Chapter 2
Jack finished arranging his lunch in the mini refrigerator and stood up to greet Lureen as she entered the break room. "God, it's hot and humid out there this morning," she complained as she headed to the refrigerator with her lunch.
"Good mornin' ta you too," Jack said.
"Oh, Jack, hi there...sorry, I'm just so darn hot. Look, I'm sweating under my bangs," she said as she wiped her forehead with a Kleenex. "I stopped a minute before coming inside to look at a big Chow Chow-Husky mix standing with his owner."
"Not a good sign if the dog needs ta stay outside until his appointment," Jack winced. "I thought for sure we were gonna get a good downpour last night but it never came. All we got was a few drops."
"Look at me, going on and I haven't even asked how the trip was. Was everyone okay when you guys got home? I was up there at noon and they were fine."
"Yeah, they were all good. Thanks a lot for tendin' to 'em, sweetheart."
Lureen pushed out her bottom lip and said in a teasing voice, "Well, actually I was real glad you finally needed me for something. Ever since Ennis came on the scene, I haven't felt very useful."
Jack put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "I hope I haven't made ya feel that way."
Lureen gave him a tight squeeze back. "I'm just kidding with you...I can't wait to hear all about the zoo. We'll talk at lunch, okay?"
"Sure. See ya then." Jack left out the back door to head to the boarding kennels.
At lunchtime, Jack met Lureen in the break room. She had already started to eat when he finally came in mopping his brow. "Shit, I wish it would rain," he said. "Look at you, cool as a cucumber in here all mornin' in the air conditionin'."
"Yeah, that's one good thing about my job," she said.
"Busy mornin'?" Jack asked.
"Monday's always are. Seemed extra hectic today if that's possible."
She took a sip of her Coke before asking about the trip. As they ate, Jack gave her the rundown, hitting on the highlights, at least the G-Rated ones. "By the way, did ya go up ta see the dogs with someone, or in a different vehicle by any chance?"
"No, why?"
"You drove up in your car?"
"That's what I just said, why?"
"Well, when we got home last evenin', we noticed a strange lookin' tire track in the dried mud near the house. Could tell it wasn't from your little Subaru." Jack downed the last of his bottled water and said more to himself than to Lureen, "I wonder who was up there." He thought for a moment and asked, "Ya didn't notice anything or see anything out of the ordinary, did ya?"
"No, not a thing. I was up midday Saturday, and again just before dark, and twice Sunday, last time being noon. No one was around when I was there...Jack, you're not worried about it are you?"
"No, no, not really. Just curious is all. Besides you, Ennis' family are the only ones who come visitin', and they all knew we were gone."
"Could it have been someone who heard about the Labs? Maybe wanted to ask about them, see if you had any for sale?"
"That's a possibility, but usually people don't just show up that way...they usually call." Jack smiled, trying not to alarm Lureen. "And we don't have any new animals runnin' round like someone dumped any off." Jack was quiet, thinking. "More than likely it was someone lost. They get on that road and end up at the top and find out they're at a dead end."
"Yeah, that's probably it," Lureen said.
"Well, thank-you again for takin' care of everybody. We got ya a little present for your trouble. Got it at the gift shop at the zoo." Jack stood up and walked to the small closet in the corner. "Sorry it's not wrapped," he said as he handed Lureen the gift.
"Don't be silly, look at the fancy bag. That's better than a gift bag. "Wildthings Gift Shop," she read on the bag. "That's me, a wild thing," she smiled. She reached inside and pulled out a box. "Horse-Opoly," she said in an excited voice. Oh, my God, Jack, this is perfect! Monopoly horse style. Thank-you so much...you shouldn't have."
Jack chuckled, "Maybe your old man will play it with ya."
"Yeah, I can see us playing this together," she giggled. "Actually, he'd get a kick out of it."
"Be sure and tell him where ya got it...he'll love it even more."
They both laughed, gathered up their trash, and went back to work.
...
Jack was greeted by the dogs as he pulled up next to Ennis' truck. Ennis was a welcome sight as he stepped out of the house, but right away Jack noticed that he had a worried look on his face.
Must still be thinkin' about those tracks. Wish I could tell him Lureen had come up with a boyfriend or somethin'.
"Hey, Jack," Ennis said, giving a small smile. "You remember to stop at the grocery store?"
"Yeah, sure. Took me awhile ta find everything on your list. Must be why ya made it home before me for once," Jack said as he stepped out of the SUV.
Ennis joined Jack at the Tahoe, maneuvering through dogs to give him a quick hug and kiss. "Missed you," he whispered into Jack's ear. "Here, let me help get the bags inside. Sorry about the list, but I want everything to be good when Leanna and Ben come up tomorrow night."
"I know, I was just kiddin'. I got a spice cake mix. Ya think that'll be okay?"
"Sounds real good."
Snowball followed them as they took the bags to the kitchen. "Ya lookin' for somethin', boy? Think ya get treats every time we go ta the store?"
"Well, doesn't he?" chuckled Ennis.
Jack did have a box of milk bones that were unpacked with everything else, but he reached into an already opened box in the cupboard to get one. The little dog promptly took it from Jack's hand and made a bee line to the living room to lie down and crunch on it.
Jack felt relieved to see Ennis in a better mood than what it appeared when he'd first come out onto the porch, but it didn't last long as he cleared his throat and asked what Jack had been expecting. "What did Lureen have to say today when you asked her about the tire track?"
"Uh, she said she came up alone and in her own car." Jack waited for Ennis' reaction. When he didn't say anything right away Jack said, "What I'm thinkin' is someone was lost, ya know, got on the road by mistake thinkin' it went somewhere not noticin' the road ends ahead sign, and when they saw a dead-end turned round and left. I've had people do that sometimes...usually they turn around up at the ridge, but..."
"No, Jack, I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"Come outside with me. I need to show you something I noticed after work."
Jack didn't like the grim look he saw on Ennis' face. He silently followed him out by the barn. "Look here," Ennis said as he pointed to some large boot prints in the dried mud.
Jack stooped down to get a closer look. He was starting to become concerned too at that point because it was evident that the prints hadn't been made by the kind of boots he or Ennis wore. "I wonder what someone was doin' up here walkin' around?"
"That's what I'd like to know."
Jack stood up and glanced toward the dog runs. "Maybe they were thinkin' of tryin' ta steal a dog. Ya know, when I have pups, I lock 'em in the barn when I'm not here just cause of that. With the older dogs, not so much, but maybe we should start leavin' 'em in the barn, especially if we're ever gone overnight again."
"Maybe," Ennis said, with not much conviction in his voice.
"What are ya thinkin'?"
"Not sure what to think, but I don't like it."
"Ya need ta try not ta jump ta conclusions..."
Ennis cut him off. "And you need to face reality, Jack," he spit out.
Every muscle in Ennis' body looked tense. Jack could see that this was really causing him a lot of anxiety. He wasn't sure if he should say anything but he asked, "Ya have any ideas who it might have been?"
"Somebody who had no business being here, is all I know for sure." Ennis was quiet for a moment and seemed to be calming down. "Let's not say anything about this when Leanna and Ben are up, huh? I don't want to upset my sister."
"Yeah, sure. I won't say anything."
"Let's go in and get ourselves some supper," Ennis said. They headed for the house both lost in their own thoughts.
Later that night, Jack put the finishing touches on the spice cake while Ennis put the dogs to bed. As the time ticked away, Jack knew that Ennis was being very thorough with his check of the grounds. Finally the back door opened, and Lobo and Jingles trotted in ahead of Ennis, joining Snowball in the living room.
The locks on the door clicked loudly, and Ennis propped his shotgun against the wall. "All seems real peaceful out there. Looks like we're finally gonna get that rain too." He walked over to Jack and put his arms around his waist from behind and kissed his neck. "Your cake looks good. Maybe Leanna will hire you to bake her wedding cake."
Jack laughed. "Oh, yeah, I can just see what that would look like."
Ennis chuckled. "Well, this cake looks good. Too bad we have to save it for tomorrow night."
"Oh, you hungry?" Jack asked.
"Only for you...Come on to bed, Jack," Ennis said, his voice a low rumble.
...
Ennis finished his last job of the day much earlier than usual in order to get back home to start preparing supper. Leanna and Ben were due at six p.m. He was excited to have them out to the farm house. They'd been there before, but not for a meal. He didn't consider himself a great cook, but he was okay at making a few everyday dishes, and his sister liked good old, down home cooking, and he knew that Ben did too. With Jack's cake for dessert, he felt like he had it all under control. He just hoped he wasn't going to find anything out of the ordinary when he arrived home, and he had been trying to push the whole episode of the unknown visitor out of his mind. He felt pretty good. The jobs he'd done that day had gone well, and the folks were nice to work for. He considered himself lucky that most of his customers were good, open minded people. Of course he hadn't announced to anyone that he'd moved up to the little farm house at the end of Lost Dog Road, or even that he and Alma were divorcing, although he was sure that most of the folks had heard, at least about his divorce.
Yeah, most of the people in this little town are open-minded. Too bad not all of them are.
He wasn't sure how much Alma had told people, but he didn't think she'd have gone around airing their dirty laundry. Of course, she had told that redneck jerk, Frank, he was sure of that. Ennis forced himself to concentrate on the evening ahead and not get all worked up about things he had no control over.
Before Ennis and Jack opened the door to welcome their guests, Jack looked down at the little, white dog near their feet. "Best behavior, Snowball."
Ennis hugged and kissed Leanna, and shook Ben's hand. Jack took his turn as the couple came through the front door. Snowball sniffed their shoes, and then backed away giving them puppy-dog eyes.
"That's a cute little dog," Ben said.
"Sure is," Leanna agreed. "Not quite as cute as Mickey though."
"How's that cat of yours doin'?" Jack asked.
Ben answered for Leanna. "She's got that cat spoiled rotten, I'm telling you. She lets him sleep stretched out on his back right in the middle of the bed."
"Ben, quiet," Leanna said as she gave Ben a playful punch on the arm.
"Oh, sorry, maybe that was too much information," he stammered.
They all laughed until Leanna blushed. Ennis served drinks and chips and dip, and they relaxed in the living room until the meal was ready. Leanna wanted to hear about the trip to Des Moines so they filled her and Ben in.
Over supper, Ben and Leanna's upcoming wedding was the main topic of conversation. "You getting cold feet yet, Ben?" Ennis joked.
"Hell, no. I know a good thing when I see it, and I'm not gonna do anything to mess this up," Ben said as he looked at Leanna and gave her a wink.
"June's a real nice time for a weddin'," Jack said.
"You two decide yet where you're going for your honeymoon?" Ennis asked.
Leanna beamed. "We decided on the Joy in The Morning Bed and Breakfast Inn in Cedar Rapids."
"Wow, that's some highfalutin name," Ennis chuckled.
"Yeah, I don't know who thought that one up," Ben laughed.
"I think it's a lovely name," Leanna said. "The bridal suite has a private bathroom and Jacuzzi."
"Don't forget the outdoor hot tub with underwater laser light show," Ben added.
"Well, it sounds like you're gonna have a real nice honeymoon," Jack said.
"And a beautiful life together," Ben said as he raised his glass for a toast.
"The wedding plans all on schedule?" Ennis asked.
"They're going pretty well," Leanna said. "All the invitations are mailed out."
Ennis couldn't help but notice a change of expression on her face, and he saw a look pass between her and Ben.
"What's up, Sis? Anything I can help with?"
Leanna took a deep breath. "Oh, it's nothing really."
"Come on, out with it," Ennis said.
"Well, I had a bit of a shock the other day is all...shoot, I really shouldn't be bringing this up now."
"You started it, now finish," Ennis said.
"It's just that I got back one of the RSVP's, the one from the Clarksons. It had a very curt note on it declining the invitation."
Ennis felt his heart sink in his chest, and knew he'd probably turned pale. "Go on," he said. He dreaded what she might say.
"Well, that's about it. I don't exactly know what to make of it. We've been friends of theirs for years. You do jobs for them, Ennis. I can't understand why they even returned it if they weren't coming, let alone sounded so cold and downright mean."
"I might have a clue," Ennis said. He tried to control his temper, but he was finding it hard to rein it in. He saw Ben watching him, waiting for him to go on, and Jack...Jack had been quiet through the conversation, but Ennis saw the question in his eyes too.
"Mr. Clarkson stopped me half way through a job I was doing for him, no explanation, just that he didn't need my services anymore. Hell, I knew why...why he didn't want me working for him anymore." Ennis took a drink of water, trying not to appear so angry and upset. He tried to not look at Jack, but he couldn't help it. When he saw the look Jack was giving him, he knew that Jack was hurt, not only because of what Mr. Clarkson had done, but because of the fact that Ennis had kept it from him.
"Ignorant son of a bitch," Ben said. It was obvious how disgusted he was.
"Unfortunately there are narrow, small-minded people in the world, and Allen Clarkson happens to be one of them. It makes me mad as hell that he's taking it out on you, Sis. Me, I can handle."
"Don't worry about me, Ennis," Leanna said in a stern voice. "I wouldn't want them at my wedding if that's their attitude. I wouldn't have sent an invitation had I known about them kicking you off the job. I wish you'd have told me."
Jack remained silent but he didn't need to speak because Ennis knew what he was thinking, wish you'd have told me too.
"Well, there's nothing we can do to change the mind of a bigot, so let's just try and move past it and not let it spoil anything, all right? What do you say?" Ben asked.
"Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. Let's change the subject. This Shepard's Pie was delicious, Ennis," Leanna said. "I hope it wasn't a lot of trouble."
"No trouble at all. Glad to have you."
"Well, you've turned into a very good cook. I'll cook for you and Jack next time."
Jack cleared his throat and asked, "Are ya all ready for dessert now? We've got cake and coffee."
"Sure, bring it on," Ben said.
They decided to have their dessert on the porch as they continued visiting. Watching the dog's and cat's antics went a long way in helping to lighten the mood that had settled over them after the talk about the Clarksons.
"You'll really have your hands full when you get the horses," Leanna said. "Have you started the fence yet?"
"Not yet, but the supplies are on order," Ennis answered.
"We'll be havin' another litter by mid June," Jack informed them.
"My goodness, where do you boys find the time to tend to all of these animals?"
"We get up early, stay up late," Ennis laughed.
It was beginning to get dark so they decided to go inside. "I'll clean up the dishes," Leanna said.
"No, you're our guest, don't you dare," Ennis said.
"I don't mind, you worked all day and then rushed home to cook. Just let me at least get these dishes to the dish washer. You boys visit awhile longer."
"I'll be in ta help ya in a minute," Jack said. "I'll get the dogs penned up first."
Ennis and Ben sat and talked in the living room until Jack joined them with Lobo, Jingles, and Snowball. Jack excused himself to help Leanna as Ennis turned on the t.v. Leanna shooed Jack out of the kitchen, assuring him that she had everything under control and instructing him to join Ben and Ennis in front of the t.v.
"I learned long ago not to argue with her," Ennis said.
"It didn't take me long to find out she's in charge," Ben laughed.
The t.v. played, but the three men weren't really aware of what was on, more content to visit and wind down after a long day. Just then barking could be heard outside, and the three dogs inside lifted their ears and sat up.
"Wonder what has them going?" Ennis said.
"Hope it's an opossum and not a skunk," Jack said.
Ben settled further into the chair not concerning himself with the barking, and Jack did the same. Ennis had a mind to go out and check, but remained planted on the couch. The tranquility was soon shattered when Leanna let out a scream from the kitchen.
To Be Continued...
