Page 19 of No Bones About It

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 thepaddock. 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’dthought 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.

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