Page 44 of Rancher to the Rescue
“We sure need it,” she agreed.
“Yep,” he said before rounding to the side of the van and pulling out a set of keys.
She hated the thought of her buddies being locked up. She’d been sitting for Hutch and Miss Peabody since they were pups, so five and six years now respectively. The thought of them being broken up and adopted out to different households wasn’t something she could handle.
Granted, her life was not built for keeping them permanently. Like everything in life, she would figure it out. There was no way she was letting these sweethearts suffer any more than they already had.
Randy let Hutch out first. The black lab came bolting out of the enclosure and straight toward her. He jumped on her, knocking her back a step.
“Whoa there, Hutch.” She didn’t bother telling him to calm down. He wouldn’t be able to on a good day, let alone on what had to be his worst, even if he didn’t fully understand what was happening. “Good boy.”
He ran a few circles around the van and she figured he needed to stretch his legs.
Miss Peabody was much easier. The bichon shook like a leaf in a windstorm as Randy unlocked her enclosure. Her relief was palpable when she saw Prudence. She immediately took the dog from Randy.
“The sheriff asked me to drop off their leashes, food, and bowls,” Randy stated, lumbering over to the back of his van. He unlocked another ‘cell’ and produced the items.
“Do you mind putting them on the porch for me?” She had her hands full soothing a distraught Miss Peabody.
“Not at all.” Randy was strong as an ox. Hutch’s food came in a fifty-pound bag and there were two of them, only one partially empty. Miss Peabody’s came in the form of cans, so he set the medium-sized box next to the bags.
She whistled for Hutch and he came gunning for her. The only command the dog knew was, sit. So, she used it and he immediately planted his backside down before bowling her over.
“Good boy, Hutch,” she said.
“Looks like you got this under control,” Randy said with a smile. “I best be going.”
“Thank you for bringing these guys here and all their stuff.” Hutch’s favorite toy was among the leashes.
She walked next to him as Randy waved, and then drove off.
Prudence had faced a lot today. Could she handle the woman inside the house?
15
Adam stood at the backdoor, watching as his mother walked toward the house. He was still trying to decide how much he should tell her about Angel and Prudence as he saw her cross the yard.
No answers came to him by the time she greeted him as he held the door open for her. She was short, barely five-feet-two-inches and had the blackest hair of anyone he’d ever seen, always piled on top of her head in a messy knot. Her Italian heritage shined through in her eyes, her cooking, and her warm personality even though she’d been born in America, just like her mother before her.
“Hey, Mom,” he said by way of greeting.
Those deep brown eyes of hers skimmed him, like she was trying to figure out and prepare for just about anything. He didn’t call her nearly enough. And he never called her at night. She’d be asleep in another half hour and most anything he ever had to say to her could wait until meatball dinner on Sundays, not that he always attended. Being in the same room with his father for too long was a problem.
“Everything okay, Adam?” She studied his face.
Angel was sleeping in her carrier, having just downed a bottle.
“Come on into the kitchen where we can talk,” he said.
Her forehead wrinkled with concern as she passed by him. She moved toward the table and then froze. He recognized it as the instant she saw Angel.
“Who is this?” she whispered.
Since he still hadn’t figured out how to explain who Angel was and why she belonged on the ranch with him, he decided to sidestep the question.
“How are your babysitting skills?” he asked.
The look he got for redirecting the conversation caught him off guard. He’d seen his mother so angry he thought her head might explode, though she never uttered a word in frustration. He’d seen her cry tears of joy. This was different.
