“I’m good with that.” Her eyes widened. “Except that your SUV is at my place. It would add almost an hour to the trip to go there first.”
“So, we’ll just head for Watchdog and play it cool.” He couldn’t help but chuckle. “And I thought I felt like a teenager before.”
That cracked her up. “Uh-oh, we already broke curfew.”
* * *
Alex and Sylviekenneled their dogs with the others. Jodie had gotten ahold of Arden and the two women were already in the exam room down the hall, really a mini vet’s office. Arden had Champ up on the paper-covered exam table, her brow furrowed as she examined him. She looked up when Alex and Sylvie walked in the room, her face registering surprise when she saw Sylvie.
“Oh, that’s right, I heard you’re kenneling Chewie with us,” Arden said. “It’s good to see you.” Warmth flooded her silvery-grey eyes. “I saw your mom the other day and she looks well. How’s George?”
“Oh, you know Dad. Always worried about ‘his’ town.” Sylvie nodded at Champ. “How’s the pup?”
Alex had already moved to the exam table. He pulled a pair of examination gloves from the cardboard box on the table and started looking Champ over. The puppy looked fine at first glance, but his eyes weren’t as bright as usual. The big giveaway was his lack of curiosity. The Champ he knew would have been trying to jump up and lick him—and everyone else within reach. Instead, the puppy had only thumped his tail against the metal table when he saw Alex.
“He’s really listless,” Arden said. She glanced at Jodie, who nodded in agreement. “No appetite, but a distended belly that’s starting to feel hard. Dry nose, but no fever. No vomiting or dry heaves.”
“Stool?”
“Soft, with some mucus,” Jodie said.
Damn.
“Bad?” Sylvie had immediately caught his concern.
“Probably colic, which can be innocuous or point to something more serious.” He looked at Arden. “Your opinion?”
“I did a quick test for giardia and couldn’t see any eggs. I was going to do a SNAP test to be sure before you got here.”
“SNAP test?” Sylvie asked.
“It’s a test that checks for the giardia antigen,” Alex explained, then told Arden, “I’ll do it.” He gave her a warm smile. “Thanks for checking on him. You too, Jodie.” He turned to the receptionist/assistant. “Good catch.”
“Thanks.” She smiled back as she pulled off her latex gloves. “I adore that little guy.”
Alex stroked Champ’s head. “I’ve got it from here if you two want to head out.”
“Good to see you,” Arden told Sylvie. “Come up to the ranch sometime while you’re visiting Chewie. I’d love to catch up.”
“Sounds great.” Sylvie gave her a big smile and the women hugged. Sylvie didn’t look nervous—if anything, she appeared relieved. They had a ready-made cover story and an excuse to be seen together outside of class.
“Can I walk you out?” Arden asked her.
“Oh, thanks, but while Alex is here, I’m going to take advantage and stay a little longer with Chewie. He’s still getting used to his new home.”
“I totally understand.” Arden turned to Alex. “Don’t hesitate if you need me back down here.”
“Thanks. My plan is to keep an eye on him for now and run a couple more tests.”
After Jodie and Arden left, Sylvie leaned against the closed door. “Living in a small town takes some getting used to, doesn’t it?” she asked him. “Everyone knowing everyone.”
“It’s sure different from San Diego. Though, being in the military and running into the same faces, it can sometimes feel like a small town.”
She came back over to him then put on gloves before petting Champ. “How worried are you?”
“I’ll feel better after I run those tests.”
“I’ll hold the little guy while you do that.” She picked up Champ carefully, who winced but didn’t cry out.” “Poor baby. You aren’t comfortable are you?” She cradled him as she sat down in a chair.
