Harvest Moon (Virgin River #15)(54)

“Well, I’m getting the puppy pretty soon. Right after Thanksgiving. When he’s about seven weeks. I didn’t know when I picked him out that he was going to be the biggest one in the litter.”

“Are you ready for the puppy?”

“Ready?”

“I mean, do you have supplies for him?”

“Oh, yeah. Some. Collar, bowls, leash, chew toys, bed.” Then she made a face. “Cage.”

“What’s up with the cage?” he asked. “I mean, the way you said it sounded pretty unhappy.”

“Lief says the dog has to be in a cage when we’re not home or watching him. He said the dog will destroy things and pee and poop on the rug.”

“I think that’s a true statement, Courtney,” Jerry said. “Puppies are chew monsters for a couple of years. Not to mention the other issues.”

“But a cage?”

“I think it’s referred to as crate training…”

“It’s still a cage!”

“Courtney, have you looked this up on the internet? I think the whole crate-training philosophy is as much to keep the puppy safe as the house.”

She dropped her chin. “So it says…”

“But—as long as you’re attentive, you can have him out. Right?” Jerry asked.

“Right,” she said, not happy. “I hate to think of him trapped while I’m at school. That’s not how they do it on the farm.”

“I know. But that’s a farm. This is going to be a house dog without a pack to raise him. Correct?”

“Coooo-rect,” she said, sarcasm dripping from the word.

“So. Anything else on your mind?”

“Lief has a girlfriend now for sure.”

“Oh?”

“Well, I knew it was coming. We were having dinner there way too much for it to be just an ordinary friend.”

“You like her?”

“Not that much,” she said. “I mean, she’s all right, but nothing special. But I know it’s a girlfriend because he’s happier. Lots happier.”

“Isn’t that good?”

She shrugged. “I told her what you said to tell her,” she said. “That I do not want a mother.”

“I see. How’d it go?”

“Fine,” she said, glancing away. “She’s not looking for a daughter…”

“She said that?”

“Not exactly. Sort of.”

“Care to elaborate?”

She gave a deep sigh. “I mentioned something about her marrying my dad and having kids of her own and she said that had never once crossed her mind. I guess she doesn’t want to be a mother. To anyone.”

“Well, there’s that possibility,” Jerry said. “Or it could be it hasn’t crossed her mind because she hasn’t known your dad that long. Maybe she doesn’t want to have children of her own. But how did she respond to the idea that you are open to friendship?”

Courtney was quiet for a while. Jerry was altogether too patient. He did this a lot, made it clear he wasn’t going to let it go. He waited. And waited. Finally she said, “Might’ve forgotten to mention that.”

“Well,” Jerry said, “I’m sure she got the message you intended.”

“It happened before, you know. My real dad got a divorce from my mom, married someone and had a couple of kids, she didn’t like me, he liked the new ones better, I was in the way at their house, and so on. He was pretty much done with me.”

“Do you think this situation—your dad having a girlfriend—is reminiscent of your previous situation?”

“Why not?”

Jerry’s turn to shrug. “I suppose it could be, but we have to remember that we’re all individuals. Could be entirely different.”

“Well, I don’t think I’m ready to take a chance on that,” Courtney said.

“Tell me what you’re most worried about.”

“Seriously?” she asked with a laugh. “I mean, seriously?”

He gave a nod. “Seriously.”

“Well, worst case, Lief decides he needs a life, so he sends me back to my real dad, who doesn’t want me, who has the wife from hell who screeches at him all the time and two little boys who pull my hair, spit on me and steal my stuff.”

“That sounds horrible,” Jerry said. “Have you told Lief about that?”

She laughed a little wickedly. “Listen, he made me go back a few times after I told him about it….”

“I see,” Jerry said. “Did you ask him why?”

“I knew why,” she said. “After my mom died, he didn’t want to be stuck with me, that’s why. Especially once I started my Goth impersonation.”

Jerry leaned forward. “Courtney, if you want to stay with Lief and don’t want to go back to your dad’s house, wouldn’t it make sense to be a little nicer to the prospective girlfriend?”

“Are you kidding me? I get any nicer, she’s moving right in. And once she moves in, I play second chair, don’t you get that? I don’t mind that as long as I’m just left alone, but I don’t want to go back to my dad’s house.”