Every time Kitty looked in the rear-view mirror, the dog was staring back at her. His dark brown eyes were watery and round, his head tipped to the side at a plaintive angle. The bouncing and yapping had changed into gentle whimpers as the effects of the car journey were taking their toll on his stomach. If a dog could cry, then this one would almost certainly be bawling right now.
Kitty felt like crying herself. Apart from her old neighbours’ crazy mutt, she was totally inexperienced when it came to dogs. She had no idea what to do with the puppy, apart from to stop every hour or so to let him try to do his business and wipe any dog sick from the Escalade’s leather back seats.
By the time she’d stopped for a third time – in a godforsaken truck stop somewhere east of the mountains – the puppy was literally digging his heels in the mud, growling every time she tried to scoop him into her arms.
‘You’re not going to win,’ she told him through gritted teeth. ‘Even if I have to go back to Cutler’s Gap with a mangled arm, you’re still getting in that bloody car.’
The puppy just sat stubbornly and stared, refusing to move. How could such a cute dog look so defiant?
‘Come on, it’s only another hour,’ she coaxed. ‘Just sixty minutes and you’ll be out of the car for good. You can curl up in Annie’s kitchen and yap at somebody else instead.’
Not that there would be anything for him to eat. Annie’s stodgy food probably wouldn’t do his delicate stomach any good, and knowing Mia’s distractedness there was no way she would have arranged for puppy food to be delivered. If she had any reception she’d call Annie and warn her, but once again the tall trees were blocking out her signal. Ah, she’d have to worry about that when she got back to Mountain’s Reach. That’s if she made it in one piece.
Half an hour later she made it to the snow-covered mountains, marvelling at the way they looked as though someone had sieved icing sugar across the land. The cloudless sky was a cerulean blue, reflecting off the Blue Ridge peaks and leaving no doubt in Kitty’s mind how they got their name. Unlike the rental she’d driven a few days earlier, the Escalade gripped the road with determination, its weight and powerful engine a good match for the icy roads as they made their ascent.
The roads were winding here, twisting and turning like a blacktop helter-skelter. With each swing of the car the dog growled loudly, before promptly emptying the contents of his belly over the footwell. The stench of dog vomit wafted across to the front seat, turning Kitty’s stomach until she thought that she, too, might end up sick as a dog.
If there was any doubt before, it was obvious Kitty wasn’t an animal person. Not a country girl, either. More than ever she longed for the reassuring pavements of the city, lined with shops instead of trees. They may not have the same natural beauty as the snow-topped mountains, but they were infinitely safer. Not to mention fairly dog free.
‘Look, dog, you’re not doing yourself any favours,’ she told him. ‘Last time I was on these roads I managed to kill a deer. Do you think I’ll have any problems committing canine murder?’
If dogs were like humans, Kitty swore that he’d be laughing right about now.
She was about to pull over to try to clean up the mess when the screen on the front console lit up, indicating an incoming call on her Bluetoothed mobile phone. Seeing Mia Klein’s name formed in green lettering, Kitty rolled her eyes, accepting the call with a flick of her finger.
‘Hello?’
‘Kitty? It’s Mia, can you hear me?’ She was shouting, her voice echoing around as if she was in a metal box. ‘I’m in an elevator. Did you manage to pick up everything we need?’
‘I’ve picked up the gifts,’ Kitty told her. ‘And the puppy. I’ve definitely got the puppy.’
‘How is he?’ Mia asked. ‘Do you think Jonas will like him? I wanted to surprise him on Christmas morning, he has no idea about it at all. The puppy’s related to Bo, the Obamas’ gorgeous doggie. I took one look at him online and just knew Jonas had to have him.’
Kitty glanced back at the dog. He was standing upright on all fours, still glaring at her as if she was the source of all his woes. ‘He’s, um, a character all right. I’m sure Jonas will love him.’ Even if nobody else did.
‘Oh, thank goodness. Children are always so hard to buy for. I can’t wait to see his face on Christmas morning; we must shoot lots of video. He’s always wanted a little brother or sister.’
Kitty looked over at the dog who was now yawning on the back seat. The puppy had two speeds – crazy or fast asleep.
‘… so you just need to hide him somewhere for a week,’ Mia continued, interrupting Kitty’s thoughts.
‘What?’
‘The puppy,’ Mia said patiently. ‘You need to keep him out of Jonas’s sight for a week. It’s a big house, it shouldn’t be that difficult. Hide him in the attic or something, nobody will find him there.’
It was the first time that Kitty began to feel sorry for the dog. He may have been irritable, and a disgusting vomit machine, but he was going to more than meet his match with the Kleins. If Mia thought it was appropriate to stash a living, breathing animal in an attic for a week, God only knew how she was going to treat the puppy once he was part of the family.
Maybe Kitty had more in common with him than she thought.
‘I don’t think we can hide him in the attic,’ she said, weakly. ‘I’ll ask Annie for her ideas. Maybe there’s an outhouse or something that we can put him in.’ That’s if she managed to finish this journey alive.
‘Oh, would you? That would be wonderful. I don’t think she likes me very much.’
The puppy barked loudly, making Kitty jump. It was the first time he’d done anything other than yap or whimper. Maybe he understood what she’d said and was making his distaste known. She couldn’t blame him, really, it was cold enough to freeze the lake out there, and who would want to spend the next week hiding in an outhouse?
Who would want to spend a lifetime being holed up with the Kleins, come to think of it? Once again it seemed the two of them had a lot in common. At least she was getting something out of it after Christmas. The poor dog had no such luck.
‘Well I’d better go. I’ve got an appointment and then some phone calls to make. Oh, they did tell you he’s a vegan, right? You’ll need to order him in some spe