Chapter 2
Ennis turned his old pickup onto the narrow dirt road and as the drive became rougher he became painfully aware that his shocks were in worse shape than he'd realized. Further on, the gears groaned as he made the steep climb up the bumpy road. Ever since talking to Jack Twist on the phone, Ennis had been wondering about him and was growing more curious after seeing the area in which he lived.
Looks like the back of beyond. He said it was off the beaten path and he wasn't kidding. Must be a bitch in the winter. Has to be the right way. He said to turn on Lost Dog Road and that's what the sign said.
Ennis took a drink of coffee, glad for the lid or it would be spilling out from the rough road. Must be kinda old fashioned to accept payment in work rather than cash, or else his place is in sorry need of repair. Hard to tell his age. His accent was kinda strange, not from around here, I'd guess.
Ennis thought about the pups and wondered if he'd be able to see them or if they were still too young to let strangers have a look. Wonder if he has a family or lives alone. Can't see many women wanting to live way up here. Alma would never go for this, that's for sure. Guess it's a good place for raising dogs though.
The old Dodge reached a ridge and a large piece of cleared land came into view. There was a house, barn, and what looked like large dog runs. Well, this isn't bad after all. The road into the place kinda gave the wrong impression. Seems like a nice place to live if you can get past the drive to get here.
Ennis could see two Labs in the dog run kicking up dust and barking. He came to a stop on the gravel near the front of the house, killed the engine and opened his door. He saw a dark haired man who looked to be about his age come out of the house followed by a black Lab. He assumed this must be Jack Twist.
Jack stepped closer. "Mornin'. Been expectin' you," he said with a smile on his face.
Ennis didn't say anything at first, just sat not attempting to get out, taking in the sight before him. Jack had on a blue t-shirt that brought out the blue of his eyes, not that it took a blue shirt to do that. Ennis had never seen eyes so blue.
Jack said, "I'm assumin' you're Mr. Del Mar."
That jarred Ennis out of his thoughts, and he slid out of the pickup as he noticed Jack looking at the side of his truck.
"Del Mar's Complete Fix-it Service," he read aloud. Jack held out his hand, "Jack Twist, glad ta meet ya."
Ennis shook Jack's hand and nervously mumbled, "Ennis Del Mar."
They stared at each other for a few silent moments. Finally Jack looked down and said, "And this here's Jingles."
Ennis, glad for the distraction, smiled and patted his head, "A nice looking dog."
"Thanks," Jack said. "I kept Maya and Duke in the dog run so they wouldn't overwhelm you. They were out earlier, but I keep 'em penned when I leave for work."
Ennis tried to think of something to say but for some reason he felt even more at a loss for words than usual. After a long pause he said, "You're not from around here, are you?"
"I'm from Tennessee...Memphis. Been here just over a year."
"How'd you end up here?"
"My uncle invited me to come stay with him. I was having some...uh...some problems back home, so I thought it might be a good idea to get a fresh start. You been here long?"
"Born and raised."
"No kiddin'."
"Your uncle lives here too?"
"Well, he did up till he died four months ago."
"Oh, sorry to hear that."
"Yeah, thanks. He's better off now than how he was there at the end anyway. He left me this place, and I been tryin' ta take what he taught me and make a go of it."
"Well, it looks like a nice place."
"Yeah, I like it. Nice and peaceful. Can get a little lonely at times though. It does need some repairs. I don't wanna let it go ta hell, so...Well, guess that's why you're here. I best show you around and we can discuss the money part and get it all settled what you'll be doin'."
"Sure, we best get to it if you've gotta be going soon."
The two of them, with Jingles supervising, looked over the different areas that needed attention. Jack focused on the roof of the house which was the biggest problem spot that required work before winter for sure. After they'd seen it all and had a conversation about the course of action, Jack said, "Before you go, would you like ta see the litter of pups?"
Ennis couldn't keep the smile off his face and said, "I sure would. That is, if I won't be disturbing the mama none."
"Oh, she'll be okay. Just walk slow and keep your voice down." Jack chuckled and said, "I don't think we need ta worry about you upsettin' 'em."
That seemed like a funny thing to say. Ennis pondered it as they walked toward the barn and wondered what made Jack say something like that. Maybe Jack thought he didn't talk much. Well, compared to Jack he didn't. Jack sure talked a blue streak with that smooth sounding southern voice of his.
Ennis walked behind Jack as he led the way to the family inside the barn. "They're a week old, born last Friday," Jack said. "Was up half the night till the last one was born."
"When can they leave the mama?"
"I keep 'em till at least eight weeks old. Know you're anxious ta get yours and all, but it's best ta wait a full eight weeks, or even longer sometimes."
They squatted down and Jack petted Abby and said, "This is Abby. Abby, this is Mr. Del Mar."
Ennis rubbed Abby's ears and said, "You can call me Ennis, girl."
Jack picked up one of the pups and placed it into Ennis' hands. Ennis gingerly took the fragile looking bundle and murmured soft words. After a few moments Abby started to whine so Ennis gave the pup back to Jack and he placed it back with its mother.
"Thanks for letting me see them."
"Sure. The two black ones are males, one's taken, and the other is available along with a yellow male. Mrs. Del Mar said it was a male you'd want."
"Yeah, Mrs. Del Mar seems to have it all planned," Ennis said.
"Well, uh, when they get bigger, you'll be able to tell what you like best I think," Jack said. "Mrs. Del Mar probably wants to help pick him out."
Ennis cleared his throat and said, "Well, guess I should get on my way, let you get on to your job and I got some stops to make."
When they got outside Ennis took a cigarette from his shirt pocket and lit up. "Want one?" he asked, and held the pack out toward Jack.
"Oh, no thanks. I quit when I came here...Uncle Harold, he had lung cancer." Jack paused as if he was trying to gather his words. "Not too long after I came here, and we found out about his cancer, one day I asked him if there was anything I could do for him. He said yeah there was. I asked what that was...he said ta stop smokin', that's what he wanted me to do for him, so that day I did." Jack looked down at the ground and kicked at the dirt.
Ennis took a couple more drags off his cigarette and threw it down and stepped on it. "Okay, best be going. How bout if I come back Sunday and get started?"
"Sunday, you work Sunday's too?"
"I do sometimes. Is that gonna work for you?"
"Sure, that'd be good. I'll be gone all day tomorrow. Be helpin' out at the Humane Society with the rabies clinic, but I'll be here all day Sunday."
"Okay, I'll see you then." Ennis held out his hand and shook Jack's and said, "Real good meeting you, Jack. Thanks for showing me the pups." He couldn't keep from being drawn to Jack's eyes, wondering if maybe it was the thick dark eyebrows that made them look so blue.
"Yeah, good meetin' ya too, Ennis. See ya Sunday." Ennis barely heard what Jack said, and willed himself to get into his truck and get on his way.
As Ennis drove away, he turned on the radio and started humming. He felt good for some reason. The dogs must have put him in a good mood. The pups sure were cute. He'd forgotten to ask Jack about training. They must need to be trained to be good hunting dogs, and he sure didn't know anything about that. He'd have to ask on Sunday. The drive down that narrow road didn't seem as long. By the time I finish with the work up there, I probably won't even give the road a second thought.
...
Ennis finished his workday late again, which was getting to be the norm. Driving home, he went over in his mind his jobs for the next day. He was grateful for the steady work and glad to be young enough to keep up with it, but he wondered what he and Alma would do in later years when he had to cut back. There'd be no way to keep this pace up the older he got. All of a sudden he felt a wave of sadness. He wasn't sure exactly why. Was it thinking of himself as an old man, or the thought of growing old with Alma? He parked the truck and drug himself to the house, each step feeling like an effort. At least he could tell that supper was on the stove when he opened the front door. He sure was hungry.
"Is that you, Ennis?" Alma called from the kitchen.
Ennis stepped into the kitchen and set his lunch pail and thermos on the counter top. "Guess there's no time for a shower before supper," he said.
"It's ready now, honey. Better not take the time. You weren't working on plumbing today, were you?"
"No, no plumbing today."
Alma started to tell Ennis about her day at Wal-Mart, but his mind drifted to other things as she spoke. He was jarred out of his thoughts when he heard Alma mention K.E., Carla, Heather, and Leanna.
"Wait, what did you say? I didn't quite catch that."
"I was saying….I'm making potato salad for Sunday's picnic with your family."
"Picnic?"
"Ennis, we always get together with your family one weekend a month and this is the Memorial Day weekend, so for May we set it up for this Sunday. You remember, don't you?"
"If I remembered I wouldn't be asking," Ennis snapped.
"Calm down, honey. Okay, it slipped your mind, no problem. Now you know. We're all really looking forward to this. I can't wait to spend some time with our little niece. She's growing like a weed. Carla says she can hardly keep her in clothes as fast as she's growing."
"Yeah, yeah...look, Alma, I forgot about the picnic and I have plans Sunday. I set up an appointment to work on a roof. I can't make it to lunch."
Alma gave Ennis a cold stare. "What do you mean, you can't make it?"
"Just what I said, I won't be there."
"But, Ennis, I've been looking forward to this. We all need to get together. They're our family. Family comes first."
"Jesus, Alma, I want to see them, but like I said, I forgot and now I've got work scheduled!"
"Call and postpone."
"Not gonna do that. It's set and that's that. You can still go to the picnic. Have a good time. I'll get together with my family next month. They'll understand."
"K.E. and Carla might understand, but your sister is going to be so disappointed. She lives all by herself, hardly sees anyone. She looks forward to these family get togethers."
"Trying to make me feel guilty about Leanna isn't going to help. Now drop it, Alma," Ennis said sternly.
"It's a holiday. You should be able to take one day off," Alma said, her voice raised, anger clear on her face.
"I totally forgot anything about a holiday. We have bills to pay, I gotta work. Besides, I'll have you know that the job I'm gonna be on is for Mr. Twist, the dog breeder, and whose fault is that, huh? I gotta get that out of the way so it won't cut into my paying jobs! Shit, Alma, I can't be two places at once. I'm doing the best I can."
Alma lowered her eyes, tears threatening to fall. After a moment she pulled herself together and said, "So you were out to Mr. Twist's place?" Her tone brightened and she went on, "Did you see the puppies?"
Ennis had calmed down some and said, "Yeah, I saw them. They were cute...real fine looking animals." Ennis' lips turned up into a near smile.
They managed to have a peaceful dinner, and Ennis turned in shortly after. Saturday would be another full day. Sunday would be better, just one job to get a good start on, and something about being out at the Twist place felt relaxing. Maybe because it was remote and quiet. Well, quiet when Jack wasn't talking.
...
Jack hoisted a large black Chow onto the exam table as the vet prepared to give another rabies vaccination. He was glad this one didn't need a muzzle. "Good boy," Jack said after the shot was administered, giving the dog a good rub on his back before lifting him down. Lureen escorted the dog out of the room to reunite with its master as another volunteer brought the next dog in. It had been one dog after another for a couple of hours, and Jack was ready for a break, but all of the volunteers hadn't shown up so everyone had to go the extra mile to get the dogs taken care of. When he was able to break for lunch it was a welcome relief. He needed some fresh air so found a bench under some trees to grab a few minutes of quiet while he ate.
Jack bit into the peanut butter sandwich he'd brought, and took a drink from the can of Coke that he'd gotten from the machine inside. A few minutes later Lureen appeared carrying her lunch.
"This seat taken?" she asked. She didn't wait for an answer, just went ahead and sat across from Jack.
"Be my guest," Jack said, teasing her with an indignant tone and look.
"Good answer," she said as she opened her Dannon yogurt and stuck a plastic spoon in.
"I don't know about you, but I'm beat," Jack said.
"You getting enough sleep? Everything okay?" Lureen asked as she looked into Jack's eyes.
Jack looked away. Lureen was the first, and just about the only friend he'd made after making the move to Iowa, and he always felt like she could read his mind. There had been times when he'd wished he hadn't told her so much about himself.
Lureen studied him, and he could almost see the wheels turning in her mind. "I've been lifting dogs all morning, fighting with muzzles, wiping up messes; I'm just tired is all."
"Okay, don't get mad. I've been on my feet all morning too." After eating a few more spoons of yogurt she said, "I guess maybe both of us kind of resent having to use up a Saturday to do more of the same kind of work we've been doing all week. Why they set this up on Memorial Day weekend is beyond me. Didn't expect it to be so busy but seems like everyone and their brother showed up."
"Well, we did volunteer," Jack smiled.
"Yeah, that we did. It's just that after this I've got to go practice with Arrowhead. My mind keeps wandering to what I really wish I could be doing, and what I should be doing. The rodeo is only three weeks away."
Jack didn't answer and wasn't even aware she'd said anything. "Jack, I can tell you're ignoring me. Just who are you thinking about?" she asked, raising her voice and finally getting his attention.
He looked at her but didn't speak. He was glad he hadn't mentioned that Ennis Del Mar had been out to his place the day before and was coming again the next day. If he had, she'd be all over that subject trying to pry information out of him. He could hear the questions now. Shit, there's nothin ta tell anyway. Sure he was good lookin' with those serious, deep brown eyes and sandy blond hair. Didn't talk much but he sure had my attention when he did. But he's a married man. He's spoken for and no one should mess with a person who's spoken for. Not that he'd even be interested in me anyway. The way his hair curled around his ears, his strong hands, how he smiled that little smile when he had the pup in them...Fuck, I gotta think of something else. Probably have a stupid look on my face.
"Jack, you have a funny look on your face."
Jack ignored that statement and said, "I gotta get back inside. I think my break's over. How bout you, are you comin'?"
"I have a few more minutes. I'll be in soon," she said, and gave him a curious look.
The day finally ended, and Jack left with more than he'd arrived with. He often took dogs home that needed foster homes and one was in need, so he and "Miss Molly," as the staff had been calling her, set out for home.
"Let's get you home and introduced ta the family, and we'll get you a nice bowl of food ta eat, how'd that be?" Jack asked the dog. "I don't know how long you'll be stayin' with me but while you're my guest, I'll make sure and make you comfortable. I hope the others don't look at you funny. Don't think they've ever seen a dog like you before."
Jack took out a piece of Juicy Fruit gum and put it in his mouth. Miss Molly tried to poke her nose into Jack's face. "Don't make me sorry I let ya ride up front now," he warned. As if she understood, she settled down into her seat and the two of them listened to the radio on their drive with Jack's thoughts drifting to the next day when Ennis Del Mar would be out to work on the roof. He decided to make a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some Coke, beer, and snack food just in case Ennis might want some while he was there. Suddenly he didn't feel as tired. Must be gettin' my second wind.
To Be Continued...
