For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance) (36 page)

Before Aggie could answer, Tavish burst in through the kitchen, distraught.
“
The puppies are
gone
! Something bent the fence down and they’re gone!
”
The words were hardly out of his mouth, before he continued into the library and demanded to know what the younger children had done with the puppies.

“
Tavish!
”
Aggie followed him, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him from the room.
“
What do you think you’re doing?
”

“
The puppies didn’t crush that fence by themselves. It could only happen if someone tried to climb it and bent the stakes over. They did it!
”

“
I don’t see how, Tavish. I was right here in the living room watching for you guys to get home. I would have seen them.
”

“
But
--”

“
Wouldn’t it make more sense,
”
Libby began calmly,
“
to spend your time finding the puppies than looking for someone to blame?
”

A flush colored Tavish’s ears and neck.
“
Yeah, I guess.
”

What started as a simple search and rescue turned into an area-wide pup hunt. After half an hour of searching, Aggie called for reinforcements. Luke and William arrived at nearly the same time, both looking a little perturbed to see the other on the case. They combed every inch of ground, under the house, and even across the nearby highway, but to no avail. Tavish was beside himself, Aggie was worn out, and the men were both determined to be the hero of the hour.

Libby, the only one detached enough from the situation, found the scene hilarious. After a few minutes of observing the battle of testosterone, she went to check on the girls, and moments later, peals of laughter sent everyone in hearing distance racing for the house. There, in the library, three guilty looking little girls each held a puppy in her lap, awaiting their sentencing.

“
We just wanted to play. Puppies can’t get chicken pox, can they?
”
Kenzie pleaded with her eyes for understanding.

The men exchanged glances, each feeling ridiculous for the unspoken competition and even more silly when they realized no one won. William shuffled off to the cruiser, Luke offered to take Laird and Tavish to his renovation job a few streets over, and Aggie collapsed in relief that the puppies were safe. Just as she gathered enough energy to scold the girls for their prank, the phone rang.

Tina jogged downstairs with Ian on one hip and the phone in her hand.
“
Someone calling about the puppies. They want one, and want to know when they can come by to see them.
”

As Aggie took the phone, she saw the disappointed look on Tavish’s face as he took a puppy from Kenzie’s arms and carried it outside to the enclosure. She’d planned to insist that all the animals found a home, but now she wasn’t so certain. Perhaps the boy needed a more congenial pet. The kitten, as adorable as it was, already showed a preference for playing in the house, lounging in the sun, and gentle strokes by mature hands that didn’t pull tales or legs at inopportune times.

Once she disconnected the phone, she glanced at Libby.
“
What do you think? Should I let him keep one?
”

“
Oh phooey!
”
Libby covered her
mouth
with her
hand
.
“
I almost won.
”

“
Won what?
”

“
Luke and I had a bet going on how long it’d take you to decide to keep one or two.
”

“
And you said?
”
The bet sounded like the kind of thing Luke and Libby would do. Their relationship reminded Aggie of her relationship with her father.

“
I said soon after the third puppy left. I almost made it.
”

“
What did Luke say?
”

“
He said before the third one was gone. I think he was sweating bullets when the puppies went missing. If they didn’t find one, technically he’d lose.
”

“
Well, that explains the intensity with which he looked anyway,
”
Aggie remarked.
“
I couldn’t believe how serious he took finding a few puppies!
”

Libby gave Aggie an enigmatic look.
“
Couldn’t you?
”

~*~*~*~

“
Miner. I think he looks like a coal miner
--
all black and dusty.
”
Tavish cuddled the pup under his chin and beamed up at his aunt.
“
Thank you so much. I’ll take good care of them; I promise.
”

Aggie glanced at her niece, as she encouraged the other puppy to wrestle with a stick.
“
What about that one?
”

“
I want to name her Sammie.
”

“
That’s a boy’s name,
”
Tavish protested.

“
No it’s not. Not if her real name would be Samantha if she was human. Sammie
--
with an I. E.
”
Ellie giggled at the unintentional somersault the puppy made.
“
She’s too much of a tomboy to have a more prissy name.
”

“
Ok, then,
”
Aggie agreed, rubbing her hands.
“
We have names.
”
She glanced at the fence with
t
he crumbled chicken wire.
“
We’ll have to get a real fence put in soon. That won’t hold the puppies much longer.
”

Still doubting her decision, Aggie strolled back to the house, entered the mudroom, and pulled the clean clothes from the dryer. The laundry, like most of the housework, had a tendency to get away from her, but she was determined to conquer the domestic beast. Of course, her plan had included fewer bodies at home to undo her hard work before she had a chance to finish. That idea would have to wait another week or two.

Wails from Ian calling for
“
Gaggie
”
invaded the lower floor long before Tina brought him downstairs. At last, she arrived with the be
-
spotted baby, apologizing as she came.
“
I’m so sorry, Aggie, but he won’t settle down. He wants you.
”
She nearly stumbled as Ian made a lurch for Aggie’s arms.
“
Vannie volunteered, but I thought it was best not to risk it.
”

With the miserable boy snuggled against her chest, contentedly sucking on his thumb, Aggie shrugged.
“
I can’t avoid all of them all the time. I just can’t. The chances of me not getting them is so slim already
--”

“
Well, I tried, but he just wants his mommy.
”
Tina sank into the nearest chair.
“
I don’t know how you do it. You’re amazing.
”

“
I have a little more on the job experience. I’m sure you saw the lost puppy fiasco.
”

“
How did they get those animals in there without you seeing them?
”

“
They must have done it while I was in the bathroom getting them fresh washcloths. They were fast, though. Really fast. I still don’t see how they pulled that one off…
”

A little snort interrupted the conversation. Aggie stood and reluctantly carried Ian up to his bed. The room was hardly recognizable with all of Tina’s things cluttering Tavish’s half of the room. Tavish had been sent to sleep with Laird until one of them broke out in the pox in the hopes that by isolating them from Ian, neither would.

As she laid him down, Ian awoke and started to fuss, but a few pats on his back and he settled back down and returned to sleep. Relieved, Aggie continued up the stairs to her room, grabbed fresh clothes, and went for the shower. Every time she helped a child, held a child, or had any prolonged contact, she washed her hands thoroughly, but after a sleepy Ian drooled on her shirt, she decided a more thorough fumigation was in order.

By the time she returned downstairs, Tina had the little ones involved in a game of duck, duck, goose, and Luke drove up into the yard with a truck full of fencing supplies. At the sight of a roll of chain link on Luke’s shoulder, she diverted her path to the library in favor of seeing what he was planning.
“
Hey, I don’t remember ordering a fence!
”

“
But Mom did, and I never argue with Mom.
”

“
Why,
”
Aggie began, sounding like her old self for the first time in days,
“
do I have a feeling that this has not always been true?
”

“
Well…
”

“
Just as I suspected.
”

Luke nudged her with his free elbow and then spun in place.
“
So, where do you want this happy doggie home?
”

A dog run hadn’t been a consideration until that morning. Uninspired by the view of her yard, Aggie shrugged.
“
Got any suggestions for me?
”

“
Well, if you were ever going to have a garden, you’d want to avoid there,
”
he pointed to the exact place Tavish had placed the makeshift enclosure,
“
that’s a perfect spot for a garden. I’d probably put it over by the carport. That tree would give them shade in summer, then again, if you put it near the front of the house, they could go under the porch for coolness.
”

“
Yeah, but I hate to ruin the look of the house with a dog run.
”
She felt silly even as she said it.
“
Is that selfish?
”

“
Sounds reasonable to me. Why put all this work into a house to mar it with something like a kennel? Why don’t we put it behind the tree house where the trees will help shade them?
”