max didn’t seem to notice, though he did seem determined to remove the bandage on his foot. Renee wasn’t going to tell anyone about Travis’s offer, however, until the three of them arrived. She didn’t want to spoil the surprise.
She glanced over at Dylan.
“Do you know whose van is parked out in front?”
He shrugged, pointedly avoiding her gaze.
What was going on? Renee wondered. It wasn’t like her firstborn to clam up like this.
“Is something wrong, Dyl?”
He shook his head, coloring slightly.
Was it something to do with the van? she thought, or . . .
Oh, dear God. Have Jack and Wendell had another fight?
She felt her jaw tighten. After everything that had happened, there was no way she was going to play diplomat for those two. If they’d gotten into another argument, Renee thought, she might just kill them both.
“I’m going to go see if Aunt Megan needs any help.”
Renee marched off toward the kitchen, mentally preparing herself for trouble.
Of all the selfish, pigheaded . . . And now, with company coming. . .
She stepped into the kitchen and pulled up short. Megan was putting miniature marshmallows on the sweet potato casserole; McKenna was setting a pan of cookies on the counter to cool; Jack was acting as official broken cookie taste tester; and sitting at the breakfast table, grinning at one another like besotted teenagers, were Wendell and Maggie McRay. Renee smiled.
I guess I don’t have to ask whose van is out in front now.
“Hey,” Jack said. “Welcome home!”
He walked over and gave her a hug.
“Where’s KK?”
“In the living room, opening his presents with help from Lilly.”
She lowered her voice.
“What’s the deal with Dad and Maggie?”
He snickered.
“As soon as you called and said you were at the hospital, the two of them snuck downstairs. We didn’t see them again until breakfast.”
Renee nodded, remembering Dylan’s awkward silence.
“Maybe we won’t have to write that personal ad after all.”
“Fingers crossed,” Jack said, patting her back.
Renee heard a car drive up outside.
“So,” Megan said. “How’s Kieran doing?”
“Hmm? Oh, pretty well. He’s lost a couple of fingernails, but the doctor says it isn’t frostbite, and his core temperature wasn’t much below normal. Thank God Max found him when he did, or he might not have been so lucky.”
The sound of their company’s arrival was faint, but unmistakable now. Renee could hear men’s voices coming up the walkway.
McKenna gave her a worried look.
“How’s Max doing? Is he going to be okay?”
The doorbell rang, and she heard a dog bark. Renee smiled.
“Why don’t we go ask him?”
Acknowledgments
As always, I’m deeply indebted to the people behind the scenes who helped make this book a reality: my agent, Doug Grad, my editor, Gary Goldstein, his able assistant, Liz May, my publicist, Vida Engstrand, Paula Reedy, my production editor, and many others at Kensington Books who work tirelessly on my behalf and to whom I owe my gratitude.
Many thanks also to my cousin and travel buddy, Nancy Westmoreland, who spent a week squiring me around South Carolina, visiting family, sharing stories, and reacquainting me with the people and places I’ve missed living here on the left coast. Although Bolingbroke exists only in my mind, I could find it for you on any
map.
And finally, of course, love and thanks to my husband, Chris, who enlarges my joys, lightens my burdens, and makes every day a blessing.
BOOMER’S BUCKET LIST
Because dogs can dream, too . . .
Author Sue Pethick presents a warm and fuzzy love story about a passionate pet owner, a smitten newsman, and an unforgettable dog who steals everybody’s hearts....
When her cuddly canine companion Boomer is diagnosed with a rare heart condition, Jennifer Westbrook decides to take a leave of absence from her busy PR job—and take Boomer on the greatest road trip of his life.
Charting a course from Chicago to California, Jennifer plans some pet-friendly pit stops for her four-legged friend, including a dog show, a fire hydrant museum, and a factory full of squeaky toys. But when she tries to sneak Boomer into a NASCAR press box—disguised as her seeing-eye dog—Jennifer’s cover is blown by a curious, but very cute reporter named Nathan Koslow.
Boomer takes an instant shine to Nathan, unlike the other men in Jennifer’s life. When the charming journalist asks to join them on their journey, she can’t say no. But when she learns that someone has created a website called “Boomer’s Bucket List”—and it’s gone totally viral—the trip takes a wildly unexpected turn for Jennifer, Nathan, and the dog who brought them together.
It almost seems as if Boomer’s last wish is that his two favorite humans fall madly, deeply, in love....
PET FRIENDLY
Because dogs deserve a vacation, too . . . from their humans.
In Sue Pethick’s witty and heartwarming debut novel, a sweet dog in need of an owner brings together the perfect candidates....
Todd Dwyer, a successful app designer, wasn’t planning to adopt a dog, but when his Uncle Bertie dies and leaves his little mutt Archie homeless, Todd can’t help welcoming the pooch home.
Archie could charm the marrow out of a bone, but Todd’s girlfriend, Gwen, is less than impressed with the instant bond the fluffy white ball of fur makes with her boyfriend. When things go awry the first night, she insists that Todd give Archie to his sister, Claire, whose rural home is a day’s drive away.
Todd and Archie hit the road, but circumstances compel them to make a detour to a quaint hotel run by Todd’s childhood friend, Emma Carlisle. As it happens, the hotel is hosting a colorful group of ghost hunters in town for a paranormal conference, and when Archie starts howling into the air vent, it isn’t long before their road trip turns bumpier than an unpaved country lane.
But with Archie’s unerring canine instincts and loyal heart, he may help Todd and Emma see the happiness that’s waiting just under their noses....
Author photograph by Christopher Pethick
SUE PETHICK is an award-winning short story writer whose life-long love of animals inspired her to write The Dog Who Came for Christmas, Boomer’s Bucket List, and Pet Friendly. Born in San Diego, California, she now lives with her husband in Vancouver, Washington. Please visit Sue online at www.SuePethick.com.