Wes jingles his keys in his hands. “We can take my truck,” he says.
I hadn’t expected him to come with us, but I’m not going to argue with him over it. I nod at his offer and we all head outside.
The rain has stopped, but there’s still a damp chill hanging in the air that seeps through my clothes and settles deep in my bones. I shiver, tugging the sleeves of my sweatshirt over my hands as Wes blasts the heat. The vents in the old truck pushes out nothing but cold air first, making my nipples pull tight under my sweatshirt.I cross my arms over my chest, attempting to hide my body's reaction to the cold.
I bite nervously at my fingernails, a bad habit I’ve never been able to break. My thoughts spiral, anxiety over Dixie pressing heavy on my chest. Wes glances over. He catches the movement, eyes flicking to my hands. Without a word, he reaches over and grabs one, lacing his fingers through mine.The warmth of his palm grounds me, chasing away the lingering chill.
“She’s gonna be okay,” he says.
I nod and swallow down the boulder stuck in my throat. Dixie’s my best friend. I talk to her more than I talk to anyone else. If she wasn’t okay... I shake my head from side to side, trying to dislodge the thought.
She’s happily riding on the bench seat between Wes and I, eyes fixed out the windshield, showing no signs of distress.
Wes is right. She’ll be fine. She has to be. She’s not going to be taken out by a used condom.
A House Full of Irreverent Senior Citizens
Wes
If someone had told me yesterday that I'd be spending my evening watching a dog puke up my used condom in front of a small room of people, I wouldn’t have believed them.
My night had taken a nosedive—from the fuck up with Luci, to Dixie gulping down the condom.Any trace of the relaxing, romantic evening I'd planned had gone up in smoke.
I sigh, my hands gripping the steering wheel. I might as well not bother trying to sleep. It was nearly four in the morning, and I needed to be up to work thecattle soon, anyway.
I ease the door closed behind me, trying to keep quiet so I don’t wake Pops. The second my boot scuffs across the tile, the kitchen light flicks on.
Pops is already dressed, his hair combed, and a sly smile spreads across his face. “You’re not just getting home now, are ya, Wes? It’s mighty late to be having a picnic.”
To hell with this damn tiny town and all the gossiping busybodies that kept Pops informed on what I was doing in my personal life. I should have known Mrs. Mackey would immediately tell Pops about my plans for the evening.
I scrub a hand over my face and study the ceiling, searching for a way to get out of talking to Pops about what is happening between me and Sawyer. The man was way more curious about it than he should be. Pops sidles up to the counter to start a pot of coffee, giving me a little time to get my bearings.
“We had to take Dixie to the vet. She ate something she shouldn’t have.”
“Uh oh. What did that dog get into this time?”
“Just something she found digging through the trash can,” I answer, hoping that doctor-patient confidentiality went for veterinarians, too.
When I had shown up with Sawyer, Dr. Dillard had glared at me over the tops of his spectacles which had slid down his nose as if I was the one to blame for bringing him into the office in the middle of the night, not the dog that had dug through the trash can.
Once Dixie had finally expelled the condom, Dr. Dillard had skewered me with a knowing look and had shaken his head in disappointment. My cheeks had gone as red as Sawyer’s under his scrutinizing gaze, and I’d wanted to get out of there immediately. I’d quickly insisted on paying thevet bill and several hundred dollars poorer, I’d driven Sawyer and Dixie back home.
The smell of coffee fills the little kitchen as the black nectar of the gods trickles into the pot.
“And that vet visit took all night, huh?” he asks, a near giddy look on his face.
I give him an impassive glare. “I had to chase down a horse before that.”
“Is that what you kids are callin’ it these days?” He had a shit-eating grin on his face as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
I groan. “It’s too early for this shit, Pops.” I snag a cup from the dish rack and fill it up to the brim.
He chuckles at my expense. “I’m glad you two had a good time.”
I gape at him. “Does any of what I just said sound fun to you?”
“I can read between the lines well enough. You think I don’t know what you two kids are gettin’ up to? You think the entire town hasn’t told me about you two making goo-goo eyes at each other at Herds and kissin’ in the corn maze at Fall Fest?”
