The Chesapeake Diaries Series (54 page)

She pointed at the crab’s claws. “See how the tips of her claws are bright red?”

Cody leaned closer, then nodded.

“Hold the net up higher so I can show you something on her underside.”

Cody did as he was told.

“See how this part of her abdomen is shaped like a V? The males—we call them jimmies—have a T shape there. When she gets older, this shape will round out more and look more like a bell.”

“She isn’t very old, then?”

“Not very old, and not very big. And since the crabs have to be at least five inches in length—that would be this way”—she showed him how to measure from side to side on the shell—“I’m afraid we’re going to have to let her go back into the river so she can grow a little bigger.”

He studied the crab for a long moment, then said, “It’s okay, Aunt Berry. There wouldn’t be enough for all three of us to eat from one little crab. We should let her get bigger and catch her next year. By next summer, I’ll be much better at this.”

“I’m sure you will, Cody.”

Berry squeezed her eyes closed for a second or two. How cavalierly the young could look forward a whole year without considering what might come between now and then. She could only pray that she’d be here come next summer, and that fate would arrange for Cody and Dallas to be here with her.

“Is it time to go see the dogs yet?” Cody asked.

Berry glanced at her watch. “Almost. Put the net away and we’ll go see about your momma.”

“Can I leave the bait down there? In case some hungry crabs come by?”

“Just loop the string around the top of the piling … yes, like that. That way, when you come back, your string will still be there.”

Cody tied the string and raced with the net to return
it to the carriage house. Watching him made Berry revisit her earlier mental diatribe against Emilio. Because of Dallas’s marriage—however ill-fated it may have been—they had this marvelous boy, and nothing, not even Emilio’s piggish behavior, would ever make Berry wish that wedding had never taken place. The man may have been unworthy, but the child he had fathered was a most precious gift.

“Why don’t you go up to your room and clean up a bit,” Berry suggested, “while I get your mother.”

“Okay.” The excited boy ran into the house and up the back steps.

Berry knocked on the library door to let Dallas know it was time to stop working and get ready to leave. Thirty minutes later, the three of them were seated in Berry’s sedan and were on their way. Cody sat alone in the backseat and chatted for the entire time it took them to drive across town.

“Well, it looks as if Grant has quite the operation here,” Berry observed when she’d parked the car in the lot behind the clinic. “I’ve passed by many times, but I’ve never driven up the lane. Of course, I’ve never had a pet before, so there’d been no reason.”

They got out of the car and Cody took off running toward the clinic door.

“Cody, stop. I don’t think the animal shelter is in the same building as the clinic,” Dallas called to him.

“What?” He stopped on a dime.

“I think Grant … Dr. Wyler said that the shelter was in the barn,” Dallas explained.

“That’s back there?” Cody pointed to a large structure that sat opposite a Federal-style house.

“That’s the barn, all right.” Grant came out through the double doors in the back of the building that housed the clinic. “You ready to look at some dogs?”

“Uh-huh!” Cody jumped up and down.

“Follow me, then.” Grant turned to Berry and Dallas. “You sure you’re ready for this, Miss B?”

“Of course. Lead the way.”

Grant offered her his arm and Berry took it. “The terrain is a little uneven and goes slightly uphill. We don’t want to see you tumbling down.”

“That would be a sight.” Berry winked at Dallas. “Come along, dear. Let’s take a look at this dog that Grant thinks might be perfect for me.”

Dallas trailed behind slightly, and Berry thought she was probably taking stock of the grounds, since that’s what Berry would have done. The house was nicely landscaped and well sited on the property. The clapboard on one side of the front door showed signs of having had the paint recently scraped off. A ladder leaning against the house on the opposite side was evidence that the scraping was still a work in progress.

“Having the house painted, dear?” Berry asked as they passed by the front walk on their way to the barn.

“Once I get all the old stuff off, I’ll paint,” he replied. “Dr. Evans and his wife maintained the house well in terms of the structure, but there’s been no painting or any other cosmetic work done in, oh, I’d say thirty years, at least.”

“You’re doing it yourself?” Dallas asked.

Grant nodded. “In whatever spare time I get, yes.”

They arrived at the door of the barn, where Cody waited impatiently.

“You can go on in,” Grant called to him. “Paige is in there getting ready to walk some of the dogs.”

Cody disappeared immediately into the barn, and Dallas, Berry, and Grant followed moments later.

“Dad, I can’t get her to come out of her pen.” Paige met them at the door. “She just won’t come. And she hasn’t eaten all day.”

“Let’s see.” With Berry still on his arm, Grant went to the third pen from the door and stooped down to look at the yellow dog inside.

“What’s wrong with her?” Berry asked. “Is she sick?”

“She’s depressed,” Grant told her.

“Dogs get depressed?” Dallas joined them.

“Sure. Dogs have feelings, they have emotions, and they show them, like people do. A depressed dog looks sad, like this one does.”

Berry peered into the pen. “Why is she depressed?”

Grant stood. “Did you know Leona Patten? She lived out on Kent?”

“I believe we’d met, yes.” Berry was still studying the dog that lay on the floor and appeared to be doing her best to ignore the three humans who were lurking outside her pen.
“Lived
, you say?”

“She passed away on Tuesday morning. Ally here belonged to Ms. Patten. Got her as a pup ten years ago. They were inseparable.” Grant leaned against the top of the pen. “Ms. Patten had a heart attack and died right there in her house. The visiting nurse found her the next morning. Ally was right by her bedside,
wouldn’t even go outside until they took Ms. Patten out. I heard the dog tried to go with her in the medical examiner’s van.”

“So why is she here?” Berry asked. “Leona had family. Why is her dog here?”

“Her son lives in Maine and won’t be in town until the funeral this weekend. Her daughter, who lives over in Ballard, came to remove her mother’s jewelry and lock up the house. She dropped Ally off here on her way back through town.”

“Why, that’s … despicable,” Berry exclaimed. “No wonder the poor thing’s depressed.”

“I know, it’s a shame, isn’t it? Ten years of love and loyalty, and you end up in a pen, tossed aside, unwanted.” Grant reached over the side of the pen to scratch behind the dog’s ears, but she never looked up. “Poor girl. She’s a really sweet dog, too.”

“But you said she’s only been here since Tuesday,” Dallas noted. “She’s a pretty dog. Someone will probably want to adopt her.”

“At her age, that’s not likely to happen.”

“What do you mean, ‘at her age’?” Berry asked archly.

“The dog is ten years old, Miss B. In people years, that’s seventy.”

“You mean she’ll just stay here until … until she …” Berry stared at the dog, which had yet to look at her.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she dies of a broken heart,” Grant told them. “She hasn’t eaten anything since she was dropped off. Frankly, I don’t expect her to last too long.”

“Oh, dear,” Berry said softly. She bent down as far as her knees permitted. “Ally, you say her name is?”

At the sound of her name, the dog locked eyes with Berry, but her head never moved.

“The breeder named her Allegra, but Ms. Patten always called her Ally.”

“What kind of dog is she?” Berry asked.

“Golden retriever,” Grant replied.

“I thought they were larger dogs.”

“Ally is somewhat small for the breed.”

“Aunt Berry, come look at Fleur! It means ‘flower.’ She’s fluffy and white and little enough to fit on your lap! Come see,” Cody called excitedly from farther back in the barn.

“In a minute.” It took Berry a moment to right herself.

“See? Here she is!” Cody was at her side holding the leash of a small white dog with lots of fur. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Yes, dear,” Berry said, barely glancing at the ball of fluff.

“Paige is going to show me how to walk her. Come watch.” Cody followed Paige outside, the little white dog racing ahead.

“Well, it looks as if you’ve found your dog.” Dallas appeared at Berry’s side. “She’s everything you said you wanted. Small enough to sit on your lap and keep you company at night. A pretty white fluffy thing. Grant said she’s a bichon frise, which, he tells me, means ‘curly lapdog’ in French.”

Berry walked to the door and watched Cody run Fleur around the yard. The boy and the dog seemed
well suited to each other. Both moved frenetically, round and round in circles with no sign of tiring.

“So, I guess you’ve made up your mind.” Grant came to the doorway. “Shall we wrap her up so you can take her home?”

“Cody does seem to be having a good time,” Berry murmured.

“It was love at first sight,” Dallas told her.

“Yes, I suppose it was.” Berry walked back to Ally’s pen. “Grant, how do you suppose Fleur and Ally would get along?”

“Ally gets along with everyone. She’s very laid-back.”

“What do you say, Ally?” Berry said softly. “Would you like to come home with me now?”

Ally picked her head up.

“Grant, do you have a leash for her?” Berry asked.

Grant already had it in his hand, along with a cream-colored bowl that said
ALLY
in purple letters.

“You scoundrel, you knew all along I was going to take her.” Berry smacked him lightly on the arm, and Grant laughed.

“As soon as you told me you wanted a dog, I thought of her. I tried taking her into the house, but I already have three dogs, and they just overwhelmed her. She just couldn’t find a place to be alone. She’s a one-person dog, Miss B. She needs someone of her own.”

Berry nodded. “Well, then, she’s found her someone. Hand over the leash, Grant. Let’s get on with it.”

“And Fleur?” he asked.

“She’s Cody’s dog,” Berry replied. “We’re taking them both.”

“Are you sure, Berry?” Dallas asked.

“Absolutely, positively.” Berry nodded emphatically. “Fleur looks like a darling dog, but I don’t have the energy for so active a creature. She and Cody are well matched. I, on the other hand, well, I’m more of a dawdler than a racer these days. Much like Ally, I would guess.” She turned back to Grant. “Is there an adoption fee?”

He nodded and gave her a figure.

“Will you take a check?”

“Of course.”

Berry opened her bag and took out her checkbook.

“Berry, let me …” Dallas began but Berry waved her off and proceeded to write the check.

“Now, did I see on the sign that this is Page One Animal Shelter?” Berry asked.

“Animal Rescue Shelter, yes to the rest.”

Berry finished writing the check and handed it to Grant. His eyebrows rose almost to his hairline.

“Miss B, this is for quite a bit more than the normal fee. For this amount, you could probably take half the shelter home with you.”

“It’s a fair enough number,” she told him. “I have a feeling Ally alone is worth her weight in gold.”

“The animals thank you for your generosity.” He held up the check. “The adoption fee helps cover the cost of their food and any treatment they might need when they come to us, plus the occasional bag of treats and a new toy now and then.”

Grant opened the pen and snapped the leash onto Ally’s collar. Immediately the dog walked to Berry and looked up.

“Come along, Ally,” Berry said. “We’re going to grow old together.”

Ally walked to the door with Berry and stepped outside onto the grass.

“Aunt Berry, who’s that?” Cody approached her cautiously. “Why do you have that dog on that leash?”

“Because she’s coming home with me. Cody, meet my new dog, Ally.” Berry patted Ally’s head. “And, Ally, meet Cody’s new dog, Fleur.”

“Two dogs? We’re getting TWO dogs?” Cody’s eyes widened. Fleur and Ally sniffed each other.

“One for you, and one for me.” Berry smiled.

“TWO dogs, Mommy! Aunt Berry said we could have two dogs.”

“So I heard.” Dallas stood off to the side, her arms crossed over her chest. “Cody, what is that all over Fleur?”

Cody looked up sheepishly. “I think maybe she walked in mud.”

“I’ll say she did. She’s a mess.” Dallas frowned.

“Hmm.” Grant joined them outside. “Miss B, is that your nice clean Mercedes over there?”

Berry nodded.

“I’ll bet it’s got really nice leather seats.”

“Lovely light gray ones,” Berry replied.

Grant turned to Cody. “It would be a shame to take a muddy dog into your aunt’s beautiful, clean car, don’t you think? How about if you leave Fleur here so we can get her cleaned up? I’ll bring her over after she’s all pretty and clean again.”

Cody looked uncertain. He glanced from Berry to his mother to Paige and back to Grant.

“I’ll give her the bath.” Paige patted Cody on the head. “I’m really good at it.”

“You sure you’ll bring her …?”

“Promise.” Grant walked over to Ally and ran his hand over her fur. “Actually, she could probably use a little cleaning up, too, after lying on the straw on the floor of her pen for the past few days. I’d hate to send you home with a dog that could have fleas.”

“I imagine there’s a groomer in town somewhere.” Berry was momentarily disconcerted. There was no question that there would be no fleas in her house.

“You’d need to make an appointment, and it’s late in the day.” Grant took both leashes. “Leave them. We’ll take care of them and we’ll bring them over as soon as we’re done.”

“Do you offer to do this for everyone who adopts one of your dogs?” Berry asked.

“Nope.” Grant grinned. “Only you, Miss B.”