Reaching up, I swipe the filth from my eyes, doing my best to flip it outside instead of in. I tentatively bring the tips of one finger to my nose, taking a sniff to make sure it really is mud.
And not horse shit.
Thankfully, it smells like earth and not the inside of a mare, so I don’t feel as inclined to turn around. But I’m not sure I would have gone back even if it was manure.
These boys need to understand how serious this is and nothing says serious like your mother showing up on your doorstep on Thanksgiving, covered in crap.
I lean a little more out the open door so I can spit, making sure I don’t ingest any of what’s caking my face, just in case I misidentified it.
As I’m bent over, Gunner starts to bark behind me, losing his mind over something he’s staring at through my door. I glare at him over one shoulder, giving him my best threatening mom voice when I say, “Don’t you dare. I swear to God, I’ll never give you another treat ag?—”
I knew it was coming, but I still yelp when the lab bounds over me, taking off through the rain.
If this is a sign, I’m ignoring it. Slamming my door closed, I turn off the path to follow Gunner.
Because I’m going to find my dog and then I’m going to hunt down each of my sons so I can figure out how to fix whatever I broke in them.
2
Tobias
“I KNOW. I know. You’ve gotta pee.” I stumble out of my bedroom and down the steps, trying not to bust my ass as Copper races down in front of me. She reaches the first floor of the house we share and dances in circles, like I need reminding she’s got business to take care of outside.
And if I don’t get her there fast enough, she has no problem filing her paperwork on the rug.
Scrubbing at my burning eyes I follow behind the toy poodle who treats me like her servant as she races for the back door, claws scrambling against the hardwood. I whip it open as soon as we reach it, not wanting her to suffer any longer for my own actions. We should have gotten out of bed way before now, but I stayed up too late working on the armored car prototype currently occupying my garage.
Then possibly had a little too much whiskey, hoping it would help me sleep. I guess I was right, but at the cost of my throbbing head.
And possibly Copper’s bladder.
Because the second the door is open, Copper races out like she’s on fire. Cold air whips against my bare skin, bringing along rain so cold it feels like ice, making me suck in a sharp breath.
“Fucking hell.” I keep my eyes on where my dog is currently squatted at the base of the stairs leading to the deck, as I reach for the blanket draped over the back of my sofa. It’s cold as hell standing here with the door open, but I can’t leave Copper on her own. There’s too many animals roaming around the mountains in search of an easy meal. And while I know her well enough to assume she probably tastes like piss and vinegar, anything else will see her as the tasty morsel they’ve been hunting for.
I do my best to wrap up in the fuzzy covering as Copper wanders around sniffing, in search of the perfect spot to make a deposit. The blanket is soft and hides a decent amount of my mostly naked form, but the air cuts right through the fibers, making it way less effective at keeping me warm than the flannel shirt and jeans I wish I’d pulled on before coming down.
Reallywish I’d pulled on, because before instead of squatting to take a dump, my damn dog takes off like a bat out of hell, racing out of sight.
And I can’t let her out of my sight. Copper is tiny and not made for the wilderness. She might be a hellion, but she’s also depressingly important to me. The only link I have to the happiest time of my life.
Also the biggest mistake I ever made, but I try not to dwell on that part. Usually unsuccessfully.
“Goddammit, Copper.” Like the eternal dumbass I am, I run out into the pelting rain wearing nothing but boxer briefs and the fluffy blanket, cussing my head off as my feet skid across theslick deck. The skin of my soles burns from the cold as I hop down the steps and across the grass, chasing after the dog who’s done her damnedest to make me suffer for my sins. For the shortsightedness that led to both of us being left behind.
Not that Copper’s abandonment was complete. I could have let her go, but then where would that leave me?
Totally fucking alone. And I think that might have sent me off the deep end. Especially since the woman who could have been here with me and Copper—if I wasn’t a total jackass—is out in California living her best life with some prick who owns a winery and drives a stock Mercedes.
How fucking cliche.
I barely catch a glimpse of Copper’s fuzzy ass as I round the back corner of my house. “I swear to God, Copper. I’m throwing away every one of your fuck pillows if you don’t get your ass back here right now.”
I must be moving too fast for the current yard conditions, because when I try to make the next turn, my feet start to slide, forcing me to fling both arms out in an attempt to keep my balance. My flailing causes me to let go of the blanket serving as my only protection against the elements and the wind rips it away, leaving me standing barefoot in my underwear, soaked from head to toe.
Watching my ex-girlfriend’s horny poodle hump one of the ornamental rocks stationed around the flower beds flanking my front porch.
“You’re no better than your Uncle Tucker.” I stomp over to collect the heathen who shares my bed, holding her wet, furry body at arm’s length as I carry her inside to dry her off.
