Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 74968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“Imagine not.” Grayson chuckled as he held out another chunk of jerky. “She’s some sort of cattle dog mutt, I reckon.”
She grabbed the jerky only to retreat, but this time, I tried to follow.
“Hey, come back here.”
“Don’t chase,” Grayson called out, but I ignored him because the dog had stopped next to another, possibly even dirtier, dog lying farther down in the ditch.
“There’s another dog!” I shouted. This other dog was about half the size of the big dog but was probably a similar breed, as it had the same sort of snout and fur. “She has a little dog with her.”
“That’s a puppy.” Grayson came up beside me to crouch next to both dogs. The little one stood and hopped toward him while holding one of its front legs up. Even with the obvious injury, it was far friendlier than the older, skittish dog. Grayson fed the puppy a piece of jerky and rubbed its head. “Puppy’s about six months, I’d say.”
“It’s hurt.”
“Yep.” Grayson nodded somberly. His forehead creased like he was thinking extra hard. He turned slightly to give the bigger dog another chunk of jerky. “Okay, Mama, here’s what we’re gonna do. Little more jerky for you, then I’m gonna pick up your baby, and you’re gonna follow us back to the truck.”
With that, he scooped up the puppy, and amazingly, the nervous mother dog didn’t object, instead trotting alongside him, anxious but not mad. If anything, she seemed almost relieved as Grayson loaded first the baby and then the bigger dog herself onto the back seat floorboard. After he set the dogs down, he grabbed a rag from a box on the seat to wipe dirt and what looked to be blood from his hands.
“They need a vet.” I was possibly more anxious than the mother dog.
“Already on it.” Grayson had his phone out even before he slid back behind the wheel. “Jude? Yeah, buddy, I know you’re mainly large animals, but I got a situation with some dogs. You happen to be around today?”
He chatted a bit more with whoever this Jude was. I wasn’t sure I liked Grayson’s unexpectedly warm and friendly tone with Jude, but the dogs needed help more than I needed to be jealous.
“Our vet’s gonna meet us at his practice,” he said as he ended the call and turned toward me. “Jude mainly works in the field as a horse and large animal vet, but he’s got a partner who handles the pets of Lovelorn and other towns around here. She’s gone for the weekend, but Jude said he can take a look at the dogs for us.”
I kept my eyes on the dogs the whole drive to the vet, which was located in a small building not far from what passed as a downtown in Lovelorn, close to the diner run by Colt’s aunt and near the newspaper office.
Jude met us in the parking lot. He looked more cowboy than veterinarian with a burly body type and impressive arm muscles under a red plaid flannel shirt. He had a beard and wore a western-style belt buckle that, while not rodeo large, added to his cowboy air.
“This is Maverick’s friend Adler. He’s on as a short-term hand.” Grayson made a fast introduction. I didn’t care for the emphasis on short-term, but I didn’t have time to get put out as Jude quickly shook my hand before opening the passenger side back door of the truck.
Jude scooped up the mother dog while Grayson carried the puppy, and we all trooped into one of the exam rooms.
My resolve not to get jealous didn’t last long as Grayson and Jude made easy small talk, the sort old friends with a long history were prone to. They talked in shorthand about the ranch and a few horses Jude was keeping an eye on while Jude looked over the dogs. Grayson actually laughed at more than one point.
Huh. Maybe it really was just me who got under Grayson’s skin. I didn’t know what to think about that. On the one hand, it meant he wasn’t immune to my efforts to get him to notice me, but on the other hand, apparently, he was determined to keep me at a distance by donning his stern armor.
“Well, neither dog is microchipped,” Jude reported as he looked up from examining the puppy. “The puppy’s leg isn’t broken, just a bad thorn in the paw. I’m going to address that and the mom’s injuries. I’d like to clean them up some to make sure I’m not missing more injuries. Gray, can you help hold them if we take them to the back?”
“Yep.” Grayson agreed with the ease of someone who’d helped Jude before.
“What can I do?” I asked. Jude had apparently picked up on my lack of dog experience and general unease with medical stuff, but I still smarted from not being invited to help.