this grizzled man in a beat-up cowboy hat and a bleached plaid shirt staggering down the sandy slope in the shimmering heat with a dog in his arms.
Dixie shaded her eyes. “Am I on drugs?”
Once on the beach, JT squatted and set the dog on the sand. The two boys fell upon him before either parent could stop them, tussling his ears and trying to rub his belly, and the dog, who knew a good thing when he saw it, forgot about the thorn and happily rolled onto his back and splayed his legs, as though reuniting with his long-lost family.
Dixie hopped down off her raft. “Where did you find that thing?”
“Up in the bushes,” said JT. “I heard a rattling sound and thought it was a snake, and then I heard him whimper.”
“What’s a dog doing down here?” Mitchell asked with a wide smile. He’d taken off his hat; a band of tight curls lay plastered against his skull, making his head seem too small. There was something in his smile that made JT suspect that whatever explanation he offered, it wouldn’t satisfy this man.
“And where did it come from?” Evelyn asked.
“I don’t know,” JT said. “Sam, go fill a bowl with water.”
Sam ran off.
“What are you going to do with him?” said Mitchell.
“See if I can get this thorn out of his foot.”
“Oh, the poor dog!” exclaimed Amy, falling to her knees beside the dog. She had changed into another large T-shirt, this one dirty white, printed with the red and yellow logo from the Hard Rock Cafe.
“And then?” said Mitchell.
JT put his hands on his hips and looked at the dog, whose hind leg was kicking reflexively from all the petting.
“No idea, Mitchell,” said JT. “No idea at all.”
9
Day One
Mile 16
The thorn turned out to have a barbed tip, so Abo and Dixie had to pin the dog down while JT wiggled the thorn around with a pair of tweezers, trying to loosen the hook that had snagged itself into the dog’s flesh. At one point the dog snapped at Dixie, but eventually JT managed to release the catch and remove the barb. Abo and Dixie let go, and the dog wiggled to his feet, shook, limped over to lift his leg against a bush, and finally retreated to a patch of shade to lick his wounded paw.
JT tossed his hat into his boat, then waded into the water and submerged himself. Dripping wet, he hoisted himself up onto his boat, pulled up the drag bag, and got out a cold beer.
Abo and Dixie joined him. One by one the guests dispersed, except Mitchell.
“Give us a moment, okay, Mitchell?” JT said.
Mitchell turned and retreated.
Abo crumpled dramatically into the well of JT’s boat. “Well, this kind of puts a wrinkle in things, don’t you think?”
“You’re not kidding,” Dixie said. “Good thing he’s healthy.”
“Are you nuts, woman?” Abo demanded.
“Healthy enough so we don’t have to feel too sorry for him, is what I mean.”
“Ice queen,” JT told Abo.
“I’m not an ice queen,” said Dixie. “I’m just being pragmatic. Where’s he going to sleep tonight, for instance?”
“He can sleep on my boat,” said Abo.
“Or maybe with Mitchell,” murmured JT. They glanced toward the beach, where Mitchell had spread out a large map and appeared to be cross-checking locations with information in his guidebook. The dog approached warily. Mitchell glanced at the dog, and the dog backed away.
“You think he’s a cattle dog?” asked Abo.
“Could be,” said JT. “Though he doesn’t look like one.”
“Maybe he came down in someone’s boat,” said Abo.
JT shook his head. “I can’t imagine anyone getting a dog past the ranger. My guess is some hiker snuck him down one of the trails, then lost him.”
Abo leaned over the edge of the boat, pulled up the drag bag, and tossed another beer to each of them. JT set his aside.
“Let’s not get sidetracked, though,” said Dixie. “This could be a huge pain in the ass.”
Abo cupped his hands over his mouth. “Houston, we have a problem!”
“You better call Park Service,” said Dixie.
“You think this qualifies as an emergency?” JT said.
“You don’t?”
“And what’s Park Service going to do?” JT went on. “Stop everything and send down a boat? Then what? Hike him out? With an injured paw?”
“I hate to say this, Boss, but he doesn’t look so injured anymore,” said Abo, and they all looked back at the beach, where the dog was chasing sticks as quickly as Sam and Matthew could throw them. Every time the dog