“Something like that.” Josh’s hand dropped automatically to scratch behind Raider’s ear.
Garret nodded toward the dog. “Kade mentioned Raider was injured in an explosion. Looks like he’s healing up pretty well.”
“Better than I’d expect.” An odd sense of pride in the dog’s progress blooming inside him.
“You seem to be doing better too.” Jackie reached over and took hold of her husband’s hand.
“Mm.” Josh nodded. The last thing he wanted was to get into the uncertainty still rumbling around in the back of his mind. Yes, his balance felt better. Yes, he was able to nod his head, though shaking still made him feel a little off kilter, but right now he was more than a little confused about what his future held. What did he want it to hold?
“Much better.” A wide smile on her face, Katie looked at him and he had an overwhelming urge to grin back—so he did.
For just a moment, their gazes locked, lingered, and Josh found himself forgetting all about his vertigo, the dog, the kid with the meltdown, his career, his doubts, and had to stop himself from taking hold of her hand much the way her friends across the table had their fingers laced together.
At his feet, Raider’s tail began to sweep the floor. Josh glanced down at the dog eyeing the kitchen door like he knew good things came from that direction.
Sure enough, another few seconds and Agnes appeared through those doors and came straight to their table. “Hope this is okay.” She held up a large soup bone.
Raider sat up, his muscles shaking with interest, but his training and control showing through as his gaze darted from the bone to Josh, silently waiting for the next signal.
Not waiting, Agnes stepped closer to the dog and table and nudging Josh’s shoulder, urged him over so she could sit at the edge of the booth. Bending over, she cradled the dog’s head with one hand before feeding him the bone with the other.
His tail slowed and his eyes met Josh’s. No matter how inviting, the dog was not going to take the bone until Josh gave the orders.
Katie leaned into him, her voice low, her breath warm against his neck. “Looks like you’re his person now.”
If he could think straight with her so close to him, he might have argued, or agreed. As it was, all he could manage was a nod at the dog with a slight gesture to take the proffered bone.
“That is one well trained dog. Good boy.” Smiling, Agnes patted the top of the dog’s head and pushed to her feet. “I’ll be back to take your orders in a minute.”
It took everything in Josh not to call for Agnes to come back and sit down so he could remain close to Katie just a little bit longer. Instead, he wondered how much trouble might he be in if he opted to simply stay pressed against Katie instead of shifting back to his original place on the bench.
With a silent sigh and a world of regret, he shifted, picked up his menu, and decided hiding from his life and Katie was futile. Good or bad, like it or not—and he most definitely was absolutely liking it—he was also most definitely falling for Katie Lawford. And like it or not, he needed to do something about it. But what?
By the time they pulled through the Sweet Ranch gate, Raider was asleep in the back seat, bone still clutched proudly between his paws like a trophy. The animal had certainly earned his nap. Another few minutes and Raider actually led the way into the house, straight to the guest wing and his food and water.
“Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry,” Alice teased as the dog strolled past her. “Maybe I won’t give him the pupcake I baked.”
“Pupcake?” From the way Josh’s whole face crumpled, he most likely had no idea what the woman was talking about.
Anyone else that expression would have made him look downright foolish, but all Katie could do was smile. On him it was rather…endearing.
“I heard what he did today for young Luke,” Alice continued, “so I baked him a doggie approved cake.”
“Ah,” Josh nodded, “pupcake.”
“That’s it.” Alice grinned.
“News travels fast around here, doesn’t it?” Katie had heard more than one story about the Honeysuckle grapevine, but this was her first experience in a front row seat.
Cassie shook her head, biting back a laugh. “Oh, you have no idea.”
“From what I hear,” Alice filled a tea kettle, “Mildred says the dog was downright heroic. No one else knew what to do with Luke, no one could find his lost lovie, but Raider stepped right in and calmed the boy down.”
“Pressure therapy,” Josh mentioned softly.
“What?” Alice asked.
“Oh, sorry. What the dog did is called pressure therapy. It’s not uncommon for autistic children.”
