Cait dug in the pantry and located a bag of dried dog food. She pulled out the doggie dishes and filled them with food and water.
The two dogs rushed to the food and were soon gobbling and crunching with relish. Yep, they were definitely hungry, and now that she thought about it, she was also starving.
She’d been so busy at the festival, supervising her family that she hadn’t had time to catch a bite. She opened the refrigerator.
Someone had left a casserole, Brian’s favorite chicken rice with green enchilada sauce. The container looked suspiciously like the one she’d brought to the fire station a day ago.
She took a sniff, and it didn’t seem stale. Had Brian been here and left? Maybe he’d gone into town and was coming back. The carton of milk was still fresh, and there was an unopened piece of cheese, as well as a head of iceberg lettuce.
Cait grated the cheese over a serving of casserole and popped it in the microwave. After fixing herself a salad and making herself a cup of tea, she found a pair of candlesticks and made herself a candlelit dinner.
The dogs had finished inhaling the food and milled around her, wagging their tails and begging for pets.
“Whose dogs are you?” Cait asked as she ate her dinner. “Tomorrow, we have to go to town to find your owners.”
The dogs settled down and lay at her feet. After she finished eating, she brushed the dogs but was unable to remove all of the knots and mats in their fur. She did, however, pick out the twigs and burrs and wiped off the caked mud with a damp towel.
“That’s all I can do without giving you two a bath,” Cait said. Somehow, taking care of the dogs lowered her heart rate and when she was finished, a newfound sense of calm and peace settled over her. She might not have been able to comfort Brian, but she made the two lost dogs feel better. Someone still needed her, even if it was a dog, or in this case, a pair of dogs.
Brian hadn’t shown up yet, and she was getting sleepy. She undressed and crawled under the warm quilt her mother made when she was young.
Won’t Brian be surprised when he finds me. Maybe it’s time I tell him I love him. Maybe he loves me too, but he’s too shy to say so.
