Ivy hurried to the kitchen, filled a bowl with water, and grabbed a handful of towels on the way back. When she arrived, the dog was licking what looked like a puppy. “My goodness, you are a fast one.”

She considered sitting and helping but decided the dog would fare better without her looming. She had no children but suspected she wouldn’t want anyone staring at her business end while she pushed out a baby.

She searched online for Dr. Brown’s vet hospital and dialed the number. She landed in voice mail. “Hey, Dr. Brown. This is Ivy Neale. I found a stray dog, and she’s giving birth as I speak. Any advice would be most welcome.” She left her number.

After pouring a fresh cup of coffee, she paced the kitchen. Seconds and then minutes passed. Sensing that her constant movement was not helpful, she sat at the dining room table and opened the hotel register from the 1930s. The handwriting was as varied as the guests, and she was surprised to see the hotel had done such a steady business in the Depression. Most were men and listed their occupation as hunter or salesman.

She wondered how her great-grandmother had fared about that time. She would have been very pregnant with Ruth and ready to deliver herself.

Another whimper from the dog drew Ivy’s attention to the corner. She rose slowly and peered behind the boxes. Mama Dog now had three puppies.

“I hope for your sake that you’re finished. Triplets are a handful.”

The dog licked the amniotic sac off the last puppy as the contractions eased their grip on her belly. The puppies, sightless and small, wriggled close to their mother as they rooted for a teat.

Ivy held the water bowl to the mother dog’s mouth. The dog sniffed and lapped up several licks. Ivy dampened a rag with warm water and carefully wiped down the mother dog and pups.

Her phone rang. “Hello.”

“Ivy, this is Dr. Brown.”

“I now have three puppies.”

“That was fast.”

“It sure was. What do I do now?”

“I’m on my way into the office, so I’ll swing by in a few minutes. You’re at Ruth’s, right?”

“I am. See you soon.”

When the bell rang minutes later, Mama Dog had cleaned her puppies, who were already rooting at her nipples. She opened the door to find Dr. Brown. “Thanks for coming.”

“Sure thing. Where is the new mother?”

“Follow the trail through the boxes on the right. She’s behind them.”

Dr. Brown’s mouth opened when he saw the room. “My word.”

“If you’re short on hotel supplies, help yourself.”

“I should be set on all that.” His gaze wandered the room as he made his way through Box Canyon.

He knelt, spoke softly to the dog, inspected each of her puppies, and then rose. “They all look healthy.”

“That’s good.”

“Do you want me to call animal control for you? They can come get them.”

It would be the easy solution. “No, Mama Dog and the kids can stay. I’m here for at least six or seven weeks, so we’ll have time to figure this out.”