by Eve Gaddy
Sam got to know the mare, talking to her, stroking her nose and neck for a bit before she examined the saddle. She checked the girth, the length of the stirrups, the condition of the reins, and the girth again.
She turned to find him watching her. “So, did I pass?”
He laughed. “So far so good.”
She grabbed the reins and swung herself up in the saddle.
“Are the stirrups okay?”
She bent down. “They’re a little long but I can get them.”
He ignored her and shortened them himself. Which, at this point, didn’t surprise her. “There, how’s that?” he asked.
“Perfect, thanks.”
He patted her calf. “It’s damn cold today. Are you sure you dressed warmly enough?”
“Yes, long underwear and all.”
He gave her a once-over and grinned, but didn’t say anything.
“I love her mane. Who did it?” The mare’s mane had been cut so that it looked like a fan along the curve of her neck. Predominately white with black hearts at the top every inch or two, it was both whimsical and pretty.
“Clay does it. He’s been teaching some of the newer hands to do it but he oversees them.” He paused and added, “You should tell him you rode Sunshine when you see him. She’s one of his favorites.”
“I can see why. She’s a sweetie.” She watched him walk back to his horse. “Why are you limping?”
“I’m not. Much.”
She gave him a disbelieving look.
“It’s nothing. My new stallion, Trouble, kicked me in the thigh. I’m usually quick enough to get out of his way but I was distracted. He’s the horse that sent Clay to the hospital.”
“Did he kick you before or after he sent Clay to the hospital?”
“What difference does that make?”
“So, it was after.”
Dylan shrugged and mounted his horse.
“Why do you keep him if he’s so dangerous? And if he is, why don’t you geld him?”
“Two reasons. The first is I’m planning on breeding him.”
“Even with his temperament?”
“That brings me to my second reason. I don’t believe that’s his temperament. He was abused. I think he’s still scared. That’s why he keeps lashing out.”
“How long have you been working with him?”
“A few weeks. I’ve made a little progress, but not much.”
“What about your brother?” Having worked with Sean, who was an ER doc, for some time now, Sam remembered several conversations she’d had with him or overheard about Sean’s way with horses. “Haven’t I heard Sean is a horse whisperer?”
“Yeah, but even Sean hasn’t been able to get through to him. Although, Trouble didn’t bite him, so that’s progress, I guess. Enough about Trouble. Are you ready to go?”
“Absolutely.” And she was ridiculously excited about being on a horse again. It had been way too long.
It didn’t take too long for Dylan to relax. Sam obviously knew what she was doing, regardless of the fact she hadn’t ridden in quite a while. She and Sunshine were getting along fine. Sam looked comfortable in the saddle and from what he could tell in such a short amount of time, she wasn’t going to have any problems riding.
The day was crisp and cold, the sky clear and blue, the company perfect. Sam didn’t chatter. She seemed fine with simply enjoying the ride. He pointed out Lovers’ Creek and a few other points of interest, but mostly left her to her thoughts.
“I’ve really missed this,” she said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Why haven’t you gone out to the Canadays’ place to ride? You’ve been here several months.”
“I don’t know. The time never seemed right and honestly, I was afraid it would make me miss my mare, Greta, more than I already did.”
“Is she with your parents?”
“No. She passed a couple of months before I moved. From old age. But it’s still hard.”
“It sucks.”
“It surely does. This sweetheart is making me realize I shouldn’t have cut myself off from all horses. I’m not sure it didn’t make things worse.”
“You’re welcome to ride any time you want. Sunshine or another—” Dylan broke off and came to a standstill. “Do you hear that? It sounds like a dog whimpering.”
“Yes. It’s getting louder.” She twisted around in the saddle. “I can’t tell where it’s coming from. Can you?”
“Not yet.” They both scanned the surroundings looking for the source of the noise. “There. I think it’s coming from that stand of trees.” He rode over to it. Beneath an overhang of branches, lying in the snow, clearly exhausted, was a medium-sized black dog. He dismounted and walked over to the dog, squatting down beside it. “Hey, fella.” Goddamn it, another dog dumped in the country. Possibly a stray but more likely someone had deliberately dumped him. It happened all the time.
He studied the ground, trying to figure out why the dog had stopped where he was. Three paw prints, two front and one hind, gave him a good idea. Very gently, he ran his hands over the dog, who yelped when he touched his right rear leg, but didn’t offer to bite him.
“What’s wrong? Is it hurt?” Sam dismounted, walked over to them and knelt down in the snow. The dog wagged its tail weakly.
“I think he might have a broken leg. Plus, he’s shivering. He could be hypothermic.” He stood, stripped off his coat and handed it to Sam.
“What are you doing? It’s freezing.”
“Yeah, I know. So is he.” He picked up the dog, who yelped again but was too tired to struggle, and said, “Help me wrap that coat around him. I’m going to put him up on my saddle and take him back.”
“You’re crazy,” she said, but she helped steady the dog on the saddle as Dylan mounted Hawkeye. “You’ll be lucky if you don’t get hypothermia.”
“Nah, we won’t be out that long. We’re walking, though. I’m afraid anything else will jar him too much. Sorry to cut short the ride.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said.
Chapter Seven
“Now I know why you have so many dogs,” Sam said as they rode back. “You must keep all of them.”
He shot her a wry glance. “Hardly. I find homes for a lot of them.”
“And the ones you can’t find a home for, you keep.”
“I live on a ranch. There’s plenty of room. But it really pisses me off when people dump them.”
“My parents have that problem too. Although they don’t have nearly as many dogs as you do. One of the hazards of living in the country.” She thought about the dogs she’d seen. Six? Eight? “How many do you have, anyway?”
“Now? Or generally? It tends to change.”
“How many dogs are yours that you aren’t trying to find a home for?”
“I don’t know. It varies. They mostly live outside, but there’s an open stall with hay in the barn, where they go when the weather’s bad. Right now I have Burt—he runs the place. I’ve had him a long time. He keeps all the other dogs in line. Loves the horses. They all like horses, but Burt is the head honcho. Anyway, then there’s Sugar, Mike, Ike, Spike, Rosa and... Oh, yeah, Rita. Who wouldn’t appreciate me forgetting her. How many is that? Seven?”
“Yes, seven. That’s a lot of dogs.”
“Could be eight, depending on what happens with Shadow, here.”
She didn’t miss the considering look he gave her. “Shadow? You named him already?”
“We can change it if you don’t like that.”
“Why would I have any say—” She broke off and stared at him.
“You like dogs, don’t you?”
“Yes, but—”
“Do you have one?”
“No, but—”
“He’s a sweetheart. Even if his leg isn’t broken, he’s injured. He didn’t even snap at me when I moved him. He just whimpered.”
“Oh, Dylan, I can’t.” But she found herself looking at the dog and
wondering if she could manage.
“Why not?”
“For one thing, I have such odd hours. It wouldn’t be fair to him... Would it?”
Dylan smiled as they reached the stable. “We’ll talk about it. Connor, Bret, Jim,” he yelled, “I need some help here.”
Shortly, two men came out from the barn. Dylan had dismounted and started carrying the dog to the barn, leading his horse. Sam dismounted and followed Dylan.
“Can you two take care of the horses?” Dylan asked.
“Sure thing, Boss,” Connor said.
“Where’s Jim?”
“Haven’t seen him since this morning,” Connor said. “Not that he’d be and help—”
Dylan cut him off. “Never mind. I’ll talk to him later.”
“Where did you find that one?” the other man asked.
“Near Lovers’ Creek. I don’t know what it is about that place but more stray dogs show up there than anywhere else.” To Sam he said, “I don’t usually let anyone else cool down the horses but I need to get the dog warm right away. I’m going to take him up to the house.”
“Do you want me to help with the horses or the dog?” Sam asked.
“Whichever you want.”
Since the two men were obviously capable of caring for the horses, she went with Dylan up to the house.
Sam opened the kitchen door for Dylan, who walked in calling, “Glory! Hey, Glory, where are you?” He walked over to the fireplace and took a seat close to the hearth with the dog still in his arms.
A small, slim woman who looked to be in her late fifties bustled in. “What in the world is the matter?” Catching sight of the dog, she parked her hands on her hips. “Dylan Gallagher, have you brought home another dog?”
Far from seeming chastened, Dylan smiled at her. “Found him by the creek. I need some warm blankets, Glory. He’s pretty cold.”
She sniffed, but seemed resigned. “Since Dylan has forgotten his manners, I’m Glory, the housekeeper.”
“I’m Samantha,” she said to Glory’s back as she went into another room off the kitchen.
Shortly, Glory came back with blankets in her arms. Together they helped Dylan unwrap his coat from around the dog and wrap him in a blanket. “I’ll warm up some broth and we’ll mix it with the dog food.” Glory said. “Poor thing. Can I get you something, Samantha? Coffee? Hot chocolate? Water?”
“I would love some hot chocolate, if it’s not too much trouble.” Normally, Sam drank coffee or water, but the hot chocolate sounded like it would hit the spot.
“Sam’s one of the trauma surgeons at the hospital,” Dylan said. “And I’ll take a cup of coffee, please.”
“Oh, then you must know my other boys,” Glory said.
Sam bit her lip at the description of the Gallagher men as Glory’s ‘boys’. “Yes, I know Jack, Sean and Wyatt. I’ve worked with all of them.”
“What got into you to take off your coat, Dylan?” Glory asked. “You’ll be lucky if you don’t catch your death.”
“Glory worries too much,” he told Sam.
She sat beside Dylan and reached beneath the blanket to pat the dog’s head. “He’s looking better already.”
“I think he’ll be okay once we get some food and water into him. And have him checked out by a vet.”
“I’ll go get some dog food,” Glory said, adding on her way out of the kitchen, “There’s peach cobbler if you’re hungry.”
“I’ll take a rain check. I’ve got my hands full right now. As soon as he’s warm I’m going to run him into town to see Matt West. You should eat some cobbler, though,” Dylan told Sam. “Glory is a great cook.”
“I can wait,” Sam said. “What can I do?”
“Here,” Dylan said, plopping the dog, blankets and all, in her lap. “I’ll get some water for him.” He disappeared in the same direction Glory had.
“He’s not very subtle, is he?” she asked the dog. “You know, Shadow is a good name for you.” Shadow raised his head and perked up his ears. Sam sighed and scratched his head. “I wonder if I’ll regret this?”
“Regret what?” Dylan asked. He put a water dish on the floor. “Let’s see if he’ll drink some.”
Sam unwrapped him and put him down beside the water dish. He sniffed at the bowl, then stood, favoring the injured leg, and lapped up some water. “Don’t let him drink too much at first,” Sam cautioned.
Dylan grinned and removed the water after the dog drank some. “Regret what?” he asked again.
“You know very well, what. Don’t try to act innocent.”
“It’s not an act,” he told her, with an injured expression. “I am innocent.”
Glory came in just then and burst out laughing. Looking at Sam, she said, “Oh, honey, if you believe that I have some prime swampland to sell you.”
It had been one of those days, at least so far. After taking his temperature several times, they decided Shadow was doing well enough to go to the vet. Sam went out to her car to lay down a blanket on the back seat. She tried to start the car to warm it up, but after several tries, she finally admitted defeat. Glory said Dylan was in the barn getting some tools together so she went to find him.
“I’ve got problems,” she said when she found him. One of Dylan’s ranch hands had been with him but he left as soon as he saw her heading that way. “I’d ask if it was it something I said, but I hadn’t even spoken.”
“What, Jim? I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s new and—” dropping his voice, he added with a shrug “—kind of weird. But with Clay out for who knows how long, I needed more help. So, what’s the problem?”
“My car won’t start.”
“Did you look under the hood?”
“Why would I do that? I’m a doctor, not a mechanic.”
“Good point.” He laughed and followed her to the car. He got in, turned the key, and he couldn’t get it started either. Sam expected him to get out and look at the engine but he stayed where he was, looking at the dashboard. “I think I see your problem.”
“Already? What is it?”
“You’re out of gas. It’s below empty. I don’t know how you managed to get here. You must have been running on fumes.”
Sam frowned and knit her brows. “I may be a dummy about cars, but I know enough to put gas in it. I filled up a couple of days ago. I shouldn’t be out.”
“Are you sure it was just a couple of days ago? Maybe it’s been longer.”
“I’m positive. That’s so weird.”
“You must have a leak. I’ve got gas here. I can give you enough to get to town and to a mechanic. Unless the leak is so bad we have to have it towed.”
“Great,” she muttered. Luckily, though, the car started after Dylan put gas in it and didn’t show signs of a leak initially. She should have felt stupid. She suspected Dylan still thought she’d forgotten but she knew for a fact she’d had at least a quarter of a tank when she drove out to the ranch. A quarter of a tank that had mysteriously disappeared.
Dylan loaded Shadow into his truck and followed her to drop off her car and then go to Matt West’s veterinary office.
Dr. West checked the dog for a chip, but didn’t find one, which didn’t surprise anyone. He said Shadow’s leg wasn’t broken, but found a jagged tear likely caused by Shadow tangling with a barbwire fence. Since it was on the inside of his leg, high on the flank, and his hair had been so badly matted, Sam and Dylan hadn’t found it when they’d examined him. Not to mention that getting him warm had been their first priority.
Dr. West suggested they leave him until later in the afternoon so that he could finish examining him. He would stitch up his wound, clean him up and give him his shots. He said to bring him back if he didn’t improve in a few days. Otherwise, once Shadow was well enough the doctor would neuter him.
Sam and Dylan then went to pick up food, a bed and other things she thought she’d need as a new dog owner. They stopped at another store to get the doggie door and then they went t
o her house.
Who knew I was so...shallow? Sam wondered, watching Dylan working on her kitchen door later that afternoon. It’s not as if I’ve never seen a male backside.
Not that fine, you haven’t.
“You really didn’t have to stay,” she said. “I can get someone to bring the car to me when they’re finished.” She’d also argued that he didn’t need to install the door, much less pay for it, but he’d ignored her. He’d been working for what seemed like hours.
Dylan turned around to look at her. “That makes the fourth or fifth time you’ve said that to me. What’s going on? Do you want me to leave?”
“No, of course not. I feel guilty because you’re having to do all this to my house.”
“All this? You mean put in a doggie door? That’s no big deal.”
“It’s taking forever. And you paid for it. You also checked my fence to make sure there weren’t any holes in it.”
“That wasn’t hard either. Besides, I figure I owe it to you since I persuaded you to take Shadow home.”
“That’s true. You do.”
He smiled and put in the last screw. “Now you’ll be able to leave him while you work and not feel guilty about keeping him cooped up.”
“I’ve always heard doggie doors are an invitation to burglars. Luckily, there isn’t a lot of crime here in Marietta.”
“Not that I’ve heard of. But then, I live in the country. We don’t even lock our doors.”
“I’m still far too big-city for that. I’m glad I have the next couple of days off. I want to make sure Shadow feels at home.”
“Don’t worry. I bet he will. I’ll clean up and then we can see if your car is ready.”
She helped him pick up the pieces of wood and sweep up the shavings, then load his tools into his truck. “Do you have to get back right away? After we pick up my car, I mean.”
“Why? Is there something else you want me to do?”
“Stay for dinner.”
He looked surprised. “I’d like that. Let me call the ranch and see if they need me. As far as I know there shouldn’t be anything they can’t handle.”