Ms. Got Rocks by Jacqueline Colt Page B

she isn’t connected, not at all.” Callaghan stated.
    “We’ll see. She may turn into exactly what we need for this project.” the Boss said.
    Callaghan disconnected the cell as he said, “Or not.”

C hapter 9
    A fter dinner, the dogs meandered into the cooling evening, while Rocky enjoyed being able to sit in a chair, most especially on her own porch.
    Phoebe was hunting in the meadow and Lovie was running around pretending she was hunting. Lovie the Boxer was not seriously interested in hunting anything to eat or for sport. Phoebe, however, must have terrier bloodlines somewhere, because she took her hunting of rodents seriously.
    Sitting on the porch Rocky watched Phoebe hunting over by the rocks and Lovie was coming from the other direction near the river back to the cabin. Lovie was carrying something she had found. Rocky could tell by the way the big dog was moving that she was proud and excited by whatever it was. Last time she brought in a prize, it was a huge grasshopper.
    Rocky put aside the miner’s moss from the flume of the dredge she was cleaning of gold bits. The cleanup from her Dad’s final dredging could wait while she checked out what Lovie was packing. Whiskey Gap was rattlesnake country, she watched the dogs like a hawk when they were hunting.
    The dogs grew up in snake free Alaska. Rocky wondered if snake caution genes were included in their gene pool.
    The massive brown dog moved around the side of the cabin avoiding the porch. Whatever she had must be good in dog value; she was not going to share. That could be good or not good for the rest of them.
    In case Rocky had to make a trade, she raided the refrigerator for a packet of string cheese and an apple. Lovie’s favorite snacks may be a valuable enough bribe.
    Rocky whistled for the Boxer and she appeared around the porch with her mouth full of brown fuzz.
    “Oh no, Lovie must have killed a rabbit,” Rocky thought, repulsed.
    The dog brought her kill, and dropped it onto Rocky’s foot for admiration. When it moved Lovie put her big paw on the side of it.
    “My God it is alive,” Rocky said to the beaming dog.
    It was a baby bunny. Rocky thanked Lovie and gently examined the baby jackrabbit. Other than being wet with canine spit, there was not an injury to it. Lovie was glowing like a proud  mama showing off her firstborn.
    “I get it Lovie, you know this is a baby and it is just the right size to be your baby.” Rocky was trying to reassure the big dog.
    “Lovie, the baby is very cute,” she said to the dog while offering her a bite of string cheese. It was cute; even slobbered on it was cute. The little jackrabbit looked like it may be two weeks old because it had fur and its eyes were open.
    “Lovie, Sweetie, you can’t keep the baby. The baby must go back to his mother,” Rocky told the watchful Boxer as the bunny settled down in her hand.
    Finding an old basket, they nestled the bunny down to rest. Lovie would not allow the bunny more than a foot from her. Lovie put her muzzle next to the bunny and rolled it over with her nose, as she would have done to a puppy.
    “Lovie, we’ll go to the store in the morning and find you a bunny stuffed toy. The baby must go back to his mommy in the morning.” Her sweet old dog was busily grooming the rabbit, not paying a bit of attention to Rocky.
    Bringing the basket and Lovie outside, she picked some of the juiciest tender young blades of lawn grass for the little jackrabbit. Rocky hoped it was already eating greens or they are in big trouble for the night. The baby nibbled on a stalk of grass and Lovie seemed very happy at that.
    Lovie never had puppies. She would have made a splendid mother, though she would also have washed her puppies to pieces. She was again washing the baby, rolling it over and over with a muzzle as big as the entire rabbit.
    “Lovie, the baby needs to rest, you are overwhelming it, even when you don't mean to,” Rocky told the dog.
    Draping a towel over the