Who Rescued Who
Page 30
When the dog’s panting finally slowed, she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed James with trembling hands.
Based on the noise coming from the party, she expected to have to call him several times but he picked up on the second ring. He smiled when he saw her, and her heart leapt when she realized that he was only a few hundred yards away.
“Hey! You’re missing a great party, Bess. It’s incredible, we’re packed! I can’t thank you enough for suggesting it. Here, look.” He flipped the camera and panned the crowd and she looked up from her phone to see if she could see what he was showing her from her vantage point at the edge of the woods.
“Wow, looks amazing,” she said when he flipped the phone back.
“Are you packing? I can’t wait to see you.”
“Actually, I’m not.” She kept her face neutral.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I thought I should enjoy this while it’s still available.” She lifted the stout so that he could see it.
“What’s that?”
“Why, it’s a limited-edition milk stout from my favorite brewery.” She smiled and took a giant sip. “The Mastiff is the name, I think?”
“What? You’re here? Where are you?” James started running through the crowd.
“Back corner of the yard, by the trees. Come get me.” She hung up and tossed the phone on the ground by the beer and started running. Georgina didn’t miss a beat and fell in step beside her.
James dashed out of the crowd at full tilt and they ran across the yard until they crashed into each other, falling to the ground in one another’s arms. Georgina ran around them barking like she was a referee calling them out for unnecessary roughness.
James crushed his lips to hers, and she could taste the beer he’d been sampling and smell his campfire scent. He rolled and flipped her so that she was on top of him, and neither one cared that there was a good chance that his entire customer base could see them wrapped around each other on the ground like humping teenagers. The James-fireworks filled her entire body.
Two more canine voices joined Georgina, and she stopped kissing James to say hello to Amber and Porter, who also couldn’t believe their luck that Bess had magically reappeared.
“This is real, Bess? You’re here for good?” James asked her when he finally stopped kissing her.
“For good,” she said, resting her chin on his chest. “Now, kish me, please, please, please. And don’t stop.”
James placed a gentle hand behind her head and brought her lips to his as three happy dogs barked their approval.
She was home.
acknowledgments
Writing a book is nice work if you can get it, and it’s even nicer when you’re surrounded by a team that feels like friends. Forever thanks to my dream come true agent, Kevan Lyon, for supporting my dog nerdiness on the page and in real life, and for spreading the rescue and foster message like a pro. Endless gratitude to my editor, Kate Seaver, for feedback that’s always bull’s-eye perfect, and for letting me believe that I’m the gateway drug to her next dog. (It’s going to happen!) Bridget O’Toole and Tara O’Connor, thanks for allowing this wannabe PR and marketing geek to pretend that I was contributing while the two of you were doing the actual hard work! To Craig Burke, Jeanne-Marie Hudson, and the rest of the amazing Berkley team—thank you for the warm welcome to the family.
It takes a village to build a village like Fargrove, and I was so fortunate to have incredible people helping me bring it to life. Big thanks to Meg Lomax, who enchanted me with tales of her sheep-filled youth in England and introduced me to a dog named Major; to my childhood friend turned museum badass Emily Peters for schooling me on the business side of the art world; to UK-based smallholder Rosie Hetherington for introducing me to all things sheep during a delightfully quotable video chat; to craft beer salesman extraordinaire Tom Clermont for teaching me all about casks, firkins, and what it takes to woo a pub; and to British expat and friend Brian Prowling for acting as my official slang consultant.
Then there’s my standard support crew, the people who see the best and worst of me as the words come into focus. Jennifer Buckley, my beloved first reader who knows a thing or two about pub hijinks, and has the photos to prove it; Nerice Kendter and Heidi Bencsik, who cheerleaded me whether it’s socks or ball gowns; and Jenni Walsh, Helen Little, and Suzanne Baltsar, my “pale mimosa” writer tribe, for helping me navigate author life.
Thanks to my parents for their unwavering support, and for telling me the stranger than fiction story of how my paternal grandparents met, which became the spark that led to Rowan’s and Trudy’s story.
And finally, my Fav, there are no words to express my love and gratitude other than, “It’s all for you.”
questions for discussion
1. Elizabeth uses social media as a stand-in for real relationships. How does this behavior hinder her when she arrives in Fargrove? Have you ever found yourself focusing more on “getting the shot” than participating in an important life event?
2. How did losing her mother and her subsequent relationship with her father shape Elizabeth? Do you think her life would’ve been different if her mother hadn’t died at such a pivotal point in Elizabeth’s life?
3. Elizabeth initially assumes that Rowan and Trudy’s dog, Major, doesn’t like her, partly because she believes that she isn’t a dog person. What are some of the dog behaviors she misunderstands? How do the dogs of Who Rescued Who—including Porter, Amber, and Georgina—change her view of dogs?
4. Puppyhood is challenging even for experienced pet parents, and when we meet Georgina she’s a typical out of control puppy. Why do you think Elizabeth didn’t give up on Georgina, even though she had no clue about what she was doing?
5. In some ways Elizabeth is forced into becoming a part of Fargrove. How do her new friends and family push Elizabeth outside of her comfort zone?
6. Elizabeth rediscovers her love of painting while in Fargrove, which helps to foster her relationship with Rowan, as well as the animals around her. Do you think their relationship would’ve been different if they didn’t have painting in common? Do you believe that certain talents are passed down within families? Do you have a hobby that you wish you could pick up again?
7. Elizabeth experiences family love, romantic love, and friendship love in Fargrove. Which do you think has the most impact on her?
8. Elizabeth’s name is an ongoing theme in Who Rescued Who. Why do you think Rowan immediately started calling her Bess? How does Elizabeth’s eventual acceptance of her nickname reflect the changes she’s been through?
9. How does the realization of everything that happened between Elizabeth’s father, Rowan, and Trudy change her perception of them? Have you ever learned a family secret that changed your family dynamic?
10. Even though we tend to think that the human end of the leash is the one doing the rescuing, the benefits usually extend to both ends. How do you think Georgina rescues Elizabeth?
Victoria Schade has been a dog trainer and writer for close to twenty years. She works behind the scenes on Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl as the lead animal wrangler and creates dog training content for a variety of pet-focused websites. She’s the author of Bonding With Your Dog, Secrets of a Dog Trainer, and Life on the Leash. Victoria lives in Pennsylvania with her dogs, Millie and Olive; the occasional foster dog; and her very patient husband, Tom.
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