Heaving a deep sigh, Josh closed his eyes for a second before meeting her gaze. “Only thing hurt is my pride. At least this time I can blame the hundred pound K9.” His eyes widened and his head whipped to the right. “Raider!”
Standing up, Katie extended her hands, prepared to help him with his balance, but Josh had righted himself and didn’t seem to be even a little off. His attention was so focused on the dog, she didn’t think he’d thought to be careful. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. He was getting better.
“Raider.” The sound of Josh’s voice was low, but firm, and laced with a hint of concern.
As soon as Katie came out from behind him, she saw why he was concerned. The dog was lying across the little boy’s back. Not moving, not speaking, just lying on him. The sheer horror on Josh’s face was in complete contrast to the relieved sigh the mother had let out.
Completely confused, Katie looked to the little boy trapped under the dog. The kid was no longer rocking or making any noise. At her side, Josh stiffened. He looked as confused as she felt.
The mom extended her hand, palm out, and slowly moved closer to them. “I can’t thank you enough.”
Josh’s brows shot up high on his forehead, but he didn’t say a word.
“He lost his favorite lovie. The baseball bear one. We have three just in case of a situation like this, but today of all days, I only grabbed one. I have no idea where he dropped it, but he’s been inconsolable since he noticed it missing.”
“And the dog is helping?” Katie almost whispered. It was a stupid question, because the kid had shifted so the dog was still lying on him, but the little boy could wrap an arm around the dog.
“It’s the pressure. Do you have autistic children? Is that why the dog knew what to do?”
Autism Spectrum. Now things were making a little sense to her.
Josh shook his head. “He’s a military service dog. Injured in an explosion.”
“Oh my.” The woman’s head whipped around and she spoke softly, “Luke, be careful with the doggy, he has an ouchie.”
The child muttered, “ouchie” and shifted to a fully seated position and gently stroked the dog’s fur. “It’s okay, doggy. I take care of you.”
Staring wistfully at her son, the mom sighed again and turned to Josh and Katie. “Are you in a hurry? I’d rather not try to separate them just yet. I think the whole town is walking from the park to here trying to find his lovie. If someone would just find it sooner than later he’ll be all right.” She paused, noticing Luke was smiling. “Then again, maybe we don’t need it any more.”
“No hurry,” Josh reassured the stressed woman. “I’m just going to see about my prescription.” Keeping his gaze on Raider and the little boy, Josh continued down the aisle to the pharmacist’s window.
At least now they knew why so many people were wandering about watching the pavement. Small towns really were something else.
Another step and without a word, Josh grabbed hold of her hand, slowing his steps to match hers, and her heart nearly stuttered. She could feel the tension in his stance in complete contrast to the warmth of his hand. Reality was way better thanany hope or dream. Her gaze rose to his profile. Strong jaw, currently clamping down on his back teeth. He was troubled, she knew that. She also knew he was kind, and considerate, and thoughtful, and holy pharmacies, she was falling for him—hard.
Chapter Thirteen
The overhead bell of the café jingled when Josh guided Raider, followed by Katie, inside. After the recent experience at the pharmacy, he expected the dog to be exhausted. Instead the animal seemed to be energized by having finally done something besides just lie around. Raider’s ears were up, his nose twitching at the mouthwatering scents—or perhaps searching for another job.
“Well, well.” Agnes appeared from behind the kitchen partition, wiping her hands on her apron, her eyes going straight to Raider. “I could kiss you, sweet boy.”
Josh’s eyebrows shot up.
“Don’t look so surprised. He’s our new local hero.” Agnes leaned over and scratched behind the dog’s ear. “I bet we can find something special for you in the kitchen.”
“How did you—”
Shaking her head and making a small tsking sound, Agnes cut him off. “Mildred McEntire.” At his and Katie’s blank stare, she straightened and smiled. “Sorry. Mildred is our modern version of town crier. She was at the pharmacy filling a prescription when poor Luke had his meltdown. He’s a sweet boy, but when he loses it, he really loses it. Everyone was doing their best to help, but this guy was the only one who could make a difference.”
Beside him, Katie shifted her purse strap higher on her shoulder, looking both amused and slightly overwhelmed by small-town communication speeds.
“Katie!” Jackie’s voice rang out from a booth near the back. She waved both arms. “Over here!” Her husband Garret sat beside her, already setting his menu aside, his teacher-calm expression firmly in place.
Waving back at her friend, Katie led the way to the table, having to stop at every other table as one patron or another felt the need to praise Raider. To Josh’s surprise, the dog that had been so hesitant and withdrawn when they first met, didn’t seem at all distressed or leery of all the humans fussing over him. As a matter of fact, Josh was willing to bet the dog was enjoying every minute of his lovefest. Talk about a full recovery.
At the booth, Josh hesitated beside Katie, his gaze darting to the empty bench seat and then over to where Jackie and Garret sat smiling up at them. For a second he considered bailing, claiming Raider was too worn out. That would be safer than sitting this close to Katie. Before he could do or say anything, Katie slid into the booth first. Sucking in a slow breath, he slid in beside her. At his feet, Raider settled in with a heavy sigh. Right about now, Josh understood exactly how the dog felt.
“Look at you.” Jackie beamed down at the dog. “Already a town hero and you’ve only been here, what, two weeks?”
