When Lauren returned to the cabin, Shane was still exercising in the living room with Grace’s help. Three times per week for more than two hours per session seemed like a lot, but Lauren wasn’t an expert when it came to these things.
She left them to their task and quietly unloaded the groceries, pleased to find that they almost filled the once empty pantry. Unable to find a proper vase, she arranged the roses in a tall glass tumbler and set them in the middle of the table amidst Shane’s mess of papers. Well, at least the pop of red helped to brighten the mess up a bit.
And as much as she’d like flowers to be a regular fixture at their table, she’d seen the prices attached to each bouquet, and they were more than double what she would have paid back in New York. That meant they probably had to be shipped from far, far away, especially during this season. Lauren had never been much of an environmentalist, but even she knew that was a huge load to add to her carbon footprint.
She quickly checked in on Shane and Grace again and, seeing that they were focused on their work, she decided to return to hers outside. She’d purchased the dogs some special treats to apologize for the mistakes she’d made earlier that day—and also just because spoiling them was fun. There was no rule that said working dogs couldn’t also be well-loved dogs. At least she didn’t think there was. She had, after all, failed to read Shane’s ridiculous house rules in their entirety.
One by one, she visited each dog and gave out the special rawhide treats she had purchased for them. Then she headed toward the garage to find the sled weights Shane had told her about. As she passed the old wooden shed, she contemplated trying once more to pry it open, but she knew what a mistake that would be during broad daylight, and while Shane was home, no less.
Maybe she could read up on lock-picking later that night and give it a try whenever Shane left the house next—if he ever left. Because whatever was hidden inside that old wooden structure would undoubtedly shed light onto the secret of Shane, a mystery she was dying to solve.
A strangled cry shot across the valley, and Lauren raced back to the kennels where two of the dogs had gotten into a fight over the rawhides. Even though they had all been tied back up, the large Malamute named Fred had managed to pull himself free and was now quarreling over who had the right to the treat Lauren had given to the much smaller husky, Georgina.
“Stop, stop!” Lauren cried, sprinting the rest of the way to the dogs.
Grace ran out of the house, too. “What happened?” she asked, but then looked down and saw for herself.
“I just wanted to do something nice for them,” Lauren explained. “I figured if I got one for each of them, everything would be fine.”
Grace grabbed Fred by the harness and dragged him and his house back over to the spot they belonged. The slight woman was far stronger than she appeared, and Lauren couldn’t help but watch as she took care of everything.
“Do me a favor,” Grace said, tossing the rawhide in the trash before returning to Lauren’s side. “You don’t tell him, and I won’t either.”
“But what did I do wrong?”
“These aren’t normal dogs. They were bred to compete, and that’s what they live for. You keep treating them like pets and they could get hurt or, worse, dead. You want to do something nice for them, then work them hard. Keep them running as fast and as long as you can. That’s what Mr. Ramsey hired you to do, and as long as he’s still willing to fight to get better, that’s what you owe it to him and these dogs to do. What happens after that, I can’t say.”
“I don’t understand,” Lauren said with a sigh. “But I’ll do what you say. The last thing I want to do is cause anyone trouble, especially these sweet dogs.”
Grace nodded. “Good. That’s for the best. And I’ll tell Shane that a coyote ran across the yard and got the dogs riled up. If there are any of those treats left over, find them and toss them in the trash to prevent any more fights. And, for the love of all that is holy, make sure you tie them up properly next time.”
Lauren nodded as Grace returned inside for a few minutes, then came back out with her therapy equipment packed up and at her side. How was it that everyone understood how to do Lauren’s job better than her? It seemed the more she tried, the worse she messed up.
She wanted to do work she could be proud of, work that would have made her father proud, and work that would ease whatever pain Shane Ramsey was trying to keep buckled up and close to the vest. Would she ever get it right?