Love on the Horizon (A Northern Woods Novel) (25 page)

“Okay, that’s it. I want to take
a look at that dog.” He jumped up, turned the television off and grabbed his
keys. He was about to leave when he remembered his coffee. He poured some into
a Styrofoam cup with a lid, which he’d left on the counter from his drive to
Ely. Clicking the off button on the coffee pot, he hurried out the door. “I
hope he’ll still be there. I’ll have to stop at the office for directions.”

When he arrived in the parking
lot, he pulled into the space in front of the door, and rushed in.

“Would you happen to know where
the Adopt a Pet animal shelter is located?” he asked.

“Five miles east on County Road
40 and on the north side; you can’t miss it. We do allow dogs in the cabins,
but we require an extra one hundred dollars for your two week rental.”

“That’s fine. I’d like to get
there before someone else does. Would it be okay if I pay you when I return?”

“Sure, run along. If you decide
you want him, stop in on your way back.”

“That I will,” he said, then
waved and hurried out the door.

* * *

When he arrived at Adopt a Pet,
he walked into the main entrance and quickly stepped up to the desk where a
young girl smiled at him.

“May I help you?”

“I hope so. I saw the Shiba on
the Adopt a Pet program this morning. Is he still available?”

“I believe so. Please have a seat
and I’ll call for one of the workers to take you back to the kennel area.”

“Thank you, Miss…?”

“My name is Shelly,” she
answered, and she paged the back room.

“Bill, you’re needed at the front
desk.” She looked up. “He’ll be here shortly to help you.”

The doorway swung open, and a
young man stepped into the reception area.

“Hello, my name is Bill. How can
I help you?”

Jake shook his hand then quickly
asked, “Is the Shiba still available? I saw him on your program an hour ago.”

“Come with me,” Bill said, and
motioned for Jake to follow. He led him to the kennels along the rear wall, and
Jake noticed how clean they were. “We don’t have too many dogs here, which is a
good thing. This is a small town. Not enough people come to adopt a dog every
time we find a lost pet, or perhaps a pet someone can no longer keep. Luckily,
it’s not as bad here as it is in the larger cities, where people have been
abandoning their pets. Very sad to hear, and we’re glad we haven’t run into that
problem. We only receive a newcomer at an average of one to two weeks.”

They were approaching the kennel
that served as Sam’s temporary home. He sat staring sadly, as they moved toward
him. When they stopped in front of his cage, he stood and happily wagged his
tail.

“This is Sam,” Bill said, and
opened the gate. “He’s hoping to find a loving and caring friend for life. He’s
an obedient dog and also quite unusual for a Shiba.”

“How’s that?” Jake asked when he
knelt to greet Sam.

“Well, a Shiba is alert,
courageous, bold, very loving and brave. They are a wonderful pet. They’re
clean and most of them even try to avoid puddles. They bark little and bond
closely with their owner. He’s playful, active and socializes well with people,
but he’ll also protect his master and his home from strangers.” He reached down
and scratched Sam behind his ear. “What’s so very different about Sam is that
the Shiba is a natural hunting dog and should not be trusted around small pets
and birds. However, Sam loves minuscule animals and is definitely
not
for hunting, if that’s the type you’re looking for. What’s unusual is, with any
other Shiba, you have to be careful when taking them off the leash, as they
like to chase; but Sam stays right by your side. He’s a very good companion.
This breed is also much happier living indoors with his master, rather than
outdoors. He does need his daily exercise. They can walk for hours on end, as
they have tremendous endurance. I had a Shiba myself when I was a young boy. It
was the best dog I ever had, and I’m not saying that to convince you to take
him. I’d bring Sam home myself, but I already have three dogs of my own.”

Jake scratched Sam behind the
ears, and carefully held his head in his hands. He looked into his eyes, ears,
and examined his teeth. He smiled and Sam licked his cheek and wagged his tail.
He brushed up against his leg, glanced up at him, then happily danced in
circles. That’s all it took. Jake grinned. “I’ll take him.”

Bill attached a leash to his
collar and handed it to Jake. They entered the office and filled out the short
form. Jake handed him a check for seventy-five dollars.

 “The previous owner also told me
he loves to travel,” Bill added when they stood and shook hands.

Sam proved that on their ride
back to the cabin and Jake smiled, put an arm around his neck and said, “Sam, I
think we’ve both found our best friend.” Sam wagged his tail, looked up at Jake
and gave a quiet, happy bark.

Chapter
Thirty-nine

“Hey, Nick. I thought I’d check
in to see how my guys have been doing without me.”

“Everything’s under control,
Jake. How’s it going up there? Catch many fish?”

“Haven’t been fishing yet, but I
met my best friend.”

“Oh yeah? What’s her name? You’re
talking about a girl, I assume?”

“Nah, something better. I found
me a dog, a beautiful Shiba.”

They both laughed. “You certainly
seem to be in a cheerful mood, so I guess you were right. That’s exactly what
you needed.”

“Ah yes, this guy’s my best
buddy, for sure.”

“Well, good to hear, my friend.
I’m glad you’ve taken time off. You’ve definitely earned it. So how’s the
weather?”

“Unseasonably warm – highs are in
the mid to upper seventies. Sam and I are getting ready to go for a long walk.”

When he heard the word, Sam began
to run in circles, then happily ran out to the kitchen chair and returned with
his leash.

Jake laughed into the phone.
“He’s a smart dog. He understands the word walk. I think we’ll take a lengthy
hike, follow the path and find a place to cast a line. There’s supposed to be a
good fishing hole about a mile up the creek. Also a lake nearby, but we’ll
check out the trail before renting a boat.”

“Well have a great time, Jake,
and eat a few fish for me too.”

“Sure, Nick. I’ll bring some back
if I’m lucky enough to catch fifty or so.” Jake closed his cell phone with a
grin, and scratched Sam behind the ear.

He wore jeans, a sweatshirt, and
hiking boots. He put a light jacket in his backpack, and then filled it with
plenty of food and water for both of them. He slipped his arms into the
shoulder straps and whistled at Sam. “Let’s go boy!”

They left the cabin, Jake with a
happy smile, and a rambunctious tail-wagging friend trotting happily alongside
his master.

They headed down the trail that
ran along the creek. The weather was perfect for hiking. A gentle breeze
lightly drifted through the trees, scattering leaves across the path and around
their feet. Jake put Sam’s leash in one of the outside pockets of the backpack.
Sam stayed by his side, even as a squirrel scurried approximately three yards
ahead of them. Sam noticed it, and stood watching quietly, waiting for it to
cross their path. When the critter disappeared into the twigs and wild grass,
Sam continued walking.

“Now I understand what Bill tried
to explain to me, of your being different. You don’t like to hunt. You really
do love other animals.” He reached down to pet Sam’s head, and then continued
along the curving pathway. Jake noticed that the stream had widened and was now
a bit deeper with a small pool of water surrounded by the bank, on each side of
the creek.

They approached a “V” in the
trail and came to a stop while Jake tried to decide which direction to go. The
path had begun to veer away from the stream before it split in two directions.
Sam made the decision and started walking toward the trail to the west, then
turned to see if Jake was following him.

“Ah what the heck,” he said, and
followed Sam. They had nowhere they had to be. They may as well explore the
territory.

They hiked a mile further when
Jake looked over the boulders running along the edge of the walkway. He noticed
a young woman who was hanging clothes on a line that hung from one tree to another.
He could see that she was very beautiful, her face an oval shape with a creamy
warm shade of skin and the complexion of a porcelain doll. She appeared to be
quite petite, with light brown hair neatly pinned beneath her soft
peach-colored fedora and contained in a ponytail. It drew attention to her face
– the face of a princess, Jake thought.

Suddenly the woman looked up. She
noticed Jake and his dog, and the angelic look turned to pure fright. Her eyes
darted nervously back and forth. She dropped the clothespins from her hands,
and they fell to the ground along with the blouse she was about to hang on the
line. She turned and took a few steps toward her cabin.

“Wait!” Jake called out. “I
apologize if I frightened you. My dog and I were only hiking.”

Facing the opposite direction,
she stopped and stood still, unwilling to turn around. “I’m sorry, I’m busy,”
she said softly.

“We won’t hurt you, Miss.… We’re
on vacation and trying to find a good spot to fish, although I didn’t bring a
pole today. I’m only looking for the perfect place to cast my line tomorrow.”

She slowly turned to face him,
her arms folded at her waist. She tipped her head a bit, as she looked him
over. “The best fishing hole is about one block up the path from the “V.” If
you had taken the other trail along the creek you would have come upon it.”    

He could tell she was looking him
over. He was glad he’d bothered to shave, and wore his new pair of jeans and
sweatshirt he bought at the market, which had the resort’s emblem on the front.
He smiled and pointed to it.

“You can see from my shirt that
I’m a new visitor. I’m wearing a sweatshirt I purchased from Hidden Pines
Resort.”

She raised her eyes; her lips
formed a bit of a smile, and the sunlight brought out the sparkle in her bright
blue eyes.

Wagging his tail, Sam walked over
to her, sat directly in front of her and looked up as if waiting for her to
greet him. She glanced at Jake and they both exchanged a subtle look of
amusement.

“Don’t worry. He’s a very
affectionate dog. He wants to be your friend.”

Her smile was soft and delicate
as she reached down to pet him.
Gosh, she’s pretty.
He couldn’t take his
eyes off her.

“His name is Sam, and I’m Jake.
Jake Morrison.” He held out his hand to her and she hesitated, then placed her
hand in his and barely shook it before she quickly pulled it back and again
folded her arms in front of her. He noticed as two deep lines of concern
appeared between her eyes. “I can understand your uneasiness, when a complete
stranger and his dog approach your property.”

She let her guard down, swallowed
hard, and her voice drifted into a hushed whisper. “My name is...” She bit down
on her lower lip with a worried expression.

When he realized she wasn’t going
to continue, he said, “It’s nice to meet such a lovely woman while hiking so
deep into the forest.” His warm grin finally brought a smile to her sweet and
very attractive face.

She motioned with her hand,
walked toward the trail on which he and Sam had arrived. “Follow me and I’ll
show you the best spot to fish. Several of my weekly meals come from these
ponds.”

“Are you on vacation also?” he
asked, as he and Sam walked alongside of her.

“No, I live here. The owner of
Hidden Pines sold the cabin to me. He built the resort a couple years ago. In
fact, he’d added the final cottage last year.” She kept walking while she
spoke. “Mine had been the only cabin around. The original owner used it for
hunting, fifty-some years ago. When he passed away, his son decided to build a
resort and purchased more land. He concluded that my cabin, which is now my
home, was located too far from the main office, recreation building, and food
market. Where are you from?” she asked and glanced at him.

“I live in Pinewood Hills. I work
at the Colburn Stables Ranch. It’s a well-known horse ranch.”

She stopped short in dismay. Jake
looked over at her. She was quiet, withdrawn, and seemed terribly worried. She
shook her head slowly, continued walking, and said no more.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“No, no,” was all she said, and
appeared very frightened. She pointed to the pond where most of the fish were,
in the early morning hours. “Well, I do have to return to finish my chores.”

He hesitated, measuring her for a
moment. He could tell that her nervousness reappeared to grip her. For some
reason, she seemed to back off, not wanting to say another word.

“Okay, well maybe Sam and I will
see you again while we’re here.”

She only turned quickly and
hurried up the trail toward her home. Jake called Sam, and they started the
trek home. He planned to stop by the resort’s bar and grill later. Someone must
know something about such a beautiful woman living alone, so far away from any
friends and neighbors.