to march across the yard and tell the man what she thought of his meddling, but Duke whimpered when she moved her foot and she looked down at him.
“ Come on, move your head. I can’t take a step with you like that.”
The dog ignored her and her level of frustration increased. She didn’t want to jerk her foot out from under him, but he wasn’t leaving her much choice. Moving her foot back and forth she tried to coax him off it, but he wouldn’t budge an inch.
“Duke. I mean it. You have to move your head.”
The dog jumped up and ran over to the fence again at the sound of a vehicle pulling in the drive. Alex had made record time coming home and she hurried over to the fence to wait with the dog.
“Hi,” she called as he got out of the truck.
“How’s it going?”
“Not bad. I think your neighbor has been watching me.”
He nodded, planting his hands on his hips. A muscle at his jaw twitched. “He’d better keep his distance is all I can say for him.”
Duke barked and Alex ruffled his ears with his hands. “ I know, boy. He’s a meddling old man.”
“Maybe he’s lonely?”
“I thought that at first after his wife died and I tried to be nice to him, but then it became obvious he didn’t want a friend. Anyway, I called the local shelter while I drove over.”
“Do they have the dog?”
“Yeah they do and we can go get her.”
“That’s good.”
“When I explained the situation of how she’d come to be in my backyard, they informed me that the report said the complaint came from Mr. Brubaker. He stated a stray had gotten into my yard and he feared for my dog’s safety. The thing that really gets me is that the man knew I had been taking care of the dog for the last few days. We’d even talked about it because I didn’t want him doing anything like this if he should see her here.”
“You had?”
“Yeah. She came back the other night and I was able to get close enough to her. She doesn’t have any tags. And the shelter is going to check to see if she has a chip that might tell us who she belongs to. If not, then I can adopt her if I want. Or maybe you’d be interested in her?”
“Me?”
“Sure. Why not?”
She shook her head. “I live in an apartment complex that doesn’t allow pets. I—I’ve never even owned one before.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Don’t get me wrong.” She cautioned shifting her weight from foot to foot. “I like dogs. And I especially like Duke since I’ve gotten to know him through Keely and now you. A—and while I think I’m missing out on a lot by not being able to have a dog, I—I’m just not sure a large breed would be the right fit for me.”
Alex slowly grinned. “No problem. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. Come on, let’s go to the shelter and bring her home.”
“Sure. I gave Duke more water.” She hurried to the gate and Duke followed her. Opening it, she slipped through and latched it closed behind her. “We’ll be back, boy.”
The dog flopped down and looked up at her with a woeful expression. She glanced over at Alex. “Should we take him with us?”
“No. My truck isn’t large enough inside for the four of us. And I wouldn’t feel right putting either of them in the truck bed to ride.”
She nodded and looked back at Duke. “Sorry. You can’t come with us. Maybe another time, okay?”
The dog sighed as if he’d been rejected and laid his head down. She hurried to her car to grab her purse. When she climbed into the truck she turned to Alex. “Doesn’t he break your heart?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “No. Why is it that females fall for his moping around? You automatically assume there is something wrong with him. He’s perfectly content, that’s just the way he is. Keely fussed over him when she first moved in, calling me because she thought there was something wrong. And I’d say that is what got Jama too, except the only person she knew to call was his vet. That’s just
“ Come on, move your head. I can’t take a step with you like that.”
The dog ignored her and her level of frustration increased. She didn’t want to jerk her foot out from under him, but he wasn’t leaving her much choice. Moving her foot back and forth she tried to coax him off it, but he wouldn’t budge an inch.
“Duke. I mean it. You have to move your head.”
The dog jumped up and ran over to the fence again at the sound of a vehicle pulling in the drive. Alex had made record time coming home and she hurried over to the fence to wait with the dog.
“Hi,” she called as he got out of the truck.
“How’s it going?”
“Not bad. I think your neighbor has been watching me.”
He nodded, planting his hands on his hips. A muscle at his jaw twitched. “He’d better keep his distance is all I can say for him.”
Duke barked and Alex ruffled his ears with his hands. “ I know, boy. He’s a meddling old man.”
“Maybe he’s lonely?”
“I thought that at first after his wife died and I tried to be nice to him, but then it became obvious he didn’t want a friend. Anyway, I called the local shelter while I drove over.”
“Do they have the dog?”
“Yeah they do and we can go get her.”
“That’s good.”
“When I explained the situation of how she’d come to be in my backyard, they informed me that the report said the complaint came from Mr. Brubaker. He stated a stray had gotten into my yard and he feared for my dog’s safety. The thing that really gets me is that the man knew I had been taking care of the dog for the last few days. We’d even talked about it because I didn’t want him doing anything like this if he should see her here.”
“You had?”
“Yeah. She came back the other night and I was able to get close enough to her. She doesn’t have any tags. And the shelter is going to check to see if she has a chip that might tell us who she belongs to. If not, then I can adopt her if I want. Or maybe you’d be interested in her?”
“Me?”
“Sure. Why not?”
She shook her head. “I live in an apartment complex that doesn’t allow pets. I—I’ve never even owned one before.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Don’t get me wrong.” She cautioned shifting her weight from foot to foot. “I like dogs. And I especially like Duke since I’ve gotten to know him through Keely and now you. A—and while I think I’m missing out on a lot by not being able to have a dog, I—I’m just not sure a large breed would be the right fit for me.”
Alex slowly grinned. “No problem. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. Come on, let’s go to the shelter and bring her home.”
“Sure. I gave Duke more water.” She hurried to the gate and Duke followed her. Opening it, she slipped through and latched it closed behind her. “We’ll be back, boy.”
The dog flopped down and looked up at her with a woeful expression. She glanced over at Alex. “Should we take him with us?”
“No. My truck isn’t large enough inside for the four of us. And I wouldn’t feel right putting either of them in the truck bed to ride.”
She nodded and looked back at Duke. “Sorry. You can’t come with us. Maybe another time, okay?”
The dog sighed as if he’d been rejected and laid his head down. She hurried to her car to grab her purse. When she climbed into the truck she turned to Alex. “Doesn’t he break your heart?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “No. Why is it that females fall for his moping around? You automatically assume there is something wrong with him. He’s perfectly content, that’s just the way he is. Keely fussed over him when she first moved in, calling me because she thought there was something wrong. And I’d say that is what got Jama too, except the only person she knew to call was his vet. That’s just
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