That Moment (13 page)

Kurt started the car and left the mill yard. He drove to the pet store, parked the car and went inside. He took a cart and went to the pet food aisle, put a bag of puppy food in the cart along with a food dish and a water dish. Then he went to the bedding aisle and got a large pillow doggy-bed. He also got several squeaky toys, some dog treats and rawhide bones, a puppy collar and a larger collar and a leash, and finally a large breed dog carrier that they could use for a long time for the dog. He went to the register and paid for the items, then loaded everything into the car. All the items went into the trunk except for the carrier, which he put in the back seat.

He left the parking lot and drove to the Walmart store. He purchased a large red bow to tie onto the carrier. He then drove to Mr. Williams' farm. The old man was sitting on the his front porch. Old Sally and all the pups were there too. Jessica's pup was sitting on Mr. Williams' lap with a pink bow tied around her neck. Kurt saw the bow and smiled. "Had to make this little girl ready for her new mistress, right?" the older man chuckled.

Kurt laughed and said, "Yeah. Jessica's going to love this little bundle of fuzz! I just need to put the carrier together, then I'll take her home. Do you mind if I put it together here, Mr. Williams?" Kurt asked.

"No, no, Not at all. Do you need any tools for it?" he asked. "Just a pair of pliers and a flat-head screwdriver, sir." Kurt replied as he took the carrier from the car. Mr. Williams put the pup in the little fenced area away from the others, then went into the garage to get the pliers and screwdriver. He came back with the tools and helped Kurt assemble the carrier. When it was done, Kurt put the carrier in the back seat of the car. It just fit through the door of the car. He tied the red gift bow to the door of the carrier while Mr. Williams got the pup. The two men talked for a few minutes about the dogs.

Mr. Williams told Kurt, "During the day when you and Jessica are at work, the pup will be fine staying in the barn with the doors closed as long as she has food and water in there where hay and dirt wouldn't get into it. I have an extra stall in the barn set just for the dogs, and they sleep in there at night. There are toys in there for them to play with too. If you put the pup in the barn when no one's home, she can relieve herself in the stall when she has to."

Kurt said, "That's a great idea! Thanks a lot. Now I better be getting this little girl home to her new momma. Thanks again for the pup, Mr. Williams. See you around! Have a great night too sir." The men shook hands and Kurt left in his car, the pup snuggling on the seat beside him.

About ten minutes before he got to Jessica's driveway, Kurt pulled the car to the side of the road. He got out with the pup in his arms, opened the back door of the car, then the carrier door, and put the puppy in the carrier, closing the door afterward. The puppy would ride there the rest of the way home. Jessica's car was already in the driveway when Kurt pulled in. He blew the horn of the car and Jessica came outside. She came to the car and threw her arms around him as he got out of the car. He spun her around in a big hug, her feet flying out as he spun. He hugged and kissed her and said, "Hi baby! I sure missed you today!" He held her back from him and looked at her. She still had her work clothes on, but she had taken off her shoes and was wearing her silly fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

"I missed u today too, Kurt." she said.

Kurt put her down and took her hands in his and said, "I have a surprise for you, baby. Look in the backseat of the car, honey."

She did, and let out a happy "Awwwww!!! How cute!!! A Golden Retriever puppy for me, Kurt?" He nodded, then took the carrier out of the car, setting it on the ground by the car. Jessica quickly knelt down, heedless of the dirt getting on her skirt, opened the carrier door and called the puppy out. The pup quickly went to Jessica to be picked up, pet and kissed by this beautiful woman. "Kurt, does she have a name yet?" Jessica asked, her eyes shiny with unshed happy tears.

"No honey, not yet. I thought that you would enjoy choosing a name for her." he said.

Jessica thought for a moment, looking at the puppy cradles in her arms. Then she looked at Kurt and said, "I think I'll name her 'Precious', Kurt, because she's a precious gift from my true love and future husband,"

He smiled, knelt down, kissed Jessica and rubbed the pup's head and said, "Welcome to the family, Precious."

Precious licked his hand as if saying, "Thank you." to him.

"Well honey, you should take Precious inside to get her acquainted with her new home. I'll put all the supplies into the carrier and bring everything in at once. It's a good thing I bought a carrier with wheels on it." he laughed, "I bought lots of stuff for that little girl, baby." He stood up, helped Jessica up, then opened the trunk of the car. Jessica took the bag with the collar and toys in it. Kurt put the pillow bed in the carrier, then put in the food and other bags of supplies in before shutting the drunk and closing the carrier door.

He pulled the carrier into the house as Jessica held the door open for him, then she closed it after he came in. He wheeled the carrier into the corner of the kitchen, then took everything out of it. Jessica quickly washed the food and water dishes, put some food in the dish and some water in the water bowl, then put them on some newspaper on the floor by the carrier. She put the bag of puppy food in the cupboard by the closet. Kurt lined the bottom of the carrier with newspaper. Jessica took the pillow bed upstairs with Precious in her arms. She put the bed in the corner by the dresser, then sat on the bed with the puppy. Jessica was holding Precious like a baby, petting her gently and talking to her softly. She laid down on the bed and the pup laid beside her, licking her hand.

Within moments, both Jessica and Precious were sleeping on the bed. Kurt came upstairs and stopped in the doorway. Jessica was laying on her side on the bed, facing the door, and Precious was curled up beside her with her head resting on Jessica's arm. Kurt quietly walked over to the bed, leaned down and kissed both of them, then went downstairs. He went out to the barn and fed and watered the horses. He fixed up the third stall in the barn for the pup, adding more boards to it and cleaning up the hay and old straw in it, putting fresh straw in one corner. He boarded the walls and door of the stall with plywood and put a small wooden platform in there that would hold her food and water dishes. The pup would stay in here when Kurt and Jessica were at work during the week, but when they went to the cabin, the pup would go with them as a watchdog.

When Kurt was finished with the stall, he went back inside. He looked at the clock. It said 7:30 pm. Jessica was still upstairs, so he decided to make dinner for her. He took a package of chicken from the freezer and defrosted it in the microwave, then put it in a baking pan in the oven. He set the timer for thirty-five minutes. While the chicken was cooking, he went out to the garden and picked four ears of corn, a cucumber, and two tomatoes. There was still some lettuce in the refrigerator so he didn't have to pick anymore. He took the vegetables inside and cleaned them, then peeled the corn, placing it in a pot of water on the stove to cook. Then he cut up the cuke and tomatoes, mixing them with the lettuce, some Italian dressing and salt & pepper in a bowl as a simple salad. He covered the bowl and put it in the fridge. Kurt took the barbeque sauce from the fridge and poured some on the chicken.

Kurt set the table, placing the yellow taper candles beside the flowers in the center of the table. Dinner was almost ready so he went upstairs quietly to wake Jessica. When he went into the bedroom, Precious was looking at him. Jessica was still asleep. Kurt sat on the edge of the bed and brushed a strand of Jessica's soft silky hair back from her face. Precious stood up, stretched, yawned, and walked to Kurt. He picked her up and took her downstairs. He took her leash from the bag on the chair, hooked it to her collar and took her outside to do her business. He took the pup back inside after she was done, and put her in the carrier with her food and water dishes, then closed the carrier door.

The timer went off for the oven, so he took the chicken out of the oven after he washed his hands. The corn was also done so he removed that from the stove too. He put the chicken and an ear of corn on each of the two plates on the counter, then took the salad from the refrigerator and put some on each plate. He left the plates on the counter and then went upstairs to wake Jessica. Kurt sat on the edge of the bed, leaned over and kissed Jessica gently as he pushed a stray lock of her hair away from her face. "Jessica honey, it's time to wake up. Dinner's ready." he said.

"Mmmmmm, Kurt, I love you." she said sleepily.

"I love you too, baby. Now wake up, dinner's getting cold." he told her again. Jessica slowly opened her eyes, smiling when she saw Kurt.

"Where's Precious, Kurt? She was here when I fell asleep." she said.

"Don't worry baby. She's downstairs in her carrier eating her dinner. Come on honey, I'll help you up." he said gently. Jessica yawned and Kurt helped her up from the bed. They went downstairs and Kurt helped Jessica sit at the table.

"What a gentleman you are, Kurt. Dinner smells wonderful, darling." she told him. He smiled at her.

"I agree, darling, but dinner's not going to be half as delicious as your sweet honeyed flavors." he replied with a wicked grin and a wink.

Jessica giggled and blushed, saying, "Ohhh Kurt, you're such a tease. Getting a gal all worked up like that just isn't fair!" she said seductively as she batted her eyelashes at him.

He chuckled as he placed their plates on the table and took two bottles of beer from the refrigerator. Kurt sat down and they ate dinner. The puppy was quiet in her carrier, silently eating her food and drinking her water, occasionally looking up at her owners. They talked about work and Kurt told Jessica about what led up to his getting the puppy and about Mr. Williams' invitation to go see the horses on his farm. Jessica said, "I'd love to see the horses, Kurt. When can we go see them?"

"We'll go next weekend, baby. We both have to work this week and I want to work on the Pond Cabin this weekend, honey. Mike at the mill wants me to bring in the plans for the cabin and the measurements so I can order the lumber for it. He said he'd give me a fifty percent discount too, so it wont be that expensive. Mike is going to let me use the red truck with the lift on it to bring the lumber out here and I'll have Andy come over with the horse and cart to haul it to the cabin. Then we can put your creativity to work on the building, baby." he replied.

"I have the plans almost done, Kurt. I just hope we can afford the cost, even with the discount that Mike's giving you for it." she said, worriedly.

"What have you come up with for the cabin, baby?" he asked. She went to the kitchen drawer by the window, took out a folder, pencil, eraser and a pencil sharpener, then sat back in her chair. She opened the folder and handed a sheet of paper to Kurt.

"It's going to have three rooms, Kurt. A large bedroom, a small bathroom, and a third large room that will be the livingroom, kitchen and dining room all in one, if that's ok. The livingroom will have a fireplace in the corner, and there will be a wood burning cookstove too, Kurt. Will that be alright, Kurt?" she asked.

"Yes baby, that's fine. What have you come up with for the horses?" he asked her.

"Just to enlarge the corral to the pond, and make the shelter into a mini barn with only three stalls and a small room for the wheelbarrow, shovels, grain supplies and hay. Do you think that would be alright, Kurt?" she asked him, and he nodded.

"That sounds great, honey. Just make sure I have them by tomorrow morning so I can take them to work and show Mike." he said.

She looked at him and smiled, then said, "I'll finish them tonight before bed, honey." Then they cleaned up and Kurt took Precious outside while Jessica washed the dishes and wiped down the counter. Jessica watched Kurt and the pup walk up and down the driveway several times, then they walked to the barn and pasture. She finished the dishes, then went outside. Angel the cat was sitting on the porch swing grooming her fur. Jessica scratched the cat behind the ears, then went out to the barn.

She saw Kurt in the pasture with Precious in his arms. The horses were sniffing at the pup curiously. Jessica saw the pup push Lady's nose away with her paw and she heard Kurt laugh at the pup. He turned just then and saw Jessica standing there by the gate, a big smile on her face. He gave each of the horses a pat on the neck, then put the pup down and walked her to the gate and out of the pasture. "Looks like Lady and Cajun like our little Precious, Kurt." she said when he came to her.

"Yeah baby. Cajun tried to nibble on her tail, but she kicked him in the nose with her back feet. It was cute! Ha! ha! ha! ha!" he laughed. Jessica laughed too, then they went inside, the puppy trailing behind Kurt as he went into the livingroom.

Kurt sat on the couch after he turned on the TV. Precious laid on the rug in front of the fireplace and fell asleep within minutes. Jessica went into the kitchen and sat at the table, the plans for the cabin and corral laid out in front of her. She worked on the plans for almost an hour, before they were finished. She picked up the extra papers, pencils and sharpener, putting them back in the kitchen drawer. Then she took the plans into the livingroom, sat on the couch by Kurt and gave them to him to look at. He put his arm around her when she sat, and he kissed her tenderly on the forehead as he took the papers from her. "Here's the finished plans, Kurt. I hope you like them."she said to him.