Training the K-9 Companion
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Jill Kemerer
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Chapter One
As usual, the restlessness snuck up on him, and, too late, Cade Moulten realized his mistake. Offering to help his mother train a therapy dog was just another attempt to atone for his past.
He couldn’t back out now. He wouldn’t if he could. Cade had other reasons—good ones—for being here.
“It’s not much to look at, is it?” His mother, Christy Moulten, sat in the passenger seat of his truck and stared at the small industrial building with faded gray aluminum siding. Next to it, a matching structure roughly three times its size shared the parking lot. The early June sunshine began to fade as the day wound down.
Cade cut the engine, and his mom bent to pick up her purse. A few months shy of turning sixty-four, his mother hadn’t slowed a bit. Her stylish blond bob, subtle makeup and smile lines gave her the appearance of someone who enjoyed life, but she also had a stubborn streak wider than a country mile.
At thirty-five, he’d mellowed to the point of not minding driving her around town whenever her driver’s license was suspended—and that was often—nor did he mind living with her in the big house on the ranch. Kept her out of trouble.
Maybe they kept each other out of trouble.
He pocketed his keys. “What’s it supposed to look like? It’s a vet clinic, not a spa, Ma.”
Cade had personally taken a loss on this property by selling it to the new veterinarian and her father for pennies on the dollar. Anything to convince a vet to take a chance on moving to Jewel River. When Dr. Bill Banks, the only veterinarian within two hours of here, retired last fall, it had affected every rancher and pet owner in this swath of Wyoming.
Jewel River needed a veterinarian ASAP.
Cade needed one, too. For his ranch and to be on call when Moulten Stables opened this fall. Ideally, his new horse-boarding venture would have an equine-certified vet, but they were hard to come by in rural Wyoming. Any animal doctor was. How much experience did the new vet have with horses?
“I don’t know.” Mom’s nose crinkled in distaste as she shrugged. “I was hoping she’d have a nice sign and a few potted flowers to make the entrance more inviting. The beat-up siding and chain-link fence surrounding the property leaves a lot to be desired.”
“Cut her some slack. The clinic isn’t even open for business. She could be waiting for her father to arrive before updating the exterior. He’s going to have plenty of renovations in order to turn that old warehouse into a service-dog training center.”
“I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’m thankful she found us a dog and is helping us train it. When I think of how happy it will make your grandmother and all the other nursing-home residents to have a dog visit them...well, I can’t wait to get started. Plus, I miss having a dog around to spoil.”
Cade wouldn’t argue with that. Trudy Moulten was his only living grandparent, and he’d always been close to his paternal grandmother. She’d blanketed him and his younger brother, Ty, with love, affection and homemade treats as they were growing up and into adulthood. He couldn’t count how many times she’d pointed him back to Jesus when he was getting in trouble.
He’d gotten in trouble a lot.
Probably would still be getting into trouble if his days on Wall Street hadn’t ended so abruptly.
He stepped out of the truck at the same time his mother did. Their doors shut in unison, and they walked together across old blacktop with the occasional weed popping through.
He wished Nana hadn’t broken a hip and become wheelchair bound. Ever since she’d moved into the nursing home last year, her dementia from Alzheimer’s had been rapidly progressing. The doctors said she was entering the moderately severe stage. The impractical side of Cade hoped the comfort of having a therapy dog visiting her on a regular basis would slow the progress. The practical side of him knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference. The dog would bring her joy, though, and that alone would make these training sessions worthwhile.
Besides, his late father would want him to help. Pete Moulten had been gone for six years now, and Cade missed him every day. The last time they’d been together, Cade had been living the high life in New York City. The memories of Dad’s visit would always sting. Words had been said. Feelings hurt. Not long after, his father had died unexpectedly from an aggressive cancer they’d known nothing about. And ever since, Cade had been trying to be a man his father would be proud of, the one he’d raised him to be.
He’d never be that man.
He’d made mistakes. Mistakes no one knew about. Mistakes he didn’t want anyone to know about.
Most people around here saw him as a successful rancher and a financial genius who’d climbed the ladder of Wall Street by the age of twenty-eight. None of them knew what a slippery climb it had been. And he hoped they’d never find out.
“What kind of dog do you think she picked out for us?” Mom paused when they reached the front door.
“Hopefully, a golden retriever. They’re friendly and easy to be around.” He held the door open for her, and she went inside.
“But they shed something terrible. I was thinking more along the lines of a cocker spaniel. Smaller. Less difficult for me to handle.”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
“I guess so,” Mom said. “She said to go straight to the back.”
A construction zone greeted them, and they made their way through a small waiting room and unfinished reception area to proceed down a hall with several doors on either side. Cade assumed they were examination rooms. At the end of the hall, they went through another door and emerged into a large, open warehouse space. Empty kennels in a variety of sizes were stacked haphazardly on the concrete floor as if they’d recently been unpacked.
And then Cade saw her. Mackenzie Howard—Dr. Mackenzie Howard—the woman he’d talked to on the phone several times last summer in the hopes she’d take a chance and move to their town. Thankfully, she’d left Cheyenne to start her own practice right here in Jewel River.
He hadn’t expected Mackenzie to be around his age. Hadn’t realized she’d be so tall. So assured. So absolutely stunning.
Why he’d pictured her in her late forties, he couldn’t say. Her slightly husky voice perhaps? The woman striding their way had long strawberry blond hair, hooded midnight blue eyes, high cheekbones, thin lips and a row of not-quite-straight white teeth. She was wearing jeans, a gray T-shirt and athletic shoes.
Her style was simple. Unfussy. If she had on any makeup, he couldn’t detect it.
“Hi there.” She stopped near where they were standing. “You must be Christy. I’m Mackenzie.” She held out her hand, and his mom shook it and sandwiched Mackenzie’s with her other one.
“It is such a pleasure to meet you,” Mom said. “Should I call you Dr. Howard?”
Her throaty chuckle hit Cade in the gut. Gorgeous and unpretentious. Not a good combination if he wanted to avoid trouble. And he did want to avoid trouble. He hadn’t dated in a good long while, and he planned on keeping it that way. His ethical lapse at his job in the city had made him question his values. How could he be sure he wouldn’t mess up again?
He couldn’t. And until he was sure he had integrity, he refused to get close to a woman. It would only end badly.
“Call me Mackenzie.”
“Okay.” Mom shifted and smiled at him. “This is my son Cade.”
“We finally meet.” Mackenzie thrust her hand to him.
“Nice to meet you.” A prickly feeling simmered at the base of his neck as he shook her hand.
“Yeah,” she said with a grin, “I feel like we’re old buddies after all the conversations we had last year.”
Buddies? She might think they were pals, but his pulse didn’t race like this when he was around his friends.
He gave her a controlled smile. “We’re glad you’re finally here.”
“I’m glad to be here. Dad can’t wait to join me. Only a few more weeks of traveling and he’ll move here for good.”
Last September, Cade had tried to convince her to relocate to Jewel River, but she’d insisted on waiting until her father could come, too. As a trainer of service dogs, her dad traveled to teach people with disabilities how to handle their new dogs, and Mackenzie had decided to work temporarily with a large animal veterinarian in Montana to get acquainted with the typical problems ranchers faced.
Personally, Cade was glad she’d brushed up on large animal care. He had a gut feeling the luxury vacation companies he was courting to winter their horses with Moulten Stables would expect him to have a vet available with extensive experience treating horses. Without their business, he might not be able to offer low rates to the locals. One of the reasons he was opening the stables was to provide horses for rent to teens who wanted to join the rodeo team.
“Well, we’re thrilled to have you.” His mom beamed. A cautionary tingle went down his spine. His mother was a confirmed matchmaker. She’d been trying to get “her boys” married off for years. She’d only stopped badgering Ty after he’d gotten engaged, but Zoey had died from cystic fibrosis before the wedding. That had been almost five years ago. Ty hadn’t been the same since.
And that meant their mother focused her matchmaking efforts on Cade.
Christy considered any single woman a potential bride. And by any, he meant any. Only a few months ago, his mother had casually tried to set him up on a date with a recently divorced school librarian who was ten years older than him and had four kids. Cade sighed. Mackenzie had no idea what was about to hit her.
“Are you ready to meet your new dog?” Mackenzie’s hands were in the prayer position near her chest.
“Yes.” Mom’s eyes sparkled. Whether it was from the thought of seeing the dog, the idea of him and Mackenzie together, or both, Cade didn’t know, nor did he care.
He never should have offered to join her for these training sessions.
Do it for Nana.
He mentally girded himself. Fine. It would be worth the discomfort if it meant bringing even a smidgeon of joy to Nana’s life.
It wasn’t as if he’d had a choice in the matter, anyhow. Two weeks ago, Mom had attempted to park in front of Annie’s Bakery. Her car had jumped the curb and ended up partially on the sidewalk. Sheriff Smith had caught her in the act. There went her license for another ninety days.
Cade had to drive her here. Ubers and taxis weren’t a thing in Jewel River.
Mackenzie disappeared through the door into the clinic area. Cade didn’t even peek at his mother. If he saw the gleaming, scheming, wedding-dreaming expression on her face—the one that said she’d found Cade’s bride—he would lose his temper and get into it with her right there.
Not happening.
In no time at all, Mackenzie returned with the smallest, fluffiest dog he’d ever seen. She kept a firm hold on its leash as it pranced their way.
His mother gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth. Then she crouched as the little peach fluffball spun in circles before her.
“This is Tulip.” Mackenzie smiled.
“Are you sure this is the right one?” Cade squinted at the pint-size ball of fuzz. He wiped his palm down his cheek. “I’ve seen raccoons three times its size.”
His mom rose and shifted to stand next to Mackenzie. They gave him identical glares.
Double trouble.
That right there was a problem. His mom was bad enough. Cade had a feeling Mackenzie was equally formidable.
“Is she a Pomeranian?” His mother turned to Mackenzie.
“Yes, she’s three years old. Her former owner was an elderly woman who passed away. Her son couldn’t keep the dog, so a local animal shelter took her in. Dad has a number of contacts who call him when they have a dog with potential to be a therapy or service dog.”
“Where has she been staying?” Cade asked. “Tulip, right?”
“Yes, Tulip. She’s been staying with me. She’s a sweetheart. Very in tune with people’s moods, and she’s surprisingly mellow for a toy breed.”
Tulip trotted on tiny legs over to him. Her face was cute. Big brown eyes. He bent and let the dog sniff his hand. She nudged the side of it with her little brown nose, and he chuckled. “You want me to pet you, huh?”
Her tongue stuck out as if to say yes. Her pale peach fur was as soft as it looked. She ate up the attention.
“I’ve been working with her on basic commands,” Mackenzie said. “She’s smart. A fast learner. She has a few bad habits, but I think she’ll overcome them with time. Tulip, come.” Tulip immediately turned and headed toward her. She gave the dog a small treat and patted her head. Mackenzie handed Christy the leash. “Here, I’ll let you get to know her.”
Within seconds, his mom scooped up Tulip and petted her. The dog twisted to lick her face, and she laughed.
“Actually, Christy, that’s one of the behaviors I’m trying to stop. Tulip is not allowed to lick faces.” Mackenzie sounded pleasant enough, but Cade recognized the strength in her tone.
“She’s just giving me a little kiss.” Mom hugged the dog and set her back on the ground.
“When you take her to the nursing home, she can’t lick the residents’ faces. She needs to be calm, sit nicely and allow them to pet her.”
“That’s all well and good, but I’ll be her owner, her person, her mommy.” She gave Mackenzie a pointed look. Cade’s eyelid started doing the flickering thing it did whenever she used that tone.
“I can see we have a lot to cover.” Mackenzie shrugged pleasantly. “While Tulip is very cute, she isn’t a baby or a child. She’s a mature dog, and we’re going to have expectations for her. You’ll work with her at home, and each week I’ll give you more instructions. Six weeks should be enough to train her to be a therapy dog. Like I said, she’s very smart. My dad is qualified to do the certification testing for her to become a Canine Good Citizen. She’s a bright little pup.”
“Six weeks, huh?” Mom couldn’t take her eyes off Tulip.
“If you work with her at home, yes.”
“I suppose you’re going to tell me she can’t sleep with me.” She looked crestfallen.
“Her crate would be best at night. During the day, you’ll want to spend plenty of time with her and give her lots of attention and affection. In the meantime, we can go over the basic commands she already knows, and then we can load up your car with her supplies.” Mackenzie gave Cade a confused glance. “You’re welcome to stay here with us or wait in the reception area. It’s up to you.”
“What? Oh, no, Mackenzie.” Mom shook her head with an amused smile. “Cade is going to be learning everything, too. Since Tulip will be living with both of us, it’s best we’re on the same page. He volunteered, didn’t you?”
At least his mom hadn’t pinched his cheeks during her speech. He didn’t have a chance to answer because Mackenzie spoke first. “I’m afraid I’m missing something. Are you two sharing the dog? I don’t know about her living in two separate homes.”
“No, no, nothing like that. Cade and I live together.” To his horror, Mom came over to him and wrapped her arm around his waist, then leaned her cheek against his upper arm.
Mackenzie’s eyes widened, and her mouth formed an O.
Cade didn’t embarrass easily. In fact, not much fazed him. But the flames licking his neck had to be turning his cheeks brick red. This was not the first impression he wanted to make with Mackenzie. Did she think he was a mama’s boy?
A slew of justifications came to mind.
My dad died, and I’m looking out for my mother. I need to live at the ranch because I’m in charge of it. I’m independently wealthy, not sponging off my mom. Her driver’s license was suspended for the seven hundredth time, and I’m making life easier on myself by joining her since I have to drive her anyway.
“We’ll both be training Tulip,” he said. Why explain anything more? It would serve no purpose. Besides, none of those things were the full truth.
Helping train Tulip was another attempt to be a good guy. But he wasn’t. The vain, insecure side of him was still there. He’d been trying to bury it ever since his father passed away.
No sense in dwelling on the past. He just wanted this meet and greet with the dog to be over.
While she was certain Tulip would thrive with the Moultens, Mackenzie wasn’t convinced Christy had what it would take to train Tulip to be a therapy dog. The next six weeks would prove it one way or the other. But that was the least of her worries at the moment. She’d never been the sole veterinarian of a community before, and she wasn’t certain she was ready to treat large animals. Small ones? No problem. But emergency surgery on a cow or a horse? Questionable.
She’d done her best to put the past behind her, but the C-section gone wrong on a family’s beloved horse during her residency was always there like a rock lodged in her gut. She’d never forget the children’s wails or the lawsuit that followed. She’d been cleared of wrongdoing, but the emotional damage remained. All these years later and she still got nervous at the thought of repeating that nightmare.
Mackenzie motioned for Cade to follow her to one of the patient rooms where she’d stored all of Tulip’s supplies. It had taken only twenty minutes to show the mother-and-son duo the basic commands to use with Tulip. As much as Mackenzie had enjoyed meeting them both, she was dying to check out every nook and cranny of the trailer she’d had outfitted to be her mobile vet clinic, which had arrived only an hour ago.
Cade—all six muscular and rugged feet of him—followed closely behind her, throwing her off slightly. And that in itself was strange. Yes, like most women, she appreciated a fine-looking man, but at thirty-two, she didn’t see herself finding the one.
Her life wasn’t exactly conducive to romance. In Cheyenne, she and the senior vet had split the on-call duties. Here? She’d be the only veterinarian for miles, and she anticipated being on call 24-7. Plus, she wasn’t girlie. She liked jeans and sweats and old T-shirts. Her beauty routine consisted of brushing her hair and swiping on lip gloss. Occasionally, she’d braid her hair. Anything more seemed too fancy.
In addition to the no-time factor, she couldn’t seem to shake her skeptical nature. She blamed her mother for that. How many times had Bonnie Howard disappeared from her life, only to show up unannounced, claiming she missed Mackenzie, and then vanish a few weeks later after Mackenzie had loaned her money that was never repaid? Too many to count.
It had been three years since she’d seen her mother. She counted it as a blessing.
Her parents had divorced when she was ten, and after a few years of the nomad lifestyle with her mom, Mackenzie had insisted on living with her father full-time. Best decision she’d ever made.
“Here we are.” Mackenzie opened the door to the second room on the left. “I packed her crate with treats, toys, food dishes, a therapy-dog vest, harness—you name it. Oh, and here’s her doggy booster seat for the car.” Mackenzie reached for the crate’s handle at the same time Cade did. Their hands touched. She almost dropped the handle.
Yes, it had been too long since she’d been on a date. She’d forgotten what it was like to be attracted to a man. Cade threw her off-balance. And she didn’t need anything else disrupting her life at the moment.
“I’ve got it.” His cowboy hat tipped forward, shading his eyes. She’d discretely checked him out earlier when he’d taken off said cowboy hat. He had dark blue eyes and short, tousled dark blond hair. A straight nose, full eyebrows, broad shoulders. His expensive brand of jeans fit him well.
“I thought you’d be older,” she blurted out. But then, she tended to say whatever was on her mind.
A grin slowly spread across his face. “I thought you would be, too.”
“I get that.” She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “It’s my voice. Raspy.”
“I like it.”
He did? Mackenzie had no idea how to respond, so she regrouped, pointing to the unopened bag of food nearby. “Um, there’s her food. One cup a day. No more.”
“Got it. Is this it?” He hauled the large bag onto his shoulder as if it weighed no more than a pillow. The crate dangled from his other hand.
“Yes. That should do it. Here, I’ll show you how to install the booster seat in your car.” She headed to the doorway, taking care not to touch him as she passed by. The faint scent of his cologne added to his masculine appeal.
Until now, she hadn’t really thought about Cade Moulten beyond the fact he was the one who’d convinced her to start a new practice here and had sold her and her father this property. But now that they were face-to-face?
She had questions. Ones she wouldn’t ask. An internet search would be a better place to start.
Later.
“How much experience do you have with horses?” he asked as they continued down the hallway to the back room.
The question made her uneasy. Had he found out about the incident where she’d lost both the mother and foal? The lawsuit was public record. Her acquittal was, too.
“I’ve worked with horses. Not a lot. Why?” She glanced back at him.
“I’m in the process of opening a horse-boarding facility on the outskirts of town, and I need to have an experienced vet on call.”
She opened the door to the back room for him. The past months had boosted her confidence in treating horses. Eventually, she might even enjoy it. She’d always wanted a horse of her own. Had ridden plenty of her friends’ horses as a teen. But until she faced an emergency with a large animal, she couldn’t say for sure if she’d be up to the task. Only time would tell.
“I’m pretty much on call for everyone in the surrounding area. I know the basics—I’m licensed to treat large and small animals—but I’ve been treating mostly pets for the past several years. If you need an expert, I suggest finding someone else.”
His jaw seemed to jut out. Stubborn...like his mother. Mackenzie wasn’t fooled by Christy’s warm, welcoming demeanor. The woman knew how to get her way. Mackenzie admired her for it.
“All set?” Christy, holding Tulip in her arms, beamed and joined them as they continued to the door leading outside. On the blacktop, Mackenzie gave the trailer a longing glance, then followed Cade to his truck.
“I just love our little princess,” Christy said. Tulip licked her face again. Mackenzie would have to ignore it for now.
Cade’s truck looked top-of-the-line and brand-new. He didn’t seem to be hurting for money, so why was he living with his mother?
None of her business.
“This buckles into the seat...” Mackenzie quickly installed the doggy booster seat in Cade’s truck and showed him how to attach her collar to it.
“Thank you for everything, Mackenzie.” Christy hugged her. “If you need anything, give us a call. I hope to see a lot more of you. Cade does, too, don’t you?” With the back of her hand, she playfully slapped his stomach.
He sighed loudly and gave Mackenzie a tight smile. “We’ll let you get settled. If you’re not busy tomorrow night, you’re welcome to join us at the community center for a Jewel River Legacy Club meeting. It will give you a chance to get to know some of the residents.”
“I’d like that.”
“It starts at seven.”
“Thanks. I’ll be there.” Mackenzie backed up a few steps and waved to them as they buckled in and drove away.
Good. The meeting would give her the opportunity to get the word out that she was ready to treat large animals. Her trailer was fully equipped to haul to any ranch or farm in the area. As for pets, the clinic’s renovations would take a few more weeks before it would be ready to open.
Mackenzie strode between the two buildings where the mobile vet trailer was parked. Working with Dr. Johan up in Montana had been exactly what she’d needed before moving here. She’d gained much-needed experience with cattle and the occasional horse, plus Dr. Johan had helped her order this trailer and all the equipment. She’d driven his mobile vet clinic so often, hauling this one would feel like second nature at this point.
She wasn’t sure what the future held, but she knew one thing: whatever troubles she faced would be worth it to live in the same town as her father again. It had been too long since they’d spent time together on a regular basis. She couldn’t wait until he moved to Jewel River, too.
Growing up, she’d helped him train and take care of the service dogs. She’d loved the simple dinners with her father. They’d discuss the dogs and their days. She missed her dad more than she cared to admit. That was why she’d taken a leap of faith to move here. Dad had been the one who believed in her enough to encourage her to branch out on her own. And he’d suggested opening the small vet clinic three days a week so she could focus on the mobile vet duties the other two.
He’d also assured her that if working with large animals proved too much for her, she could always focus on pets and hire another vet to round out the practice. It would make life easier for her, but she didn’t want to.
It was time to overcome her nerves about treating horses and cattle. It was time to find out what she was really made of.
