alone with that?” I laughed and took another drink of mine. My chest fluttered a little, watching him swallow.
“I was just thirsty. It’s been a while since—never mind.” He smiled faintly. The dimples came and went again, but not my attraction. It came in small tugs, pulling me to the damaged person who was hiding behind the frowns and broken smiles, pulling me closer and filling my head full of questions, filling my body with feelings that I pretended didn’t exist.
He took another drink and eyed me cautiously from the doorway. I looked past his wide shoulders to the secrets hidden inside the trailer. I didn’t expect to be invited in when I’d originally knocked on the door. But now, I was so close. I wanted to see inside the cave of the bear. Great! Now I was daydreaming about going inside his house. I needed to get out of here before I did something stupid to ruin my progress.
“Well, I’m going to see Charlie.” I turned to walk away. The door clicked shut, but his boots pounded down the steps. I smiled to myself. My idea of bringing him something nice seemed to work. I got him out of the trailer.
I walked toward the kennel, feeling his presence just a few feet behind me. I was curious. Did he watch me as I was walking? He knew I couldn’t see him. Glancing over my shoulder, his face betrayed nothing.
Once inside, I went straight to Cye. He stayed in that pathetic, hunkered-down pose in the far back corner. My heart lurched every time I looked at him. I felt angry, so very angry at the evil person who had done this to him. Only a monster would beat a dog with a hammer. A horrible, evil monster that should be locked in a cell with another evil monster that was conveniently slipped a hammer.
On my last two trips to the kennel, I brought something special for Cye. I’d put a little bone inside by the gate before I took Charlie out to the play area. When I came back, it was always gone. The ghost dog did venture out more than just at night. I had a plan for Mr. Cye too. By the end of summer, he would let me pet him. Slowly. I would have to use patience. I would have to wait until he was ready.
I opened the gate, crawling on my hands and knees inside the kennel. I placed his bone on the cement, a little closer than last time.
“It’s not gonna work.” I heard the raspy, deep voice and looked over my shoulder, seeing Wyatt leaned back against the gate on the other side. He watched me crawl backward out of the pen. He seemed slightly amused too. That was a new one.
“We will see.” I smiled at him.
“You don’t think I haven’t tried that one?”
I blew a blonde curl out of my eye as I stood up to face him. “Maybe he’ll take better to a girl.”
“Maybe.” He closed those puckered lips around the straw. Wyatt got that look again as he took another swig. I never thought a guy drinking a Coke would constitute as something sexy, but I grew mesmerized by the way he sucked on the straw. I shook off the feeling before turning around to the next pen. I stopped dead in my tracks.
“What? Where’s Chewy?” I spat it out. Terrible thoughts flashed through my head with all the horrible images I’d imagined since visiting this place. “What happened to him, Wyatt?”
“Calm down. Nothing bad. Diana got him yesterday. She found a home for him.”
“So he’s, like, just gone? I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“It doesn’t always work like that here, Emma.” His faced softened a little.
“Where’d he go?”
“Retired military guy. He lost a leg in Iraq. The scars on Chewy didn’t bother him.” He came over next to me. “That’s Daisy and Gatsby.”
I was so distraught over Chewy I’d failed to see the new occupants of the pen. Two old chocolate labs lay on the cement with their bodies intertwined together as they kept their heads down.
“Did you come up with those names?” I slipped a look in his direction, but he stayed focused on the brown dogs in front of
“I was just thirsty. It’s been a while since—never mind.” He smiled faintly. The dimples came and went again, but not my attraction. It came in small tugs, pulling me to the damaged person who was hiding behind the frowns and broken smiles, pulling me closer and filling my head full of questions, filling my body with feelings that I pretended didn’t exist.
He took another drink and eyed me cautiously from the doorway. I looked past his wide shoulders to the secrets hidden inside the trailer. I didn’t expect to be invited in when I’d originally knocked on the door. But now, I was so close. I wanted to see inside the cave of the bear. Great! Now I was daydreaming about going inside his house. I needed to get out of here before I did something stupid to ruin my progress.
“Well, I’m going to see Charlie.” I turned to walk away. The door clicked shut, but his boots pounded down the steps. I smiled to myself. My idea of bringing him something nice seemed to work. I got him out of the trailer.
I walked toward the kennel, feeling his presence just a few feet behind me. I was curious. Did he watch me as I was walking? He knew I couldn’t see him. Glancing over my shoulder, his face betrayed nothing.
Once inside, I went straight to Cye. He stayed in that pathetic, hunkered-down pose in the far back corner. My heart lurched every time I looked at him. I felt angry, so very angry at the evil person who had done this to him. Only a monster would beat a dog with a hammer. A horrible, evil monster that should be locked in a cell with another evil monster that was conveniently slipped a hammer.
On my last two trips to the kennel, I brought something special for Cye. I’d put a little bone inside by the gate before I took Charlie out to the play area. When I came back, it was always gone. The ghost dog did venture out more than just at night. I had a plan for Mr. Cye too. By the end of summer, he would let me pet him. Slowly. I would have to use patience. I would have to wait until he was ready.
I opened the gate, crawling on my hands and knees inside the kennel. I placed his bone on the cement, a little closer than last time.
“It’s not gonna work.” I heard the raspy, deep voice and looked over my shoulder, seeing Wyatt leaned back against the gate on the other side. He watched me crawl backward out of the pen. He seemed slightly amused too. That was a new one.
“We will see.” I smiled at him.
“You don’t think I haven’t tried that one?”
I blew a blonde curl out of my eye as I stood up to face him. “Maybe he’ll take better to a girl.”
“Maybe.” He closed those puckered lips around the straw. Wyatt got that look again as he took another swig. I never thought a guy drinking a Coke would constitute as something sexy, but I grew mesmerized by the way he sucked on the straw. I shook off the feeling before turning around to the next pen. I stopped dead in my tracks.
“What? Where’s Chewy?” I spat it out. Terrible thoughts flashed through my head with all the horrible images I’d imagined since visiting this place. “What happened to him, Wyatt?”
“Calm down. Nothing bad. Diana got him yesterday. She found a home for him.”
“So he’s, like, just gone? I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“It doesn’t always work like that here, Emma.” His faced softened a little.
“Where’d he go?”
“Retired military guy. He lost a leg in Iraq. The scars on Chewy didn’t bother him.” He came over next to me. “That’s Daisy and Gatsby.”
I was so distraught over Chewy I’d failed to see the new occupants of the pen. Two old chocolate labs lay on the cement with their bodies intertwined together as they kept their heads down.
“Did you come up with those names?” I slipped a look in his direction, but he stayed focused on the brown dogs in front of
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