17
RANSOM
Ransom cleared the path from the A-frame house to the small barn that afternoon as the snow fell fast and heavy.
He wasn’t going to be able to keep up with the pace of the storm, but at least if he tried to clear it a bit now, it would be easier to get to the dogs as the blanket of snow grew thicker.
Instinctively, all he wanted to do was bring all of the dogs into the house with him, but he knew that they would do better with plenty of space and the surroundings they were used to.
He’d brought out a bunch of extra blankets for their beds earlier today, and he was upping their food a bit too.
The only one he was uncertain about was Henrietta. She was expecting her first litter—by his calculation not for at least another week or so. But her condition might make her all the more anxious about changing her surroundings. He wanted to have a good look at her to be sure she was okay.
When he reached the barn, the dogs capered over to him, happy to accept scratches and pats.
“Hello,” he told them. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
The old heater that was installed in the barn was doing a great job keeping the edge off the cold and the animals seemed cheerful, though of course he noticed that they were all inside the barn and not playing outside.
He thought momentarily about closing off the dog door to the paddock. But he’d checked that the latch on the gate was secured and he figured they were unlikely to want to wander off when it was so cold out anyway, so it was best to give them access.
“You guys are going to have a little break from training, I think,” he told them.
Heads cocked to the side and puppy ears flopped over as they tried to understand what he was saying. Then two of the pups began wrestling again, rolling over each other and yapping in delight. Ransom chuckled at the sight and was getting ready to head back to the house when his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and smiled when he saw who it was.
“Hey, Ma,” he said. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, Ransom,” she said. “I’m so glad I caught you. I hear there’s a big storm up there. Are you and the kids okay?”
“Definitely,” he told her. “We’ve got a kitchen full of groceries and no place to be. The dogs are good too. I’m out here with them now.”
“That’s great,” she told him. “I knew you’d have things under control. I should warn you now that I’m a littleworried about getting down there with your Aunt Rhonda because of the storm. Some flights were already canceled. We’re just praying the weather will calm down in time for ours.”
“I understand,” he told her, doing his best not to sound disappointed. The kids had really been looking forward to a big family gathering—or at least as big as he could manage. “We’ll see what happens.”
“Oh, honey, I heard about Hailey,” she said, her voice softening.
“Yeah,” he said, smiling. If Mom had heard, then the whole town was probably talking about seeing them out together.
Maybe we can make this work somehow. Maybe she’ll forgive me for the puppies invading her party.
She hadn’t called yesterday or checked in, but he figured she was probably just busy booking more parties.
“Are you okay?” Mom asked, her voice worried.
“Of course, yeah,” he said. “What do you mean?”
“Well, with all those pictures of her online with her costar, I thought it might be hard for you,” she said, her voice careful.
Pictures of her online with her costar?
“I’m fine, Ma,” he said quickly. “But I do actually have to run so I can get the dogs settled and head back to the house.”
“Of course, of course,” she said. “I love you, Ransom. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.”
“Love you too, Ma,” he said. “Give Aunt Rhonda a hug for me.”
