Chapter 10

09:01 AM

Laramie, Wyoming

Matt

We watched as the eight four month old Saint Bernard puppies buried Beth under their massive bodies. They were licking her all over, and had her giggling as she tried to recover from their assault.

"What's going on, Matt?" Judy asked as she watched the fifteen year old being licked to death. Beth was being licked from all directions and didn't know where to turn to first, until the largest laid down on her belly.

"Getting Mary her final birthday gift," I said as I stepped up onto the porch and greeted the couple that came outside.

"You must be Jason," Richard Drake said as he held out his hand.

"Yes, I am. This is Judy, Jenny, Vickie and Jessica. The one under attack, is Mary. She is the birthday girl," I said as introduced Judy, Anastasia, Katie and CodieAnn.

"Glad to meet you all. I'm Richard, and this is Lori. Come on in, and we will let you meet the parents of both litters," Richard said and we walked into the house. Four adult Saint Bernards were lying on giant throw pillows, scattered around the room.

I was looking at the dogs when Richard called them.

"Cyclone, come here."

I watched as the large mahogany colored male stood up and advanced on me. He easily weighed in around two hundred pounds. He came over and sat down and looked up at me.

"You can pet him," Richard said, and I reached out and let him smell my hand. I then started scratching his head, and he started drooling on my shoe.

"Cyclone, I am not dinner," I said as I slid my foot back.

"Go lay down Cyclone. Henrietta, come here," Lori ordered and the male wandered back to his bed and plopped down. Another mahogany stood up and walked over. You could see the muscles move under their fur, Henrietta was just as large as Cyclone, and she sat down and head butted my hand.

"Jason, Henrietta and Cyclone are the parents of the mahogany male outside. He is the only one left in the litter of fourteen pups. The rest are out of Chase, and Gabrielle," Lori said as she pointed at the two remaining saints that were a gold color. All the saints had long hair, and all looked like champions. As I looked around, on one wall were hundreds of ribbons, and I was about to ask when Richard spoke up.

"They are all out of champion stock, and have all earned their CH to be in front of their names. Now you said you were looking for a pup, are you sure you're wanting a large dog like this?" Richard asked.

Beth

'I couldn't believe it, eight Beethoven's, oh how I wished I could own one, ' I thought as the large male started licking my belly. Soon his head was under my shirt and I shrieked as he licked my breast. "GET OUT OF THERE!" I snapped and pulled him out. He looked at me hanging his face and whimpered so I kissed his nose.

"It's ok, just no licking there," I said and leaned in and whispered, "Only one male gets to lick them and that's Matt. So you be good."

I stood up, walked up onto the porch and saw a cat litter pan filled with dog toys. I picked them up and started throwing them around the yard. The pups tore after them in their gangly way. I was laughing so hard after three of them collided, I didn't hear the door open and Matt come out.

"Do you like them?" he said.

Turning I looked at Matt and replied, "I love them, Jason. I wish we could take one with us."

Matt walked over and put his arm around me and looked down into my eyes, and said, "Pick one. He or she is yours for your birthday."

"WHAT!" I screamed and jumped up on him. My legs wrapped around his waist and I started kissing him all over his face.

"I guess she likes the idea of a puppy," CodieAnn said as she came out as well.

Slipping out of Matt's hands, I started hugging my sister, "Yes I do. But I don't know which one to choose," I replied as I turned back to the group of puppies and called them.

"PUPPIES! Come here!" I said and they dropped their toys and ran to me. I knelt and started petting them. I looked each of them in the eyes and finally settled on the male that licked my belly and breasts.

"I like this one," I said as I hugged him.

"That's Sebastian," Richard said as he stepped out onto the porch.

"I knew she would pick him," his wife said.

Matt stood there watching me and I smiled at him and mouthed, 'thank you!' and he nodded his head.

"Mary, you need to come fill out his papers," Richard said as he started for the door. The rest of the girls had walked over to the RV and were talking while I followed Matt and the owners into the house. They sat me down and explained all the things about owning a saint pup. Brushing hair and teeth, worming (ewww), bathing, and training. As Richard was telling me this, his wife had gone into another room and returned carrying a box.

"Mary, in here is a shedding blade, several toys, his blanket he sleeps on, water and feed bowls with an extender rack to put them in. Now he is on Purina Large Breed Puppy chow. He needs to be on this for six more months," she said.

"Six months?" I asked.

"Yes, a saint pup grows for three years and is considered a puppy until then. The first year they grow to their height, the second year they fill out, and the third their brain fully develops. Remember, they need clean water, and food every day. There is a scoop in here to show you how much to feed him. I have also put in here, some wormer for you. It goes by the weight, you turn the knob and the paste comes out. You can put it in his mouth, or on a chew bone. It doesn't matter which, just remember he needs it every month. He is also on Heartguard, and requires that every month too. There is a six month supply here, and your vet will keep him up to date on it," Lori said.

I was taking it all in as I filled out his American Kennel Club and Continental Kennel Club paperwork. He also had me fill out a form that if I couldn't keep him, I was to return him. He was placing the last form in front of me; it was a Spay/Neuter contract when my sisters, Anna, and Judy came into the room.

"Now this form says you agree to have him neutered as soon as you can, unless you plan on showing him..."

"Mister Drake, sorry to interrupt, but I have a question for you," CodieAnn said.

Richard looked over at the girl, and by comparing her features to the girl getting the pup, he knew they were sisters, "Yes Vickie? Or is it Jessica?"

"Its Jessica, are all the pups for sale?" she asked.

"Yes they are," he replied.

"Good, we all want one of the females," Jessica said and I swear Matt's mouth hit the floor.

"What!" he said.

"Ok, Lori can you grab one of the female pups boxes. Now Jessica, which one do you want?" Richard asked as he opened a storage container with the puppy kits in them.

"You misunderstood us. When I said we decided we all want one of the girl pups. I mean we all want our own, if that's ok with Jason?"

Matt started to say something, but quickly shut his mouth and said, "Yes, dear."

I wanted to laugh as it looked like Matt's eyes were bulging out of his head, but I didn't so I went back to filling out the paperwork.

"Good response. Lori, we need four boxes" Richard said as Lori left the room and came back with two more boxes and set them on the table.

Richard pulled the paperwork out and started having my sisters filling them out as Lori came in with two more boxes, and Anna and Judy started on theirs.

Matt

'Oh, shit! What have I opened, ' I was thinking as I watched the five girls filling out the paperwork. Going to the living room, I sat down on the couch. Cyclone came over and laid his head on my lap, and I started scratching it. The TV was on CNN with the sound down, but I could tell they were talking about South East Asia.

"Well, that's a first," Lori said as she came into the room with two glasses of ice tea.

"What is?" I asked as she handed me the glass.

"Cyclone only does that to Richard. He's never done it with anyone else," she said as she sat down.

"He's a good boy, I like him," I said as continued scratching him.

"That he is ... Do you want him?" Lori said.

"What? Why would you get rid of him?" I asked.

Lori looked back into the kitchen and then got up and closed the door. Coming back, she sat down next to me and started talking, "Jason, I am dying. I have cancer real bad, I have less than five months to live," she said as she pulled the wig off her head to reveal it was bald.

"I'm sorry, is there anything they can do?" I asked.

"I have done everything I can. I stayed in the hospital for six months fighting it; it didn't work and has spread to my lungs and liver. The dogs are my babies, not Richard's. I know he will slim down on them once I'm gone. He will probably spay and neuter Chase and Gabrielle, but Henrietta and Cyclone are mine. I want them to go to good homes. Would you take care of him for me? All I ask, is you get him neutered," she asked.

I sat there looking at her, and then looked at Cyclone. He was looking at his mistress, and then he walked over and laid his massive head into her lap. That's when Lori started crying and hugging him. She plastered kisses all over his head and then looked at me. I felt my heart lurch as I saw the love she had for her babies, and I replied, "I would be honored to. They are beautiful dogs, but I insist on paying you for them. I will have them altered as you wish them to be. If you want, I will take both of them, so they can stay together."

Lori started crying harder and I reached over and hugged her. "It's ok. If you don't want me to, I won't take Henrietta as well," I said.

"You're a good man Jason, and I see why five women ... four women and a young lady all love you. I would love to have them both go together. They were raised together, and have been best friends for five years. I will get their papers," Lori said as she fixed her wig, and then got up and left the room.

A flash of light from the TV caught my eyes, and I reached over to the remote control in horror. Turning up the volume, I called everyone into the room.

"Good evening, I am David Bellows for CNN. I have received a report a nuclear missile has just hit the main naval base at New Delhi. Our sky cam at the American embassy caught the blast before it went down. Casualties are reported in the hundreds of thousands. As soon as we know more ... I'm sorry we are being told to lower our antenna. This is David Bellows of CNN in Calcutta signing off."

"That's not good news," I said.

"No it's not," Richard said as he hugged his wife.

"Jason, is that why you're in a hurry to get to our new home?" Anastasia asked.

"Yes, it is. When we first listened to it back in Alabama, it had me worried. With the assassination of the president and the prime minister of India, I had a feeling the war was going to break out and go nuclear. So fill out your paperwork. We need to get going," I said.

I pulled out the money and started paying Richard for the dogs. I added an extra two thousand to the pile as Lori went and came back with leashes for Cyclone and Henrietta.

"Lori, what are you doing?" Richard said as he watched his wife.

"I'm giving Cyclone and Henrietta to Jason. He said he will take care of them for me..."

"But I said I would take care of them for you."

"Richard I love you dearly, but there is no way you can take care of all the dogs. I know you will slim down on them, this way, I know they will have a good home. Jason here has four wives, and a future wife that will make sure, he does," she said and handed me the leashes.

Richard reached out and hugged Lori. Kissing her head, he held her in his arms as I stood there watching. I felt Cyclone butt my hand, so I started scratching him, and then he went to his owner and started licking her hand. I heard Lori giggle and then she leaned down and gave him a kiss on his head.

"You be good for your new owner. I'm going to miss you big boy," she said.

"Richard, Lori, why don't you come up to the lodge where we're going to be living. There will be plenty of room, you can bring the rest of the dogs and stay there as long as you want. That way you can visit with us, and be around the dogs," I said.

"Lodge?" Richard asked.

"Can we Rich?" Lori said.

"Yes, we own a hunting/fishing lodge up in the Grand Teton Mountains on the Idaho side. It's usually closed during the winter, and that's where we are going. It belonged to my grandfather and when he died, it went into a trust to be sold two years ago. Then the bottom of the market fell out, and it never sold. I am taking my ladies out there to live. It should be big enough for all of us with forty bedrooms, a huge kitchen and living room," I replied.

"Sounds wonderful, but this is our home," Richard said.

"I understand, but if you do want to come up," I replied as I pulled out a small note pad and pen, "This is the address," I added as I wrote it down for them.

"Jason, can I send a note to Nicole Reese and invite her and her family up?" Mary asked.

"Sure, but have them come to Driggs, Idaho. We will meet them there and guide them to the lodge," I replied.

"Ok," Mary said and walked out of the house, as she pulled the phone out of her pocket.

I watched her go outside and then turned back as the girls came out of the kitchen. They handed Lori their paper work, and then they went outside. I guided the adults over to the RV, and they jumped in right away when Lori told them to. Each of the girls took theirs to their vehicle and placed them on the seat. With Richards help, we got the boxes loaded, and I purchased ten bags of Purina One Large Breed Puppy food from him. He gave me directions to his supplier, and I was heading there next to buy more. I went in back to the toy hauler section and raised both beds to the roof and locked them in after we removed Mary's bedding. Rearranging the storage containers, we shoved them against the back door, and I figured we could stack about thirty to forty bags back there, when we were finished.