Home is Where the Bark Is Read online

  Willow wondered why her sister had trailed off like that but was starting to feel inspired herself. She knew with a little love the house would be perfect. Also, the more that Wednesday talked, the more relaxed Willow felt. The sisters had been best friends growing up and had remained somewhat close despite the distance between Pineview, New York, and where Willow had lived in Chicago. It would be very easy for them to resume their friendship.

  Willow ended the tour of the inside of the house with her bedroom, which was currently a dull tan color. She planned on painting the walls after the rooms that needed to be updated for her business were finished.

  “Colors are vitally important. That’s something I also need to remember with my job,” Wednesday said before awkwardly continuing. “You know, my job as the secretary at the police station. Colors are important. Because if someone is wearing a bright orange jumpsuit, it means they’re a prisoner.”

  Willow raised an eyebrow. She suggested that they head outside to look at the dog run and obstacle course next but pulled her sister aside as her dad and dog started ahead of them.

  “Wednesday, what’s going on?”

  “What? I’m just really glad you’re back.” Wednesday rambled on, “It probably feels like a big change for you, but it could be a good change. And I know this might still feel like Aunt Edna’s house, but soon it will feel like yours. It was the same thing with her jewelry, but now I’ve decided I look fabulous in it. And we’re all happy you’re home.”

  “Thanks,” Willow said, as they slowly descended the stairs. It was exactly what she wanted to hear, but her sister had neatly sidestepped her question. “But what does that have to do with needing to remember that prisoners wear orange?”

  “Oh. I just didn’t want to say anything in front of Dad. And he was so quiet that I kept almost slipping. I think that’s how he tricks a lot of suspects at the station,” Wednesday said. “I want to get more involved as an influencer on Instagram. At least, I’ve been considering it. Please don’t tell him.”

  “I won’t,” Willow promised. “But I think I do know what he’d say.”

  “What’s Instagram?” both sisters said in unison.

  “What’s what?” Frank asked, quietly joining them.

  The sisters were able to stop themselves from jumping, but not from giggling.

  “It’s nothing,” Willow finally said. “Let’s go outside.”

  This time Willow took the lead and showed them to the dog run area. Despite all the work that needed to be done, she couldn’t help but feel excited about the project.

  “Um, Wills, are you sure that you’re going to be able to fix this up?” her sister asked, as she looked at a pile of rotting wood that had once been a dog house.

  “I know it looks a little rough, but it has a lot of potential. It’s going to be magnificent when it’s finished.”

  Frank Wells gauged the scene and started rolling up his sleeves. “I’m sure a good portion of what already stands can be salvaged.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Willow said, rising onto her toes in enthusiasm.

  “What can we do to help you?” Frank asked. “Anything I can do to help, I will.”

  “I’ve actually got it all covered,” said Willow.

  As if on cue, they heard a voice calling “Hello?” and saw a man peeking around the house. It was her contractor. Willow waved him over and Telescope barked happily.

  Griffin Maynard had been in Willow’s class at school but had become a successful contractor since she’d been away. He had dazzling blue eyes along with a muscular physique – a direct result from his labor-intensive job.

  “That was perfect timing,” Willow said to him before turning to her family. “You remember Griffin Maynard?”

  Wednesday nodded and gave a little wave while Frank remained stoic. Telescope leaned on Willow’s leg, and she picked him up so he would be more eye-level with the conversation. Griffin gave him a brief pat on the head.

  “I was just about to tell them how you’re going to be handling all the repairs around here,” said Willow.

  Griffin put a smile on his face and nodded at the Wells family. Neither of the men extended their hands to shake them.

  “He’s really excited about the project,” Willow said. “He actually reached out to me about it.”

  “That’s because I had already begun some work for Edna,” Griffin explained. “I was willing to see the project through to the end if that’s what Willow wanted.”

  “Based on what I’ve heard about your work around town, how could I not have wanted that?” Willow said.

  Frank had not smiled all through the introductions. He was eyeing Griffin suspiciously. Finally, he said, “It’s good to see you again.”

  “I’m glad it’s under better circumstances,” Griffin responded.

  “What’s going on?” asked Willow.

  Neither of the men seemed willing to talk, but Wednesday responded. “Dad brought Griffin into the station to talk about a missing person’s case yesterday. A local real estate developer, Lee Hunter, has been missing for a few days.”

  Willow didn’t recognize the man’s name.

  “But he just talked to him, right? He’s not a suspect or anything like that?” Willow asked, kicking a stone in the grass. She laughed, but no one else joined in.

  “He’s free to continue with his contractor business,” Frank said, not completely answering the question.

  “Is that real estate agent I mentioned free to continue with his business as well?” Griffin asked. “I know Thomas Danielson wasn’t a big fan of Lee Hunter’s either.”

  “Either,” said Frank. “So, you admit that you didn’t like him?”

  Willow tried to break the tension by joking, “Did I choose a bad time to move to town? If people are disappearing?”

  “I intend to keep Pineview a safe town,” Frank said.

  “Well,” Griffin said, gesturing to the dilapidated dog run. “It’s supposed to rain tonight. I’m not sure how long it will continue. I thought I’d get started with my measurements to make sure we don’t get delayed.”

  “Thank you,” Willow said.

  “I don’t want to interrupt your family time. I’ll do what I have to do and get out of your hair. If it’s not raining in the morning, I’ll be back at 8 a.m.”

  Willow told him it was a good plan. Then she and her sister and dad walked back to the house. She was still feeling positive about her renovation. Her father wasn’t warning her not to use Griffin as a contractor. He was just being overprotective.

  “So that you know,” Frank said before they went through the door, “my offer to help still stands.”

  “I really appreciate it,” Willow said. “But I don’t think I’ll need to take you up on that. Everything is going to be fine.”

  2

  The doorbell rang at ten minutes to eight, and Willow groaned. She’d gotten dressed and made it to the living room but was basically lying comatose on the couch until the java pick-me-up she was brewing was finished.

  She didn’t expect Griffin to be on time, let alone early. The sun was shining, and birds were singing, but Willow didn't appreciate it. Their happy song sounded more like screeching to her at this time of the day. She had never considered herself a morning person and would have rated her current level of functioning as just one step above sleepwalking.

  She shuffled over the to the door, opening it to see a smiling Griffin. Instead of “hello,” the word “coffee” came out of her mouth.

  “Good morning to you too,” he said.

  He followed her to the kitchen where she had set up her coffeemaker. She poured herself a cup and handed one to Griffin as well.

  “Are you one of those people who can’t function without a morning cup of coffee?”

  “I don’t know,” Willow responded. “But it sure makes me feel happier.”

  She took a sip of her drink and started to feel a bit more awake. Griffin sipped from his mug as we
ll but had a smirk on his lips.

  “What?”

  He looked as if he were deciding whether to tell her something or not but finally gestured to her hair. Willow sighed. She had made sure that she was up and dressed at this early hour, but she had completely forgotten about her hair. It must have been as big as a poodle’s updo.

  She tried to flatten it and said, “Not many men see me this early in the morning.”

  Willow paused. Did she just admit to her contractor that she had no love life? She took another sip of coffee to clear her head. She needed to focus on business.

  “After we finish our coffee break, which is admittedly earlier than most breaks would be, I thought we’d get to business and start with the dog run,” she said, ignoring the blush she knew was visible on her cheeks. “I think that’s going to require the most attention.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Griffin said, bringing the coffee to his lips and still looking a bit too chipper for Willow’s taste at this early hour. “Edna mentioned that she thought that would need work, and seeing it up close, I have to agree.”

  Willow’s sleepy eyes began to tear up at the mention of her aunt. It was a shame that she couldn’t be there to see what Willow had planned for the doggie obstacle course.

  Trying to hide her emotions, Willow covered by asking. “Do you want a snack with your coffee?”

  “Um, are you offering me a dog treat?”

  Willow looked at the bag she held in her hands and saw that it was indeed sausage treats for a dog. “Don’t be silly,” she said with a flustered laugh. “These are for my dog.”

  Telescope bounded into the room and happily accepted the treat, finishing it is a single bite.

  “Hey there, buddy,” Griffin said, bending down to say hello. “What’s his name again?”

  “Tele. It’s short for Telescope, which is fitting because he’s great at finding things. He sees things I can’t sometimes.”

  Griffin pet the dog’s belly but stopped short of the spot where the back leg was missing. He looked up at Willow.

  “Is it rude to ask what happened to his leg?”

  “I don’t know myself. He was like this when I met him at the shelter,” Willow said. “But he’s perfect. Isn’t he?”

  Telescope nodded in agreement. Griffin raised an eyebrow, but Willow turned back to her cabinets.

  “I wasn’t offering you a dog treat. Let’s see,” she said, giving up on the empty cabinets and moving to the fridge. “For humans, I have some grapes. Or some mini pizza bagels.”

  “Pizza bagels?” Griffin asked, rising to his feet.

  “Sorry.” Willow laughed. “I just moved in. I guess I don’t have that much food.”

  “What type of pizza bagels are they? Are they like the ones you made for the bake sale in high school to save the Old Point Bridge? That was something unique to bring.”

  “It sounds like I just couldn’t bake,” Willow said, frowning.

  “No. Your addition was great,” Griffin said, leaning on the counter. “I wanted to help the cause then too and tried to make something. But I was impatient and put frosting on the cupcakes when they were still hot. It pretty much melted off. Everyone teased me. All day.”

  He chuckled, but Willow just tapped the edge of her mug.

  “I remember wanting to save the bridge. I don’t really remember a bake sale though.”

  “Oh?” Griffin set down his cup. His grin had vanished. “You know, I’m not hungry. Maybe we should get to work?”

  Willow nodded. Griffin headed outside, and she followed, pausing only to run a brush through her hair. Telescope was tailing Griffin. The dog must have sensed that his human wasn’t completely awake yet and wanted to stay close to the newcomer.

  Griffin didn’t seem especially pleased about this. He tried to ignore the dog and focus on his work, but Telescope kept getting underfoot.

  “You’re going to wind up getting stepped on,” Griffin said.

  Telescope barked.

  “And it would be your own fault if it happened,” Griffin continued.

  Telescope shook his head. Griffin paused and stared at the dog warily. Then, he turned to Willow. “How much does this dog understand?”

  “Be careful what you say around him,” Willow teased.

  They reached the dog run. Some people might call the place dilapidated, but she knew it had a lot of potential. There were several run-down buildings with falling fences around them. Once they were repaired, the fenced-in doghouses could be places for dogs to rest after exercising. The obstacle course would prove to be its own obstacle, but there were several elements that were still intact. With a little hard work, dogs would be able to climb and jump and race. She could imagine it perfectly.

  “I’m guessing you’ll be wanting to take down all the old obstacles and put in new ones?” Griffin asked.

  “No,” Willow said. “Are you crazy?”

  “I’m not trying to run up your bill, but I really don’t think a lot here is salvageable. There hasn’t been any proper upkeep and nature has taken its toll,” he said, moving a piece of fencing with his foot.

  “I know that some of these things don’t look their best, but there’s treasure there,” Willow said, gesturing to some hurdles. The way the light caught the brackets did make them look as if they were partially golden.

  Griffin pointed to something else. “That hoop falling off of its stand is treasure?”

  “Okay. Not everything is in fantastic shape,” Willow said with a slight grimace as she admitted he had a point. “But I want to keep whatever we can. I want to preserve some of the history here.”

  “The history is that everything here is dilapidated and falling apart,” Griffin said. He tapped on the roof of one of the shelters, and a shingle fell off.

  “The fences definitely need to be replaced, but the buildings that will shelter the dogs are the perfect size and can be fixed,” she said, placing a gentler hand on the building. “Once the wood is sanded, it will look great. Think about it. The natural wood here and the view of the forest in the background? I think it will be stunning without seeming over the top for the pups. I know it doesn’t sound like they go together at first, but I want the course to be both chic and rustic. I think saving as much as we can will work for that look.”

  “But this isn’t about the look,” Griffin said firmly. “It’s about whether things are going to remain standing or not.”

  “Edna was here when they first installed the obstacle course,” Willow protested. “She wouldn’t have let them do a subpar job when they built it. I’m sure most things have a strong foundation.”

  “I just want to make sure that everything is safe now,” Griffin said, folding his arms.

  “I want that too,” Willow said, smiling through gritted teeth. “That’s why I hired a professional instead of attempting to fix everything myself.”

  Griffin and Willow faced off.

  “Then, why don’t you listen to the professional?” he asked, throwing his arms up in an exaggerated shrug.

  “And maybe you should listen to your customer. What’s that saying?” Willow asked, pretending to scratch her head. “They’re always right!”

  Willow and Griffin continued to glare at one another. Had she hired the most stubborn man in town as her contractor? She was clenching her hands when Telescope ran in between them and started to jump up and down, barking.

  “It’s okay, Tele,” Willow reassured him and took a step back. “Thanks for reminding us that we should get along if we’re going to work together.”

  “He might be able to help us in another way,” Griffin said, an idea obviously forming in his head. “Maybe Tele can run through some of the obstacles. Then we can see if any of the elements are worth saving.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Willow said. “And Tele is a master of the obstacle course!”

  “Really?” Griffin asked, his voice showed surprise as he looked at the three legs on the dog.

  W
illow sauntered over to the beginning of the course. Tele was at her side and ready. He wagged his tail in excitement and then waited for Willow’s cue to begin. When she snapped her fingers, he hurried through the dog agility poles.

  The upright poles were placed in a line, and the dog had to run in between them in a zigzag pattern. Telescope was through the challenge before Griffin could say “Wow.” Willow grinned at his reaction, but then moved closer to the obstacle.

  “Okay,” Willow admitted. “Some of those poles did seem to bend when Tele touched them, so they’ll have to be replaced. But the base holding them looks strong.”

  Telescope began to run up a bridge that came up to a point like a triangle. He raced down the bridge as quickly as he raced up. Griffin nodded his approval.

  “That bridge seemed to have weathered time pretty well,” he said. “I guess it doesn’t need to be scrapped.”

  Telescope bounded over a hurdle, appearing pretty pleased with himself until the hurdle started to slant to the side. Willow raced towards him, but it was unnecessary. The hurdle seemed content to stay in its Leaning Tower of Pisa impression, and Telescope had already jumped to safety.

  She left out a sigh of relief as she reached the dog and then realized that Griffin was right beside her.

  “I think we might have to compromise on this one,” Willow said.

  “Agreed. Some of the challenges in the course need to be completely replaced, but others just need a little fixing up.”

  “I’m glad Tele was able to show us that we were both right.” With a little grin, she added, “And both wrong.”

  The dog continued running the course on his own and jumped over another (and more stable) hurdle. He happily plodded along, and the humans smiled.

  “Does he run around like this all the time?”

  “I have a walker for him if he gets tired, but usually he is a bundle of energy,” Willow said, smiling with pride at her pup.

  “He really is good with the course,” Griffin said. “I wouldn’t have expected it from him. Not with a disability like missing a leg. I’m surprised he can do any of the obstacles.”