Songbird Season Page 15
“We need these calories. We’ll be on our feet most of the afternoon. Now, tell me again what we’re looking for?”
Melinda reached into her stylish leather tote, which was one of the few holdovers from her years in Minneapolis, and pulled out her list. The bag was out of place in her new life, but she couldn’t bear to part with it.
“Well, I’d like to find a new dining room table. And a nice desk, too. Bonus points for a matching bookcase.”
“What about Horace’s old bedroom? Does Hobo need a dresser for his blankets and toys?”
Melinda grinned. The jaw-dropping value of Hobo’s antique iron bed had become a running joke. “Maybe. And I’d like to find a little bench to put there by the dining-room window, the one by the front door. Grace and Hazel love to look down the driveway, and my plants are in peril. I think I’d like to find a small, upholstered chair for one corner of the dining room. And a patterned rug, too.”
“At least your front porch has that nice swing. So you’re set there.”
“Well, actually, I’d love to find a pair of outdoor chairs, maybe wicker with padded seats. Then I could reupholster them, and make a cushion for the porch swing to match. And,” she sighed, “I’m still hunting for a mantel clock.”
Karen checked her phone. “Well, we better get at it. I promised Doc I’d be back by six to take the next on-call shift. Thank goodness it’s a beautiful day, hopefully it won’t be too crazy tonight. That freak snowstorm had all the mamas-to-be stirred up.”
Late April rarely brought snow to north-central Iowa, but when it did, it usually roared in with strong winds. Doc and Karen worked through the wee hours Wednesday night, battling the gale and ice-coated roads to deliver several calves. But the fickle weather quickly warmed again, and the few inches of snow had already melted away.
Melinda stashed the sack of breadsticks in her tote as they came out into the bright sunshine. “So are you going to shop today, or just be my design assistant?”
“Well, I don’t really need anything, but you never know when you’ll find a bargain.” Karen reached for her keys and waved them at her truck’s cleared-out bed. Melinda only wanted to look around today, but they had cargo space just in case. “My guest room is still looking a little bare, even though I’ve been in Prosper for eight months. I’m more excited, I think, to plant that butterfly garden in the back and get my vegetables in the ground.”
“Just a few more weeks.” Melinda sighed with impatience. “Auggie says so, Horace says so. Even Jerry, who’s a Master Gardener, told me I have to wait. I’ve finally got all the young chicks settled in the coop. Once I get my plants outside, I’ll have my basement back to normal.”
They hit several second-hand stores in the next few hours, but Melinda became discouraged. So many pieces weren’t the right scale or style. Things affordable on her tight budget often needed major repairs and refinishing.
“I’ve got this whole farmhouse to fill,” she moaned as they left Mason City, the back of the truck still empty. “And a budget that’s only big enough for an apartment. I’ll need every dime for the updates the house needs, not the pretty things I want to put in it.”
“We never should have stopped at that craft store.” Karen jerked her chin at the sacks stuffed behind the seat. “What am I going to do with all those knick-knacks and vases? I share my house with a collie. Pumpkin’s going to have a field day.”
They drove in companionable silence, the kind of mental stupor that comes on after hours of shopping. “You know what?” Karen said suddenly. “I heard about a great second-hand store on the outskirts of Eagle River. Their prices are cheap, I guess. How about we take a little detour?”
“Might as well, if you think there’s time. It’s not much out of the way, especially if we come back into Prosper from the east.”
Eagle River was significantly larger than Prosper, being the home of about a thousand people. Its founding residents had hoped to snag the title of county seat until Swanton got the upper hand, and then Eagle River’s boom went bust. But it still had a business district, and was the home of a well-known livestock sale barn that attracted people from around the region on auction days.
According to the online map, the consignment shop was on the west end of town. When that address sent them to a convenience store, Karen inquired inside.
“Apparently it’s on the east side, out in the country.” She handed Melinda a scrap of paper scrawled with directions. “The map’s all messed up, the clerk said everyone blames the river for these winding streets. They make the GPS go nuts.”
“Well, I guess Prosper’s not the only one with problems.” Melinda studied the note as Karen drove through town. “Looks like we take a right at the next stop sign.”
Karen turned onto a narrow blacktop, then made a quick left down a gravel road. It twisted and turned, mirroring the town’s namesake river that was on the other side of a thick screen of trees. Another curve, and they found themselves staring at a sad-faced house on one side of a driveway and a metal-roofed, single-story building on the right.
“Are you sure this is it?” Melinda squinted at the rusted metal sign tacked to the sagging fence. “I guess it is. Look at all the stuff in this yard! Lawn gnomes, rusted patio furniture …”
“Well, there’s two newer cars there by the shed. And someone’s already got their flowerboxes planted.” Karen cut the engine and laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ve seen worse on my travels around this county. I hear great things about this place. Let’s see if it was worth the drive.”
It was. The older couple were friendly and helpful, and the inside of the consignment building was much cleaner than Melinda expected. The prices were even better. After hours of futile searching, she was suddenly giddy at how far this place could stretch her meager budget.
The man shrugged when Karen complimented him on his bargains. “Our secret’s simple. We buy in bulk, estate sales and the like. After the family gets done fighting over everything, we come in and clean them out.”
Every section seemed better than the next. Melinda spied a dining-room table she liked, and a pair of rattan porch chairs called to her from one corner. There was an entire line of desks, and two rows of dressers. Karen found a sage-green chair that would look lovely in her guest room. “Thirty bucks!” she whispered. “He’s made a sale! At least we aren’t going home with an empty truck.”
“I’m going to take some measurements and photos, then try to narrow things down before I come back.” Melinda reached into her tote. “I might need a moving van to get it all home, there’s so much to choose from.” She grabbed Karen’s arm. “Oh, look at that clock!”
“What? Where?” Karen turned but Melinda was already gone, zig-zagging around pieces of furniture as she raced to the far wall of the warehouse.
The timepiece had to be walnut, with a low profile and simple, Craftsman lines similar to the Schermann family’s mantel clock. Friendly numbers circled its alabaster face.
“Does it work?” she asked the manager, who reached her before Karen did.
“Of course it does,” he said agreeably. “You don’t have to worry about batteries or electricity with that one. Just remember to wind it, that’s all. A clock like that’s been ticking for ninety years, I’d say. It’ll tick another ninety if you take care of it.”
Melinda beamed and hugged the clock to her chest. “I’ll take it!”
The ladies had come prepared with cash, but Melinda was pleasantly surprised to see a credit-card scanner on the counter. Maybe these people weren’t so backward after all.
The man sighed when he opened the register. “I thought Lindsey restocked this drawer after lunch. High school kids, you know? Not the most reliable help. Let’s go up to the house, I’ll get both of you your change and find a nice box for that clock.”
Melinda spotted a chubby gray cat lounging on the concrete stoop, and stopped to scratch its ears.
“That’s Queenie,” the man said with affection
. “Had her for years. She’s a great mouser, that one.”
Melinda was thrilled when Queenie rolled over for a belly rub. “She’s beautiful, so regal. No wonder you named her that. This is her kingdom, right here.”
“That’s the truth! And she’s the oldest cat we’ve got right now. The crown passes down, so to speak. Yep, Queenie’s the mother or grandmother to all our cats. And that’s saying something.”
Melinda soon realized he was right. There were cats everywhere. Rolling in the young grass on the sunny side of the building, perching on the milk cans lining the path to the house, stalking across the yard. One was stretched out across the top of a rusted-out car.
“You certainly have lots of kitties,” Karen said evenly, not giving away what she was probably thinking: there were too many. The cats seemed healthy, and not exactly thin, but …
“That we do,” the man said over his shoulder as they followed him up the house’s front walk. “They just keep coming, you know? We lose a few now and then. One might get run over on the road. Or they’ll miss a meal, and we start to worry. Sometimes they turn up again, sometimes not. My wife, she takes it really hard. I don’t like it either, but what are you going to do?”
They’d made it to the porch, and the man gestured toward a wooden bench and started for the kitchen door.
“If more of them were spayed and neutered,” Karen said gently, “you wouldn’t have so many to feed. Fewer kittens. And the males, once they’re fixed? They don’t fight amongst themselves so much.”
“Oh, I know.” The worry was all over his weathered face. “But we just can’t afford that. We’ve called the vet here in town, you won’t believe what he charges.” Karen kept her smile in place when he named the price, but Melinda saw the flash of fury in her friend’s eyes.
“And then,” the man sighed, “they’d have to go stay overnight and all that stuff. These cats, they’ve never even been in a car, much less indoors. Can you imagine?”
The screen door snapped behind him. A large black-and-white male cat, friendly but with part of one ear missing, bounded up the steps and landed in Melinda’s lap.
The man smiled when he came back with their change and the box. “See there, you’ve made a friend! Tell you what. If you like him as much as he likes you, you can take him home. You love animals, I can tell.”
“I’m sorry.” She gently set the cat on the faded porch floor. “I already have four at home.”
“Oh, you’re well on your way, then,” he hooted. “Here’s my card. When you narrow down that list you’ve got there, just call. We deliver, you know. And enjoy that clock. It’s a beauty.”
Melinda carefully balanced the box on her lap as they traced their way back toward town. She was elated about her clock, but also sad. Those poor cats. Those poor people, trying to keep them all fed. Karen snapped on the radio, and neither of them said a word until they reached the edge of Eagle River.
“Vultures!” Karen suddenly spat out. “I can’t believe what these vets charge to spay a cat! It’s fifty bucks over our price. Fifty! And for what? It doesn’t take so long to do. And that’s … that’s not the half of it,” she sputtered. “They’re charging only ten bucks less for males, even though they’re half the work!”
Melinda threw up one hand in frustration, keeping the other around her treasured clock. “I knew Grace and Hazel would cost more than Stormy and Sunny, being girls, but I was relieved by how reasonable your and Doc’s prices were. For someone who has very little money, or many cats? It would be impossible to keep up, with what these vets are charging. How do they get away with it?”
“Easy. They’re the only ones in this town.” Karen gritted her teeth as they waited at Eagle River’s lone stoplight. “That, and the fact that our clinic’s fifteen miles away.”
“Well, I for one am so grateful you guys keep your prices down. I guess that’s all you can do.”
Karen didn’t respond. But when they passed the city limits and were once again on the open highway, she stepped on the gas. “Actually, there is something we can do.”
CHAPTER 15
Nope. I won’t do it.” Auggie crossed his arms and gave Melinda one of his trademark stubborn stares. “No way. Can you imagine what the guys down at the co-op would say about that?”
Melinda nearly sighed with exasperation, but didn’t. She needed to get him on her side. “If they’re smart, they would say you’re a caring member of the community, a businessman not afraid to support a good cause.”
“Humph.” Auggie reached for his coffee mug, which was steaming on the sideboard, and settled into his folding chair. “I already helped out at the holiday open house, remember?”
“That’s exactly my point!” Melinda hoped she had him now. “People expect you to be involved around here. And, you had it easy last time. All you had to do was provide feed for the live nativity.”
“Yeah,” Doc chimed in. “You didn’t have to be a wise man, like I did. I hosted the nativity on the clinic’s lawn, and helped Bill build the display, and I still had to wear a bathrobe over my coveralls.”
Auggie busied himself sipping his coffee while Melinda waited. “I don’t know,” was all he said.
George came in and added his jacket to the hall tree by the window. He was sporting a canvas ball cap again this morning; it had been a week since he’d worn the insulated wool topper with the Elmer Fudd ear flaps. Melinda took it as a sign spring was finally here to stay.
“Kinda quiet in here this morning. What’s going on?”
Auggie groaned. “Melinda wants me to hug stray cats! Rock them in my lap like a baby, when they’re all drugged up and rolled in a towel.” He looked to George for sympathy. “Doesn’t that sound crazy to you?”
“Well, now, it’s not such a bad idea,” George hedged. “There’s going to be a free lunch and coffee, and all the cookies we can eat.”
“George! Don’t tell me you’ve already been roped into this mess!”
George only chuckled and filled his mug, reaching for the cinnamon rolls Melinda brought in to sweeten the deal. “Now Auggie, it won’t hurt you to help out. Overpopulation is real problem. Just ask Doc.”
Auggie turned in his chair. “I can’t believe you’re letting Karen put on this show. Won’t it hurt the clinic’s profits? It’s going to take business away from you.”
“These are cats that normally would not be our patients. They’re not housecats; they’re farm cats or strays. They’ll all get a quick look-over and vaccinations, then be altered. It’s not a new idea; it’s called trap-neuter-return.”
Doc leaned forward in his chair. He was rarely agitated, but he drew the line at anyone telling him what to do. “And as for my business, this could actually help. No one within thirty miles is doing this sort of community outreach. It’s going to provide positive buzz for the clinic.”
Auggie rolled his eyes. “Now I know you’ve been talking to Melinda.”
He was right about that, at least. By the time she and Karen made it back to Prosper Sunday afternoon, they already had a plan.
Karen had volunteered at spay-neuter clinics when she worked in Cedar Rapids and also during veterinary school at Iowa State. She’d seen firsthand how beneficial those programs were, and the crowd of cats at the thrift store had been a too-sharp reminder of the need for low-cost veterinary services in their area. Doc quickly got on board, but worried his building wasn’t large enough to host such an event. They needed to find a site, and enough volunteers to staff it, before they could put their ideas into motion.
The second part turned out to be easy. Within two days, Karen lined up several veterinary technicians from around the area to be her assistants. But Prosper was severely lacking in community space. The elementary school’s gymnasium was booked every Saturday until the end of the academic year with sports practices and club activities. Karen and Melinda were about to ask around at Prosper’s three churches when they got a better idea, and called Jerry instead.
“If you can show you’ve got enough volunteers in place, it’ll go a long way toward convincing the council to give you their blessing Monday night.”
“The council?” Auggie was incredulous. “What’s the city council have to do with any of this?”
Melinda tried not to gloat. “If they approve our plan, Auggie, the spay day’s going to be at City Hall.”
“You mean they’re going to roll out the fire truck and ambulance and have it in the shed? Well, I guess that makes sense.” He snorted. “It’s right off the alley. The strays can check themselves in.”
Jerry hid a smirk behind his cinnamon roll.
“Well, actually.” Melinda took a deep breath. “We want to host the clinic in the council chambers.”
Auggie nearly choked on his coffee. When he couldn’t get the words out, Doc jumped in.
“It’s a great setup. We’ll bring in some extra tables if we need to, but the little bathroom will be the perfect place to administer anesthesia. Registration would be at the back entrance, and the empty office space up front can serve as an extra recovery room if we get a huge response.”
“Well, I tell you what.” Auggie had regained his voice. “Jerry, you might be willing to go along with this crazy idea, but Nancy has sense. She won’t allow it. Next thing you know, those wild animals will be running around the library, climbing the shelves and knocking down books and …”
“Nancy’s fully on board,” Melinda gently interrupted. “Her neighbor’s feeding a few strays, and they’re already on the surgery list. And Auggie,” she leaned in his direction, “I need to you to get with the program, too.”
He just shook his head.
Melinda expected him to be resistant, and had her talking points prepared. “Your co-op sells even more cat food than Prosper Hardware does; you told me that yourself. I bet ninety percent of your customers farm or at least live in the country; they are the ones that will most benefit from this service. And besides, it’s just the right thing to do. Now, we want to put a flyer on the bulletin board down there. Are you going to pitch a fit? Because if you do, I can always talk to Dan about it.”