Page 7 of Safe With Me

Stepping away, he went to the cupboard again and got the kibble that he’d bought on a whim. As he poured the chunks into a dish, the dog bolted up and over to it. “Okay, okay, I guess you’re really hungry.” He set the bowl down then retrieved the blanket and, as the dog ate, he covered him again.

After the bowl was empty, he didn’t refill it. The animal needed to digest what he had eaten or he would get sick. He got coffee for himself and sat at the counter. The dog watched him.

Something had to be done about this. He couldn’t send the mutt out into the rain again, but he couldn’t have a dog. He’d get too attached to it and the one thing Pax had avoided was attachments.

The dog’s eyes got droopy. He found another blanket he’d used for camping and fluffed it up. Set it in the corner. Then he carried the dog to it.

He reheated the first blanket and set it on top of the mutt who closed his eyes. Two minutes later, he was snoring.

Pax opened his laptop and clicked into the ads on the local section. He scanned them. A dog had gotten lost, but it was a little Yorkie. Ads for cats that were missing. Nothing for a big, scrawny dog.

So he went to the advertising section and paid for an ad with his credit card. He only had one and barely used it.

Dog found. Mixed breed. About three feet high and scrawny. Email clinic.westwood.org. It would run for three days starting tomorrow. Huh. He could put up posters around town but not in this weather.

He made toast for breakfast and ate a banana. And still the dog snoozed. Pax went into the bathroom and showered. Everything in his house was old but in good condition. The hot spray soothed him. For some reason, he remembered showering with one of the women in his life. He wondered if Steph Giordano liked shower sex. He could picture her reddish blond hair wet and slicked back.

Damn. What was he doing thinking about her like that? He finished quickly, dressed in scrubs and ran a towel through his hair, then went back to the kitchen.

After 15 minutes, he got the kibble out again and poured more into the bowl. The dog awoke right away. He lumbered over to it and devoured the second serving.

He sighed heavily. “I guess you’re coming to work with me.”

He’d forgotten his wallet on the table so he pocketed it and turned around. The dog had crapped on the floor. He guessed he should have let him outside, despite the rain.

He cleaned that up and then carried the dog to the bathroom and ran him a bath. When he set him in the tub, the animal got skittish. “Shh,” he said again and soothed his back. Finally, it settled into the warm water.

He used his own soap to clean up the dog. Its fur was all tangled and had small twigs and stones in it. He used conditioner on the lumps. It took a long time to get him clean.

He found contusions on two legs and some bumps on his head. Hell, the dog was a mess. When he went to lift him up, the thing panicked and splashed the water. All over Pax and the floor.

Cursing, he left the dog there and drained the tub, catching the debris he left behind. Finally, he scooped up the dog who let Pax dry him.

Then he nuzzled into Pax’s neck.

God, that feels good. Nobody had nuzzled him in years. He forgot he liked it.

He changed again then managed to get the dog into the car in the garage. He set him in the back seat on yet another towel but he had no way to secure him. “Stay put, okay?”

And as he drove to work, he thought,What the hell have I gotten into?

The clinic wasn’t open for two weeks, so the place was dark and cold. He put the dog in his small office, tucked the blanket around him and turned on a space heater. “You’re going to stay here and sleep.” Again, the dog settled in and closed its eyes. Pax made a list of what he’d need for the mutt for a couple of nights, and that he’d later give to the owner. If they ever came forward.

Let’s see…A leash. Some small toys. More food and a bed. He found a bowl left over from one of his meals and left water on the floor by the blanket.

Then he sat at his desk and checked today’s to-do list.

Stock the shelves with…

Wait a sec. He got up and in the storage closet, he found the boxes of stuff he’d saved from the clinic in Syracuse, where he’d met Jackson. He pulled out one that saidEssentials. He got out his playbook for the clinic there and found a list of supplies and items needed to stock the exam rooms. He’d already ordered furniture which would be delivered this week.

He wrote down:

Go to Pet store. Bed. Food. Harness. Toys. Etc.

Find a part-time doctor. He’d already hired a nurse, a receptionist and a cleaning service.

Security.Geez. He remembered the fiasco of yesterday with the female guard. Will had called and asked him to give her a chance.

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