One Perfect Honeymoon (Bellingwood) (3 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

"Are you awake?" Henry asked quietly. She struggled to open her eyes. "Polly, wake up," he said, more loudly. "It's nearly eight o'clock and you said you wanted to call first thing."

She sat straight up and blinked a couple of times. "Thanks."

"You didn't get much sleep last night, did you?"

"Not really. I was so worried about these little guys. How do you explain to a four week old puppy that its mama died?"

Henry bent over and kissed her head. "I love you. Why don't you make the call while I take my shower?"

Polly stretched, rolling her head around on her neck and looked down at the tub full of puppies. She'd spent a lot of time reading online and worrying about a million things. Had they learned how to go to the bathroom yet on their own, how bad were their fleas, how hard would it be to wean them? The bathroom question had been answered about midnight. The smell coming from the tub was horrible. She cleaned things up and replaced the sheets, then did so again a couple of different times through the night. Puppies were going to learn to go to the bathroom outside real soon if she had anything to say about it. She and Henry were also going to have to find a laundromat today.

As soon as eight o'clock rolled around, she dialed the number David Han had given her, smiling again at his name. He had no idea.

"Good morning. Doctor's office," a bright voice said on the other end.

"Hi, my name is Polly Giller and I am wondering if there is any way you could fit me in for an emergency visit today. I have four puppies whose mother died last night and ..."

"Oh, Miss Giller, this is Doctor Jennie. David texted me late last night and told me all about you. Of course I can see you. What time would be good?"

Polly breathed a sigh of relief. Small towns existed everywhere. "Do you have any time around nine o'clock? I'd like to make sure they're doing okay as soon as possible."

"Sure, come on in."

The puppies were still asleep when Henry came out of the shower. "Do I need to know anything?" he asked.

"No, they'll be fine and I won't take long. We have an appointment at nine o'clock."

Henry's eyes lit up. "Do you think we'll actually be able to get on the road and see some sights? I had kind of given up on today."

Polly hugged him, stopping for a moment to enjoy the scent of his clean body. "You smell good," she said.

"Any other morning and we'd have to plan for breakfast at noon. But now we have to deal with puppies."

"You aren't going to be bad about this, are you?"

He gave her a gentle shove to the bathroom. "I'm going to tease you about it, but I promise, I'm not upset. Now go, get cleaned up. I'll pack the truck."

~~~

"Well, we're puppy owners," Polly said. She and Henry sat in the truck outside a laundromat waiting for blankets and towels to dry.

"It wasn't as bad as I anticipated."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what I was expecting, but that wasn't horribly expensive. As long as the doctor says they're healthy, I guess I'm fine."

"I'm just glad she let us bathe them there."

Henry pointed at the front door. "Can't you just see us using a bathroom sink in the laundromat to wash these poor things?" He reached around to the back seat and scooped a freshly cleaned puppy into his arms. "They smell much better now, too."

"I think we should name that one Khan. He looks like he's going to need a little extra help growing up. The others are already bullying him a little."

"And the tan little girl?"

"Padme for now. I'll let Sylvie choose for sure."

"Ahhh, I knew it!"

Polly poked him in the side. "Stop it."

"Who is Khan going to live with?"

"I think that both he and Kirk would be great out at Eliseo's house, don't you?"

Henry turned to look at her, stroking the puppy's head. The dog had fallen asleep in the crook of his elbow. "Khan and Kirk? Don't they fight to the death in the movie?"

Polly shrugged and grinned. "Maybe."             

Henry handed Khan to Polly and got up on his knees to look into the tub of puppies. In a moment, he came back out with little Han. "If you're coming to live at our house, you're going to be my dog. There won't be any of this 'mommy this and mommy that' stuff. If I have to take you to work with me, you're going to be okay with that. Got it?"

"Your dog?" Polly asked.

"Like I didn't know that one of these was coming to live with us. I just needed you to tell me which one had gotten the Star Wars name."

She leaned over the console to kiss his cheek and he lifted the puppy up between him, so she caught the puppy's side with her lips. "What the ..." she said.

"I seem to remember a kiss being interrupted by a slobbery Obiwan one night. Turn about and all that."

Polly pressed his arm down and bent in again to kiss him. This time he turned to kiss her with his lips. "I love you, Henry Sturtz," she said. "I can't believe how lucky I am to have you in my life."

Henry pointed at the clock. "Things should be dry now. I'll be right back."

"No, I'll go." She handed Khan back to him and smiled at the man holding two small puppies. "Just don't leave without me, okay?"

"Not with these babies in the truck. I refuse to be the sole person responsible for their upbringing."

Polly ran inside and quickly folded blankets and towels, as well as the few items of clothing they'd used, and dropped things in a second basket she'd purchased after leaving the veterinarian's office.  The blankets were still warm, so when she got back to the truck, she wrapped the last two puppies up and put them on the floor of the backseat while she cleaned out the tub.

"We're going to have to do a lot laundry on this trip," she said.

Henry nodded and waited until she got everything situated in the back seat and then handed the two sleeping puppies back to her. She arranged them and waited for the four to snuggle together, thankful that they still wanted to sleep a lot at this age. The vet had confirmed that they were between three and four weeks old and more than ready to be weaned. Polly had purchased enough milk replacement and some wet food to start the process, still not quite believing that this was actually happening on her honeymoon.

"Well, shall we get back on the road?" she asked.

"What's next?"

"I'd thought about driving up to Santa Fe to do some shopping, but that seems ridiculous. We won't have time to do that and get back down to Holbrook. As it is we have a six hour drive."

"No shopping?" Henry's voice perked up. "I can definitely live with that. As many times as you want to avoid shopping on this trip, I'm all for it."

"Let's get something to eat and leave town. I'm starving."

~~~

"Honey, I need some help."

Polly had been dreaming and it took a few moments for her to place where she was. "What's wrong?" she asked. "You let me fall asleep." She stretched her shoulders. She'd been in that position far too long.

"You were exhausted, but I think the puppies need attention and I'm in traffic. Anyway, you want to see this."

She looked around and gasped. Immense red cliffs had replaced the yellow mesas. "Wow," she breathed. "This is amazing."

The puppies were whimpering and yipping in the back seat so Polly took her seatbelt off and turned around to look at them. They were nipping at each other and fussing.

"They're probably hungry. Do you know how far until a rest area?"

"About ten miles. Do you want to go into the Petrified Forest tonight?"

Polly looked down at the puppies and then back at the road. She sat down and pulled her belt back on. "Okay. I'm going to sound horrible, but can we skip it? I'm absolutely exhausted and all I can think about is crawling into bed."

He reached out and took her hand. "I avoided a shopping trip today. I'll give you this. We can come back another time."

"Thank you," Polly said and breathed deeply. "The air is getting a little thin, don't you think?"

"It's definitely different than Iowa."

He drove into the rest area and Polly smiled. Everything was done in pale yellows, pinks, teals and greens. Southwestern colors filled her eyes as far as she could see. From the mesas and cliffs to the rest area, it all matched.

The puppies hadn't taken long at all to figure out how to latch on to the bottles earlier in the day and when little Khan saw Polly fill one, his little bottom started to wiggle.

"Can you believe the resilience of these animals?" she said. "Their mama died last night and here they are, letting us care for them." She handed the puppy and bottle to Henry, then filled the other three bottles.

"We could learn things from these puppies. It would be nice to not have my emotions tied up in everything I do, to accept the good when it comes and wag my tail."

"I like it when you wag your tail," she teased.

"You're a bad girl."

"You got that right, cowboy."

"We're sleeping in a wigwam tonight. I doubt that many cowboys did that."

"Then you're my brave and I'm your ..."

"You're not my squaw."

"Nope. Not even close."

Polly had settled into the back seat, trying to keep the bottles in three puppy's mouths. Little Padme wasn't terribly interested, so she picked the last two boys up and held them in her arms. "You kids are all going to be good little puppies tonight and let me sleep, right?"

"Should we put a blanket over the top of the tub so we can have a little fun?" Henry asked, turning around to wink at her.

She held the pups closer to her chest. "Hush you. There are children in the truck."

"Yeah. I was afraid of that."

The two little boys fell asleep in her arms and Polly wriggled around to put them on a blanket. She handed Padme to Henry and emptied the piddle sheets from the bottom of the tub, wiped it out and re-lined it.

"You're a good puppy mama," Henry said. "These little ones are lucky you found them."

"You aren't so bad yourself. Thank you for helping me with this."

"Honey, you're doing all the work."

"They're going to be worth it. I promise."

Henry shook his head and handed Khan back to her. "I love you."

"I know."

CHAPTER SIX

"No," she moaned as she woke early the next morning to sounds of yipping and whimpering.

"I think they're hungry," Henry muttered.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Are you helping or am I doing this alone?"

He growled.

She chuckled to herself as she threw the coverlet back and sat up. The pups were right beside her and enough light was coming in through the window that they scrabbled toward her when they realized she was mobile.

"I know, I know," she whispered. "Give me a minute to get this all put together."

Polly knew she was lucky that they'd slept through most of the night. She quickly mixed food into bottles, then went back into the main room and sat down on the bed beside Henry. She elbowed him in the side. "Hey," she said. "I need you."

"You're a tyrant."

"Not my fault. The kids have needs."

Henry rolled over and faced her. "What about my needs?"

"You're a needy, needy man. I thought we met your needs quite nicely last night."

He gave her a silly grin. "Who gets to make out in a teepee nowadays?"

"Uh huh." Polly bent over and picked up two puppies, then tucked them in close to Henry.

He sat up. "I can't do this lying down." The puppies had been up on the bed the night before playing with each other and luxuriating in the soft blankets. Before they settled in for breakfast, they scurried around, rolling and nuzzling each other.

Polly put the other two down and scooped up one who was ready to take a dive off the edge. "You stay here. You're hungry, remember?"

Soon each of the pups was nursing down breakfast. When they looked to be settled contentedly, she cleaned the tote out. "I can't wait for them to be on a regular diet and house trained. I am not fond of all this needy stuff."

"Hey," Henry protested.

"Whatever. At least you can take care of feeding and cleaning yourself."

They spent time nuzzling and loving the puppies on the bed and soon Polly leaned against Henry. "This is really kind of fun," she said. "Look at our little ones running around."

"You're a nut." He nuzzled her hair. "What are we doing today?"

"If all goes as planned, we'll be at the Grand Canyon this afternoon. I'd like to stop and buy some collars. Maybe we can start introducing that to these little guys. It would be nice to let them play in the grass ..." she stopped and hesitated. "There's not much grass here, I guess."

"If we have a big day, I suppose we should get moving."

"Just a few more minutes?" she asked.

Henry scooped up a pup and set it between them, then leaned back again. "Okay, a few more minutes."

~~~

Polly snapped pictures of the oversized concrete wigwams as they drove away. There were several classic cars strategically parked throughout the lot, drawing tourists back to the fifties and sixties.

"First stop is an old Route 66 classic," Polly announced. "The Jack Rabbit Trading Post."

"Shopping?" Henry asked, sounding quite chagrined.

"Oh come on. This is silly touristy stuff. Don't you remember doing this when you were a kid?"

"We didn't really travel all that much," he said.

"I have to get souvenirs for everyone." She turned to him. "So did you ever go to the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend?"

He shook his head.

"How have you missed this? I'm taking you!" Polly was astounded. It was only a couple of hours from Bellingwood. "And what about Rapid City and the Badlands?"

"I'm telling you, Mom didn't like to travel."

"Wow. We have some things to do."

"I thought you didn't like to travel."

"Well, now that you have me out of the house, I'm having a great time." She giggled. "Going to Wall Drug was awesome. All of those silly souvenir trinkets. I really have to get some for everyone."

Henry pointed at a sign on the highway. "That's really sad," he said.

"There are a lot of those down here."

"It's still sad. I can't imagine how bad it must be for them to post a phone number to call if you see a drunk driver."

He pulled off when they saw the immense concrete rabbit, not that there hadn't been signs alerting them to the trading post all along the way.

"Here it is!" the sign announced.

"I think we're here. Do you want to go in while I sit with the pups?" he asked.

"They'll be fine alone if you want to stretch your legs. I'm going in and do some quick shopping. I can't miss this."

He nodded and leaned his seat back and then put a hand into the tub with the pups.

"I knew it," Polly said. "You're falling for them, aren't you?"

"Go shopping. Get me a t-shirt." he muttered.

She laughed and jumped out of the truck and ran inside, grinning when she saw the counters and shelves filled with souvenirs. This was the best part about traveling. Buying junk that you'd never buy anytime else.

As she stood at the counter, waiting to be checked out, she listened as the owner quietly and politely reminded a young man that the bottle of Jack Daniels she was selling him was the only bottle he could buy today. Oh my goodness, there was a serious problem down here.

Polly walked back to the truck a little more subdued and climbed in. "Do you want to go inside and see the place?" she asked.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, I'm just a little shook up. See that kid there? He bought a bottle of Jack and was told it was the only one he could buy today. Henry, it's only nine fifteen in the morning."

"I know sweetie. It's a different life for some people."

"But there were even signs hanging over the liquor display and at the front counter."

"No judgment. Right?"

"I know, but it still breaks my heart."

"We're not rescuing anyone else on this trip. Got it?"

She smiled at him. "You should go inside and just see the place. I'm not going to make you spend any money there."

Henry sighed at her and got out of the truck. He was gone for several minutes and then came back with a small bag in his hand.

"What did you get?" she asked, when he was belted in the truck.

"Nothing."

"Come on."

"Nope. Not telling."

"Meanie."

"That's me. Now, where next?"

"Get back on the interstate. We're heading to Winslow."

"Is there a corner there?" he asked, laughing.

"As a matter of fact. And you're going to stand on it. Right next to the flatbed Ford."

"There's no end to what people will do to bring in tourists."

"It makes sense. We're going to be two of those tourists today."

Before the morning was out, they were parked and Polly was shooting pictures of Henry next to a flatbed Ford truck on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. They wandered in and out of several of the shops dedicated to Eagles memorabilia on their way out of town, and Polly pointed to the Southwest Indian Art Center.

"Please?" she asked.

"You have been really good on this trip so far," he said.

"I don't want to miss
all
of the potential shopping opportunities."

He pulled off the interstate and they were the only vehicle in the parking lot. Polly turned around and the pups were sleeping again. "I think they'll be fine for a few minutes by themselves. I promise it won't take long."

The weather was beautiful, so Henry cracked the windows and followed her inside. The owner greeted them and before she could look at the beautiful rugs on the walls or pottery on shelves, he took them through a verbal history of his family in the southwest, from Navajo chiefs and princesses to traders and finally his own life. When they broke away, Polly gave Henry a look.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "But it is really cool stuff."

He put his hand on a rug, running his fingers over the weaving. "Do you want to buy some pieces?"

"Yes, I'm spending money here. Get some nice things for everyone." She stroked a small painted bowl. "Lydia would love this."

"How about I take care of the animals. I'll give them a little freedom in the truck and let them run around. I might even clean up the tub. If you need help carrying your purchases, come get me."

Polly reached up to kiss him and he turned so that she would catch his lips. "I love you," she said. "You're awfully good to me."

"You'll pay me back. Trust me."

He slipped his fingers through hers and then trailed away as he left the shop. Before Polly knew what she'd done, the owner was packing pots and vases into boxes and she needed Henry to help her carry things out and pack them into the back of the truck. She got into the front seat and found Han sitting on the console.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked. Han licked her hand when she picked him up and held him to her chest. A small peep and she saw Padme crawl out from under Henry's seat, so Polly leaned over and picked her up, too. "Is he wearing you out for the next part of the trip?"

Henry gingerly opened his front door and said, "Have you seen the other two?"

"You were supposed to be babysitting."

He climbed in and pulled the door shut and leaned up to look in the back seat. "Uhhh, they found the dry dog food."

"They what? They're eating it?"

"Khan and Kirk are giving it their best shot. It's all over the floor behind your seat. Good heavens, they're like little kids. I should have known."

"Well, put these two down and see what they do."

Padme wanted nothing to do with it, but Han sniffed around at the food and promptly sat down right on top of it.

"Well, that should cause some excitement in a little bit," Polly laughed.

"Like we haven't had plenty already? Where are we going next?"

"Not very far. There's a meteor hole down the road."

"This tourist stuff is fun. I guess I knew that America had lots of things to see, but traveling like this, with you, is pretty wonderful."

Henry drove into the parking lot and ran up to find out about tickets. In moments, he was back.

"It's eighteen dollars to walk up to the top of those steps and look at the crater. Are you ready for that?"

Polly looked at him sideways. "A meteor crashed into Arizona and they want to charge me money to walk up a million steps so I can look at a hole in the ground?"

"What if I look at the hole and take pictures and you stay here with the puppies?"

She giggled. "I get to shop and you get to do oddball sight-seeing?"

"Seems like a fair trade-off. I think it's pretty cool. How many times will I get a chance to see where something from outer space crashed into earth?"

"I guess you're the boy who wanted to be an astronaut. You go. We'll play out here. I'll probably be cleaning up after the pups again anyway."

When Henry returned, Polly had gotten the puppies settled back into the tub and was resting her eyes.

"Okay, I had to stop in the visitor's center and buy a t-shirt," he said.

"That's all?"

"I just had to have a t-shirt. I didn't want anything else."

"You're useless."

"Did you want a t-shirt? I should have gotten one for you."

"No, that's not it. You just don't seem to get the true spirit of souvenir gift shops."

"I'll try to do better."