Then Seb snapped back to attention and looked down to Declan’s arms.
“Oh my, puppy!” Seb said with a gasp. He didn’t know dogs very well, no students having been allowed pets at the boarding schools, but the puppy in Declan’s arms reminded him of a black lab Alexandria’s parents had kept, from the floppy ears to the lush fur. A thrill shot up his spine when the dog licked at her mouth and stirred in Declan’s arms. “A puppy!” he repeated.
The side of Declan’s mouth turned up in a smile that he tried to push down. “Yeah, well…” He shook his head quickly. “She’s hurt, though,” he said and lifted her rear a little.
When Seb looked closer, he saw the specks of blood on her leg. “Poor girl,” he whispered.
“Was trying to figure out where to go with her. In the house okay? She’s bleeding a bit.”
Seb nodded quickly. “Sure, no problem. Come on inside, I can grab a few old blankets.”
Seb rushed ahead to grab the blankets from a closet in the hallway, and when he got back to the front of the house, Declan had his jacket and boots off, the puppy still cradled in his arms. Seb brought them to the seating area, dropping the blankets on the ground so Declan could set the puppy down. She squirmed a bit and licked at her foot, but didn’t try to run or bark at anyone, seemingly happy to be in the warmth.
Seb realized how young the puppy was as Declan rose to his feet, then murmured something about a first aid kit and hurried off. Seb stuck his hand close to the dog’s head, holding it there so she could smell him until Declan came back.
“Where did you find her?” Seb asked.
“That old fence, the one not far from the edge of the clearing? She was caught up under it somehow.”
Seb scrunched up his lips in thought. “Old fence. I’m not sure I know it?”
“What? You’ve been out there, though? The wood-and-wire fence?”
Seb shook his head. “I haven’t really done much on the property…” He felt a bit embarrassed to admit it and had always imagined he would roam the acreage one day, but never quite gotten around to it.
Declan grunted. “Anyway, the fence is kind of gnarly at parts, but she wasn’t trapped too bad.” He started to stroke the back of her head, coaxing her to show her leg as he used his free hand to fumble with wipes and disinfectant. Seb stared at the thick pads of Declan’s fingers, somehow almost graceful as he positioned the puppy, relaxing her. “Can you grab her some water? Maybe a little something to gnaw?”
Seb snapped out of his daze and hurried to the kitchen. He used his phone to look up what he should feed a puppy, then settled on a can of peas that he rinsed off in the sink. By the time he returned to the seating room with a couple dishes, Declan was cleaning off the wounds on the puppy’s foot while she growled softly at his arm.
“Here you go,” Seb said, dropping the dishes down beside the puppy. “If she doesn’t go for peas, I can try something else.”
The puppy whimpered, then let out a soft bark when Declan adjusted her foot. “Thanks. And sorry to drag this into your house. Just couldn’t leave her out there.”
“Right, of course,” Seb said. “No problem.” He took a seat on the couch, perching himself on the edge of the cushion while Declan wrapped a little white cloth around the bottom of her leg. “Is she okay?”
“Nothing bad. Seems skinny, maybe been lost out there a while.” He pushed the dish a little closer, and she started to lap up some of the peas. “She’ll be fine, though.” Declan scratched the back of his head while the puppy continued to explore the dish, and Seb tried to not develop a weird sense of competitiveness with the stray dog over Declan’s attention.
“What do you think, kid?” Declan asked.
Seb tilted his head to the side. “Huh?”
“Tomorrow, we can try to figure out if she has a home around here, but we gotta call her something until then.”
“Oh!” Seb smiled. He’d never had the occasion to name a pet before, and ideas suddenly flooded his mind. “What about Ellie? Or maybe Arroway would be a better puppy name.” Declan furrowed his eyebrow, looking between the puppy and Seb. “Or maybe a dog name? Like Peaches? Ruffles?” Seb bit down on his lip, suddenly very confused about how people normally named dogs. “Venus?”
“Ellie,” Declan said with a grin. “I guess she likes peas.”
Seb smiled when he saw Ellie, licking the bottom of the bowl. “Let’s see how she feels about carrots,” he said, jumping back up to his feet.
Soon enough, Seb found himself relaxing with Declan in the sitting room, each on opposite sides of the blankets that Ellie was using to roll around. Declan had one arm slung wide across the couch and his legs sprawled out, keeping Ellie from roaming too far. Now and then, he would try to tuck her up in the blanket to keep her warmer, but she’d always shake it off.
Desire flared inside of Seb. He’d almost think Declan was a softie, the way he tended to the puppy.
Then Ellie nipped at Declan, and Declan let out a low growl in response, sending Ellie curling up against his leg.
“We can get another first aid kit,” Seb said, noticing the small box open beside him. “If you need.”
Declan shook his head. “No problem. I just used a little of the gauze and some of the cleaner and disinfectant.”
