Page 69 of Baby For The Billionaire Silver Fox

Nicole and I took opposite sides of the street and shined our phone flashlights in the bushes, around trees, and under parked cars as we walked. “Buddy! Come here, boy! I’ve got Scooby Snacks!” Nicole yelled over and over. I took up the call when she would let me. Her voice was getting hoarse, and so far, no Buddy.

We met in the middle of the road, blocks from home. “Poor guy, he’s out here somewhere in the dark, all alone, lost,” she said, tears in her eyes.

I hugged her and then stroked the loose hair back from her face. “We’ll turn on this next corner and move the net farther in that direction,” I said.

“Just when I was feeling good that no one would come to claim him, and he was all mine.”

She looked down at her feet. “What if—what if he decided to find his previous owner? What if he doesn’t love me as much as I love him?” Her face cracked, and she let out a sob.

My heart went out to her. “Nah, that’s crazy talk. He loves you. You’ve been a great dog mom to him. He’s pretty lucky, and I think he knows it. Don’t you see the adoring looks he gives you at all times except when asleep? He’s probably just enjoying an evening on the town and will come back soon.”

“Please be right,” Nicole pleaded.

We swept the next block and the next. Lexi and Matt were coming up empty too.

“Buddy! Come out, come out, wherever….” Nicole stopped abruptly and grabbed my arm.

“Dan, what’s that big lump in the gutter? Please, God, don’t tell me that’s my dog.”

She didn’t move, so I yanked her along as I ran. My flashlight bobbed with my steps, and I couldn’t make it out until I was up close. There was fur and four legs. It was Buddy.

“Buddy!” Nicole sobbed.

She fell to her knees next to him. He lifted his head and looked at her with adoration. His tail thumped, although a little feebly.

She went into nurse mode. “His pulse is pretty good. He looks banged up, but I’m not sure if anything is broken.” She looked around, cool-headed and efficient. Her nurse training had kicked in. “We need something like a thick blanket as a makeshift stretcher to get him to the animal hospital.”

“I’ll run back and get the car and find something at Nana’s,” I said. “Are you okay here?”

She nodded, crooning to Buddy and stroking his face lightly. “I’ll let Lexi and Matt know so they can stop searching.”

We took him to the animal hospital, and the veterinarian on-call examined him closely. “He’s a lucky dog. No broken bones. He’s got some cuts, one that I sewed up, and probably many bruises that will make him pretty sore for a few days.”

“Thank you, doctor. I’m glad I get to take him home tonight. He’s not going to be happy with the Cone of Shame, but we’ll deal with it.”

Nicole looked at me. “I hope whoever hit him rots in hell for not stopping. After they’ve paid the vet bills.”

“I took care of that second part, and I agree with you on the first.”

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Nicole

Itwaslatebythe time I’d gotten Buddy home and settled on his dog bed on the floor. “No hopping up in my bed for a while, mister,” I told him. “Trust me, you’re not going to want to try.”

Buddy’s face drooped, and he looked at me with big, sorrowful eyes. He was clearly unhappy with the white plastic cone around his head.

“Sorry. Really! As soon as those stitches are removed, you can have your life back. Until then, you’ve got to wear it.” I reached in and scratched him right behind his ears, just like he liked it.

I crawled up on my bed and crashed hard until I had to get up for work the next morning.

Dan: How is our Buddy this morning?

I smiled at his use of the word “our” until I remembered that I didn’t tell him what I’d gone over to his house to tell him last night. Damn it. It had completely slipped my mind. I had been so worried about Buddy.

Me: He’s a pretty pathetic pooch right now. Not that I blame him. I’m not sure which bothers him more—the injuries to his body or the injury to his pride from having to wear the cone.

Dan: I only work a four-hour shift today, so after that I can come over and keep him company for a while.

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