Page 15 of Pigeon

“Hey, Thor. What a brave boy you’re being today,” Ivy says in a soothing tone as she takes a seat next to me.

I heard her enter the room but hadn’t taken my attention off Thor. Looking at her now, I’m again fighting back anger when my eyes land on her bruise. Ivy’s eyes meet mine, and she shifts somewhat to obscure my view of the battered side of her face. When she hands me a dog biscuit, I let the questions I have for her drop for the time being. Taking the biscuit, I hold it through the wire toward Thor. Once again, it takes a moment, but he leans close enough to carefully take the treat from my hand.

“Ava bakes those treats and drops them off regularly. Dale, a guy that works the day shift, swears they smell good enough that he’s always tempted to eat them himself,” Ivy says on a small laugh.

“Knowing Ava, they’re probably made from the best ingredients and are safe for human consumption. I’ll ask Chubs when I see him because chances are, he’s had a few already,” I say. “Is Gunner going to be a donkey dad now?”

“No doubt. At least he seems happy about it too,” Ivy responds.

“Gunner’s happy anytime Ava’s happy. Doesn’t matter why, he just is. The donkeys will have a good life with them. Their kids will spoil them rotten, and the girls will be painting their hooves and adding ribbons to their tails for sure. You chose well by thinking of Ava,” I say.

“I’ve seen you here before, but I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Ivy.”

“I’m Pigeon. You have a phone on you, Ivy?” I ask.

Giving me a questioning look, Ivy pulls her phone out of her pocket.

“I want you to add my number to your contacts, Ivy,” I tell her.

“Okay. Can I ask why?” she asks as she opens up her contact list, finger hovering over her phone.

I gently take the phone from her and add my name and number. Handing it back to her, I say, “I want you to call that number the next time that horse head bops you. When you do, I’ll come. I can, and will, do whatever level of intervention you want or need. I’ll get you to a safe place or make the place you’re at safe. I also have no issue with putting the horse down in a permanent manner. Your decision, but I’ll come no matter when you call.”

I watch her face as my words sink in, and I catch the fleeting look of hope, possibly relief, as they do. She quickly ducks her head, and when she lifts it, the look is gone, and her expression is of resignation. I wait, knowing she’ll speak when she’s gathered her thoughts. I expect a denial or anger, but instead, I get truth.

“If I do that, I’ll lose everything my grandparents worked for and wanted for me,” Ivy answers in a soft, defeated voice, shoulders slumping.

“I don’t know your circumstances, Ivy. But I do know no woman deserves whatever you’re going through. I also know there is always a way, even if it’s not obvious at first. I’m willing to help however you need it, and I have a club brother whose woman is an expert in this kind of thing. She can help you figure out anything you need to and come up with a good solution. You don’t have to deal with this alone if you don’t want to. Use that number, yeah?”

Ivy hesitates for a moment before looking at me again. Another moment, and she gives a small nod. As much as I want to fix this problem right now, I know she needs to be the one to make that decision. Standing, I reach down, grasp her hand, and help her to her feet.

“Thank you, Pigeon,” Ivy whispers just before the door opens, and Ava comes rushing in.

I release her hand and step back as Ava and Gunner approach. I partially listen to their conversation, but I turn back to Thor. I find he’s laid himself as close to the door of the kennel as he can physically get. While Ivy and I were talking, he relaxed and placed himself close to the humans. Huge step for a scared, abused dog. Crouching down, I slide my hand through the kennel and run my finger over his head. I get a tail wag and a slight body wiggle before he turns to lick my hand. I think I made a new friend tonight. Maybe even two new friends.

“Did I see a look? I’m sure I did. I saw a look,” Axel says again.

Again, I ignore him and continue sipping my beer. We’re back at the clubhouse after leaving the animal rescue, and while Gunner and Ava headed home, Axel stayed to have a beer with me. I’m contemplating buying flowers for Bailey myself just so Axel feels it’s safe to head home.

“What kind of look?” asks Horse as he takes a seat next to Axel.

“Don’t encourage him, you dick,” I mumble before downing the last of my beer and reaching over the bar to grab another.

“A look that said there’s some interest there,” Axel answers.

“That true, Pigeon? You having dirty thoughts about the lady at the rescue?” Horse questions with a smirk. “Isn’t she a little old for you? I would’ve never thought you’d go for the cougar type.”

“Not the lady who runs it. The young one that works evenings there. Ivy. The very young one,” Axel replies, emphasizing the words “very young.”

“You’re listening to a guy who spent the evening flirting with a bird,” I inform Horse.

“Prissy is gorgeous, has great taste, and is intelligent! Who wouldn’t flirt with her?” Axel argues.

“Wait a minute. I thought her name was Ivy. Who’s Prissy?” Horse asks, clearly confused.

“Prissy is a cockatoo who lives at the rescue. She’s smart and very vocal. Ivy is the young lady that works evenings and is the best with the animals. Why are we talking about them?” Chubs asks as he and Lucy join us at the bar.

“Ivy called Gunner about a couple of donkeys she thought Ava would like. We went to look at them, and Axel met and flirted shamelessly with Prissy while we were there. It was beyond disturbing, to say the least,” I say, bringing them up to date on this strange conversation.

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