want to see her again. This dog has an amazing nose and the attention span of a termite. She’d be gone off in the forest after some scent. With her energy level, she’d end up in the next county.”
Kat shook her head. How was she supposed to respond to this information? “Is that why she spends so much time outside in her kennel?”
Cindy waved her hand toward the dog. “Not exactly. You probably didn’t notice, but I didn’t pet her. If I touch her, she pees.”
“Really? So she’s not housebroken? Isn’t she a little old for that?” No wonder the dog had her own special enclosure outside.
“Yes. Since we’re outside, I can show you.” Cindy gathered up the leash tighter, reeling in Tessa, who turned and tried to jump on the dog walker.
“Tessa, NO!” she said. Tessa looked chastised for approximately one-tenth of a second and then leaped up again. “NO! Tessa, SIT!”
The dog planted her rear end on the ground for another tenth of a second, then leaped up again. Kat sensed a theme here.
“Tessa, SIT!” Cindy reached out to touch Tessa’s head. The dog paused long enough to relieve herself then leaped in the air again.
As Kat witnessed the pee performance, she cringed mentally. Would she be able to walk the dog at all? At 5-foot-3, she was a lot less burly than Cindy, who was an Amazon by comparison. She and Cindy started walking again and Kat looked down at Tessa. The odd thing about the dog was that she never looked at anything. Unlike Linus who stared up at Kat with those big brown soulful eyes, Tessa never seemed to be still long enough to notice people or her surroundings.
They entered the forest and started down the trail. As twigs wedged themselves into her sandals, Kat again wished she had other footwear. After this walk, her toes were going to smell like she’d dipped them in Pine-Sol.
“Where is the other dog?” Kat asked.
“Chelsey is inside. She’s kinda weird, so I walk her separately.”
“Weird?” Could a dog be more weird than Tessa?
Cindy paused on her march through the forest to haul Tessa to a stop, so she could rearrange the leash in her large hands. “Larry said that you’ll be staying here. That would be so great for me. I’d like to take a break from this job. Coming out here messes up my schedule. All my other clients are in town near my house, so I get them all walked pretty fast. When the clients live close together, I can make more money and get back home, so I’m there when my kid gets home from school.”
If the dog walker quit permanently, it would be a major problem. Keeping Cindy happy seemed like a good long-range plan. Kat paused and said, “There’s a problem with the house, but I’m staying out at the Enchanted Moose, so I can come out and walk everybody tomorrow.”
“Great! She whipped a paper out of her coat pocket. Everything you need to do is written down right here.”
Kat took the paper, looked down at Linus and sighed. Linus shook his big head, and Kat watched as the shake rippled down his large body, ending with a final flip of his tail. The big dog sat and wagged slowly as if to say, “Lady, you totally walked into that one.”
After Tessa was reinstalled in her enclosure, Kat and Cindy returned to the front of the house to where the lawyer and Joel had been. Neither man was visible and Kat wondered where they had wandered off to while she was out with the dogs. The hood of the Hyundai slammed. Joel stood in front of the car with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. As Cindy walked up toward her brother, he said, “I can’t do anything about this thing. I don’t know what’s wrong. You need to take it to a real mechanic.”
“Who are you kidding? You know I can’t afford a real mechanic.”
“You were making pretty good money here. Didn’t that help some?”
Cindy pointed down the driveway at the general direction of town. “I spent it all on Johnny. He needed new shoes. What can I say? The kid keeps
Kat shook her head. How was she supposed to respond to this information? “Is that why she spends so much time outside in her kennel?”
Cindy waved her hand toward the dog. “Not exactly. You probably didn’t notice, but I didn’t pet her. If I touch her, she pees.”
“Really? So she’s not housebroken? Isn’t she a little old for that?” No wonder the dog had her own special enclosure outside.
“Yes. Since we’re outside, I can show you.” Cindy gathered up the leash tighter, reeling in Tessa, who turned and tried to jump on the dog walker.
“Tessa, NO!” she said. Tessa looked chastised for approximately one-tenth of a second and then leaped up again. “NO! Tessa, SIT!”
The dog planted her rear end on the ground for another tenth of a second, then leaped up again. Kat sensed a theme here.
“Tessa, SIT!” Cindy reached out to touch Tessa’s head. The dog paused long enough to relieve herself then leaped in the air again.
As Kat witnessed the pee performance, she cringed mentally. Would she be able to walk the dog at all? At 5-foot-3, she was a lot less burly than Cindy, who was an Amazon by comparison. She and Cindy started walking again and Kat looked down at Tessa. The odd thing about the dog was that she never looked at anything. Unlike Linus who stared up at Kat with those big brown soulful eyes, Tessa never seemed to be still long enough to notice people or her surroundings.
They entered the forest and started down the trail. As twigs wedged themselves into her sandals, Kat again wished she had other footwear. After this walk, her toes were going to smell like she’d dipped them in Pine-Sol.
“Where is the other dog?” Kat asked.
“Chelsey is inside. She’s kinda weird, so I walk her separately.”
“Weird?” Could a dog be more weird than Tessa?
Cindy paused on her march through the forest to haul Tessa to a stop, so she could rearrange the leash in her large hands. “Larry said that you’ll be staying here. That would be so great for me. I’d like to take a break from this job. Coming out here messes up my schedule. All my other clients are in town near my house, so I get them all walked pretty fast. When the clients live close together, I can make more money and get back home, so I’m there when my kid gets home from school.”
If the dog walker quit permanently, it would be a major problem. Keeping Cindy happy seemed like a good long-range plan. Kat paused and said, “There’s a problem with the house, but I’m staying out at the Enchanted Moose, so I can come out and walk everybody tomorrow.”
“Great! She whipped a paper out of her coat pocket. Everything you need to do is written down right here.”
Kat took the paper, looked down at Linus and sighed. Linus shook his big head, and Kat watched as the shake rippled down his large body, ending with a final flip of his tail. The big dog sat and wagged slowly as if to say, “Lady, you totally walked into that one.”
After Tessa was reinstalled in her enclosure, Kat and Cindy returned to the front of the house to where the lawyer and Joel had been. Neither man was visible and Kat wondered where they had wandered off to while she was out with the dogs. The hood of the Hyundai slammed. Joel stood in front of the car with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. As Cindy walked up toward her brother, he said, “I can’t do anything about this thing. I don’t know what’s wrong. You need to take it to a real mechanic.”
“Who are you kidding? You know I can’t afford a real mechanic.”
“You were making pretty good money here. Didn’t that help some?”
Cindy pointed down the driveway at the general direction of town. “I spent it all on Johnny. He needed new shoes. What can I say? The kid keeps
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