Holiday Homecoming. Pamela Tracy

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СКАЧАТЬ Meredith said, “I’m going to deal with the wolf dog, lead him away from Grandpa. You help Grandpa, make sure he’s all right, no broken bones.”

      Jimmy stared at the animal. “Wolf dog? You’re kidding. How did one get way out here?”

      “Since she’s got a collar, I’m thinking she must have escaped from her owner. Let’s hope she’s trained.”

      “How do you know it’s a she?” Jimmy asked.

      “I’m guessing.”

      Walking sideways, Meredith slowly moved closer to the wolf dog. Behind her, Jimmy knelt at Grandpa’s side and helped the elderly man to a sitting position. The wolf dog kept looking at Grandpa, clearing wishing that he would start playing with her again. Meredith wasn’t sure what the wolf dog thought about her.

      A bird chirped in the otherwise silent world. The wind picked up, blowing Meredith’s hair into her eyes. She resisted the urge to pat it back into place. Instead, crouching down, she moved even closer to the animal. Now the wolf dog was on alert. Her eyes stayed on Meredith, and her tail stopped wagging. The wolf dog didn’t know whether to meet Meredith’s eyes and try to establish dominance or whether to be submissive. When Meredith got within a foot of the wolf dog, she halted, waiting to see what the animal would do.

      “I’m not sure this is wise,” Jimmy said.

      Meredith agreed with him, but... “Look at the collar. It’s tight, hurting her. We can’t let her run off without trying to help her.”

      “We need to help your grandfather first,” Jimmy pointed out.

      “I’m fine,” Ray said.

      That the wolf dog hadn’t run off indicated that she had been a pet. But the tightness of the frayed collar suggested that she’d been in the wild for quite a while, probably abandoned or maybe an escape artist that the owner hadn’t found.

      Or looked for.

      It made Meredith furious.

      Her favorite animal in the world was a wolf dog named Yoda. But if Meredith had her choice, Yoda would be a dog, nothing else. Breeding wolves with dogs was a risky endeavor. Most people who chose a wolf dog as a pet got rid of the animal within a year. They were hard to train, expensive and destructive.

      By the time the owners realized the commitment involved, the wolf dog was no longer a cute puppy but a demanding teenager quite willing to eat a couch.

      Forget about shoes. A wolf dog could actually chew his way out of a wire cage.

      Shelters didn’t want them.

      Neither did zoos. They didn’t quite fit anywhere.

      Slowly, the wolf dog’s tail went between her legs, and she turned her head away. Meredith didn’t wait for another sign. She reached for the collar, praying she’d not lose any fingers. The collar was too tight for her to get a grip, but she managed to force the wolf dog to look her in the eyes. After a moment, the wolf dog sat, lay down, then finally put her head down to rest.

      Meredith let go of the collar.

      “You’re either a miracle worker or stupid,” Jimmy said.

      Meredith wasn’t a miracle worker, but she wasn’t about to admit that what she’d done was a little stupid. “How’s Grandpa?”

      “I can answer for myself. Help me up.”

      “Right, Grandpa.” Meredith left the wolf dog and headed for Grandpa, going down to her knees to stroke his forehead. “Where do you hurt?”

      “Everywhere but the bottom of my left ear. Help me up.”

      They’d just got him to his feet, though he was clearly favoring one leg, when Pepper starting barking. A group of people, dogs and horses appeared from behind a small hill. Afraid the loud noises and sudden movements would spook the wolf dog, Meredith turned to her.

      She was gone.

      But it only took a groan from Grandpa to convince Meredith not to pursue the wolf dog. Jimmy got Grandpa to his feet and slowly the trio started toward the noise.

      Meredith’s brother met them halfway and the two men hoisted Grandpa between them.

      “Don’t ask me to get on a horse,” Grandpa said.

      When they finally made it to Grandpa’s house, it echoed with people. Meredith’s brother went right to the phone, trying to get a hold of Doc Thomas, who’d not made it to the house yet.

      “He’s got a sprained ankle at least,” Zack predicted. He was more than annoyed that Grandpa refused to go to the hospital in Adobe Hills.

      “You’ve already iced it,” Grandpa called from the bedroom.

      Zack ignored Grandpa’s protest. “Doc says he wants you in his office at two o’clock tomorrow.”

      Grandpa muttered something Meredith couldn’t quite hear. He’d gotten crustier in his old age.

      “We’re having a family meeting on Friday. Today changes everything,” Meredith said.

      Zack took Grandpa back to his bedroom, propping Grandpa’s foot up, taking his temperature, giving him an aspirin and making him comfortable. When they were little, Meredith had rescued animals, but Zack had fixed them. Their little sister, Susan, had stuck bows in the animals’ fur. Jimmy, of course, had made up stories about them.

      Leaving Grandpa with Zach, Meredith headed for the kitchen. Sitting at the table was Danny Murphy, bigger than she remembered and missing the smile that had driven the girls wild in high school. Of course, it had been a long time. Maybe the smile was a thing of the past.

      Jimmy sat next to him, tapping the table with his fingers, looking as if he wanted to be anywhere but where he was.

      “You say this dog was part wolf?” Danny’s brown eyes met Meredith’s green ones. She couldn’t ignore the stoic expression on his face or how straight he sat. Because of her, he clearly felt like a stranger in her grandpa’s house.

      But then, so did she.

      “Probably more than half,” Meredith said.

      Danny leaned forward. “Could it kill a cow?”

      “Did you lose one?” Meredith countered.

      “You didn’t tell me you’d lost any cattle,” Jimmy said.

      “I’ve lost three head.”

      “Were they old or young?” Meredith asked.

      “Both,” Danny said. “Two were just calves and one was old, losing her teeth and all. I expected her to die, though, not disappear. Why?”

      Meredith thought for a moment. She was mostly familiar with the behavior of wolf dogs in captivity, but she could generalize. “Wolves do go after calves, but they generally leave cows alone. Cows don’t act like prey.”

      “She’s СКАЧАТЬ