with him, not documenting or recording their interactions to replay it with friends or post on her blog.
“Speaking of mother hens.” Andie darted a look at the clock radio near the telephone. “Is it okay if I call my parents? I need to let them know I won’t be home.”
“Good thinking. I never had anyone to call. Would have slipped my mind.” He gave her shoulder a tender squeeze.
“Get used to it, babe.” She winked. “I’ll expect a call whenever you fly anywhere and arrive at your destination. You’ll also have to check in when you’re on road trips or I’d imagine you were in a crash.”
“Worry wart!” He fluffed her robe as she brushed by him.
“My mother’s worse.”
While Andie took her time explaining to her mother what had happened, obviously toning it down quite a bit, since her mother kept needing Andie’s reassurance that nothing had actually happened to her, Cade switched on the TV.
He was flipping through the channels when he came across a sports commentary show. His face flashed across the screen under the byline, “Losing Quarterback Missing, Foul Play Feared.”
What the heck? He switched channels and glanced at Andie. Thankfully, she seemed to be making faces into the phone, trying to convince her mother everyone was fine and in one piece.
He switched to a local newscast to see if anyone had found the missing dogs. Sure enough there was a piece on a crackdown on shady rescues. Apparently there’d been a string of dogs mysteriously disappearing and then showing up at a rescue center once a reward was offered.
Andie hung up the phone. “What’s wrong with the rescues? I thought they were helping to find homes for the animals.”
“Most of them are, but let’s see what they say.”
The newscast showed a video of a rescue center where dogs were housed in a big red barn.
“Hey, that’s Fran’s place,” Andie said, her eyes popping wide. “That’s where we got Gollie.”
A reporter stood outside of the rescue. “Authorities raided Fran’s Haven amidst suspicion of dog trafficking. Earlier today, Fran had called the hotline for the five missing retrievers to claim the reward.”
“She found them? You mean Gollie?” Andie grabbed the remote and turned up the volume. “Why didn’t Mom say anything?”
The reporter continued, “Upon further questioning, Fran claims that two men dropped the dogs off and sped away before she could find out who they were. Unfortunately, two of the dogs ran away—a female collie retriever mix and the male Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who was the original target. The male is said to be worth five thousand dollars as he has sired multiple AKC Westminster champions.”
“Oh, no, that means Gollie’s still missing.”
Cade slapped his forehead. “Poor Red. She ran off with another stud.”
“Stop it. Let’s listen to the report.”
“Police are looking for the two men who dropped off the dogs, while Fran is under investigation for taking money for the dog’s health care, including spaying and neutering, but not having the procedures done.”
“Oh, no!” Andie sagged onto the bed. “That means Gollie’s probably pregnant. She was never spayed.”
The news switched to local sports, and Cade turned off the TV.
“Are you okay?” He crawled onto the bed and lay at her side.
“I’m not okay.”
“I’m sure they’ll find her. Two dogs are easier to spot than one, and the male’s valuable, so everyone’s going to be on the lookout for him to claim the reward.”
Her expression clouded over, and she avoided his gaze. “Yeah, I hope so.”
Cade put his head next to her, face to face, and stroked her hair. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just tired.” She yawned and closed her eyes.
“Okay, let me call the front desk to take away the food and send up toothbrushes and stuff we need.” He dotted a kiss on her forehead and made the call.
After she finished with the bathroom, he brushed his teeth and
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