Page 28 of Light Up The Night
The stop turns out to be a hair salon on the main street. Noelle is a very beautiful young woman about my age and of a similar height, although where I am slender and slight of build, she is more of a Venusian beauty—and a heavily pregnant one. Riley leads the way into the salon, and the young woman sees him and lights up. "Rye-guy! Finally gonna let me at that hair of yours?" she says, grinning at him with a teasing twinkle in her green eyes as she clips with expert speed and precision at a teenage boy's hair.
Riley blows a raspberry. "Not even close, babe, not even close. You got a minute after you're done there?"
She glances at her client and then at the smart watch on her left wrist. "Yeah, like five minutes? What's up?" She turns her gaze to me. "And introduce me to your…friend?"
It only occurs to me when she hesitates on the word 'friend' that Riley and I are holding hands again.
I look up at him. "Riley, you are giving people an incorrect impression regarding the nature of our relationship."
"It bothers you if people think we're together?" he asks.
I frown, considering it. "Hmmm. No. You did say you have a reputation to consider, however."
“Yeah, that was out of concern for you, babe. I was sayin' you may not want to hitch yourself to my wagon."
I frown all the harder. "But…why? Mrs. Aldis said you are well-respected member of the community."
"By some. Not by everyone." He gestures at his friend. "Cadence Creswell, MD, this is my good friend Noelle."
Noelle smiles at me, but her attention seems to be more on Riley as she finishes with her client, takes his money, and cleans her station. "So, Riley. I take it this isn't a social call."
A door in the rear of the salon opens and closes, and then I hear a bizarre clicking sound. I have no time to prepare myself for what happens next.
That being the bounding, slobbery arrival of a canine roughly the size of a not very small horse. It is the most terrifying creature I have ever seen, and I have come face to face with wild lions—sleeping on a game preserve, but still.
I scream and shrink against Riley, all but climbing his body like a tree as the gigantic, slavering creature barks deafeningly, greeting Noelle with a wild, slapping tongue. It then spies me and trots over to me, tongue extended.
I leap fully into Riley's arms, shaking like a leaf. "Get that creature away from me!"
Riley is laughing. "Hey, hey, hey, easy, hon. That's Panzer." He turns, so I am forced to look at the beast, which has claws like sabers and teeth like daggers, and the most intimidating, terrifying visage one could imagine. The beast could devour a lion, I do believe. “He's big and scary looking, but he's a sweetheart. He's just saying hi."
"Panzer.Platz." The voice giving the command—in German—is monstrously deep, rough, and quiet. The dog immediately flops to his belly, panting without taking his eyes off me.
"Bear!" Riley says, his voice betraying his pleasure at the newcomer’s arrival. "Come meet Cadence."
The owner of the voice is every bit as terrifying as the dog. Several inches taller than Riley and carrying a veritable mountain of muscle, he has bright red hair in a long, thick braid, with a beard also worn long and braided—the man from the photographs in Riley’s home. His eyes are kind, however, andthe way he embraces Noelle with gentle, loving affection puts me at ease.
He kisses Noelle and then releases her, approaching me. "We're scary dudes, Panzer and me." His smile is patient and warm. I wriggle, and Riley lets me find my feet. "I get it."
I stare at the canine, who is panting and drooling and watching me like I'm his next meal. His eyes, for a dog, don't seem aggressive, but I am unfamiliar with dogs.
"Dogs frighten me," I admit. "I was accosted by a dog when I was a child. It bit me and would not let go." I extend my left forearm to show the scars I still bear.
"I'm sorry that happened. Panzer is a highly trained dog, though. He won't move from that spot unless I tell him he can. You don't need to be afraid of him." He extends his hand to me. "I'm Bear."
I shake his hand—his is more of a paw than a hand, so big and powerful, I find it plausible that he could crush bricks into dust, if he so chose. Yet despite this, his grip is gentle. "I am Cadence Creswell." I eye the dog, Panzer, warily. "May I approach him?"
Bear crouches at his dog's side, gripping the beast's collar with one hand and wrapping his giant, burly arm around the dog's enormous neck. "Yeah, 'course. Let him sniff the back of your hand. He won't bite, you have my word.”
I shift forward by inches, hand extended, teeth clenched, heart palpitating furiously. Once I am in range, the enormous beast sniffs my offered hand with surprising delicacy. His nose is wet and cold. His tongue, when it flips against my knuckles, is warm and wet, in contrast. One lick, and then the dog gives me what I can only describe as a big, eager, doggy grin.
"Oh." I clear my throat and force myself to let go of Riley's hand, shifting the last few inches toward the dog. "Hallo, mein Hundefreund. Du bist sehr gross. Aber ich muss doch keineAngst vor dir haben, oder?" The dog woofs at me, a quiet noise, a huff of hot breath.
I feel three pair of eyes on me. Riley palms the back of his neck. "You speak German?"
"Yes. I speak several languages in varying degrees of fluency."
"Several?" he repeats. "Such as?"
