One Perfect Honeymoon (Bellingwood) (2 page)

CHAPTER THREE

"Vacationing with you is pretty awesome," Polly said. "I know I love you, but I wasn't sure about traveling together. This is fun."

Henry rubbed her forearm. "I'm having a good time, but I'll be honest. I wondered if we would get into the truck and not have anything to talk about."

"Like that would ever happen."

"I know, you always have something to say."

"Like this? Darn it," she said. "I forgot to send a picture of your murder to Aaron."

"It will keep. Maybe we can do that tonight. I was busy with other things last night."

That he still made her blush surprised her. "You're right. We have all week."

"What's up today?"

"Well, that depends on how much time you want to spend on the interstate and how much you actually want to drive on Route 66."

"The truck can take it. Let's see what we can see."

They headed west on a rather rough road. Henry just shook his head when Polly explained to him that it had been constructed in the early 1930s. They arrived at the National Route 66 Museum and she laughed out loud when she realized it was closed.

"Apparently we're heathens and everyone else in Oklahoma is in church this morning," she said.

"I didn't even think about that."

"It would be open if we were here in the summer - tourist hours and all."  They wandered around the museum grounds. There was as much kitsch as Polly had seen anywhere along the road.  Once back in the truck, she realized she was desperate for a rest stop. Just before they crossed into Texas, she pointed frantically at a sign for a rest area.

Polly went inside, looked around and took a breath. When she was finished, she ran for the truck and the bottle of antibacterial gel he kept in the glove compartment.

"Was yours as bad as mine?" he asked, climbing back into the truck. She handed him the bottle.

"The handicapped stall had a shower curtain instead of a door," she said with a shudder. "I'm ready to be back on the interstate for a while."

~~~

Henry pulled at the exit for Shamrock, Texas. It had the feel of a perfect Route 66 location. They drove past the beautifully restored U-Drop Inn, but since it was Sunday, little was open until they found a local diner.

"Look. We fit in," Polly said, pointing at all of the pickup trucks in the parking lot.

"I'll bet there are a lot more cowboy hats in there than we see in Bellingwood," Henry remarked. The uncomfortable stares as every single person turned to look at the newcomers had Polly grasping his hand tightly. The hostess took her time seating them.

"I don't think I fit into Texas very well," Polly whispered at him across the table.

He chuckled. "We're just here for the food. Don't look 'em in the eye and no one will shoot you."

They both ordered baked steak, which came out covered with fried onions and mushrooms. The mashed potatoes were real, the French fries were homemade and there was so much food, Polly knew she wouldn't be able to finish. She was embarrassed when they both had to leave a great deal of their meal.

The rest of the afternoon was fun. Though there were plenty of boarded up buildings along the road which broke Polly's heart, she took pictures of the Leaning Tower of Texas and the Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere. Upon arriving in Amarillo, the GPS failed them again and took them into the heart of the city as they looked for Cadillac Ranch, but a quick check on its coordinates and Polly directed them to the site. Old Cadillacs were buried nose first in the ground and people were encouraged to spray paint all over them.

They stopped at the midpoint marker for Route 66 and then late in the afternoon, just before leaving Texas, Polly pointed out the window.

"What?" Henry asked.

"The landscape. It's all changing. Look at the mesas."

"We really are seeing the country, aren't we?"

He drove on into Tucumcari and Polly guided him to one of the two hotels that she'd desperately wanted to sleep in after reading about the history of Route 66.

A delightful woman checked them into the Blue Swallow Motel, telling them all about its renovation. The rooms were fresh and clean and when Polly dropped onto the bed, she could smell that even the quilt had been freshly laundered. The toilet paper had been folded into a triangle with the motel's logo embossed on it and there was even a small garage available for each room. Cars were smaller in the fifties and Henry didn't bother attempting to drive in.

Henry dropped onto a bed and said, "Can we relax tonight and do nothing?"

"You're ready to stop already?"

"I've been driving for the last two and a half days. Please?"

She chuckled. "I could have driven at any point, you know, but because I love you, I planned nothing for tonight. After dinner we can come back here to relax."

"Thank you. Maybe we can even murder me before we have some shenanigans."

"Shenanigans? That sweet old lady won't know what to think."

"That sweet old lady will be going home to her own house. She doesn't need to know what we're doing over here."

Polly pushed him back on the bed and crawled on top of him, straddling his waist. "Doing something like this?" She bent over to kiss him.

"It's a start," he said and flipped her on to her back.

"Apparently, you aren't
too
tired."

Henry bent over and kissed her and she pushed him off. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I can't. Not on top of these quilts. Look at them."

"Woman, you are going to be the death of me. You have to be kidding."

"Put your face into that quilt and take a whiff. Does that smell like something that has been on the bed for months? No. She just washed that and I'm not going to be the one who dirties it. Ewww. I don't want to drive away from here tomorrow and have her thinking about us getting frisky on her bedding."

"But ... the sheets?"

"Tonight. Maybe in the sheets. But not on top. Now, help me get the rest of the things inside and we'll go out and look for dinner."

Henry only whimpered a little before helping Polly bring in their things. He emptied wrappers and pop bottles and cleaned the front of the cab before they took off again.

After dinner, he drove back to the hotel and parked in front of their garage. For a mid-October evening the temperatures were warm and beautiful.

"Let's take a short walk," she said. "I want to stretch my legs."

Henry took her hand and they walked along the highway. All of a sudden Polly stopped. "Do you hear that?"

He stopped and listened. "What do you think it is?"

"It's over here, behind this Chinese place. It sounds like whimpering."

"We shouldn't get involved, Polly. Who knows what you'll find. And please don't let it be a dead body. We don't have friends down here."

"Whatever it is, it's alive," she said. "I have to check."

He followed her and when the streetlight no longer illuminated her path, he turned his phone's flashlight app on. He sighed when Polly knelt down at a box beside a dumpster. "What did you find?"

"Come over here," she said, looking up at him with tears glistening in her eyes. "You won't believe this."

Inside the large box was a nursing mama dog and four puppies.

"Someone just left her here."

"This is a busy place. Surely the owners know about her."

"If they do and they're just leaving her out here, that's awful. I'm going inside to check. You stay here with them."

"I'm coming with you and don't argue. The dogs have been fine until now. They'll wait a few more minutes."

Polly stood up and spun on him. "They'd better be."

She strode around to the front of the restaurant and went inside. When the hostess tried to seat them, Polly asked to see the manager. Soon, an older Chinese woman stood in front of them, hands on her hips.

"What's the problem?" the woman asked.

"There's a box with dogs back beside your dumpster. Do you know about that?" Polly asked.

"No dogs allowed. Nobody here has dogs."

"So if I take them away, they aren't someone's pets?"

"No dogs. I don't allow dogs."

"They don't belong to someone in your kitchen? Shouldn't we ask?"

"Not in my kitchen. No dogs. You take dogs away. Find them homes. Nobody here knows about dogs."

Polly looked up at Henry. "Okay. You heard her. We're taking the dogs."

They went back outside and around to the dumpster. When they got there, a young boy in a white apron came out from the kitchen door. "Are you going to take those? They've been here for a few days and I've been feeding the mother. I don't know what else to do."

"Surely there's an animal rescue in town, isn't there?" Polly asked.

He didn't say anything.

"Did you call anyone?"

"They're just dogs."

"But you fed her."

"Mom won't let me do anything more. Will you take them?"

Polly turned to Henry. "Will it upset you if I take her with us tonight?"

He grinned. "My life wouldn't be worth much if I was. You stay here and get to know the mother. I'll be back with the truck."

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek and turned back to the kid. "Do you know where they came from?"

"They just showed up the other night. I think someone dumped them."

"Tell your mom that they're gone. We'll take care of them now."

He nodded and went back inside, the light from the doorway shining into the alley until the door finally closed. Polly knelt down and let the dog sniff her hand, then gently rubbed the mother's head and back down her neck, checking to make sure there was no collar. "You're safe now, girl. We'll make sure you and your puppies are okay."

Henry pulled in to the parking lot and then he and Polly lifted the box into the back seat of the truck. The dog seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when she realized someone else was there to help.

"We need to get her some food," Polly said. "Something other than leftovers."

"Dog food it is," he said. "There has to be a supermarket around here somewhere."

"And a bowl for water and something to make her comfortable."

"How about we deal with the food and water tonight and then comfort tomorrow."

"Would you mind if we found a vet tomorrow too? She and the puppies need to be looked at. If she's chipped and belongs to someone, we should know that, too."

"So, we're taking these animals with us on the rest of the trip?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought that far out yet."

"Okay. I was just checking."

"What if I had said yes to your question?"

He started to laugh. "Polly, if you were anyone else, I would tell you that I couldn't believe this. But you are you. If you aren't finding dead bodies, you are rescuing someone. I suspect you are already thinking about who will be getting the puppies from this litter, aren't you."

"Shut up," she said. "And drive. I'm calling Mark."

"Call him in the morning. It's an hour later in Bellingwood. He's probably in bed."

"Do you know how much I love you?" she asked.

"Because I'm a sucker for your rescues?"

"Because you don't say no to me and you help me take care of the world."

"I love you too." Henry put his hand out on the console, palm up, waiting for Polly to grasp it. "I love you because you want to take care of the world."

CHAPTER FOUR

Every bump they hit made Polly cringe for the mama dog. She didn't look healthy and Polly wanted to clean her up and find a more comfortable container for her and the puppies. Henry parked in front of a large department store and Polly ran in to purchase supplies while he stayed with the dogs. While she was in the check-out lane, her phone buzzed with a text.

"I need you right now, there's something wrong with the mother dog."

Polly looked at the things in her cart and at the girl running the counter. "My husband is in our car outside and there's an emergency with our dog. He just texted me. I'll be right back. Can I leave this here?"

The surprised clerk began to hem and haw.

"Fine," Polly said, pushing the cart to the side. "You deal with it. If it's still here when I come back in, I'll pay for it, but if it's not, I'll want to speak with a manager." She ran out the front door to the truck to find the back door was open and Henry hunched over the box.

"What happened?" she asked.

"All of a sudden she started gasping for air. Polly, I think she died."

Polly ripped the side of the box down and put her hand on the back of the mother dog. Tears filled her eyes. "The poor thing," she said through her sobs. "It's like she waited for us. But what are we going to do with these puppies? Do you suppose there is anything in there that will feed them?"

"What are we going to do with her?" Henry asked, ever the practical man.

"We'll deal with that later. I have four puppies that need to be fed. I'm calling Mark and I don't care what time it is."

He sat back down on the seat and nodded, then dropped his head in his hands.

Polly dialed Mark Ogden's number in Bellingwood and was only slightly surprised when her friend, Sal Kahane, answered.

"Hey Polly, what's up?"

"Is Mark there? I need to talk to him."

"Is something wrong with your animals?"

"No, I'm in New Mexico and I have a dead mother dog in the back seat of my truck and four little puppies. I need to ask him what to do. Is he already asleep?"

"He's actually in the shower. He just got home." She gave a nervous giggle. "I wouldn't normally answer his phone, but I saw it was you. What happened?"

Polly explained what they'd been through and she knew her friend couldn't wait to tell everyone about Polly's escapades on her honeymoon.

"I know, I know," Polly said. "I can't help myself. But I need to deal with all of this tonight."

"The shower stopped. Let me get him for you."

Polly heard Sal and Mark talking in the background as her friend walked to the bathroom.

"Sal told me what's going on. How old do you think the pups are?" he asked after mild pleasantries.

"I have no idea. I was going to find a vet tomorrow and go from there."

"Can you send a picture to me?"

"Just a sec," Polly said. "Henry, can you take a picture of the pups and send it to Mark so he can see them? He thinks he can tell us about how old they are."

She said back to Mark. "Why do I want to know how old they are?"

"It tells me if you will be feeding them every few hours."

"I think they're older than that. Their eyes are all open and they are pretty alert and squirmy."

"Done," Henry said. "Tell him to check."

"Let me take a look and call you right back," Mark said and hung up.

Polly picked up one of the tiny puppies, who was trying to nurse again from its mother. "You poor little thing. What are we going to do with you?" She pulled it close and held it in her arms.

"They're probably flea ridden," Henry said with a voice of warning.

"I don't care. These little things are going to need a lot of love tonight."

"I'm not going to get any, am I?" he grumped. "I thought this was supposed to be our honeymoon."

"You poor, deprived man, you," Polly said. "I'm standing in the middle of a parking lot with a box full of puppies and you're worrying about not getting enough nookie?"

"Well, not really, but it does make for a good story."

Polly's phone rang and she handed the puppy into the truck to Henry. "Hey, Mark. What do you think?"

"I can't tell for certain, but those puppies are probably around three or four weeks old. They're going to need a lot of care, but at least you won't be up every couple of hours. Are you leaving them in New Mexico?"

"What do you think?" she asked. He should know better.

"I was afraid of that. You're a crazy woman, Polly Giller and I feel sorry for your husband. Pick up a windup ticking clock and some warm blankets. Maybe even a heating pad or hot water bottle. You'll need a milk replacer and some bottles. Get a big tub and line it with piddle sheets. Then talk to a vet tomorrow to make sure they're healthy. I'm sorry you have to deal with the mother tonight."

"Okay, thanks for talking to me. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"No problem. Let me know how this all turns out and call if you need more information."

"Give Sal a hug for me."

Polly hung up. "I'm going back in to finish shopping. Will you be okay out here?"

"Pick up some garbage bags." He heaved a deep breath. "I'll deal with her when you come back."

"I'm sorry, Henry," Polly said. She gently shut the truck door and went back into the store. Her cart was still where she left it and she nodded to the girl at the counter, then went back into the depths of the store to  search for milk replacer. When she had everything the pups might possibly need, she went back to the front and checked out.

"I'm sorry I was so abrupt," she said to the girl.

"No problem. Was everything okay?"

Polly shook her head. "No. My husband and I are from out of town and we picked up a dog and her puppies that had been dumped. The dog died a few minutes ago and it looks like I'm taking care of orphaned puppies tonight."

"That's awful!" the girl said.

"I'm sorry," Polly said again. "I shouldn't have put that on you. I'm just trying to process it."

"No problem."

They finished the transaction and Polly pushed the cart out to the truck. She unpacked things and ripped open packages in the parking lot and began creating a new bed for the puppies.

As soon as she had created a nest, she and Henry placed the pups in it and he pulled the box of garbage bags out of a sack.

"Wait," Polly said and opened another towel. "Rub this all over the mother so it has her scent. I don't know if that will help, but it can't hurt. At least for tonight."

He was in the process of doing just that when a man came jogging across the lot to them.

"Are you the folks that have puppies and a dead mother dog?" he asked.

Henry turned around, handed the towel to Polly and put his hand out. "Henry Sturtz. What can I do for you?"

"Let me help you," the man said. "I'm the manager here and Amy said you were from out of town. I'd offer to take the puppies, but I don't know what I would do with them either. However, I can help you with the dog. We've got a shovel and some land out back. We'll just bury her here, if you'd like."

Polly had placed the last puppy in the tub and stood up. "Really? That's wonderful."

"And tomorrow morning, you call the doc and tell her I gave you her number." He handed Polly a piece of paper with a name and phone number on it. "We're friends and she's real good about getting emergencies in."

"Thank you so much for your help," Polly said. "What's your name?"

"David. David Han."

"Let me help you take this around back," Henry said, his hand on the box. They removed the box from the truck and Polly put her hand in the towel and then knelt back down to the tub.

When the puppy with brown eyebrows nudged her hand, she whispered. "Your name is Han. I don't have names for the rest of you yet, but that man showed up just when we needed him. I'm not sure what Henry was going to do with your mama, but it was going to break his heart if he had to take care of it by himself tonight. I haven't told him yet that at least one of you will be living with us when you all grow up. And little Han Solo, I think it's you."

He pushed his face into her hand. "I know, I know. You're probably hungry, but you have to wait until we get back to the hotel. I promise, though, we'll fill your tummies tonight."

Henry and David Han came back to the truck. "I wish you the best," David said. "Where do you go next?"

Polly smiled up at him. "We were planning to be in Holbrook, Arizona tomorrow night."

"Sleeping in a wigwam?" he asked, grinning.

"I hope so."

"Thank you for your help tonight." Henry put his hand out and the other man took it. "You've made this evening much easier."

"I'm glad I was here. Call Jennie first thing in the morning and hopefully she can get you on the road. Take care of the little ones." He knelt down and touched the head of one of the pups. "I wish I could do more."

"Thank you," Polly said. "You've done so much." She put her hand on his forearm. "Really. You've helped enormously."

He walked more slowly across the lot and turned back to wave before re-entering the store.

Henry put the bags into the back of the truck and then helped Polly lift the tub into the back seat. "We're really doing this, aren't we?" he asked.

"I think so. She reached in and touched little Han. "I've already named this one. I thought the manager's last name was appropriate. Han Solo?"

"We have another dog coming into the house. I knew it. I just knew it. That king sized bed of ours isn't going to be big enough for all of us, you know."

"We'll just have to sleep extra close together," Polly said and tilted her head up for a kiss.