Free Pet Friendly by Sue Pethick Page A

to criticize, especially now, when he’d just lost his dog.
    She began scanning the woods on either side of them.
    â€œWhat does this dog of yours look like, anyway?”
    â€œHe’s small, with kind of wiry white fur, and he’s got a tan patch over one eye, but if he’s been running around in the mud, you might not be able to tell.”
    â€œAny particular breed?”
    â€œNope. Just a mutt.”
    The turnoff for the rest stop was ahead on the right. As Emma drove into the parking lot, her truck’s headlights swept across the only other vehicle there—an old Jeep Cherokee covered in road grime. It had to be at least fifteen years old, she thought, feeling a bit let down. Todd must not be doing so well.
    â€œIs that yours?” she said.
    â€œYeah.”
    Emma pulled into the space next to the Jeep and looked around. The rest stop had a wide grassy area that sloped sharply downward about fifty feet from the parking lot. There were bathrooms off to the left and a couple of picnic tables on either side of the concrete path that divided the space down the middle. If there was a dog out there, however, she didn’t see any evidence of him.
    â€œWhere were you guys when he got away?”
    â€œRight here,” Todd said. “I hadn’t even stopped before Archie opened the window and took off.”
    Emma looked at him. “He opened the window by himself ?”
    â€œYeah. I thought maybe it was an accident at first, but now I wonder if it was something he learned from Uncle Bertie.”
    â€œWait a minute. Is this the Uncle Bertie who was a circus clown?”
    Todd laughed. “Did I tell you about him?”
    â€œOh, my gosh. I used to think that was the coolest thing I’d ever heard of. For years, I wanted to join the circus like your uncle did. Is he still performing?”
    â€œNo,” Todd said. “He died last week. That’s how I got Archie.”
    â€œOh, Todd.” Emma put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
    She paused for a moment.
    â€œWait a minute. You mean Archie’s still alive? He must be ancient.”
    â€œNo, this is a different Archie. Uncle Bertie had a whole series of dogs with that name.”
    â€œAnd they were all circus dogs?”
    â€œPretty much. This last one mostly did kids’ birthday parties, but he knows a lot of tricks.”
    â€œWell, even a smart dog can get lost in the woods,” she said, reaching over and grabbing the flashlight from her glove box. “Come on. Let’s go take a look.”
    They searched the rest stop for twenty minutes while the dusk deepened and the rain intensified. Todd and Emma yelled themselves hoarse calling for the little dog, but Archie either couldn’t hear them or didn’t want to be found. When the two of them finally turned and trudged back to the truck, the only sound they heard was the squelching of their shoes.
    Todd looked dispirited. “Do you mind if we wait a few more minutes? He might still turn up.”
    â€œOkay,” she said. “But let’s get back in the truck. My teeth are starting to chatter.”
    Emma started the engine and turned on the heat. It didn’t take long before the windows began to fog up.
    â€œI’ll fix that,” he said.
    Todd stripped off his wet sweatshirt, revealing a T-shirt underneath that clung to him like a second skin. As he started wiping down the glass, Emma tried not to stare.
    â€œI can have housekeeping launder that when we get back, if you’d like.”
    He shrugged. “That’s okay. I’ve got plenty of dry clothes in the Jeep.”
    As Todd worked his way across the windshield, she kept her eyes on the trail that had led him to the inn. There was no sign of anything even remotely resembling a small white dog out there, but at least it distracted her from ogling Todd.
    I’ve been alone too long, Emma thought. I’m becoming