LITMIR.BIZ

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board her until I can find her owner or a good home?”

      Mike Tanner raised an eyebrow. “You’re not gonna keep her?”

      “I hadn’t planned on it, but I will make sure she’s taken care of.”

      “Well, that’s fine, but unfortunately she can’t stay here. We’re affiliated with A&M’s school of medicine through a grant from a rich alumnus. Not for profit, and all that. Mostly teaching and experimental. We’re not really open to the public except for emergencies. We just don’t have the space or staff to board animals unless it’s a serious medical circumstance. I’d point you in the direction of the local animal shelter, but they’re sufferin’ from cutbacks in state funding. Only open three days a week. There’s a shelter in Fredericksburg, and of course there’s the Austin ASPCA. Might give them a call. You allergic to dog dander or something?”

      “No, I just don’t have a home—I mean, I do, but…I’ve just moved here. Today, in fact. I own a house, but it’s empty until my furniture arrives day after tomorrow. I’m staying there, but the accommodations consist of an air mattress, a sleeping bag and an ice chest.”

      Mike Tanner grinned. “Look at this dog. Does she strike you as the highfalutin type? Besides, if you’re gonna run an ad in the Lost and Found section of the newspaper, there’ll have to be a number to call, and we can’t do that here.”

      Del looked at the dog, clean now, or at least as clean as the doctor could accomplish without giving her a bath. With the top layer of filth gone, he could see she was a mixed breed: part Lab, part Retriever with maybe a splash of German shepherd thrown in for good measure. The colors in her coat were swirled, splotched and splattered rather than blended together, giving the dog’s fur the bizarre appearance of a Jackson Pollock work on fur. Then he looked at the very place he’d been avoiding—her eyes. They weren’t pleading or soulful, just trusting. Del told himself not to be a sap. He was too busy, had too many irons in the fire to babysit a stray. Still…the animal had been on his property. Technically, it was his responsibility to see the dog settled.

      “Judgin’ from where she’s been,” Tanner said, “I’d say a bare floor inside a warm house is a step up for her. You got heat, right?”

      “No, but I’ve got a working fireplace and plenty of firewood in the back of my truck. Weatherman said it would only drop to around forty degrees tonight, so I should be fine.”

      “That’ll work.”

      “But she’ll have to eat and I don’t have any dog food.”

      “Got some in the back I’ll give you,” Tanner offered.

      “And we’ve got a plastic bowl in the storeroom you can use for water,” Allison added.

      Del was embarrassed that he sounded like a wimp, but the truth was, he hated to admit that he didn’t know the first thing about taking care of a dog.

      “Once she’s hydrated, she’ll do fine,” Tanner insisted.

      But would he, Del wondered? He just wasn’t used to sharing his space with anyone or anything. “What if she gets sick or her wound starts to bleed?”

      The vet shrugged his shoulders. “That’s really not likely, but we’ll send along some antibacterial wipes and a bandage just in case. I’d like to see her again in a week to remove the stitches, and if you haven’t found the owner or a regular vet by then, we probably need to.”

      Allison and the dog looked up at Del. “What could one night hurt? Essentially you’d be serving as a foster parent until she can be adopted,” she said, one hand slowly stroking the dog’s head. “And tomorrow I’ll see what we can do about finding who she belongs to, okay?”

      “I couldn’t ask you to—”

      “You didn’t. I offered.”

      “Well,” Del sighed. “I guess if my place is good enough for me, it’ll have to be good enough for her.”

      “There you go,” Tanner said. “All settled.” He gave the dog a gentle pat, shook Del’s hand then disappeared through a door marked “Lab” at the far end of the treatment room.

      Del stared after him, wondering why he’d let himself be talked into leaving with the dog when that had not been his intention. He glanced at Allison and found her smiling. “Two against one, no fair.”

      She nodded toward the dog. “Three.”

      “Yeah. Looks like I’ve been outvoted.”

      “You’ll do fine. Just call on all those survival skills you learned in the FBI.”

      “I’m not sure they apply to dogs.”

      Allison smiled. “My money’s on you.”

      Del sighed again, knowing when he was well and truly beaten. “Okay, what time do I come back for her?”

      “Ten o’clock. That’s when my shift ends.”

      “Then I guess there’s nothing left to do but pay the bill.”

      Allison crooked her finger and said, “Follow me.”

      “What have I gotten myself into?” he mumbled.

      The dog thumped her tail against the table, and Del glanced down at her. “Yeah, like you weren’t in on it from the start.” Then he followed Allison out to the front desk.

      “All right.” She placed the statement on the counter then explained all the charges. “If you’ll just fill out the top of the form with your name, address, etc., we’ll be done.”

      Del had no idea if the amount at the bottom of the statement was reasonable or not, but he simply did as she instructed, then returned the form and handed her his credit card.

      She turned away, looked back at him. “2318 Roanoke? You bought the old Loftin place.”

      “You know the house?”

      “I used to know the family that lived there,” she said as she processed the transaction. “There you go, Mr. Rickman.” She handed his credit card and receipt back to him.

      “I wish you’d call me Del.”

      She looked straight into his eyes. “I would love to call you Del.”

      “And in exchange I promise not to call you Allie.”

      “Deal.” She stuck out her hand, and Del shook it.

      “Well, I guess I’ll see you shortly after ten,” he said.

      Del headed out, still wondering how he’d gotten himself a pet when that had been the last thing on his mind an hour ago. He was no closer to an answer three hours later when he found himself walking out of the clinic again. This time with a dog in hand.

      WHAT AN ASTONISHING DAY, Allison thought as she drove home after her shift. No, more like fateful, she decided. She’d wanted to meet Del Rickman again ever since he’d rescued her, and to have him simply walk into the clinic as he had tonight was nothing short of fateful. While a part of her was eager to talk to her parents and share everything that had transpired, another part wanted to savor the events, keep them to herself. To be honest, she didn’t want to share him with anyone, even her family. A ridiculous notion, she realized, because in a small town like Crystal Creek, news spread like poison ivy at a summer camp. Before noon tomorrow, Del Rickman would be the talk of the town. Besides, he was a friend of the family, and he had already spoken to her father. Still, she didn’t say anything as she walked into the house. Her mother was at the kitchen sink and her father was seated at the table. She decided to wait for them to broach the subject, and she didn’t have to wait long.

      “Hey, sweetheart.”

      “Hi, Dad.”

      “So.” Sam Russell grinned. “What did you think about seeing Del Rickman after all this time?”

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