Bayou Christmas (Cypress Cove #2) - Suzanne Jenkins Page 0,7
didn’t want to do what they were supposed to do. We offered to fix all the pups and their mother free, but Johanna’s owner dragged their feet. It looks like they decided not to do it.”
“What breed do you think the father is?”
“It’s too early to tell,” he said.
He pulled through the gate and got out to shut and lock it. When he got back into the truck and put it into gear, Maggie remembered.
“Steve and Annie adopted the mother,” she said, disheartened. “I just remembered.”
Stony silent, the telltale tic in his jaw gave away his reply.
“Maybe she ran away,” Maggie continued.
“He should have let me know right away. I’m pissed!”
“Consider giving him a chance to explain. I wonder how she ended up under my porch.”
“Instinctive, I guess. She knew this would be a safe place.”
They drove slowly through the forest, the rough road making for a rough ride. They soon reached the clinic. A large heated barn occupied by horses would be the perfect place for Johanna and her pups to live for now. Maggie’s mother, Rose, and Justin’s father, retired vet Doc Chastain, came out to see what the commotion was all about.
“Aw, they’re newborn! Some of these pups still have remnants of the umbilical cord,” Rose said, helping carry the pups to their mother.
Justin arranged a clean saddle blanket on a bed of straw for Johanna, and she lay there, waiting for her pups. With her eyes closed, it appeared that she had a hint of a smile on her face.
“She’s so content,” Doc Chastain said.
A bowl of dry kibble and a water bowl up on a stand to keep wandering pups safe, and she had a safe haven for now.
“How’d your turkey dinner turn out?” Rose asked.
“Besides the fact that I used salt instead of sugar in the apple pie, it was tasty,” Maggie replied, grimacing.
Coming alongside her, Justin slid his arm around her shoulders. “It was a nice dinner. We’re going to go back there now and finish. The crying pups interrupted us.”
They said goodnight after locking the barn, and got into the truck for the ride back to Bayou Cottage.
“Is it too late to pick up where we left off?” Justin asked.
“Definitely not. We have the entire night ahead of us. Remind me what we were going to do again?”
With his hand on Maggie’s knee, he slid it slowly up her leg. “Does this jog your memory a little bit?”
“How fast can you drive?” she asked, giggling.
Chapter 2
The next morning after Justin left, Maggie sat at her computer and finished the work for her client. Then she got a text message from Kelly at Cove Rescue.
Can you come in today and give me a hand? I’m going to take a van load of animals over to the two vet clinics, and Justin said you might be willing to help.
Glancing at Brulee, Maggie had looked forward to taking their morning walk.
Do I have time to walk the dog? I can be over by you at eleven.
She answered right away. Eleven will be perfect. Thank you so much.
“Come, girl, we’re going early today.”
Walking around the perimeter of her property was no easy task; it took an hour if they focused, but if there were wild horses that needed talking to, it could take twice that. Most of the horses on her property were used to her presence, and although they were standoffish, they wouldn’t run away. And one of them actually came up to her in case of treats.
Wellingtons were a necessity. Brulee didn’t care if her feet got wet. They always went the same way, taking the trail at the right side of the cottage and moving northwest through the woods. But on this day when they reached the border of Maggie’s property with the state land, they encountered Amber Greely on horseback.
She saw Maggie first and shouted, waving, “Maggie!”
Galloping over to the fence, Amber was really impressive up in the saddle.
“Hey! I might run into you later today,” Maggie called out.
“What’s going on?”
“Kelly Casson is moving animals to the two vet clinics today and asked me to help. If you’re at work, I’ll see you over there.”
“I’m working this afternoon. I wish I were in a situation where I could take some of her rescues, but I live in a stinking apartment.”
“I know. I wish I had a barn,” Maggie said.
“We’ll think of something. Anyway, I need to get moving. I might see you later today, then.”
“Right,” Maggie said, waving and resuming her walk.
It