Page 40 of Blind Luck

Usually, I did everything I could to avoid being stuck in small rooms with a man. Not just because of the closet thing, but due to the time I lived in Texas. A whole seven weeks. That was how long it took for my ex-boss to shove me into a storeroom and stick his fingers into me. I beaned him with a frying pan, and maybe there was a warrant out for my arrest? Who knew? Not me. I hopped on the next bus and wound up in Florida.

But Rusty was holding the dog, and the veterinarian was on his way. A witness. Even though the room was small, it was also bright, and my heart wasn’t thudding against my ribcage the way it usually did.

There was one seat by the door, and Rusty motioned me to take it while he let the dog out of the bag. It stood in the corner shaking, my spirit animal.

The veterinarian entered the room. “Ms. Fi— Ah, you’re not who I was expecting.”

“Astrid is parking the car,” I said. “This is the dog she called about.”

He crouched beside the quaking pooch. “What do we have here? A bichon? A Maltese? Maybe a poodle? You’re a skinny little thing.”

“He was stuck in a canyon,” I volunteered. “We don’t know how long for.”

“And Astrid couldn’t turn her back, I suppose?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“I’m not surprised. There’s a reason she’s one of my best customers.”

Sin spent her spare time…rescuing dogs? I thought she’d be jumping out of airplanes or something. There was a soft knock at the door, the veterinarian said, “Okay,” and Sin slipped inside.

“How is he?”

“Drastically underweight. I’m surprised he’s still standing. We’ll start by running a blood panel.”

“He needs fluids.”

“He does. And an X-ray on that back leg. Another day in the desert, and I doubt he’d still be with us.”

“Can you do the blood work now? I know it’s late, but…”

“I’ll stay. What kind of budget are we working with?”

She just looked at him.

“Right. I’ll make sure he has one-on-one care through the night. I suspect surgical intervention will be necessary for the leg, but he’s weak at the moment. It’ll be a balance between building up his strength and fixing the bone before it sets badly on its own.”

“Any prognosis?”

“We’ll talk after the initial tests, but I’m hopeful.”

“That’s good to hear. I—” Sin’s phone chirped, and she cursed under her breath as she checked the screen. “I have a work emergency.”

“Ah, I completely understand. We’ll take good care of him. Does he have a name?”

“Not yet.”

“You want us to stay?” Rusty asked. “After two hours in that canyon, I’ve grown attached to the little fella.”

Sin considered the offer for a moment and finallynodded. “If there’s a decision to be made, make a good one. And cost isn’t part of the equation.”

“Understood.”

She hurried out the door, and I pondered the interaction.

“I think she likes you,” I whispered to Rusty.

“I think she scares me,” he whispered back.

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