I maneuver him under the water so that I can reach the shampoo. I work it into a lather while he rinses off under the hot spray. He reaches for a washcloth, adding my soap, before running it over his body.
Just as I tilt my head back to rinse the suds from my hair, the sharp rustle of plastic cuts through the sound of the water. I pause, shooting a questioning glance at Wes. He mirrors my confusion, his head cocked to the side, brows furrowed.
Shampoo is pouring into my eyes, so I quickly snap them closed to finish rinsing. The metal hooks scrape across the rod as Wes peeks out of the shower curtain to investigate.
“Shit. Dixie! No!”
My eyes shoot open at his exclamation, but before I can ask what happened, he’s bursting out of the shower.
I peer out of the curtain in time to see him chasing my dog out of the bathroom, dripping water as he goes. “Drop it, Dixie!” He slides across the hard floor and goes down, falling hard on his ass.
I give a long, single-toned whistle that gets her attention. “Dixie! Sit!” I command, trying to be of some help, even though I have no idea why he’s chasing her down. She immediately drops her butt to the floor by the couch and stares at me.
Wes crawls over to her, and I bite back the laugh that tries to slip free. It’s a comical sight, watching a grown man crawling naked on the floor. He pries open her jaws, searching for whatever she had.
After a few moments of looking, he slumps back on his heels.
“I'm pretty sure she swallowed it,” he calls over his shoulder.
“Swallowed what?”
He rubs at his eyes with the palms of his hands before meeting my stare with a resigned one of his own. “The condom.”
I tip my head back and stare at the ceiling.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
After getting dressed and a more thorough search for the condom, in which we still come up empty-handed, I pull up the vet’s cell number on my phone.
“I’m so sorry,” Wes apologizes profusely. He’s looking directly at Dixie when he says it, so I’m not sure if those words are meant for me or for what she’s about to experience.
Dr. Dillard answers his cell on the third ring. “Sawyer, you have a horse down?” his grandfatherly voice rasps over the line.
“No. I caught Dixie digging through my trash, and she swallowed something she shouldn’t have.” I breathlessly explain.
“What was it she swallowed?” It’s a question I was hoping he wouldn’t ask, given the circumstances, but I can’t say I’m surprised.
I glance at Wes and feel my cheeks heat in embarrassment. “A used condom,” I reply to Dr. Dillard flatly.
Wes stares at the ceiling and shakes his head as if he’s questioning exactly what God has against him.
“Oh. Um.” He coughs, attempting to cover a laugh, but it does little to hide his amusement at my predicament. “You’resureshe swallowed it?”
“Positive.”
His tone shifts, turning more serious. “Any signs of stomach trouble? Vomiting? Diarrhea?”
“No, nothing like that. It just happened a little bit ago.”
“How long ago, exactly?”
I glance at the clock. “Maybe ten minutes, tops.”
“Alright, you better bring her in. I’ll induce vomiting to make sure it doesn’t get lodged somewhere and cause problems. I’ll meet you at the clinic in a few minutes.”
“Thanks. See you soon.” I end the call, and my chest loosens slightly now that there’s a plan in place. “Wanna go for a ride, Dixie?”
Her ears perk up and she cocks her head to the side, tongue lolling out of the side of her toothy grin.
