Her Small-Town Cowboy (11 page)

Here, in this tiny country church, she’d discovered what was truly important to her. Smiling at the vaulted ceiling, she offered up a silent “Thank you.”

A warm breeze wafted through the tall window beside her, grazing her cheek with a soft touch akin to a caress. Fanciful as it was, she couldn’t help feeling it was Great-Grandma Katie, reaching down from heaven to let Lily know she was proud of her.

After the service, some people filed out right away, while others hung back chatting with friends. Maggie nudged Abby, who gave her a confused look before catching on. Turning back to Lily, she asked, “Would you like to come back to the farm and have lunch with us?”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, but I’ll have to pass for today. I have someone waiting for me at my place.” Excitement got the better of her, and she thumbed the photos icon on her phone. Spinning it, she showed Abby a shot of the napping puppy.

Letting out a delighted shriek, the girl snatched her phone away and stared at the picture with unabashed joy. “Look how little it is. Is it a boy or a girl?”

“A boy. He’s so young, his eyes are barely open, but they look blue to me.”

“What are you going to name him?”

“Oh, I’m not going to do that. I can’t keep him, so I’ll let his new owners figure out what they want to call him.”

“They do that at the shelter, too,” her student informed her in a very grown-up voice. “It’s a good idea.”

The shelter. In all the excitement, Lily had forgotten all about the farm’s rescue center. But now that Abby had mentioned it, that was the perfect solution to her predicament of what to do with the little guy. Looking down at Abby, she asked, “Would you like to help me take him over there tomorrow after school?”

“Would I?” Abby echoed, sending Maggie a hopeful look. “Pleeease, Grammy?”

“I’ve got a better idea,” the patient woman replied. “Why don’t we go over to Bea’s and get him, and stop in at the rescue center clinic so one of the vet techs can check him out?”

“On a Sunday?” Lily asked.

“Critters show up all the time,” Maggie explained, “so there’s always someone on duty. They don’t earn much money, but every one of them really loves animals. Plus, they’ll have all the supplies a new owner will need to take care of such a young puppy. Your little friend will be in good hands.”

It sounded like an excellent plan, so Lily agreed. The pup was still asleep when they arrived, so Lily scooped him up, blanket and all, and settled him in the passenger seat. She followed Maggie to the Oaks Crossing Rescue Center and was surprised to see the older woman motioning from her car.

“Abby wants to go in with you, but I’ve got to get back to the house and start lunch. Would you mind if she stays here?”

“Not a bit.” She smiled down at Abby, who was excitedly bouncing in place. “I could use some help picking out toys and a collar for him. He’ll need something to do until he’s old enough to go home with a new family.”

“I’m great at shopping,” the girl assured her. “Then can I hold him? I promise to be extra careful.”

Giving in to Abby’s affection for the cuddly armful, Lily suggested, “Why don’t you take him now, while I get the door?”

“Sure.” Eyes wide with the responsibility, she took the bundle as if it was made of precious crystal. The puppy’s own eyes slitted open, and he let out a barely audible grumble. “Is he okay? I didn’t mean to scare him.”

“He’s fine. That’s just his way of saying hello.” In truth, she had no idea if that was accurate or not, but it made sense to her and Abby seemed content with the explanation.

“You two have fun now.” Waving to them, Maggie pulled around in the parking lot and headed down the lane that led to the main house.

Anxious to find out if the abandoned pup was healthy, Lily pulled open the glass front door etched with what she recognized as the town’s logo, with the words
Oaks Crossing Rescue Center
inscribed in an arch over the iconic oak trees. An old-fashioned shop’s bell jingled overhead, and a door behind the reception desk opened.

Stepping through, a petite woman in pink scrubs dotted with puppies and kittens greeted them with a friendly smile. “Hey, Abby. What’s shakin’?”

“This is my teacher, Miss St. George,” she answered in a tone that was remarkably polite for someone who’d just been bouncing out of her patent leather shoes. “Miss St. George, this is Sierra. She works here with the animals.”

Lily shook the young woman’s hand and nodded at the bundle in Abby’s arms. “I found a puppy under my landlady’s bushes this morning. I don’t know the first thing about him or how he got there, so I’m hoping you can help us make sure he’s okay.”

“Definitely.” She came around the desk and hunkered down for a closer look. “Well, hello there, baby. What’s your name?”

“He doesn’t have one,” Abby informed her. “But I think he looks like a Charlie.”

“I think you’re right about that. Are you planning to keep him?” she asked Lily. “Or were you looking for us to keep him here until he can be adopted?”

Because of Bea’s rules, the option of keeping Charlie hadn’t even occurred to her. Now that it had been suggested, though, she wasn’t all that thrilled about leaving here without him. Folks were right when they cautioned you about taking in a stray, she realized with a smile. It sure was easy to get attached, especially with one as cute as Charlie.

Sadder than she’d anticipated, she sighed. “I can’t keep him where I live, so I guess he needs to stay here until he’s bigger. I do want to get him a collar and some toys, though.”

“We’ve got plenty of both.” With a gentle touch that spoke of years of practice, Sierra did a quick assessment without disturbing the puppy any more than necessary. “Other than being dirty, he looks pretty good. He’s too young for shots or anything like that, but in a few weeks, he’ll need to see a vet.”

Something about the way she said that caught Lily’s attention, and she asked, “Do you have someone here?”

“We used to, but he was on loan from a clinic and had to go back when business picked up. We’re hunting for a replacement, but this place is kind of remote, and since we’re a nonprofit, we can’t pay what full-fledged veterinarians are used to making.” Getting to her feet, she said, “I’ve got formula in the fridge out back, so I’ll see if he’s hungry and then get a cage ready for him in the baby room. Meantime, you two can check out the doggie stuff in the store. I’ll cash you out when you’re ready.”

“You wear a lot of hats,” Lily commented with honest appreciation.

The generous tech responded with a gentle smile. “Everyone who works here loves all of God’s creatures. Dogs, cats, raccoons, skunks—doesn’t matter to us. Our goal is to give them the best life we possibly can. If they’re adoptable, we find families for them. If not, they have a forever home right here with us.”

Abby had wandered into the store while they were talking, and once Sierra was gone, Lily took a business card from a countertop holder shaped like two paws. Mention of the place’s nonprofit status had made an impression on her, and she tucked the card in her purse.

One thing her philanthropist of a grandfather had taught her: always be on the lookout for a way to make the world a better place. With its selfless mission and devoted staff, she couldn’t imagine a more worthy cause than the Oaks Crossing Rescue Center.

On to more fun things,
Lily thought as she strolled over and met Abby in a small shop off to the side of the lobby. The canine section stocked everything from treats to squeaky toys to collars in every color of the rainbow. With the sleeping puppy cradled in her arms, Abby stood in front of the accessories, her forehead creased in concentration.

“Which one do you think Charlie would like best?” Lily asked.

“Well, he’s light brown under the mud, so I think that blue one with the dog bones on it would look nice.”

“Bones it is,” Lily commented, hooking the collar on her finger to bring it down for him to inspect. After sniffing at it, he tentatively gnawed at the silver buckle and let out a muted grunt of approval. “That sounds like a yes to me. What else?”

Together, they chose a few toys, and Lily tore off an order form for a silver ID tag in the shape of a paw. She’d prepay the fee and leave it with Sierra so the new owners wouldn’t have any excuse for not buying a name tag for their dog. By the time they were finished, Sierra returned from out back with a small milk-style carton and a reassuring smile. “We’ll take good care of him, Abby, I promise. And you can come visit him anytime you want.”

Despite the reassurance, Abby was clearly reluctant to hand over her furry friend. Gazing hopefully up at Lily, she asked, “Could we bring him to the house, just for a little while?”

“Well...” Glancing at Sierra, she asked, “Is that okay?”

“Sure. I still have to get a cage ready for him anyway, so it’d actually help me out. He’s probably hungry, so you take this.” She dropped the chilled formula in a white paper bag printed with the center’s logo and handed it over. “We have a couple of other brands, so let me know how he likes this one.”

Lily thanked Sierra for all her help and held the exit door for Abby. She stowed the bag in the trunk of her car and opened the passenger door for her assistant. Very carefully, the girl slid into the seat and somehow managed to buckle the shoulder belt without disturbing Charlie. Lily had never met a child this age who was so considerate of others, and she knew even the sweetest little girl didn’t come out of the box that way.

Despite the difficult situation he was forced to work with, there was no debating that Mike was doing a wonderful job raising his daughter. If he somehow managed to get her through her teenage years unscathed, she’d be a remarkable young woman.

“Abby, I want to thank you for all your help today,” she commented as she backed around and headed for the house. “I’ve never had a pet before, so it was nice to have an expert to give me some advice.”

“You’re welcome.”

Her reply came in a barely audible voice, and Lily glanced over in concern. Abby was hugging her tiny armful, cheek resting on the puppy’s head. The girl looked so sad, Lily’s heart went out to her, even though she didn’t know what was wrong.

“Are you okay?” When all she got was a shrug, she pulled off to the side of the lane and turned to give her passenger her undivided attention. “What is it, sweetie? You can tell me.”

“I was just thinking how sad it is that Charlie’s mommy didn’t want him. I know how that feels.”

Lily frowned. Mike was under the impression that because Abby was an infant when Dana left them, her mother’s abandonment had no impact on her. Apparently, not remembering and not understanding were two very different things, and the intuitive girl understood the implications of being left behind all too well.

Resting a comforting hand on Abby’s shoulder, Lily waited until those china-blue eyes met hers. The mournful expression she saw in them made her want to cry, and she waited a moment to be sure her voice would come without a sob in it. “Have you ever told your father how you feel about this?”

Predictably, Abby shook her head. “He doesn’t like to talk about Mommy. Whenever Grammy or Aunt Erin tries, he gets mad and walks out.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“He’s not really mad,” Abby explained with the instinctive clarity of a six-year-old. “He’s sad, like I am. He loved her a lot, but after I came along she didn’t want us to be a family anymore. I don’t know why she didn’t want me,” she added, her slender shoulders heaving in a sigh.

Being the adult here, Lily felt compelled to say something, but she didn’t have the slightest idea how to respond. Then she recalled something her father had told her when he had to explain to his eight-year-old daughter why the mother she loved more than anyone in the world was packing her bags. “It has absolutely nothing to do with you, sweetie. Sometimes people change when we’re not looking.”

Abby took a few moments to absorb that, then declared, “Grown-ups are weird.”

“Tell me about it.” They traded half smiles, and Lily asked, “Is there anything else?”

“No, that’s it. I was just feeling bad because Charlie’s mother is gone. It’s a good thing you found him. Babies shouldn’t be left alone with no one to take care of them.”

“I agree a hundred percent,” Lily commented, shifting back into gear and pulling back onto the rutted field road.

When they pulled up next to the house, Charlie finally woke up and blinked up at Abby. When she lifted the puppy to rub noses, she got a yawning whine in reply.

“I think he likes you,” Lily commented, smiling over at them.

“I like him, too. Maybe when you come over to help Daddy with riding lessons, we could bring him over to watch us. Then you’d get to see him sometimes, too.”

Pleased to hear the bright tone back in her voice, Lily said, “I think that’s a great idea. Charlie would love that, and he could get used to being around other people and animals for when he’s older.”

“Babies don’t know much, so you have to teach them how to behave,” Abby cautioned in a knowing voice. “My friend’s brother can only crawl, but he gets into everything.”

“Really?” Lily got out and opened the other door for her. “Like what?”

While her passenger rattled off all the things the little terror had munched on, smashed or all out destroyed, Lily couldn’t stop laughing. She was fond of kids in general, which had led her to become a teacher in the first place. But without even trying, this endearing blend of tomboy spunk and compassion had zoomed to the top of her list.

She was really going to enjoy her summer at the farm, Lily mused with a grin. Of course, she and Mike would have to find a way to combine his brusque way of speaking with her softer approach, or their riding school would end up being an unmitigated disaster. Fortunately for him, she enjoyed a good challenge.

* * *

The very last person Mike expected to find chopping vegetables in his mother’s kitchen was Lily St. George.

Barefoot and wearing a blue dress dotted with white flowers, the pretty kindergarten teacher was slicing tomatoes for a salad and chatting with his mother as if they were old friends.