CHAPTER 5
November 4
Jesse felt good that Freya took to the ride to Travis’s cabin. Travis had put her and the pups in the super-cab truck he’d driven to the boxcar. She was happy to have her pups in that old wool blanket placed on the back seat. What bothered Jesse the most was Travis saying he was going to make a call to Fish and Game because the cougar’s behavior was way out of normal bounds. It did not seem to be frightened of humans. She’d seen his scowl deepen when she told him how the cat had risen up on his hind legs, paws on either side of the caboose door window, looking in on them. Something wasn’t right.
Once at the home, Freya leaped out of the truck, expectantly waiting for Travis to carry her pups inside. She followed him after going for a pee nearby, rushing inside the opened door to meet Jesse, wagging her tail, and looking adoringly up at her once again.
Smiling, Jesse leaned over, gently patting her head.
Inside, Travis was all business, carefully carrying the pups in the blanket.
Freya raced ahead, galloping across the living room and down the hall to Jesse’s bedroom. She skidded to a halt on the shining wooden floor, turned and looked expectantly up at Travis as he followed her.
“Guess she wants her litter in your bedroom,” he said, tossing Jesse a glance to the right. “You okay with that?”
“Sure.”
“Good.” He nudged the door fully open with the toe of his boot.
Laughing, Jesse said, “I think her owner was a woman.”
“I do too.” Travis watched the Border Collie snoop quickly around the large, rectangular room. She went to the darkest corner, away from the door and window, on the opposite side of the bed. “She’s wanting a cave-like environment,” he said, carrying the litter over to the corner where she stood, giving him a pleading look.
“She’s probably still scared that cougar is going to come after us again,” Jesse said, helping to open up the blanket once he’d placed it on the floor. Tucking it in here and there so that it looked a bit like an open maw of a cave, Jesse was satisfied. Inside, the pups slept in a pile, oblivious to the world and what was going on around them.
But Freya wasn’t. She immediately nosed her way inside the rear of the blanket and began cleaning up and licking each of her babies, doing her motherly duties.
Jesse smiled as Travis stood at the end of the bed, watching them. “Those puppies are so cute. Just endearing.”
“They are,” he agreed. “I’m going to go over to the office. My father’s dog, Cyrus, has a huge, comfy dog bed he uses, and there’s also some kibble over there. I’ll pick up the big dog bowl, too. We need to get her something to eat. Has she eaten since you brought her into the caboose?”
“No,” she said, worried. “I’ll go get her a bowl of water from the kitchen in the meantime.”
“I’m also going to call Joe Varner. He’s with Fish and Game. And I’ll get Emily Hardy, our vet, over here to check Freya and her puppies out, so be expecting a visitor.”
She reached out and briefly touched the coat sleeve. “You’ve saved their lives.”
“No, you did.” He caught her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll be in touch. You just stay here and keep Freya company.”
His hand was warm, dry and roughened. Jesse tried not to enjoy the contact as much as she did. Following him out, they left the bedroom door open so that Freya could come and go as she pleased. “I’m glad we’re not out there at the boxcar right now. That cougar scared me,” Jesse admitted.
“I was scared for all of you,” he said, sliding her a glance. “How are you doing after this attack?”
“A lot of my old combat ways of doing things resurfaced. Muscle memory. I was clear headed, looking for any kind of weapon I could find to protect us. I had a sense that the cat would come up on the platform, and he did.”
“That’s crazy stuff,” he muttered, halting at the front door. “I’ll be back in just a bit. Just take it easy, okay? You’ll crash after that adrenaline stops running through you.”
“You’re right.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Those words were solace to Jesse. She got busy after Travis left, finding a large aluminum bowl, filling it with water and setting it near the puppy brood in her bedroom. Freya was feeding her pups, eyed the water appreciatively and gave, what Jesse thought, was a grateful look. She was falling hard for this courageous mother. She’d never seen any dog throw herself bodily against the door to attack a cougar who stood on the other side of it. Shaken more than she wanted to admit, Jesse got busy in the kitchen making up a batch of scrambled eggs for Freya.
Travis returned with a huge, red flannel dog bed, large enough for Freya and her litter and she helped him carry it into the darkened corner of her bedroom. Freya was up, eagerly lapping water from the bowl when they brought it into her. Travis arranged it such that the familiar blanket was spread across it. She was fine with him doing that and Jesse gently removed the puppies, covering the doggy bed and then placing her puppies on it. Immediately, Freya went back to it, laying down on her side, all her pups making little grunting and snuffling sounds as they blindly headed right for the milk.
“I got the kibble,” he told her. “I’ll bring it in. The vet, Emily Hardy, is on her way over here. I also talked to Joe at Fish and Game. He’s going right now to check things out around the caboose.”
“Is he going to kill that cougar?”
“I don’t know. No one knows the wildlife in our region like Joe does. He said all things being equal, the cat behaved oddly and he’s concerned that it might have rabies. He’s going to come here and see us when he gets done with his investigation. And until he’s made a determination, you, Freya and the pups are to stay here in town with me.”
“I can do that,” she assured him. “Let me get Freya fed. I’m sure she’s starving. I cooked up scrambled eggs for her.” She pointed to the skillet sitting off to the side of the stove to cool.
“Great idea,” Travis congratulated her. “Let me get that kibble and food bowl.”
Jesse had never felt better. Being able to help and support Freya meant everything to her. It brought back so many memories of her childhood with her best friend, Tag, a yellow lab. Soon enough, Travis arrived with the sack of kibble, placing it on the counter. She quickly put two cups into the bowl and mixed it with the freshly cooked, but cooled, scrambled eggs.
Freya leaped up when Jesse placed the bowl of food next to her water. She stood back, watching the dog gulp and swallow until it was all gone. She licked her lips with her pink tongue and then trotted out to the kitchen door to be let outside.
Laughing to herself, Jesse thought that Freya was training them up. She opened the door and followed her out into the cool morning air. Freya had found a corner of the lawn near the driveway to do her business. As soon as she was done, she ran inside, straight to her pups. She liked the dog’s high intelligence and it made her feel happy inside to be keeping her and the pups safe.
About twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Travis answered it because he was closer. It was Emily Hardy. Jesse instantly liked the woman—she was tall, lean and wearing jeans and a green and black checked flannel shirt beneath a purple nylon down coat that fell around her hips. Travis introduced them, carrying Emily’s vet bag for her and shutting the door behind them.
“Wow,” Emily said, shaking Jesse’s hand, “word gets around Hamilton fast! You and Freya faced down a cougar at the caboose door. How are you doing, Jesse?’
Liking the woman’s low, husky voice and her care, she smiled. “I’m fine. Freya and her pups are in my bedroom.”
“Lead the way. Travis, by any chance do you have some coffee around?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll make us a pot. You two ladies go see the dog and pups. I’ll bring you in some mugs, later.”
“Remember, I like it sweet and blond, Travis.” She tossed a smile over her shoulder, following Jesse across the room.
“Got it,” he laughed. “Go have fun with our new furry friends.”
*
Jesse watched as Emily gently and thoroughly examined Freya and then carefully checked each of her sleeping pups, writing down notes as she went. Jesse felt like the dog was in good hands. She liked Emily’s natural warmth and maternal way of working with Freya, who looked absolutely happy to have another woman around her.
“Okay,” Emily said, handing her a piece of paper. “Here’s the chip info that Freya carries. There’s a phone number. Can you call it for us and see what you find out?”
Travis stepped in with two steaming cups of coffee in hand. “How’s it going?”
“Fine,” Jesse said, sliding off the bed, paper in hand. “Emily found a chip in Freya’s neck. I’m going to call the number and see what I can find out, maybe I’ll be able to contact her owner.”
“Good,” he said, handing her the coffee cup as she headed for the hall. “I’ll stay here with Emily and keep her company.” Leaning over, he handed the vet the other cup of coffee.
“You’re a life-saver, Travis. Thank you.”
Glancing around, he saw Jesse disappear down the hall. “So, how is Freya?”
“She’s about fifteen pounds underweight. I’m surprised she was able to continue to carry these five pups in this kind of condition. She’s been on her own for a while.” Emily was on her knees next to the doggy bed and barely touched the short-haired area around the top of Freya’s neck and shoulders. “She’s got second-degree burn scars here and here. It’s as if she was in a fire or something, and got burned. Even her coat hair hasn’t completely come back to that area. I hope Jesse can shed some light on this with that phone call.”
“And she’s healed now?”
“Yes, but I’m going to leave some wonderful calendula ointment with you, which will soften that scar tissue and help her overall.” She pulled a jar out of her black leather bag and handed it to him.
“And the pups?”
“All fine. Smaller than usual, but with Mom being fifteen pounds under weight, they aren’t going to grow to normal size during gestation, either.”
“So? They’ll all be stunted in growth? Never be as large as other Border Collies?”
Wrinkling her nose, Emily said, “Well, not necessarily. You’re feeding her now, and I want to leave some bottles of vitamins for her that you can drop into her kibble each day. Those vitamins and minerals will get into her milk and transfer to the puppies. They were just born, maybe two days earlier, so they have a chance to be full size if they stay with you and Jesse and get fed properly.”
Nodding, he said, “I used to be alone and now I have two women under my roof, not to mention, five puppies.” He grinned over at her.
Laughing, Emily tucked her stethoscope away in her bag and peeled off her latex gloves, dropping them into a bag and snapping it shut. “I like Jesse a lot. I talked to Katie yesterday and she raved about her, about how hard she worked and how well she did her job at the coffee shop. I think Jesse is a definite fit for our town.” She tilted her head. “I heard through the grapevine that you’re sprucing up Hiram’s caboose. Is that true?”
“Yep,” he murmured, watching Freya close her eyes and go to sleep, her pups’ tummies filled with milk once again. “Come on, let’s go out in the living room. We can talk there and leave the dog in peace. She’s had a helluva morning.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” Emily gathered up her bag and stood. “That coffee was good, Travis. Can I get a second cup?” She looked at the watch on her wrist. “I’ve got to be in surgery in an hour. Got three of them lined up this morning at my clinic.”
“Come on,” he coaxed, standing to one side, motioning her out the door. “We’ll get you primed with caffeine and you’ll be fine for the day.”
He saw Jesse get off the wall phone in the kitchen as they approached her. The look on her face made him frown. Something was up.
“Find out anything?” Emily called, sitting on the couch, medical bag at her feet.
Jesse glanced over at Travis, who stood nearby. “Yes. Plenty.” She brought over the notes she’d jotted down. “Freya is a working dog champion on the national AKC show circuit. Her owner, Stella Caldwell, was bringing her back from being bred to a champion Border Collie in Idaho, when there was an auto wreck. Mrs. Caldwell was killed. At the autopsy, they found she’d had a stroke at the wheel and careened into an eighteen-wheeler truck coming the other way.” Shaking her head, her voice lowered. “The firefighters were called and they put the fire out. They saw the charred remains of a dog crate in the back of the totaled SUV but no dog. The person I spoke to was the executor of Mrs. Caldwell’s estate in Billings, Montana. She has no living relatives left. In her will, she asked that Freya get a good home.”
“Wow,” Emily said, taking the cup of coffee from Travis. “The burn scars on Freya’s neck must have occurred at the time of the crash.”
Jesse sat down on the couch, worried. “You’re right.”
“I gave Travis some ointment to put on the scars. They should heal fine and she should get all her hair back in that area. He can fill you in on the rest of what I told him.”
“Good,” Jesse said.
“What did the executor say about you finding her?” Emily pressed.
“She asked if we wanted to keep Freya or not. She said that there are several other breeders who would like to have her, too.” Jesse looked up at Travis who was listening intently.
“How do you feel about that?” Travis asked Jesse.
“I’d love to keep her and the pups. I’ve been missing a dog in my life. I don’t mind taking care of her and the pups at the boxcar.”
“Well,” Emily murmured, “those pups are probably worth an awful lot of money since she’s an AKC working dog champion.”
Grimacing, Jesse looked at both of them. “I have this crazy idea that maybe, if Travis is okay with it, I could keep Freya after her pups are weaned. Maybe five people in Hamilton would like them? Give them a real life outside being on a dog show circuit? What do you think, Travis?”
He smiled briefly. “I like the idea. Freya’s been through enough. Let’s give her a dog’s life with someone who wants her to enjoy her freedom, not be stuck in a crate, driving from state to state to compete for trophies and ribbons.”
There was a knock at the door.
Travis turned. “I’ll get it.”
Relief surged through Jesse. She would get to keep Freya! That meant so much to her and she didn’t know why. Maybe it was a piece of home, a distant, wonderful memory of her growing up years with Tag. Right now, at her stage of recovery and with her symptoms, Freya and her puppies were a healthy distraction for her.
“Hey,” Emily called, waving, “Joe!”
Joe Varner entered the home, shook Travis’s hand and came in. “Looks like the whole town is here this morning, Emily.”
Travis led him into the living room and introduced the Fish and Game agent to Jesse, who shook his hand.
“Have a seat, Joe. You must have done your snooping around out there for that cougar?” Travis asked.
Sitting down in the chair opposite the couch, Joe set his report papers on the coffee table between them. “I did.” He raised his blond brows, eyeing Emily. “I found the cougar about a quarter of a mile inside the tree line. It’s dead.”
Gasping, Jesse said, “No! What happened to it, Joe?”
“Best guess,” he said, shrugging, “is the cat had contracted rabies. That would explain its abnormal behavior at the caboose where you’re living.”
Clapping her hand against her mouth, eyes widening, Jesse looked up at Travis. He was grim looking.
“Rabies?” he demanded.
“Can’t be sure. I’ve taken some swabs from its mouth and I’ll know for sure at my office later today. I’ll get back to you on that.”
“Skunks sometimes have rabies, but so do raccoons. Both are around the river,” Emily said, “where all predators hunt for food.”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Joe said. “The cougar may have caught and killed a coon who was infected, and in turn, he got infected by the virus and died from it.”
Shaking her head, Jesse muttered, “If that’s true, then I need to wash everything on the steps and platform of the caboose with bleach, as well as that door. Rabies virus could still be hanging around.”
“Yes,” Joe said, his attention shifting to her. “But I don’t want you going anywhere near that caboose or meadow until we know for sure what killed the cougar.”
“What do you suggest if it had rabies, Joe?” Travis asked.
“Well, you told me earlier that Jesse and the dogs were staying with you, here. I think that’s a good idea. If it pans out that the cat contracted rabies, I’d wait at least a week and then go out with latex gloves, boots on, pails of bleach, water and throwaway sponges. All those cleaning items you use to wipe the surfaces down have to be burned. You can always wipe off your boots with bleach and kill anything on them. The latex gloves you can also burn after you’re done cleaning up the area around the caboose.”
“Ugh,” Jesse said. “Who’d have thought this whole crazy situation could happen?”
Joe nodded. “Rabies is always around. You’ve got wild animals living all around Hamilton. It’s up to Fish and Game, as well as the state health department, to keep tabs on rabies. I’ll be coordinating with them, too, as soon as I get back to my office.”
“But it doesn’t make my boxcar unlivable, does it?” Jesse asked, wanting so badly to go back there to live. She wouldn’t admit that being with Travis here in his cozy home helped her in so many ways. Not only did he make her feel less anxious, but so did Freya. She couldn’t explain it, but if she had her druthers, she’d like to have both man and dog in her life. But so much was happening to her she couldn’t sort it all out.
“No, it won’t stop you from living in it,” Joe told her. “It’s just temporary for a week. The health department will have to come out to check it after you get it cleaned up. I’m sure they’ll give you a good bill of health and then you can move back in and pretend none of this happened.”
“I’ll never forget it,” she admitted, wryly. “And I’m sure Freya won’t either.”
“All’s well that ends well,” Emily said, finishing off her coffee and standing. “I gotta get to work, gang.”
Joe stood also. “I’ll walk you out to your truck.”
Jesse saw something in Joe’s eyes, but said nothing. Emily was a fount of positivity for everyone. A live wire. She looked at herself and came up wanting, knowing that the old Jesse would never return. It was a downer, but she shoved it aside, standing up and giving Emily a quick hug of farewell.
Travis came over, standing near her after they said goodbye to Joe and Emily. Once the door shut, he turned to her. “I know you’re probably all set to come to the office at 1300, but I want you to stay here and be company for Freya today, instead.” He touched her shoulder. “Besides, it’s been a helluva morning for you, too, Jesse. Take some downtime to collect yourself?”
“Thanks, I’ll take you up on that. I think we need to give Freya some constancy in her life, don’t you?”
“Unlike us?” He shared an amused look with her. Only vets with PTSD would get that inference.
“Yes, like us. But I’m finding, Travis, that I love that little caboose. It gives me a point of stability.”
“I understand. Once we find out about what that cougar died from, we’ll know what chess move of life we need to make next.”
“Are you all right with Freya under foot?”
“Sure.” He looked around the cabin. “Kinda makes this place a home, not just an empty shell. Growing up, I had a dog around all the time. It feels good having another one around.”
“I feel the same way,” she whispered, feeling the heat roll off his tall, powerful form. “I was never so glad as when you drove up to the caboose and that cougar ran off.”
“We need to have one of Hiram’s rifles put out there for you. We’ll take care of that in a week or so.”
“Until then. Maybe today I’ll take some down time, but tomorrow I need to work at Katie’s place.”
“That’s fine. Since you’ll be gone half a day tomorrow, I’ll pop in every couple of hours on Freya and make sure she has her needs met. That way, she won’t feel abandoned.”
“Gosh, can you imagine what this poor dog has been through?”
“No, but it was a lot. I think after the crash, she ran off for the mountains and just kept on going west, running into Hamilton and the caboose. She ate off the land, which explains her weight loss.”
“I’m glad she ended up at your grandparents’ boxcar. I know from what you told me earlier, they loved all of nature.”
“Yes, they did.” Travis smiled a little. “He’d have howled his head off over that cougar at his back door. That’s one for the history books. Hamilton will be buzzing about it for at least a few weeks.”
“And it looks like gossip flies through Hamilton like a wildfire,” she mused sourly.
“It’s not all bad,” he counseled. “It’s a small town with a big heart. Neighbor helps neighbor out here. I’ve got to get to work. You know where I’m at if you need anything. Just call. I’ll drop back here for lunch.”
“I’ll make us something to eat.”
“Sounds good to me.” He headed for the door, picking up his Stetson from the nearby wooden peg. “Thanks…”
Jesse didn’t want him to go, his larger-than-life presence always calming to her. She’d never looked at a man—ever—for protection. Because she felt so awkwardly vulnerable, he was like a masculine umbrella of sorts, sheltering her life presently, and shielding her in many respects. She didn’t want to be like this the rest of her life and put that shameful awareness aside. There was lots to do in the cabin and the least she could do was clean it up, plus take care of Freya. How she looked forward to holding each little puppy! They too, gave her a sense of calm from her anxiety.
Life was looking up despite the unexpected ups and downs. Most of all, she was with Travis and loved his home. Psychologically, Jesse knew it was helping her and she was incredibly grateful.