Running Wild(Wild #3)(45)

Harry lumbers beside me. Clearly, he’s not finished yet. “And Gary was talking about signing up for the next Iditarod and taking Dodger and Sailor, but I haven’t heard from him, either.”

“Gary Seymore?” The volunteer from Cripple?

“Yeah. He did the qualifiers with the two of them and made decent time.”

The two huskies in question are standing on top of their respective houses, watching Harry’s hired help—a twenty-one-year-old named Benji with aspirations to race the Iditarod one day—check water dishes. They’re solid lead dogs. Obviously not Harry’s best, which he uses for his own team.

“I agreed to give him a referral and everything.” Harry shrugs, like he doesn’t understand what else could be stopping Gary from racing next year.

“He has time to commit. And four grand just to sign up is a lot. Plus your fees for those two.”

He smooths a hand over the back of his neck. “What am I gonna do, if I keep breeding and training these dogs, and no one wants them?” He sounds less like the cocky ass who grins at spectators and more like the gangly boy who used to trail around Earl, hanging on to his every word.

“I think you’re getting ahead of yourself,” I say calmly. “You have great sled dogs, and everyone knows that.”

“My father never had this issue. People were lined up for our dogs when he was alive.” His eyes drift over the property. “If I’d won this year’s race, this wouldn’t be an issue. I should have won. I don’t know what happened.”

Tyler beat him. That’s what happened, plain and simple. And in the months that have followed, I’ve heard Tyler’s name on more than one musher’s lips, along with questions about what the champion’s “stock” is like and whether he’ll be breeding or renting out his dogs.

It wasn’t only Tyler who beat him, though. Harry didn’t come in second. He came in fourth.

The truth is, Hatchett Kennels still produces top talent sled dogs—Harry knows how to train them—and many of the best mushers have lineage from here, but people have been lured away by the new and shiny—the Iditarod champion who relocated to Alaska with dogs of fresh lineage.

But I’m not about to point that out. I have things to do, and Harry no doubt already knows.

Now I just need to get out of here before Bonnie Hatchett arrives to complain about something. “I have to get back to the clinic. Bottom line, Ginger looks good, and I’ve given all of them their shots.” I nod toward the sizable kennel where the older puppies roam, untethered, curiously watching. They’re too young for training yet, still months away from mingling with the older dogs and learning the pecking order. “Change the bandages on Motto’s paw tonight before bed and use the ointment.” The dog got a big thorn stuck between his toes during a run that Harry couldn’t extract. “The usual deal with the bill okay?”

Unlike Bradley Garvis and his ferrets—who never paid his bill and hasn’t been back since—I never worry about Harry paying. Cory will invoice him tomorrow, and he’ll swing by to settle within a day or two.

“Yeah, about that.” His forehead puckers. “We need to come up with some kind of arrangement.”

Unease slides down my spine. “What kind of arrangement were you thinking?”

“I’ve been goin’ over numbers, and my vet bills are high, Marie.”

“Well, yeah, you have seventy-five dogs.” It seems like I’m out here almost every week.

“I get that. But my family has been loyal to your clinic for years. Decades, actually. Like, I crunched the numbers.” He pulls out a small notebook from his back pocket and flips through to show me a mess of hand-scratched calculations. “You’ve made a lot of money on us, especially over the last few years since my dad died.”

“Because you’ve called me out here a lot.” Earl had years of experience. He knew how to pull a thorn from his dog’s paw and when to have it treated by a professional. “And you’ve gotten a lot of personalized veterinarian care during that time.” Where is Harry going with this?

“Right, but am I paying what I should be paying? I mean, I’ve always been good to you, but business is business.” He falters. “I’d hate to have to look elsewhere.”

I bite my tongue, waiting for him to continue.

He adjusts his stance, pulling his shoulders back, and says firmly, “You need to do better with your rates and your service. That’s what I’m saying.”

I struggle to keep my jaw from falling open. Does he realize how good I’ve been to him over the years? How many times I’ve prioritized his kennel over my other clients, dropping everything to race out here when he’s called? He already gets a discounted rate as it is. Hell, I don’t charge him a home visit fee or for my travel out here!

But losing the Hatchetts’ business would be a significant loss of income. It wouldn’t completely ruin me, but it would hurt. The question is—what’s more important, my business’s bank account or my pride?

I tamp down my shock and frustration and clear my throat. I need my father’s advice. “I will evaluate my costs and fees and get back to you. How about that?”

“That sounds reasonable, Marie. I know you’ll come up with a plan. And, make no mistake, I appreciate you.” I sense triumph in that look. Like he assumes he’s won.