Mason and the Dog Wrangler Page 2

  I sipped from the mug and smiled at the pup’s noisy chewing. Jeremy had mentioned the dog was two years old, and since he was small, he would likely live to be near twenty. That was a hell of a commitment to make and I had been about to change my mind when he’d said, “Cinco will keep you company when your daughter goes off to college. That’s what my gran says.” I’d asked him to explain, and he’d continued, “Grandmother raised me because Mom was in the service—Navy—and away at sea for much of my life. Anyway, when I moved, I left Doodles with her. Now they’re devoted companions. You’ll see.”

  Until Jeremy had mentioned Nik’s going to school, I hadn’t thought about her starting kindergarten in the fall. I’d be on my own far sooner than I had expected. We’d been inseparable since Pete’s death, and I wasn’t prepared for so much alone time. Nights were bad enough, but to spend my days on my own terrified me.

  “Good morning, Papa! Cinco!”

  The dog, finished with his kibble then ran into my daughter’s outstretched arms, licking her face and barking with joy. Any thoughts of loneliness and fear were swept aside as I watched the enticing picture they made.

  “Hi, Sweet Pea. Did you sleep well?”

  “Yeah. Cinco slept with me, not in his spot, but under my covers.”

  I should have saved my forty bucks, but a bed of his own had seemed like a fine plan…in theory. I shook my head at their antics and focused on preparing breakfast for Nik and me. After a meal of poached eggs on toast, Nik and Cinco went outside to play, leaving me to wash the dishes. I’d just immersed my hands into hot, sudsy water when my phone rang. I quickly wiped off the soap and dried them before answering the insistent ringing.

  I didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”

  “May I speak to Mason, please?”

  “You got him,” I said, trying to recall where I’d heard the familiar voice.

  “Good morning. This is Jeremy…from Awesome Animals.”

  “Oh, yeah. What’s up?” I wondered why he was calling me, hoping he didn’t want to take the dog back. It would break my sweet pea’s little heart.

  “Umm. I wanted to follow up to check how Cinco’s adjusting.”

  “He seems to be doing well. The scamp’s eating and sleeping through the night. Don’t believe he needed the bed, though.”

  “He’s not using it?”

  “Prefers Nik’s instead. They’re outside now, romping around.”

  “If you’d rather return it, that’s fine,” Jeremy offered, and I considered traipsing back to the pet store but was not inclined to spend the energy or time. As if he sensed my hesitation, he added, “Or, I could pick it up, if that’s easier for you. Your place isn’t too far from my…uh…classes. I can stop by on Monday.”

  That sounded reasonable, but I didn’t want to put him out. “Did you say you had classes? Near here? There’s no school nearby, except for the elementary.”

  “Okay, you caught me. Look. I’d be glad to pick up the bed and get your money back, but the real reason I offered is that I would like to see you again. Please don’t make me wait for you to bring Cinco in for his next grooming.”

  “Why?” I thought Jeremy was maybe twenty-five. I was an over-forty, single parent with graying hair. No matter how much he intrigued me, I had nothing to offer someone like him.

  “Why do I want to see you? Let me ask you this, instead. Why would I not want the chance to know you better?”

  The silence grew uncomfortable while I racked my brain for an answer. Suddenly, I blurted out my misgivings.

  “I’m tired and afraid, and sometimes I wonder if there’s a reason to keep on trying. Except I have Nik and I’m all she has, so I wake in the morning, I make breakfast and try to do the best I can on two-hours sleep because I have nightmares, so I don’t rest. I hurt, all the time. It’s been years, but I ache with a loss so unbearable that I can’t breathe. I have a dog. I barely manage to take care of me and Nik but something else is depending on me, and the burden is just too much to… I can’t—” Only then did I realize tears streamed down my cheeks. Shit. Nik can’t see me like this. I clicked off the phone, forgetting someone was on the other end. I ran upstairs to the sanctuary of my room, shut the door and bawled. I wanted to wipe my face and I stumbled into the bathroom but standing was hard. Curling into a fetal position on the floor was simpler.

  I didn’t know how long I lay there miserable, feeling sorry for myself, but the sound of happy laughter coaxed me off the cold tile flooring. After scaring myself in the medicine-cabinet mirror, I washed and shaved. If I couldn’t be emotionally whole, at least I could make myself presentable to my daughter. When I heard a deeper voice laughing with Nik, I flew down the stairs, hoping I’d discover her watching TV with the volume turned up too loud. Instead, I stopped on the bottom step, dumfounded to find Jeremy sitting on the floor with Cinco and Nik. The dog rolled over on Jeremy’s command, sat on his haunches and grinned, eliciting excited giggles from my sweet pea. Unable to help myself, I joined in, although I knew I would have to repeat the lecture about strangers.

  “Papa! Did you see what Cinco did?”

  “Yes, I did. Nicole, what have we discussed about stranger danger and letting people we don’t know into the house?”

  “But, Papa, Jermy’s not a stranger. He’s a friend—mine and Cinco’s.”

  “I apologize. I didn’t mean to get her into trouble,” Jeremy said, standing up and facing me. He glanced at Nik, who watched us with wide eyes, sensing the tension in the adults. “Your Papa’s right. We have only just met, and it was wrong of me to come in before you’d asked him.”

  “I’m sorry, Papa. I won’t do it again.” Nik’s lower lip trembled and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Please, don’t be mad at Jermy.”

  I let out my breath with pride for my big-hearted daughter—more concerned about her friend than herself.

  “It’s okay, Sweet Pea. I’m not angry…this time. Will you take Cinco out to the back and toss his new ball with him? It’s in the sack, next to the pantry.”

  Nik gave me a quick hug and ran toward the kitchen with Cinco barking at her heels.

  “I think your quiet household days are over.”

  “I’d say you’re right. What are you doing here?”

  “After you hung up on me, I became worried, knowing you were here on your own. You didn’t answer when I called back. I was concerned about whether you were in any shape to be alone with a dog and a small girl, so I came to check on you. I hope you don’t mind.”

  I had no idea what to say, how much of myself to reveal. I studied Jeremy, deciding to take him at his word. If he’d meant to harm me or Nik, he’d had the opportunity while I was upstairs.

  “I’m embarrassed. I haven’t had a meltdown like that one in a long time. You’re right. I was in no condition to assume responsibility for Nik. When I’ve had the episodes before, it’s been at night while she’s safe in her bed. Fortunately, nothing happened, but thank you for checking on us. That was really very kind.”

  “Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes a friendly ear can help relieve the pressure you’re feeling. No judgment, I promise.”

  “I’m pretty certain I’ve given you more than an earful for one day, but thanks for the offer.” I expected Jeremy to go, but he surprised me by taking a seat on my sofa, expecting me to follow him. I did, sitting next to him on the cushion he patted. I stared into the bluest eyes this side of creation as he captured and held my gaze while he spoke.

  “When we talked earlier, you asked why I would want to spend time with you. Well, here’s why. I’m sensing a vibe of incredible strength forged by tragedy but tempered with love. It’s the combination that’s enabled you to bring up your remarkable daughter on your own. You’re sexy and filled with a compelling gentility I’d give my right arm to experience. You tell me you’re afraid and don’t think you can go on, but your moral code won’t allow you to abandon your responsibilities.”

  I stared in awe o
f this young man who described a picture of me I didn’t recognize. “I don’t know what to say. No one has ever seen me quite that way.” I reeled from his words with humility and interest competing for my attention. He’d painted a Monet out of a muddle and called it a Mason. I fought an urge to break into tears once more. Like a well-timed trapeze artist, he caught my mood swing.

  “You have ghosts. You’re still grieving, but I want to tell you that I’m ready to step up and become your ghostbuster.”

  “Wait, a minute. Did you say ‘ghostbuster’?”

  “Yeah, I ain’t afraid of no ghosts.” His smile curved upward, and his eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint.

  Jeremy clearly liked having fun and Nik and I could use more laughter in our lives, so I said, “Yes.”

  “Yes?”

  “You mentioned on the phone you wanted to see me again. I’d like that…very much.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded and returned his excited grin.

  “Cool.”

  “May I ask you a question first?”

  “You can, but no changing your mind if you’re not happy with my answer.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Is that what concerns you? Here I thought you were worried I might have a prison record.”

  I was certain my eyes came close to popping out of my head as I glanced about for something useful to defend myself.

  Jeremy read my distress and hurriedly added, “Which I do not. I turned twenty-five in May, and I work at Awesome Animals because I have a soft spot for furry critters and handsome men. I also volunteer with the veterinarian while deciding if I want to commit to four more years of school to become a vet myself.”

  “Why wouldn’t you?”

  “Working with Awesome, I meet happy owners and well-cared-for, spoiled pets. I feel sorry for the vet who all-too-often is asked to put an animal down because it’s too expensive to treat them. Those are hard days, but not as difficult as treating the ones that were deliberately abused. On those days, I go home and cry at the inhumanity needed to harm a defenseless creature. It takes a certain strength to face animal cruelty and not punch the abuser or lop off a hand. I don’t have that kind of self-control.”

  “I can certainly see your point. I have no use for abusers—of animals or people. So, you graduated from college, right? What’s your degree?”

  “Zoology, with a minor in biology.”

  “That’s impressive…”

  We spent the next hour talking about everything and nothing. When he asked about the kind of work I did, I was at first embarrassed to say I didn’t. I explained how Pete had been an Air Force officer—a lifer, nearing his twenty years.

  “My role was to keep the home fires burning while he was away on his many deployments. I was basically ‘the little woman’, but no one in his circle could know about me except as his old college buddy—at least not until DADT ended.”

  “DADT?”

  “Don’t ask, don’t tell. While the military couldn’t discriminate against closeted gays, they could discharge you if were openly gay. It was a very stressful time for Pete and me.”

  “I thought Obama revoked DADT quite a while back.”

  “Twenty-eleven, but Pete’s been gone four years now, and with the waiting period after it was repealed, we had only a couple of years living outside its shadow.”

  “So, you’ve never worked? Did you go to college?”

  “I held a few jobs, temporary positions when he was deployed, but nothing I would call a career. I’d just graduated from Colorado State when I met him. I had a Liberal Arts degree, and he was going through the program with the Air Force Academy. For some reason, we clicked and fell in love. I moved to Springs, and for the next twenty years, became whatever he needed.”

  “Sounds lonely.”

  “Maybe a little, but I loved Pete, and we made a life together at a time when it was dangerous for him to do so.”

  “Forget I said anything. I’m sure you were happy. What about Nik? When did she come into the picture?”

  “Just before Pete’s last deployment. She’s his natural daughter via a surrogate, and I adopted her before he left. She has kept me from being lonely.” I paused to see if Jeremy caught the incongruity. Nik couldn’t help with my loneliness for all the years I had waited for Pete to return home from wherever the Air Force sent him. Having to spend our life closeted was painful. And the truth was, I’d been incredibly isolated. Probably why I’m sharing so much.

  “She’s beautiful and smart. I envy you.”

  “Thank you. I think so, too.”

  “But if you don’t work, how do you guys manage?”

  My surprise at his inquiry must have shown on my face. Most people rarely had the audacity to ask about your income, not before first becoming good friends.

  “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.”

  “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind answering. I was just thrown off by your interest. Nik’s medical is through the military and she receives a stipend from them until she’s done with school. Pete was a responsible man, and he recognized all I’d given up for him. He left me this house and enough insurance and investments that I can take care of Nik.”

  We moved out to the backyard deck as we talked, stopping in the kitchen to grab glasses of iced tea. I adored our home. Even though it sat on a corner lot, which meant more yardwork for me, I loved the idyllic setting of the older neighborhood. Sitting in the shade, we laughed at the dog’s antics whenever he chased the ball Nik tossed him. Her giggles rang out in the grassy expanse. She whooped and hollered so hard that her next toss flew over the fence and into the street.

  “Oh no! I’ll get it,” she shouted.

  She opened and dashed through the gate before I could react. Cinco chased her, barking and enjoying this new game. I ran down the deck stairs and had almost reached the gate when the dog scampered between my feet and I tumbled to the ground. I hit hard, the wind got knocked out of me and my ankle throbbed with every heartbeat.

  As he leaped over my prone body, Jeremy called out, “Wait! Nik! Cinco, stay!”

  I tried to get up but couldn’t support my weight. I dragged myself toward the gate, needing reassurance of my daughter’s safety.

  A car’s horn and the sound of brakes screeching eclipsed all the other neighborhood noises. Nik’s piercing scream was beyond terrifying, and despite the agony in my leg, I lifted myself and hobbled out my back gate. It was slow going as I limped across the street toward the crowd surrounding Nik. Neighbors and passersby stood in a circle, many of them taking pictures and others using their phones to call for help. All I heard were my daughter’s cries and shouts for her papa.

  It wasn’t until I’d shoved people out of my way that I spotted her. She lay on the sidewalk, crying and bleeding from a scrape on her leg and cheek. She was dirty, and the crowd was trying to keep her still. A man was sitting on the curb and wailing that he hadn’t seen her. “They came from nowhere and I couldn’t stop in time. God, I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop!”

  “Papa!”

  “I’m here, Sweet Pea. Don’t move, baby, while we wait for the ambulance.” I ran my hands over her face and arms, needing to reassure myself that she was alive. I couldn’t comprehend how she’d survived being hit by a car, but she had. I began crying.

  “Papa? Is Jermy dead like Daddy?”

  Alligator tears streaked her cheeks, and I imagined my face mirrored hers.

  Only then did I recall Jeremy had been running after Nik. I looked around for him, wondering why she thought he’d died. When I glanced toward the street, I saw him. He lay crumpled on the asphalt with his arm and leg at unnatural angles. He was deathly pale. His blond hair was bloodied and his lips had lost their rosy color. A quick-thinking Good Samaritan breathed for him. Someone put a blanket over him, shielding his broken body from the rubberneckers. I was torn whether to stay with my sweet pea or go to him.

  “Oh, God. Jeremy. What did you do
?”

  “Don’t cry, Papa. Daddy will take care of Jermy. I asked him to be his garden angel, too.”

  “He got to her just in time. Pushed her onto the sidewalk out of the path of the car,” a kind-looking woman who sat with Nik explained.

  Jeremy saved my child’s life.

  She squeezed my hand and patted my face as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. I needed to hug my daughter, to reaffirm that she was alive, but I was afraid to hurt her. On the asphalt, Jeremy moaned as strangers breathed for him and offered words of comfort, encouraging him not to move. Across the street, Cinco sat and whined. Despite the commotion, he’d stayed curbside at Jeremy’s command.

  Chapter Three

  The interminable wait for help to arrive nearly killed me. I was never more thankful in my life to hear sirens approaching.

  “Papa, will you come with me to the hospital?”

  “The nice ambulance people will take you while I take care of Cinco. I’ll meet you there.” I could hear the pup whimpering from across the street. Jeremy had been right. He was an exceptionally well-trained dog.

  “Okay. I’ll try and be brave.” My kid was amazing. Pete would’ve been so proud of her.

  “I’ll be there as quick as I can,” I said, noting the ambulance’s arrival.

  “Papa, don’t forget Winston.”