Free Fresh Tracks by Georgia Beers Page B

broke her heart. She removed her other glove and gently worked her hands
    beneath his furry body, noting with a small bit of relief that his underbelly was still warm, although that fact made it seem even more impossible that he could have been there for
    longer than an hour or two. Maybe the snow had fallen more recently than she'd suspected.
    She made a mental note to ask Jo if she knew.
    She scooped the little dog up in her arms. He couldn't weigh more than fifteen or twenty
    pounds. She unzipped her ski jacket, tucked him into the front of it, and zipped it back up
    part way, hoping her body heat would warm him up sufficiently. To her surprise, he didn't
    struggle at all. In fact, he seemed relieved and gave her chin a small lick of thanks. Laura
    smiled, scratching his furry head.
    "You're welcome, little guy," she said as she put her gloves back on and began walking back to the path. She took her time, not wanting to jostle him too much, talking to him like he
    actually understood what she was saying. "You don't have a collar on, buddy. Did you run away or did some mean person leave you out here?"
    The thought of somebody dumping a poor, helpless animal in the middle of nowhere made
    her blood boil and she knew Amy would feel the same way. She hoped they didn't mind if
    she brought the dog into the house. There was something about him... she couldn't put her
    finger
    on it, but she felt drawn to the pooch, connected to him like they had something in common.
    She snuggled him closer to her body, pleased to note that his shivers had eased somewhat.
    "We'll get you back to the cabin, get you all warmed up, and make you some breakfast,
    okay, little guy? How do you feel about rice? I'm sure Amy has some. Maybe some eggs?
    You should take it easy at first; you're pretty skinny. You don't want to gorge yourself and
    then get sick. A little at a time, okay?"
    The dog breathed in deeply and sighed, very much like he was relieved. Laura dropped a
    kiss onto his head and kept walking, feeling needed for the first time in ages.
    THE STRAY
    A
    my was in the kitchen gathering the makings for a big country breakfast when Molly came
    downstairs. The smell of bacon was mouthwatering and Molly followed her nose through the
    living room, then stopped and did a double take at the pile of blankets on the couch.
    Grinning mischievously at Jo, she backpedaled and plopped down onto the couch, delighted
    at the grunt that issued from beneath her.
    "Oh, man." Darby's voice was muffled. "I think a giant boulder just fel on me."
    Molly slapped at her and got up. "Funny."
    Darby peeked out from under the blankets, taking in Molly's attire of striped cotton
    pajama pants and a deep green, long-sleeve Adidas T-shirt. Her bare feet were tipped by
    toes polished a deep burgundy and the shirt brought out the green of her eyes. Darby
    swallowed hard at the sight, internally shaking her head at herself.
    "I forgot extra socks," Molly said to Amy as she located a mug and poured herself a cup of coffee. She tugged on Amy's auburn ponytail. "Can I borrow a pair?"
    "Absolutely," Amy replied, cracking eggs into a large stainless steel bowl. "Jo-Jo, would you be a dear and get this lovely lady a pair of socks for her icy toes?"
    "It would be my pleasure." Jo kissed the top of Molly's head as she passed by and
    disappeared into the master bedroom.
    "How'd you sleep?" Amy asked. "Were you warm enough?"
    "Oh, God yes. That quilt is wonderful. Where'd you find it?"
    "My grandmother made that one. Isn't it beautiful?" Amy smiled
    wistfully. "I had the two for the twin beds in the other room made to match so they'd all be the same. I love the homey, outdoorsy feel it gives to the place."
    "I've got to say," Darby said, her voice scratchy as she shuffled in with a fleece blanket wrapped around her shoulders. "That couch I slept on? Homey and outdoorsy. Very, very
    nice."
    Amy reached out and tousled Darby's sleep-mussed dark hair affectionately, then went
    back to her