“What in the world, Nellie? Where did this pup come from?”
“The doorbell rang and when I opened the door, he was sitting there pretty as you please. He had a leash tied around the pot next to the door and this note was tucked in his collar with your name on it,” the woman responded, handing over both the leash and the note. “And I have got to get the laundry done. Have fun.” She grinned as she disappeared down the hall toward the back of the home.
Erin and the pup stood looking at each other. Then she remembered the note and unfolded it. It was typed.
Hello,
I heard you wanted a cute pup. I am applying for that position (I am adorable) and I need a good home. I am housebroken (trying really hard) and I eat puppy food (unless I can catch a human crumb off the table?). I need a name, and I’ve already had my shots. As for a breed, I am a genuine Heinz 57. But I promise to love you more than you love me, forever.
Is the verdict in my favor?
Erin looked down at the dog, sitting like a statue at her feet, the grin still on its face and eyes glued to hers. “That’s quite a plea to the court on your behalf. I am thinking the jury won’t be needed on this one.”
She knelt and the pup’s whole body began shaking as the tail began wagging in wild abandon. Then puppy kisses began landing on her hands and cheeks as the jumping jacks started. Before she could help it, the bundle of black, brown, and white fur was in her arms. She managed to wrap her arms around the pup, calming it a bit. Her laughter bubbled up, and she did manage to speak. “I guess the verdict is a big yes…your plea for a home is accepted. Now if you could just tell me who left you on my doorstep in such a manner, I would really like that.”
It wasn’t long before Jack, due to his mimic of a jack-in-the-box, had been renamed Jackee, due to being a female. She rode as if she were a queen in the shopping cart a couple of hours later while Erin shopped the aisles for all sorts of things that Jackee needed…beds for upstairs and downstairs, a crate for training and travel, monogrammed food and water bowls, an etched tag for the new collar, and treats for rewards and nutritional food for a growing baby. Once back in the car, in her raised doggie seat that had safety features for the automobile, she settled down and fell asleep after such an eventful morning. Erin’s smile moved into another wide grin. She realized that for the first time, since Destiny’s River, her smile had appeared without conscious thought. That was a good thing. Then a memory would appear of a certain marshal, and it would fade. It would be nice to share news of the pup’s arrival if things had turned out differently. But she put it out of her mind. No going back, just forward.
Jackee quickly decided that the doggie bed was not meant for the night, only naps. Somehow, Erin’s thinking had been rearranged by the small pup and Jackee had steps to help get her short legs to move her on top of the covers at the foot of Erin’s bed. Life settled into a routine, which now included Jackee.
On the following Saturday, the doorbell sounded again. Once more Nellie answered it, and she returned to the kitchen, where Erin was finishing breakfast with a huge arrangement of pink roses and bright pink hydrangeas with white sprigs of lily of the valley scattered through it. Erin was amazed and loved the beauty of it. The small card was handed over. Nellie went back to filling the dishwasher.
Erin withdrew the card and saw that the note was typed.
Hope these favorites made you smile on your special day.
RP
It was her birthday. RP had to be Rance Parker. And she realized that Jillie had asked her when it was at lunch one day at Tillie’s. And Rance had been sitting there. He’d remembered.
Now what? How was she supposed to react? Just when she hoped he was fading away to one day become a distant memory, it took one small card to bring him front and center in her brain again. It was a happy birthday wish. Period. No personal sentiment. What was expected? To thank him? That would open so much…so many memories she had fought to keep at bay. But if she ignored him, then she would be rude and hateful…perhaps giving the wrong impression? Allowing him to think he meant more than he did? Except that was the whole problem. Rance Parker had found his way into that space she thought was walled away from any chance of pain infiltrating. She hadn’t seen the ego-rich, bossy tough-guy marshal as a threat, but he was. And her heart had succumbed. Only to find she had trusted the wrong man again. Now he was at the door again and she had to protect herself.
She sat at her desk at home, going back and forth on her decision. Finally, she took out a sheet of note stationery and began the first of many drafts.
*
Rance arrived at his desk late Friday. He had been on assignment transporting a witness to a trial in Oklahoma the previous four days. He took a few minutes to go through his emails and letters that had grown in a pile on his desk. There was no reason to hurry home. He would grab something on the way after he went through the mail quickly. He had gone through most of the stack when his hand stopped as it reached for the envelope with a familiar return address, and the sender was The Honorable Erin Finley Latham. His pulse started racing. Ridiculous to react to a name on an envelope. He picked it up and then slit it open. The contents were a folded note on cream linen paper.
Thank you for the beautiful flowers and birthday wishes.
E. F. Latham
He had wondered for the last five days if she had received the flowers. And what her response would be. He had hoped for more, but he wasn’t surprised. And this slow approach wasn’t working fast enough for him. The dog…the flowers…none of it was getting him face-to-face with her. This was going to take a much more hands-on approach. So much for his sister’s advice. He had never been a person to sit still for long when there was a case he needed to solve. And that thought turned on a big bright light bulb in his brain. It was time to step up and be face-to-face and let the chips fall where they might. Erin would let him know soon enough where he stood. And if she even cared about dealing with him or not. Either way, there would be a conclusion. First things first, he needed a good sleep in his own bed. Then he would prepare what he needed to say. And on Monday, at the end of the court’s day, he would face the Honorable Judge Latham.
*
“She is an absolute doll. You should bring her with you every day,” GiGi said, giving Jackee another dog biscuit treat as the pup sat on a dog pillow beside her chair.
Erin shook her head. “This was a must bring with me day…Nellie was out, and I had to pick her up from the vet before they closed early. So, she was warned to be on her best behavior or else. I’m glad you all didn’t mind having her underfoot these last two hours. One more case to hear a plea for and then we’ll be out of here. But both of you can leave now. The paperwork will wait until Monday. Jackee will be okay here. Just make certain the door is shut when you leave.”
Erin took her place in her chair behind the bench. The attorneys were present, as was the defendant. She began the proceedings. And she encouraged them to move it along. They did and she accepted the plea and that was that. The gavel was about to come down when the door opened and a familiar figure with cowboy hat, boots, and his badge in view made his way down the aisle toward the bench. Before she could speak, he did.
“Sorry for the late interruption, Your Honor, but I have business with this court today.”
Erin was aware that the bailiff still stood with a mystified look at what this was about. The attorneys were about to clear the room but hesitated. Then it got strange. There was a loud bark, a sound of clawed feet scrambling for traction on the marble floor and a ball of fur came shooting out of the door that had not been secured. The yapping began in earnest when she spied the tall figure standing still before the bench. Jackee hurled herself at the man and he made a quick catch and scooped her into his arms.
“Hey, sweetie, I missed you, too. What are you doing here?”
Erin recovered and found her voice. She attempted to regain control of her courtroom. She slammed the gavel again. “Bailiff, please remove that animal to my chambers and stay there with her.”
