7. And Your Little Dog, Too
CHAPTER 7
And Your Little Dog, Too
G arrett wasn’t surprised to see Nina pop over the fence, but he was surprised to see Heath and Addison arrive with her. His buddy lifted Addy over the fence and kept his arm around her after that. Happiness practically glowed from the group.
Nina waved. “Do you mind if we’re here? Mom’s worried I’m going to be a pest.”
Addison grinned. “We don’t want Garrett to sell his place because he can’t get a moment’s peace.”
Nina laughed. “I’m in school for at least another month. I won’t be a pest until summer comes.”
Garrett smiled at her. “I promise to let you know if you’re a pest or if I need more quiet.”
Heath slapped him on the shoulder. “How are your two new guys doing?”
Garrett turned to look at the horses. “They’re quiet. Probably too quiet. I think they’ve been under pressure to be quiet for a while now. They’re timid, but Kitty’s getting them more comfortable.”
He’d left the horses separate for the first couple of hours, but Kitty had been interested in them, and he’d led her over in a halter to the paddock. Kitty had walked in, then bounced away a few times, but all three eyed each other regularly.
The geldings’s heads were higher, and their ears and eyes followed the mare’s every move.
Nina climbed onto the fence rail. “They look too skinny, but I don’t see any injuries. Did Kimi look them over yet?”
He grinned at her. “She did. They’re all good, just need some time.”
The next hour flew by as he showed off his barn and then the house. Addy’s concerned gaze checked him over when they toured the upstairs. “You haven’t even made up the bed yet. Do you need some help? We can help.”
He laughed it off. “I’ve slept outside with Kitty the last couple of nights. She’s still skittish.”
Addy’s eyes softened. “And you didn’t want her to be alone. You’re a good man, Garrett. How can I help?” He waved her off and promised to let her know if he needed anything.
A few hours later, his friends headed home and Garrett went back upstairs to make up that bed. He planned to sleep in the barn for the night, but he wanted the bed available and ready to go, just in case.
Laughing at himself, Garrett decided to go all out and pack a small cooler bag and a cloth bag with enough food and drinks to get them through the night. If it was just him, he’d have grabbed an apple and some water, but he wanted more in case Kimi showed up.
He was giddy with anticipation, all at seeing his neighbor for the evening. He hadn’t dated in a very long time. Hadn’t felt the desire to get to know anyone, to let anyone get close.
Now, he wanted to get close. He wanted to let someone in. A very specific someone. He’d been lonely for a long time, but maybe it was time to change that. Was he ready?
As he brought the bags out onto the back porch, a flash of black and white had him turning. The three-legged pit bull sat on the edge of the back porch.
His eyes were so like Shaggy’s they almost sent Garrett to his knees. A deep shade of green with gold flecks throughout. Almost human.
Garrett sucked in a deep breath while they stared at each other. His heart shook, but he forced himself to look over the dog. The wrap he’d thought he’d seen the other night was the remains of a cast. “Did Kimi put that on, bud? It should probably come off now. Why don’t you head on next door and let her check it out? She’s good with dogs. I’m not. Not anymore. You’d be better off over there.”
But the dog didn’t move, and neither could he.
Pulling his gaze from the dog felt like losing contact with Shaggy all over again. He forced himself to study the dog. That cast needed to come off, and the leg needed to be checked.
Garrett wasn’t nearly enough of an asshole to let the dog wander off again. “That’s got to hurt, bud. Let me help you. I’m going to put these down and then I’d like to check you over.”
He moved slowly, not wanting to spook the animal. This close, he could see there were puncture wounds on his face, both front legs and the front portion of his body.
Anger boiled in his gut, but he kept his body, face, and voice calm. “Some bastard is going to pay for that, buddy. You’ve been forced to fight, haven’t you?”
Dog-fighting rings were popular with gangs and organized crime. Dogs, especially pit bulls, were trained out of their naturally friendly natures and forced to fight, sometimes to the death. The puncture marks were likely bite marks from the other dogs.
“Did you get away?” More likely, they’d tossed the dog into the woods. If they couldn’t fight, they weren’t worth spending money on. That broken foreleg had probably been the deciding factor in throwing him away. At least they hadn’t killed him outright. How long had this guy been on his own, dealing with that leg?
Garrett set the bag and cooler on the porch and squatted. “What do you say? You want to get that leg fixed?”
Knowing humans had traumatized him, it amazed Garrett that this guy was considering trusting him. He’d been spending time in the field since Garrett had arrived. And probably in the nearby fields as well. “Not all humans are scum. You’ve come to a good place. We’ll get you fixed up.”
One of the geldings whinnied loudly, and the dog’s ears flew up, and he dashed away. Garrett sighed and looked at the paddock. “Terrible timing, but I’m glad to see you showing more energy, bud. ”
“Was that the black and white stray I saw?”
He turned to see Kimi approaching with a sleeping roll and a backpack. Her eyes searched the dusk, so she didn’t see the grin that had sprung up on his face at her voice. He felt like a teen with a crush on the cutest girl in school.
He managed to keep his voice normal. “It was. He was sitting on the back deck. He’s got the remains of a cast on his foreleg and some puncture wounds.”
Kimi sucked in a harsh breath. “I’m so angry at those bastards. I found this guy on a road one day. He was unconscious. I brought him here and operated to fix a broken leg. But there was another emergency, and I left in a hurry while he was in recovery. I must have left the door ajar, and he took off.” Her voice was soft, but he heard the anguish in those words.
That explained a lot. “Not your fault. Looks like he’s healed okay but it would be good to get him checked.” He picked up his bags and walked down to stand beside Kimi, resisting the urge to lean in and kiss that pretty mouth. “I’m going to drop these in the barn.”
She followed him and they put their bags and rolls into the tack room.
The deepening dusk made the actions more intimate than they were, and Garrett talked himself down from taking her hand. Her eyes had shown she was interested as well, but he wasn’t pushing. Instead, he turned on lights in the tack room and in the center aisle. He’d filled the feed and water troughs in all the stalls.
Back out in the dusk, he and Kimi leaned against the fence and talked to the geldings. Kimi stood on the bottom rail so she could see over the top, putting them almost eye to eye.
“Have you named them yet?”
He chuckled. “Nina and her folks popped over this afternoon.”
Kimi laughed. “The girl loves to name the animals. What did she come up with this time?”
Garrett pointed at the shorter gelding with the black socks. “She decided he looked grumpy but that the grumpy demeanor covered up the fact that he was scared. So, he’s Oscar.”
Kimi grinned. “And his buddy? Big Bird? ”
“Grover.”
Kimi laughed and turned back to the geldings. “Oscar and Grover. I love it. Nina always sees to the heart of things.”
“Grover here whinnied, and that’s what scared the dog away.”
“I sometimes set out food for him at night, but he hasn’t ventured close enough, and the fox eats it instead. Olaf must sense that you’ll take care of him.”
That punched him in the heart. After a deep breath or two, he managed to ask. “Olaf?”
Kimi grinned. “Nina again. Olaf is a snowman from a Disney movie. He’s a determined and cheerful guy. Nina figured the dog needed some cheerful, and he’s definitely determined.”
“So, Olaf, it is.”
K imi had seen the grief in Garrett’s eyes as they talked about Olaf. She wondered if he’d had another dog after Shaggy had been killed in the line of duty. She would bet he hadn’t.
But he was an animal guy. More than that, he was a dog guy. Anyone who worked as a K-9 officer was a definite dog guy. He wouldn’t be whole without a dog at his side. But he hadn’t healed enough to let one in. She wanted to help him get that part of his soul back.
An idea hit her. “Do you mind if I leave some food for Olaf on your back deck? If he’s ventured there once, he might come back. If we can get him to trust us, we can get his leg fixed up.”
He nodded but didn’t speak. She could almost hear his grief calling out and remained quiet for a bit.
After a few minutes, Grover turned their way and stepped closer.
Garrett straightened. “I think he wants to head inside.” He grabbed one halter and handed her the other.
Inside the paddock, she stood back as he approached the gelding, talking softly in that deep rumble of his. It brought shivers to Kimi’s skin.
The horse didn’t argue with the halter and even bobbed his head when Garrett patted it. Assuming the two horses thought of themselves as a unit, Kimi moved to Oscar and talked him through the process of the halter. He followed to stand behind his buddy at the gate.
Garrett grinned at her as he opened the gate and led Grover across the yard into the barn. Kitty whinnied from behind them, but when Kimi looked, she’d retreated to the far side of the paddock. Like Onigis, the mare had some serious trust issues with indoors.
She’d check on her own horse later, but when she’d left, the goats had been in the stable, and the mare hadn’t been far off. Baby steps.
Garrett had lit the barn with comfortable lighting, not too bright. Cozy evening lighting, which many horses preferred.
Garrett walked slowly down the aisle with Grover, letting him check out the space. At the third stall on the left, Grover angled in and Garrett followed his lead. He grinned over his shoulder and motioned across the hall.
Kimi agreed. These two had clearly bonded, and being able to see each other would be a bonus. She led Oscar forward. The gelding stopped and looked at Grover, then followed her lead into the stall across the aisle. She patted his neck and praised him while she walked him around the space.
Garrett had prepared it with bedding, hay, and water. “You’ve got a good place here, Oscar. All the comfort you could want. You’re going to be happy.”
When Oscar appeared settled, she removed his halter and closed off the stall with the guard that would keep him safely inside while letting him see his buddy across the hall.
The gelding stuck his head over the guard immediately, and she laughed when Grover did the same across the aisle. “I think they’re quite happy.”
Garrett nodded. “Whatever they’ve been through, I think they had a good life before it. They’re clearly subdued, but I don’t think it’ll be long before they’re happy again.”
She bumped his shoulder with his. “You’re doing a good thing here, Garrett.”
He nodded but didn’t respond. The man wasn’t comfortable with praise. They hung the halters in the tack room and checked on Kitty. Garrett tried to talk her into joining her new friends, but the mare remained reluctant.
“Maybe tomorrow.”
He nodded again. “I’ll keep trying, but I won’t force her. She was found when someone bought an old property in Tennessee. She’d been trapped inside a broken-down shed. No halter or equipment on her. No idea how long she’d been there.”
“The poor girl. She must have been terrified. No wonder she doesn’t trust indoor spaces.”
“What’s the deal with Onigis?”
Kimi sighed. “She was in one of those questionable training centers for racehorses. I know nothing about her background, but I’ve sent away her bloodwork to see if they’re using anything illegal.”
“I’d like to put all of those jerks out of business.”
A man after her own heart. “Me too.”
They moved back to the barn and checked on the geldings. Grover’s eyes were too wide, and he was bouncing in place.
Garrett talked to him softly from the aisle, patting him when he came within reach.
Kimi sat on one of the hay bales Garrett had placed in the aisle and watched, intrigued by this man with a big heart.
Eventually, he sat beside her and they chatted quietly while the horses got used to their new stalls. Occasionally, they needed to get up and settle them, but they were coping very well.
After a while, she and Garrett headed outside. He checked on Kitty while she climbed over to do the same with Onigis. When she broke through the trees, she laughed at the sight in front of her. “Way to go, girl. You’re such a brave mare.”
The horse stood with her butt backed into the shed-stable and her body on the outside. Popcorn had curled up in a ball directly in front of Onigis so that she couldn’t step forward without disturbing the goat. Butter and Raspberry slept to her side.
Garrett appeared beside Kimi. “Those are pretty impressive goats. I heard you laugh and had to see. Did you snap a photo?”
She shook her head but didn’t reach for her phone. She wasn’t one to take many pictures. Garrett pulled out his and snapped a couple, grinning at the results.
“Do you need to stay here with them?”
He was such a sweetie. “No. Popcorn will move if Onigis gets stressed. They’ll be good.”
They strolled back to his land. The yard lights were bright enough for them to see as they moved through the trees and to the fence. When they climbed it, Kimi stopped and just breathed in the night. “Sometimes it’s hard to believe how beautiful it is here.”
He swung up to sit beside her on the fence. “Is this where I look deeply into your eyes and agree that the view is beautiful? Because it is.”
She laughed and reached out to swat him playfully, but he grabbed her hand and lifted it to his lips to kiss it. “It might be cheesy, but it’s true.”
The zing she felt every time they touched zipped from her palm to her toes, stopping at the good parts in between. “The view’s really nice from this angle, too, Stetson.”
His grin was quick and hot. “Good to know.” He scooted himself closer to her on the fence. She was facing his property, and he’d straddled the fence. He closed in until one leg touched her knee, and his other thigh brushed against her butt. Caging her, although she knew it would only take a look to get him to back up. She didn’t want that.
Shivers shot through her at the look in his eyes.
He took off his Stetson and reached slowly past Kimi to hang it on the fence post just beyond her. His arm brushed her, and more chills and shivers covered her skin. He ran that hand up her arm and into her hair. She leaned into his touch with a smile.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since you held that rifle on me.”
That surprised a laugh out of her, and then his lips captured hers.
The kiss wasn’t tentative or fumbling. He teased her lips until she opened for him, and then their tongues were touching. Teasing. Learning.
Kimi barely had the sense to hang onto the fence so she didn’t fall off. Garrett’s scent wound around her, through her, making her want more.
By the time he slowed the kiss and pulled back to rest his forehead on hers, the only thing tethering her to the fence was his hand in her hair. His strong fingers massaged her scalp as they both gulped in air.
He pulled back enough for her to see his eyes. Deep, dark, and full of desire.
Kimi lifted her hand and traced her finger along his lips. He smiled and licked her finger, then sucked it into his mouth.
Kimi groaned and leaned in to brush a kiss over his jaw and then trailed her lips to his. Then he took over, and the world faded away.