I parked in front of the yellow home with the wraparound porch and noticed the lights blazing in the barn to the left of the house. After shutting off the engine, I took a deep breath and opened the car door.
“Holy heck is it cold,” I whispered as I hurried through the snow toward the barn.
“Gina!”
I glanced up to see Charlie Tupper waving at me from the open door.
“H-hey,” I said, my teeth now chattering. I should’ve put on another layer of clothing.
“How are you this fine morning?” Charlie asked. Standing over six feet tall with a gray beard, he reminded me a bit of Santa.
“Cold,” I muttered. “Where are the puppies?”
Charlie smiled and waved me deeper inside the barn. As we strode through the stalls, I noted miniature goats and miniature cows. So cute! To my shock, I also found deer sharing a few of the stalls. If I wasn’t freezing to death and wanting to get back home, I’d ask Charlie about them.
At the last stall, Charlie opened the door. There in the corner laid the brown, black and white puppies snuggled up on a pile of hay.
Except there weren’t a “couple” as Charlie had said.
“You haven’t seen the mom?” I asked, noting Charlie had brought in a few blankets for them. They all seemed to be sleeping soundly.
“Nope,” he said. “Lots of predators out this way, Gina. If she left in the snow to go find something to eat… well, I hope nothing happened to her.”
I tried to count the snuggled bodies, but where one ended another began. They were intertwined and lying on top of each other for warmth. “You don’t know how long they’ve been here?” I asked.
“I don’t. This stall isn’t used because the gate’s broken. They’ve been darn quiet, though. I didn’t hear them until this morning.”
As I glanced outside, I decided that the word “morning” shouldn’t be used until the sun was in the sky.
I stared at the puppies again and shook my head. “There’s more than a couple there, Charlie.”
“Did I say a couple?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
Had he truly misspoken, or just flat out lied?
“Yes.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead, wondering just how many puppies there would be when I untangled them all. “Let me get the dog crates.”
I trekked through the snow to my car, pulled the carriers from the back seat, and returned to the barn. As I began pulling the puppies apart and setting them in the crates, they whimpered and cried. I figured they were four to six weeks old. Once I’d collected all of them, I cursed under my breath. Eleven puppies.
How in the world was I going to raise eleven puppies?
“Let me get the car warmed up before I drive them back to my house,” I said.
As I walked to the car again, I tried to figure out the logistics of how I was going to raise eleven puppies who should be with their mother. I imagined there’d be some bottle feeding involved. My son, Jacob, was going to be surprised about his new duty when he arrived home from college. I’d most certainly need his help.
I squinted into the darkness for any sign of mom. If I could collect her as well, it would not only make my job easier, but I’d feel better knowing she was in a safe place. I truly hoped nothing had happened to her.
Instead of trudging back to the barn, I drove over and parked just outside the main door. I left the engine running, flipped the heat on high, then hurried down to Charlie. We each picked up a carrier and returned to my car.
“Thanks a lot for coming out, Gina,” he said after we’d situated them in the back seat.
“You’re welcome. Thanks for calling.”
“I can’t take care of the babies,” he said. “I’ve got my own animals, but also the deer. They’ll be here until after Christmas.”
I heard whining from the vehicle, so I didn’t question him further. However, I did wonder why he had a dozen or so deer. “I better go,” I said.
“You still got the website up and running?” Charlie asked.
I nodded.
“I’ll get on there and make a donation as soon as I’m done mucking the stalls.”
“Thanks, Charlie,” I said, smiling. “That will help a lot.”
“And I’ll keep an eye out for mom,” he said. “If I find her, I’ll give you a call.”
“That would be great,” I said. “She needs to be somewhere warm and safe, too.”
“And those babies need their mother,” he said, pointing at my car. “I’ll see you later.”
I slipped into the front seat and made my way out to Route 9, driving even slower than I had come in as I glanced around, hoping the mother would make an appearance. I finally pulled out onto the highway and headed home.
One thing was for certain: If Daisy wasn’t happy with the idea of a “couple” puppies, she was going to be out of her mind with eleven.
Chapter 2
