Page 56 of Killian

“Oh, really? You know, I still think about the agent that was here that day with Killian. Caysen Anderson. He’s been on my mind a lot.”

“He was sexy too. I haven’t seen him since that day.” Celine frowned.

“Well, if you do see him, tell him he needs to read a book, and I just happen to sell them.” Sydney laughed.

Celine chuckled. “I’ll try to fit that into the conversation if I ever see him again.”

“Okay. Here you go.” Sydney handed Celine her money for the coffee. “Let’s have lunch soon. I’d better go. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Celine said as Sydney walked out the door.

As the day went on, Celine wondered what Killian was doing. She knew he was working on the case about the missing sheep, but she’d hoped to hear from him. Shaking her head, she knew that was unfair. He was a very busy man,and she knew he’d be in touch. She got back to work, serving coffee, and had trouble keeping the smile from her face.

****

Friday, as Killian drove down a quiet back street on his way home from the diner, his eyes caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. A woman, frantically waving her arms in distress. He slowed his truck and pulled over to the side of the road, stepping out onto the hot pavement. The heat was intense, even in the shade of the trees that lined the street. The woman ran toward him, tears streaming down her face.

“Ma’am? Is there something wrong?” Killian asked, concerned.

“There’s a dog in that car,” she said, pointing to a vehicle parked along the street. “It’s not moving. Please help it.”

Killian jogged to the car, peered in the window and clenched his jaw. His stomach twisted into knots as he saw the motionless form of a dog inside. He looked back at the woman.

“Do you know who owns this car?”

“No. I think they’re visiting someone, but it’s so hot out and I have no way to help it.” Her voice trembled with emotion.

“I’ll be right back.” Without wasting another moment, Killian returned to his own vehicle and retrieved a tire iron and a bottle of water from the back of the truck. He marched back to the parked car. “Stand back.”

The woman nodded and stepped away asKillian took a swing at the back side window, shattering it with one strong blow from the tire iron. Glass shards scattered across the seat, but the dog didn’t flinch. Reaching inside, Killian unlocked the door and carefully lifted the dog from the sweltering back seat and carried it to the grass where he laid it down. It looked to be under a year old, and part German shepherd. The poor creature was panting heavily but unresponsive.

Kneeling on the ground, Killian poured water from the bottle over itshead, neck, groin area, and on its paw padsto cool it down. The woman knelt beside him and stroked the dog’s fur gently while murmuring words of comfort.

Killian looked at the woman. “I’ll be right back; I need to see if I have any rubbing alcohol in my truck.”

He didn’t wait for her to answer, he ran back to his truck and looked through it. He found rubbing alcohol pads, then ran back to the dog.

“What does that do?” the woman asked.

“Dogs release heat through their paw pads. This will help draw some heat out.”

“I had no idea. How do you know that?”

“I’m a livestock agent, I learned what I could about all animals.” He opened one of the packages, removed a pad, then applied it to the paws. “See if you can get him to take a drink. Just pour a little into his mouth.”

Suddenly, a voice interrupted their rescue efforts.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing?” someone shouted, but Killian ignored them. He was focused on trying to save the poor animal. “Youbusted my window, man.”

Killian let out a heavy sigh and stood up to confront the angry owner. “Sir, I’m Agent Doyle with the livestock division, and you’re damn lucky I don’t bust your head. You don’t leave a dog in a hot car with the windows up.”

“I wasn’t that long,” the man protested.

“You were long enough,” Killian retorted. “It’s ninety degrees outside! Do you realize how hot it is in that car? It only takes ten minutes for the interior temperature of a car to reach a potentially fatal one hundred and nine degrees on a day this hot.” He shook his head in disbelief, then kneeled by the dog again. “I’m calling the sheriff, and he’ll cite you for animal cruelty. I’m going to get this dog to a vet.” Glancing over his shoulder at the man, he added, “You’d better hope this dog makes it.”

“I didn’t know it would get that hot that fast,” the man stammered.

Killian stood and stepped closer, his anger bubbling just beneath the surface. “Then you don’t deserve a dog. Do not move.” He removed his cellphone from his pocket and called Sam. After explaining the situation to Sam, he looked at the man again, and demanded, “License, registration, and proof of insurance.”

---