Page 6 of A Mate For Matrix
Matrix would find him soon enough. Matrix would probably be mad at him for chasing that small, gray creature with the long fluffy tail. He would have caught it too, if it hadn’t taken to the trees—and if he hadn’t been hit by the large transport when he’d darted across the road. The collision had definitely taken him by surprise.
“You’re just a big baby, aren’t you, boy?” the female crooned in a husky voice that caused K-Nine’s ears to twitch in pleasure.
Another low groan escaped him. His eyes started to close again until he felt something crawling on him—correction... several somethings. Forcing his head up, he blinked sleepily at the gray creature struggling to climb up onto his side. The female’s fingers moved to scratch behind his ear.
“That’s Biscuit. The golden one is Honeybun, and the cream-colored one is Butter. I’m Jana,” she added with a sheepish grimace. “That’s what happens when I’m hungry. I name things after food. They are my babies, so you have to be nice and not eat them.”
K-Nine watched as the golden one sniffed at him, jerking back several times before tentatively stretching forward again. His gaze moved to the third one. Butter was swiping at his tail.
Curious, he moved the tip. The small kitten jumped backwards, staring at it. Moving it again, he waited to see what would happen. Almost immediately, the cream-colored fur ball pounced on it with a low hiss.
“Oh no,” Jana breathed, torn between terror and hysterical laughter. “He’s got a toy now. A sentient, tail-chasing, kitten-wrangling toy.”
A soft snort escaped him. He blinked in fascination as the kitten sneezed, then shook its tiny head as if it had rebooted. He wondered if the tiny creature was trying to process the information it was receiving.
“Honeybun, no baby! That’s not a nipple,” the woman exclaimed with a reproving laugh when the kitten tried to push under his back leg.
K-Nine quickly shifted his leg and released a soft, startled woof. Honeybun ignored him and simply tried to climb up onto his side to join her brother. Allowing his head to fall back, K-Nine decided that if he had to be out of commission for a while, this was as good a place as any.
Matrix will find me, K-Nine thought with a contented grunt and twitched his ear when Biscuit nipped at it. Eventually.
Chapter Three
Jana sighed, looping the flimsy leash around Linguine’s neck and fastening the clip with a soft click. He didn’t have a collar, and none in the clinic’s supply closet had fit—not even the oversized one meant for Saint Bernards. Fortunately, there were a few extra leashes in a drawer labeled For Forgetful Pet Parents.
“You better not bolt on me,” she warned, crouching in front of him. “This thing’s about as sturdy as dental floss, and I’d rather not get dragged down the sidewalk like a rag doll. Also? Please don’t strangle yourself trying to chase a squirrel or something.”
She affectionately ruffled the fur on the top of his head. “Oh, and before I forget, I’ll need to stop at the gas station or we’ll be walking home, so no barking at everyone,” Jana instructed before she released a laugh when Linguine sneezed and looked at the thin cord with distaste. “I promise to take it off the minute we get home. I live way out in the sticks—you’ll feel right at home.”
Jana stood up. With a grin, she picked up the small travel carrier with the meowing kittens inside. She had concluded that unless she wanted to drive with kittens climbing all over her, she had better get them used to being in the carrier.
“Okay, the office is clean, the kittens are confined, and the dog food is in the trunk. The most amazing thing is that you are on a leash without a fight. Everything’s good to go, so let’s make like a tree and leave,” she announced with a bright smile.
Jana cast one last glance at the quiet vet’s office, its porch light flickering in the afternoon haze. A warm breeze stirred the wind chimes above the door, jangling out a soft tune like a farewell. Ahead of her, the leash tugged lightly. She smiled.
“Alright, Linguine. I’m coming. I’m coming.”
Jana giggled as Linguine walked calmly beside her.
If he was a wild wolf, she was Tinkerbell in sneakers. There was no way a wild wolf would behave like this. Heck, she didn’t know many domesticated dogs that were this good on a leash. He had to have been trained, maybe as a service dog or something.
She would take a picture of him and print out posters to display around town this weekend. Surely if someone had lost him, they would be eager to have him returned.
She opened the back door of her old Camry, set the carrier on the seat, and clicked the belt over the handle. Walking around to the other side, Jana opened it for Linguine. Her mouth dropped open when he jumped in without her having to say anything, and circled before sitting down. Her eyebrow rose when he sneezed again.
“You’ve definitely done this before,” she murmured with a shake of her head. “Okay, gas station, here we come.”
Jana shut the back passenger door and walked around to the driver’s side. She paused, blinking. Linguine was now in the front passenger seat.
She frowned and glanced at him, then the back seat, before returning her gaze to his dark gray eyes.
“Okay, you’re a front-seat kind of dog,” she murmured, reaching out to shut the door with a shake of her head. “I’m good with that as long as you stay on your side of the console.”
Jana fastened her seatbelt and started the car. She immediately rolled down the windows. The air conditioner had died last summer, and she didn’t have the money to fix it. She didn’t need it all that often anyway. She slowly pulled away from the vet’s office and onto the main highway. There was a convenience-gas station a half mile down the road.
Turning up the radio, she reached over and absently scratched Linguine’s back as he stuck his head out the window. She sang along with the song playing and tried to think about what she was going to do with the next two months off.
“We could go to the lake,” she murmured between songs. “Or, I’ve been wanting to put in a new flower bed in the backyard, near the tree with the swing. I could do that too. I was thinking of going up to Canada, but that’s kind-of hard to do with four animals. It will be nice to save some money anyway.”
