“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m renting a house from Landry Moore.”
“Why don’t you check with him and ask him what he thinks you should do,” Dr. Murphy suggested. “You can always take them to the shelter in a day or two. This dog has no ID chip and no record of shots.”
“Where is she?”
“Oh, Lydia is cleaning her up. She’s a mess.”
And right then the door to the exam room opened and there stood Mama on a leash, looking almost beautiful. If it weren’t for the fact that she was on the thin side, she’d be perfect. “She had something to eat and a bath. I’ve never seen anyone in bigger need of a bath.”
“Look at you,” Kaylee said. Then she looked at Dr. Murphy and asked, “Can I just take them home?”
* * *
Mama and the babies were now occupying a roomy basket that had handles. That cut-up cardboard box was too torn up and melted down from being wet and trashed. It didn’t make it any farther than the dumpster behind the veterinary clinic. When Kaylee got everyone home she found a corner of her living room to put down a soft comforter for the little family. She rolled up blankets as borders for the puppies, but they weren’t moving too fast yet. She put a bowl of food she’d gotten from the vet and water outside the barrier for Mama.
The sun was already down and she was starving, but first she texted Landry.
If it’s not too late and you’re not too tired from a long day, can you stop by my house when you get home? Otis is here and I have something to show you.
In a little while he texted back, Is everything all right?
Sure. Everything is fine.
After she got something to eat and caught Otis eating some of Mama’s food, she dimmed the lights in the room, turned on the TV with the volume soft and sat on the floor beside the puppy pile. She picked up the puppies one at a time under the close scrutiny of Mama.
Then Tux wandered over, clawed his way over the blanket barrier and found himself a spot amid the puppies.
It didn’t occur to her until after the fact—Otis simply watched and didn’t protest the kitten’s presence at all.
She brought a couch pillow down on the floor and reclined with a hand in the puppy bin, gently stroking each puppy and a kitten and Mama.
* * *
Landry had no idea how taxing the day had been until he began the drive home from San Francisco and had to stop for coffee not once but twice. Most of his tension had come from the grim anticipation of how difficult it would be to talk to Laura about divorce. And it certainly was every bit as tough as he imagined. Before the meeting was over there had been tears. He’d never been worth a damn when a woman cried, especially if he was the cause.
He was so relieved that it was over. He would never have to do that again.
Then he got the text from Kaylee and he wondered what was going on. When he finally got home, he parked his car in his drive and walked next door to her house. He tapped lightly at the door and heard Otis bark. In a moment she opened the door and there was his dog, standing beside her wagging his tail.
“What’s going on?” he asked, leaning down to give his dog a little affection.
Kaylee yawned. “Pajama party,” she said tiredly. “I think I fell asleep. Come in and see what Otis found today.”
He followed her to the corner of the room where Mama and the puppies were sleeping with a little black-and-white kitten curled up among them.
“Kaylee, where did they come from?”
“Otis found them in the woods,” she said. “And he wouldn’t let me pass until he showed me.”
7
THEY CALLED HER LADY. For a week the rescued dog was referred to as Mama, but that wasn’t a real name, so Kaylee stepped forward and declared she would be Lady. Landry fixed up a cozy pen for her in his kennel. He built a two-foot-high barrier around a large dog mattress so that the puppies couldn’t wander off but Lady could step over with ease. He would have put her in the house in a warm corner of the kitchen, but he didn’t really know her and there were too many opportunities for trouble, so the kennel it was.
Lady liked the kennel and the new bed for her and her family. Right outside the door was the fenced yard and Otis was willing to run and play a little bit, but Lady was still a new mother and underweight and had four puppies who didn’t even have their eyes open to take care of. And she did a wonderful job of keeping them clean and quiet.
It was no longer necessary to sit beside Lady’s box and feed her by hand as Kaylee had done in the beginning. Her appetite had returned and she was enjoying a special kibble with a high calorie content. In no time at all she began to look more fit, healthier and, to Kaylee at least, beautiful. But Kaylee still spent a great deal of time sitting beside her, picking up a puppy to cuddle, then another, then another. Lady patiently allowed this. She would often show her approval by licking Kaylee’s hand.