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Most dogs were eager to work, and while training was never easy, they were eager to learn.
She couldn’t imagine trying to train a dog who didn’t want to work. That was one of the things that was so good about Chewy. She hoped she would pass that drive to work down to her puppies.
Are you going to name one after me?
She laughed.
Sure. I can name one Silly if you want me to.
Ouch. Really?
Really. If you want me to name a puppy Travis, just say so.
I want you to name a puppy Travis.
All right. I’ll pick the prettiest girl and give her that name.
I don’t know why people always say you’re so nice. I’m not experiencing that niceness right now.
She laughed and sent a smiley face emoji. He knew she wasn’t going to name any girl dogs Travis, but she actually was already planning on naming the first boy pup after him. After all, Travis had supported her for as long as she could remember. They’d been good friends, and he’d always been around to help her when she needed it.
Not tonight. She would really love to have him around tonight. She almost sent a text back and asked him about the conference, but she thought he might be busy socializing. That seemed to be a lot of his job, making contacts, gathering information, and using everything he learned in any way he could to help build whatever business he was working on. He and Ford had started several. But Travis had confided to her that he couldn’t wait to get back and be a farmer because that was his first love.
She wanted things to work out for him and knew that spending time with Ford was the best way for that to happen, even if it meant that she didn’t get to see him.
As she turned from the sink, where she had grabbed a rag and started wiping one of the spigots, she saw that Chewy had laid out on her side, and it looked like she was pushing. Finally.
Suddenly she let out a whine, or more like a yell, and Ellen dropped to her knees beside her dog who barely noticed she was there.
Suddenly she was more scared than she’d ever been in her life before. So she did the only thing she knew to do. She started to pray.
She was only on her knees for a couple of minutes before the back door opened and icy wind blew in. She lifted her head and jumped up, thinking that she hadn’t shut the door tight, and the wind had blown it open, but there in the doorway stood her best friend, Travis.
Chapter 2
Travis stood in the doorway and stomped the snow off his boots, then grabbed his hat and took it off before stepping in and closing the door behind him.
“Travis?” Ellen said, sounding shocked. He didn’t think she would be surprised. Didn’t she know that if she needed him and it were possible at all for him to come, he would?
“That’s right, short stuff. I’m here.” He tried to act like it was perfectly normal for him to drive several hours in a snowstorm to get to her. “I guess this is the mom-to-be,” he said, seeing Chewy lying on her bed. It was very unusual that the dog hadn’t even gotten up to welcome him. He’d never seen her lie flat out when anything was going on. Chewy was always involved in the middle of everything, a happy, energetic, obedient dog who was completely loyal to Ellen.
Travis loved the dog, just because Ellen did.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Ellen said, nodding a yes to his question.
“Well, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t know anything about delivering puppies.”
“You can hold my hand and remind me that I don’t need to be afraid.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
He tried to give a reassuring grin. It was a little disconcerting that Chewy wasn’t up greeting him, but he supposed if she was in labor, about ready to have puppies, it was understandable.
“I think she’s pushing.” Ellen had her eyes glued back on her dog. Her legs stuck straight out, and her side, which had been heaving with each breath she took, was still as her nose pushed out, and her tail lifted.
“Looks like that to me too. It probably takes a bit of pushing before the puppy appears.”
“How long do you think?”
