Riley had never backed down from a fight, not even when the dude was twice as big as her, but staring into Whisper’s steel gray eyes, her instinct told her she needed to treat the woman like a commanding officer. “I see your point.”
“Good.” Whisper turned to the dog and laid a hand on its neck. “I’ll be back in a few days and then we’ll go home.”
The dog looked at her as if it understood.
“You’re going to stay with Riley here until I get back.” Without warning, she scooped the dog off the tailgate and set him on the ground. Immediately, his nose caught a scent and he followed it to a pile of dog poop left behind by Butterball, Dr. Jenna’s English bulldog.
Riley grimaced before turning her attention back to Whisper. “What’s his name?”
Whisper slammed the tailgate closed. “I don’t know yet. That will take more time than I have right now. He looks like a Jack Russel Terrier, but I doubt he’s pure, which is a good thing.” She brushed her hands together and headed for the passenger door. “We have to get going if we’re going to make the first night’s show. Uncle Joey has his heart set on it.”
Great. On top of caring for all the horses and dealing with Wyatt, now she had a mutt to babysit. If Cole didn’t get his act together soon, she was outta there.
“Hey, watch him.” Whisper stood on the running board of the truck and pointed to the dog who just wandered into the barn. “Don’t let him out of your sight. He’s domestic. Doubt he had more than a fenced in yard before. This open space is bound to be overwhelming.”
Overwhelming? For a dog? She nodded as if she understood just to get them out of her hair. Then she strode for the barn. The dog better not disturb the horses or it was going into its own stall and staying there all weekend.
He was abandoned.Or maybe she’d just keep him in there while she was in the barn. Only if he didn’t behave.
Trace honked the horn behind her, and she stopped to wave them on. Satisfied they were on their way, she stepped around the corner into the shade of the barn. A scuffle inside had her scanning the area, but there was no dog.
“Well, shit. Where are you Dog?”
She headed for the open stall at the back when Dog came out, a rat in its mouth. She stopped. “I guess your good for something.”
Dog trotted over and sat directly in front of her. His right paw lifted, and he pawed her jeans.
“Yes, I see you got a rat. That’s good.” His big brown eyes were wide as he looked at her, one eyebrow lifting slightly higher than the other. “What? I said that was good.” For Pete’s sake. “Good boy.”
Dog wagged his tail, apparently happy with that before standing and trotting outside.
“I hope you’re going to bury it, too.” She followed Dog and kept an eye on him as she walked to Domino. So much for a good long run. She patted the horse on her back. “I wonder if the little guy could keep up.”
Dog stopped beneath the large mesquite tree on the other side of the dirt road that led to Cole’s and dropped the rat. Annette wouldn’t be excited to find the dead animal so close to her front porch.
Riley started for the tree, but halted as the dog began to dig. This looked promising. Turning back to Domino, she grasped the reins and walked her toward the shady side of the house, all the while watching Dog. She didn’t want to lose him. As much as she admired Whisper, she was also cautious. The woman was unpredictable, often carrying a Glock, she called Sal, in the waistband of her jeans. Anyone who named their gun had a special relationship with it.
When Dog finished his hole, instead of dropping the rat in it as she’d hoped, he lay down in the dark earth.
“Really?” She shook her head. Whisper may think Riley was good with animals, but that wasn’t true at all. As a child, she’d forgotten to feed at least three gold fish, lost two gerbils in the house, and the racoon she’d been trying to feed outside bit her. She held up her wrist to inspect the back for the old scar. Her mom had been more upset than she had. She’d taken after her Senior Master Sergeant Air Force father. The man with no emotions at all, or at least that was how it seemed next to her mother.
“What are we supposed to do with him, Domino?” She absently stroked the black section of her horse’s withers. She wasn’t surprised when she received no response. Domino was used to her chatting with her. It was a lot easier than talking to the shrink the Army had made her see when she’d returned.
Glancing toward the road, she scanned for the telltale dust of an approaching truck, but all was still. It was already mid-morning and still Lady’s cohorts had not arrived. She hated standing around doing nothing. Looking over to Dog she found him staring at her, his tongue hanging out his mouth, his head slightly cocked.
Were dogs supposed to do that? She didn’t remember seeing one with its tongue hanging out. Crap, she hoped he wasn’t sick or something. He looked like he was dying of thirst. “Hey Dog, you want some water?”
The animal’s ears perked up, but he didn’t move.
If he was thirsty, he wasn’t very smart. Not knowing what else to do, she tied Domino to the porch railing, not that the horse would go anywhere, then walked up the steps. “I’ll get you some water. I doubt Annette will want you in the house anyway. Butterball has to stay outside and so can you.”
Not bothering to reflect on the fact she was talking to the dog like a person, she let the screen door slam behind her before quickly stepping outside to make sure Dog hadn’t taken off at the sound.
Relief swept through her to find him still there, his snout resting on his paw. “Good. Stay.” Turning back inside the house, she quietly closed the screen door, but left the solid door open. She’d only be a minute anyway.
Striding into the kitchen, she rummaged through the cabinets for a bowl to use. Not sure how Annette would feel about a dog using one of her soup bowls, Riley pulled a plastic Toy Story bowl that Charlotte used and filled it with water. Logan could always buy his daughter a new bowl though it was more likely Annette would take the opportunity to shop for her great granddaughter.
She dunked her finger into the bowl of water and grimaced. It was lukewarm. That was a problem in the Arizona deserts. Getting cold water out of the faucet was an impossibility except in the winter. Glancing at the refrigerator ice dispenser, she made her decision. Setting the bowl beneath it, she pushed the handle and ice clunked into the bowl sending water splashing everywhere.
