Return to Virgin River (Virgin River #19)(34)

She took a few careful, slow steps into the woods. Otis barked again and in another two steps she heard the faint sound of squeaking or peeping. Had he found some baby birds? If he found a batch of kittens, they would be going to the shelter. She wasn’t sure she had completely gotten used to Tux!

But there in front of her sat Otis. He was sitting beside a large half of a cardboard box and inside she saw the head of a dog peering out. A dog she didn’t know. She gasped and took a step back. The dog laid down its head. The squeaking continued and as she braved a step closer she saw that the source of the noise was puppies. She counted four of them. She didn’t dare get any closer for fear the dog would leap out of the box and attack her. Weren’t all animals severely protective of their young?

But the dog was a mama and she was lying down on her side with those puppies latched to her chest. And then she noticed that the dog was hooked up to a leash that was looped around a tree trunk. That dog wasn’t going anywhere. Upon taking another couple of steps closer, she saw that the dog was terribly thin; she could see her ribs. She was blonde, Kaylee had no idea the breed, but she had a long snout and big brown eyes. Sad eyes. She looked around for dishes of food or water but didn’t see any. She obviously couldn’t get away. Had this little family been left here to die? Now, who would do that with a no-kill shelter in the vicinity?

Kaylee pulled her water bottle out of her backpack and got down on one knee. “Hey there,” she said softly. “How are we gonna do this without a dish?” She opened the water, shaped her hand like a cup and poured a little bit of water into her palm. The dog lapped it up in a second, so she poured more. And she crooned, “That’s right, that should help a little.” After replenishing the water to her palm several times, the water bottle was empty. She tentatively gave the mama dog a gentle pat. “What am I supposed to do with you?”

The mother dog and her four puppies were too heavy in that box for her to lift them, so she went back out to the road. Of all days for Landry to be gone. She wasn’t sure who to call, but it didn’t take long for her to decide her wisest choice would be Jack Sheridan. He would at least know who could help her. She pulled her cell out of her back pocket and found his number.

“Hey, Jack, it’s Kaylee Sloan. I...ah...have a situation. I was taking a walk with Otis and he found a mother dog and four puppies. Tied to a tree.”

“You were taking a walk with who?”

“Landry’s dog. Otis. And Landry is gone for the day. He said he wouldn’t be home until late tonight. I don’t know what to do, but I think the mama dog and her babies were left to die. And Jack? I’m a little afraid of dogs. Okay, not a little. A lot. But she seems like a nice dog and I gave her some water. I don’t know what to do. Can you help me or tell me who to call?”

There was a moment of silence. “Where are you? I’ll come,” he finally said.

“I’m on the road that fronts Landry’s two houses. Maybe a half mile from his house. I’m standing out on the road.”

“I’ll be there in ten,” he said.

She looked at her watch, then stood on the road for a couple of minutes. Then she went gingerly back to the mama dog. Otis was in his down position, his front paws stretched out in front. He watched the mama dog closely, but kept his distance. Kaylee couldn’t resist slowly sneaking a hand into the box to touch a furry little puppy and when she did so, mama dog licked her hand. And then she was very brave—she picked up a puppy and held it close for a moment.

Kaylee went back to the road when it was almost time for Jack to appear. She stood where he’d be able to see her and when his truck came into view, she waved. He stopped and jumped out of the truck. “Come with me,” she said, leading him into the trees.

Jack was right behind her when she got to the dogs. “Holy shit,” he said. “Where’d they come from?”

“Well, if I knew that, I’d call the dog police and have them arrested,” Kaylee said. “Look how wasted the poor mama looks!” Then she became aware of how cold it was back in the trees and she pulled off her jacket, covering the dog, the whole litter and part of the mama.

“I don’t think she gave birth here,” Jack said. “I think she was neglected by whoever owned her and was moved out here after the pups were born. If she’d been here a long time that box would be chewed or crushed when she tried to get out or tried to get food. Here’s what we do—I called Lynne Murphy in Clear River and she’s open till six. I’ll help you put the dogs in your car and you can take them to her. We can’t leave them here. Lynne will have some options for you, but let’s make sure they’ve seen the vet.”

It was when Otis was sitting beside the car that Kaylee looked at him and said, “Okay.” He jumped in and watched over his find on the way to the vet. For the first time in her life, Kaylee was falling in love with a dog. She wanted Otis to be her own.

Kaylee was in new territory. Having an SUV full of dogs and puppies was a lot more serious than taking Tux to the vet in a little cat carrier. She was afraid one of the dogs would get excited, start jumping around, maybe spill out the puppies, maybe jump on her and cause her to go off the road, in general just disrupt her. Her hands were tense on the steering wheel, her arms stressed tight, and yet she made the whole drive without incident. And when she got to Dr. Murphy’s office, she asked for help getting them in from the car. And because it was quite cool, she cracked the windows and asked Otis to stay.