Page 60 of Puppy Love

“Are you crazy?” she snaps in a low tone, like the dog will hear her and get offended. “He just growled at me like he meant it. And, he looks like the literal definition of disease.”

I look back at the dog. Grey, scaly skin pokes out through missing patches of fur. Half of his left ear is missing, and there’s a rather large scar around his yellowed eyes. I look back at her.

“Exactly, we can’t just leave him! He’s not going to bite me.” She continues gaping. “Oh, just take it!” I say, shoving the leash into her palm again. This time, she wraps her hand around it.

“Okay, okay,” she says. I wave, motioning for her to scoot even further back. She just stares.

“Move back,” I whisper. “He needs more space.”

Cam mutters under her breath, crossing her arms. “Bossy.”

“What was that?”

“I said you’re bossy,” she repeats, like I wasn’t asking just to falsely intimidate her.

She’s lucky I’m on a mission right now, or I’d throw her in my car, drive her home, and fuck that attitude right out of her.

“Do what I say, or I’ll show you who’s boss,” I say in a hushed breath instead.

Cam steps back.

I crouch as low to the ground as possible and slowly move sideways. I don’t walk toward the dog; I walk adjacent to him. He looks up at me with the same whale-eyed nervousness Reese gets when strangers try to touch him. This dog just tops his off with a chipped, ragged smile. I avert my eyes from his, looking down at his chest instead. If this dog is a stray, he’s probably unsocialized and doesn’t trust people.

I know a little something about that.

So I let him know I’m not a threat. I sit down at a comfortable distance, making sure my body is sideways. That way, he doesn’t feel like I’m staring at him head-on, but I can still see any sudden movements he decides to make.

“Be careful,” Cam whispers. I can tell she is genuinely nervous for me.

I’m not scared at all. I’m not going to do anything to push the dog out of his comfort zone. If he were going to attack us out of pure aggression, he would have already done it by now. He would have bit Cam instead of giving her a warning. I just shoot her a silent thumbs-up and continue my stakeout.

It only takes minutes for the dog to approach me.

He too is crouching, wearily following his nose to my path. I don’t move. He gets closer, his nose now inches from my ear. I hear the quick sniffs he’s taking through his nose, trying to figure me out. Another throaty growl leaves his mouth, and for that fleeting moment, I am scared. I’m scared that his nose is inches from my ear, and if he wanted to, he could rip it clean off. But like I said, the moment is fleeting.

Dogs can smell fear, y’know.

I hold as still as I can, taking shallow breaths so my lungs don’t fully inflate. The slightest movement could scare him away, and he may never know the safety of a home. I close my eyes.

Then, a wet, rough tongue drags across my cheek.

Talk about spreading disease.

My eyes shoot open, but I still make sure not to move too quickly. The dog continues licking me and starts to paw at my face and chest excitedly. His stance is loose, his tail wagging, but his ears are still on guard, which is fair, given the circumstances.

I slowly reach my hand out, placing it under his chin and scratch him gently. He leans into the touch, letting out a satisfying groan.

“I’ve got you,” I whisper, continuing to pet him. He rolls over on his back, tongue dangling out the side of his mouth. That is the ultimate sign of trust.

I smile, and lasso the leash loosely over his head, careful not to startle him. Then, I stand slowly. Once I am fully upright, he paws my legs, asking for more attention.

My eyes dart to Cam, putting my arm in the air with a victorious fist. Her mouth hangs halfway open, as she stares at me in disbelief.

“I told you.”

twenty-one

As You Wish

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