Chapter 18
Frankie
Unclipping the red leash,I glance up at the gray sky as Greta trots inside. The sweet black and white senior pit bull took me on a long walk this afternoon. She set the pace, and I was happy to follow. Despite her advanced age, she had no problems stopping to sniff every bush along the trail that caught her interest.
I only have one dog left to walk this afternoon before I’m done. Jude drove into town for supplies for the adoption event next weekend. The local print shop finished his order for banners and fliers a few days early, so he left to pick them up.
“Come here, Elvis.” I call the two-year-old hound by clapping my hands on my knees.
The nervous puppy slinks slowly across the room and lays down at my feet. His tail wags side to side. I toss him a treat as a reward and to earn his trust.
“Let’s get some fresh air, huh? Bet that’ll feel good.” The leash clips on easily, and I scratch beneath his chin. He stretches his front paws and pokes his behind in the air.
“You’re such a good boy.” I push open the door, and he follows me out.
He walks by my side, never pulling on the leash. A frown twists my lips as I think about the possible family who lost him. Jude took him in from a man who found him as a stray a year ago. He said he’d put out fliers and called the vets in neighboring towns to see if anyone lost their dog, but nobody claimed him. A job relocation meant he couldn’t keep Elvis any longer, and that’s how the sweet boy wound up at the Sanctuary.
Elvis pauses to lift his leg on a few bushes along the path, marking territory as we proceed down the trail.
All this exercise feels good. I can see my body changing. Growing stronger. It’s no wonder Jude keeps in such fine shape. The physical side of the job is a suitable replacement for a gym membership. It’s a bonus for me. I’ve never had the inclination to join a gym, and as long as I’m here, I won’t have to.
An intense gust of wind sends my hair whipping around my face. A glance at the sky reveals black clouds moving in at a rapid pace. They roll together like waves crashing upon a sandy shore. Shit. The weather was supposed to hold off for a few more hours, but it appears that’s changed. We’re at the midpoint of the trail, so either forward or back will take us an equal amount of time to return.
In the distance, thunder rumbles across the sky.
Elvis releases a long, loud howl with his snout tipped upward before he suddenly dashes to the right. The force yanks the leash straight from my hand, and he’s gone.
“Shit. Elvis!” I call and take off in a mad sprint.
Bushes and grass rustle off to the side of the trail, a sure indication Elvis has gone deep off the path. I stumble through the brush after him. If only I can regain visual and not lose the newcomer on this massive plot of land.
I dig my phone from my back pocket with my non-casted hand and quickly find Jude’s name at the top of my list of contacts.
“Please pick up.”
He’s going to be so mad. He loves his dogs like family, and I freaking lost one. Panic engulfs me in a suffocating wave of adrenaline.
Jude’s voicemail plays in my ear. His raspy greeting soothes my frayed edges, but I end the call. My voice is too anxious and out of breath to pant out a message that wouldn’t send him racing home in terror for his beloved pets.
Stop, Frankie. Calm down.
I slow to a walk and listen. I carefully move back onto the trail just as a deluge opens in the sky. Within seconds, I’m soaked by the heavy rain pelting my skin. The oversized jacket provides little protection from the onslaught and weighs heavily on my torso. My hair plasters to my cheeks. I run my hand over my head and push as much of it as I can back from my face.
“Elvis!” I curl one hand around my mouth and call. The other, I keep hidden in the jacket sleeve to protect my cast from the water.
A flash of movement across the trail ahead catches my attention through the abysmal visibility. My feet slap over the wet, dirty trail.
“Here, boy!”
Elvis belly crawls beneath a thick bush on the edge of the next bend.
My shoe catches on a loose rock, sending me flying onto my stomach. The air leaves my lungs. Mud splashes against my face, and my uncovered fingers burrow into the loose ground. Tiny rocks scrape against my exposed skin like small shards pricking me all at once.
I cough and spit out pieces of dirt from my tongue.
Sitting up, I catch my breath. The back of Elvis’s hind legs remain visible from where I sit. The poor thing found a place to hide, but I know he’ll be much happier if he lets me help him get back home.
“It’s okay, Elvis.” On hands and knees, I crawl slowly across the ground. I just need to get close enough to reach the leash. Once he’s in my grasp, I can lead us back. “It’s okay.”
Another rumble of thunder, followed by a crack of lightning, illuminates the dark sky. I use the sound to my advantage and surge after the leash. My fingers just close around the loop as Elvis lets out another agonizing howl.
“I’ve got you.”
His body shivers and shakes so hard the leaves on the bush rustle. I run my hand over his soaked back. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Frankie!”
Jude’s voice blends with the thunder, carried from somewhere unseen on the wind.
“I’m here!” I yell back, holding the leash tight in case Elvis decides to bolt. Relief sags my shoulders.
The roar of the four-wheeler sounds a moment later, followed by a beam of yellow light.
“Frankie!” he shouts again. He must not be able to hear me over all the chaotic sounds.
But I can see him.
My heart breaks at his apprehensive expression. The way his head whips side to side, checking all visible parts of the trail for signs of me. The black tee shirt clinging to his skin as if he realized I wasn’t home and ran straight out into the rain without his jacket to search. He squints ahead through the rain, and then he spots us.
The four-wheeler skids to a stop twenty feet away. He leaps off the machine and runs across the trail. My pulse thunders in relief.
Jude’s here.
Jude can help.
His large strides eradicate the distance, and he doesn’t stop until he’s in front of me. The tips of his boots nearly touch the toes of mine. His hands wrap around either side of my head, tilting my rain-soaked face for his inspection.
“Are you hurt, baby?”
His fingertips tense, pressing gently as individual points on each side of my head.
“I’m fine,” I yell to be heard above the storm. Raindrops kiss my face, dripping onto my lips where I gather them with my tongue. “Elvis got away.”
Jude’s thumb strokes across my cheek, relief in his gray eyes. “You didn’t answer your phone.”
“Neither did you.”
“I’m sorry.” He drops my face to gather my exposed hand in both of his despite me still holding the leash. “Fuck, your hand is freezing.” He drags it to his mouth and kisses the smooth, wet skin on the back. The spot he touches heats instantly.
“We have to help Elvis,” I rasp. “He’s scared.”
One more squeeze for my fingers, and then he lets them go. “I’ll get him. Hop on the wheeler. I need to get you both inside.”
“I’m okay.”
The wind carries my words away without a response as the leash is gently tugged from me. His gaze lowers to take me in. A scowl erupts on his handsome face.
“You’re a mess.”
“A little.” I hold my arms out at my sides. “I think Elvis might be worse. He belly crawled.”
Jude wipes his thumb beneath my chin. The wrinkled skin comes away dirty. “You look like you did too.”
The next burst of lightning brightens the sky so much we jump apart.
“Get on the four-wheeler,” he orders. “I’m coming.”
Before my ass is fully seated, Jude turns around with Elvis held tight in his arms. He climbs in front of me. A hand hooks me behind my knee, right beneath the meat of my thigh, and drags me forward until the seam of my jeans is pressed tight to his back. His body warms me instantly, seeping through our drenched clothing.
“Hang on!”
He fires the engine to life.
I wrap my arms snug around his firm waist and lay my head against his solid back to protect my face from the icy droplets slapping against my skin as he races back down the trail. His clean scent mixes with the rain, filling my lungs with the intoxicating mixture. All too soon, he’s pulling up in front of the shed. My arms twitch with a reluctance to let go.
He tips his chin over his shoulder. Rivulets of water run down his bare skin, catching in his beard and dripping from his nose. I reach up and wipe a drop hanging from the ridge of his eyebrow. He briefly closes his eyes at my touch.
“Get inside the intake building,” he growls.
Holding his shoulders, I lift myself off the ATV. I don’t let go until I’m solidly back on the ground.
Then I rush inside as Jude follows.