cial dog food, there’s somewhere on the internet that stocks it.’
Vegan. Of course. What dog would want to eat meat when it could have a bowl full of tofu mixed with some yummy, filling pulses? Kitty rolled her eyes and ended the call, wondering how the hell she was going to get the vegan dog food company to deliver in Cutler’s Gap within the next twenty-four hours. And whether the puppy would ever forgive her for denying him meat-based protein.
From the expression on his face, she didn’t think he would.
10
Sir, he’s a good dog, and a fair dog
– The Merry Wives of Windsor
‘What’s that?’ Annie asked, her nose wrinkling up as Kitty carried the puppy into the kitchen. Kitty presumed it was a rhetorical question. In spite of having lived in the middle of nowhere for more than forty years, she was certain Annie had laid eyes on a dog before.
Maybe not one like this puppy, though.
‘It’s Jonas’s Christmas present,’ Kitty whispered, gesturing at Annie to keep it down. ‘Mia had him flown in from LA this morning. I don’t think he’s enjoying his trip.’
‘He stinks.’ Annie’s distaste was written all over her face. ‘What on earth is that smell?’
In an effort to keep the puppy hidden from Jonas, Kitty had kept him locked in the Escalade until bedtime. He clearly wasn’t house-trained, nor had the effects of the winding road gone unnoticed by his bowels. As a result, the inside of the car now resembled a cesspit.
‘You don’t want to know,’ Kitty told her. ‘I’ve tried cleaning it off him as best I can, but without a hose I don’t think I’m ever going to get the smell out.’ She put the dog down and grabbed a bowl from the cupboard, filling it with water and placing it on the floor. The puppy approached it slowly, stilling his tail as if he was suspicious. Sniffing at the water, he shot a baleful look up at Kitty before dipping his tongue into the bowl and taking a drink.
‘She bought him for Christmas?’ Annie asked, still frowning. ‘What’s she planning to do, wrap him up with a bow?’
Kitty shrugged. ‘She wants me to hide him somewhere for the next week. If Jonas finds him before Christmas morning she won’t be happy.’
‘She never is,’ Annie grumbled. ‘Fancy buying a puppy for Christmas, hasn’t she heard all the warnings? What breed is it anyway?’
‘A Portuguese Water Dog,’ Kitty said. ‘Oh, and he’s a vegan, too,’ she added.
‘A what?’
Kitty tried to stifle her smile. ‘A vegan. No meat, no fish, no dairy products. I’m supposed to order his food online.’
Annie gaped in horror, as if Kitty had told her that she needed to feed him with human remains. ‘I’ve never heard such nonsense in my life. What kind of dog doesn’t eat meat? What are you going to feed him while you wait for his special food to arrive? It’s not as if you can starve the poor little mite.’
Kitty looked down at the puppy, who was still lapping at the water. She hadn’t thought of that. It was going to take at least a day for his special food to be delivered. She couldn’t refuse to feed him while they waited for the courier to arrive, could she?
‘Kitty!’ Jonas’s plaintive cry filled the air. Suddenly the kitchen was full of action as Annie scooped the dog up and Kitty searched in vain for somewhere to stash him. Her eyes lighted on the pantry door, and she turned to Annie with a questioning look, only to receive a severe shake of the head.
OK, then. Clearly the pantry was out.
‘Get the dog away from here,’ Annie hissed. ‘I’ll distract Jonas.’
That’s how Kitty found herself stuck outside the kitchen window, trying to keep the puppy calm in spite of the inky-black night and the cold, wet ground. He kept dipping his paws in the snow then wiggling his nose, staring up at Kitty as if it were all her fault.
She squatted down, beneath the line of the window, trying to disguise herself from any prying eyes, aware of how stupid she must look.
It was a full five minutes before Annie showed her face, craning her head around the kitchen door in an attempt to locate the errant Kitty.
‘You still there?’ the housekeeper hissed.
‘I’m here,’ Kitty called back, her voice just as low. ‘But I think he might have done a poop on the deck.’
‘Well he can’t stay here,’ Annie told her.
Kitty knew that. She needed to find a hiding spot. At least until Christmas Day, when hopefully he was going to be somebody else’s problem.