by Sarah Morgan
He wiped his hands on an old rag he kept in the car, closed the door on the dog and walked back to where Grace was standing. Obeying his orders to the letter, she hadn’t moved a muscle and was still clutching Travis’s hand.
“He t-tried to bite you.”
“Because I hurt him taking the wire off. I don’t blame him for that, do you?” Zach hunkered down in front of her. “Are you okay, Grace?”
She gave a tiny nod. “I was scared.”
“You were great.” He spoke firmly and saw the beginnings of a smile. “You stood still. It was the right thing to do.”
“I’ve never met an angry dog before and that dog was very angry.”
A little crowd had gathered around but Zach ignored them and focused on Grace. He took it as a good sign that Travis was still letting her grip his hand. “That would have been my first thought, too, but I’ve learned over the years that the emotion you see on the outside isn’t always the same as the one on the inside.”
Grace looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Zach picked his words carefully. He considered this a more important lesson than anything she’d learned out in the forest. “On the outside that dog was angry, but on the inside he was scared. A thousand times more scared than you. He was hurting and all alone. Someone left him there to die by himself in a horrible way and he was trying to stay alive. To survive. That’s a natural instinct. I’m not going to blame him for that, are you?” He glanced briefly at Travis and saw he was still, his face the color of bone. Zach knew that look. He wondered what the boy had been forced to do to protect himself.
“Someone wanted him to die?” Grace’s eyes filled. “Is that going to happen?”
“No, it’s not. Not now.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’m going to see to it that it doesn’t.”
“What will happen to him? Will they punish him for nearly biting you? Will he be all right?” Anxiety flowed along with the questions.
“He’s going to be fine, and no,” Zach rose to his feet. “No one is going to punish him. It might take a while, but we’re going to teach him that some people can be trusted. That not everyone is like the person who did this to him.”
“He won’t have to go back there?” Travis’s question was so quiet it was barely audible. “You’re not going to send him back?”
“No. I wouldn’t send him back somewhere he’s abused.”
Travis licked his lips. “Not even if it’s his home?”
Zach wished they weren’t surrounded by people.
This was the conversation he knew Philip had been hoping Travis might have for weeks and this was neither the time nor the place.
“Home should be a place where he feels safe.” He held Travis’s gaze. “No one should feel threatened, or scared, in their own home.”
“But what will happen to him? Where will he go?” Travis was holding Grace’s hand as tightly as she was holding his. “I mean it’s not like he’s a baby or cute or anything. Who would want him?” His voice was hoarse and scratchy and Zach felt as if someone had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart.
“Plenty of folks would want him. Good folks, although it might take him a while to understand that they’re good. Travis, why don’t you take Grace to Philip. He’ll want to know she’s all right. Go and talk to Philip. Tell him the whole story.” He spoke firmly and saw the boy nod slowly.
“Okay. I guess I’ll do that. If you think it’s the right thing.”
A glimmer of trust right there in those words.
“I know it’s the right thing.”
Just a step, but hopefully enough of a step to begin the journey out of the hell Travis was living in.
“I’m going to say goodbye now because I’m taking the dog to the vet. You take care of yourself, Grace. I know you live on the island, so I expect I’ll see you around.”
She gave him a wobbly smile. “I’m coming back to camp next year. Will you be here?”
Unlike Brittany he’d never planned his life further than the next few days. “Maybe.”
“I hope you are.” She hesitated and then let go of Travis’s hand, stepped forward and hugged Zach, her skinny arms squeezing tightly. “You’re the best.”
Zach froze. He could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he’d been hugged in his life. He stood for a moment, his hand hovering in the air, and then lowered it to her skinny shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
Grace released him, muttered more jumbled thanks and then ran off to join the rest of the group who were gathering near the barn.
Travis followed more slowly and Zach pulled out his phone and sent Philip a quick text.
Then he felt someone touch his arm and turned to find Brittany standing next to him.
“Well, another heroic rescue on Puffin Island. You’re making a habit of it and Grace’s dad is one of the town’s selectmen so I’m guessing you might even find yourself on the agenda of the next town meeting. Who knows, you might even reach hero status.”
Feeling as uncomfortable as if he’d just fallen in a thorn bush, Zach slid the phone back into his pocket. “For taking a wire off a dog? I happened to get to him first, that’s all.”
“And we’re all relieved about that.” Her mouth tilted into a smile of self-mockery. “That animal was crazy with pain and he had all my sympathy, but I wouldn’t have risked giving him my fingers as well. You are now officially known as the dog whisperer.” She glanced towards Zach’s car. “We need to get him to the vet. I can’t drive, so you’ll have to do that part and I’ll sit with Jaws.”
Zach raised an eyebrow. “Jaws?”
“I call it the way I see it. And from what I’ve seen so far, it’s a reasonable name. Those teeth were horribly close to sinking into your arm, Flynn.”
“Knowing that, you’re still happy to sit with him?”
“Yes, but don’t ever rescue a tarantula because I’m not sitting next to one of those, even for you.” She stepped away to tell Rachel her plans and then walked towards his car.
Zach stared after her, his feelings mixed up.
He’d been doing everything he could to put distance between them, trying to protect her from himself.
Thanks to the dog, that plan had gone out the window.
THE DOG LAY with his head on his paws, watching her warily.
“I only have one good hand,” Brittany told him, “so if you bite that, I’m in trouble and frankly so are you. And if you bite the other one you’ll break your teeth on the cast. I’ve never seen you before. Do you recognize him, Zach?”
“No.” Zach turned the car and drove away from the camp. A steady line of cars was building in the opposite direction as parents arrived to pick up their children. “Someone probably brought him over on the ferry and abandoned him.”
And the story could have had an ugly ending had Zach not intervened.
She knew it would take her a while to forget the sight of him putting himself between the little girl and the dog.
There was a smudge of dirt on his cheek and his hands were dusty.
She thought of those hands, sure and gentle as he’d handled the dog. “I don’t know why anyone would abandon him. He’s pretty cute.”
Zach caught her eye in the mirror. “We both know this dog is as ugly as sin. He has nine chins.”
“Maybe, but he’s still cute. And I don’t notice his chins because I’m looking at his eyes. He has nice eyes.”
“You have a thing for damaged creatures.”
“This from a man who almost got himself bitten taking the wire off the dog’s neck.” And he hadn’t hesitated. He’d put the dog’s comfort in front of his own safety. “And everything you said to Travis—that was nice work.”
“We were talking about the dog.”
“We both know neither of you were talking about the dog. I hope he opens up to Philip. You texted him?”
“Yes. The boy showed up at his office.�
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It didn’t surprise her that he said no more than that.
Zach didn’t gossip. He didn’t chat. He respected Travis’s right to keep whatever secrets he wanted to keep, while nudging open a door so that he could reveal them if he wanted to.
What secrets was Zach keeping?
Thinking about that, she slid out of the car and reached for the dog, but Zach was there before her.
“He’s heavy, and you already have one damaged wrist.” He lifted the dog carefully and Brittany saw the dog give his hand a swift lick.
Her heart kicked against her chest.
“Can you believe that? He’s already in love with you. Are you sure it’s a he and not a she?” She was rewarded with one of those lightning-quick smiles that made her feel as if she’d touched a live wire.
It had always been the same between them and ten years had done nothing to dilute the strength of the attraction. She didn’t need to wonder if he felt it, too, because she knew he did.
She wondered if he was the reason she’d never become deeply involved with a man. She’d had relationships, satisfying relationships, but she’d never replicated the crazy chemistry she had with him.
It wasn’t youth or inexperience that had been responsible for those feelings that had swept her away in her teens.
It was Zach himself.
Her head spinning as if she’d just stepped off a merry-go-round, she followed him into the clinic where they were met by Sara, the vet nurse, who also ran the small animal sanctuary on the island.
“Zach!” It was obvious from the pink that gathered in her cheeks that she was a Zachary Flynn supporter. “Chief Cook called, so we knew to expect you. Go right on in. Dr. Brent is waiting for you. Hi, Brittany. Good to see you.”
“Hi, Sara.” They’d been at school together, a couple of years apart. Brittany remembered Sara as a gentle girl who had excelled at biology and taken the class fish home every summer. “How long have you been working here?”
“Since the start of the summer. Dr. Brent gave me the job. It’s great to be back on the island.” She stroked her hand over the dog’s head and said, “Oh, aren’t you adorable. What happened to you?” Jaws grunted gratefully at the contact and slobbered on her hand.
“Did you say Dr. Brent?” Zach shifted the wriggling dog. “What happened to Dr. Tanner?”
“Got a job over in Portland. Small animal practice. Dr. Brent is very good.” Her mouth tightened when she saw the wound on the dog’s neck. “Wire? If I found the person who did that I’d inject him with something that would keep him down for a week. Does he have a home?”
“None that he’s going back to.” Zach’s mouth was grim and Sara nodded in agreement.
“You can’t take him while you’re flying all over the place and he shouldn’t be near children until we know more about his temperament, so do you want him to stay in the shelter until we can find someone to adopt him?”
Brittany looked at the ugly, slobbering dog and felt a pang. Even she had to admit that his appeal wasn’t immediately obvious. He was the sort of dog most people would walk past on their way to a cute spaniel or a sturdy Lab. “You think someone will take him?”
“Why not? There’s someone for everyone, right? At least that’s what Gran tells me when I moan about still being single.” Ignoring the slobber and the risk to her life, Sara took Jaws from Zach and gave a tut of disapproval. “You’ve no flesh on your bones. We’re going to have to do something about that. You’re going to be eating gourmet food as soon as Dr. Brent has taken a look at you.”
Zach and Brittany followed Sara through to the surgery where the island vet, Gabe Brent, treated the wound and gave Jaws a thorough going-over. When they walked out an hour later, a bandaged and drugged-up Jaws had taken up temporary residence with Sara, and Zach was considerably poorer.
Reeling from the cost, Brittany pulled open the car door. “Holy crap, I paid less than that for my rent in Greece. Why didn’t I train as a vet? Do you want me to pay half or are you going to sell one wing of the Cessna?”
“I’ll manage. Are you going back to camp or do you want a ride home?”
“Home, but you don’t need to drive me. If you could just drop me on the corner of Main and South, I’ll walk from there.” She slid into the passenger seat. She still hadn’t touched on their conversation of the night before even though she wanted to. She wanted to know more. She wanted to ask him what he’d meant when he’d said that sometimes not trusting kept you safe. But she knew that Main Street in the middle of the day wasn’t the time to broach a subject Zach rarely touched. “You’re not going to offer to adopt Jaws?”
“No. That dog needs love and attention to feel secure. He deserves a stable home. I can’t give him that.”
“Why?”
“You know why. Love, stability and security aren’t words that appear in my vocabulary. If they were, we’d still be married.” He pulled into the flow of traffic and she felt her heart bump.
Was that true? Would they still be married?
“Jaws will be gutted,” she said casually. “It was love at first sight.”
“It was gratitude. If you’d cut that wire off his neck, he would have bonded with you.”
“If I’d cut that wire off his neck, I’d have two damaged wrists by now. You showed some serious animal magic there, Flynn.”
“Being kind to animals isn’t magic.”
“It is when you do it. You have this quiet way about you—” She frowned as she tried to put her observations into words. “It’s as if animals know that they’re safe with you.”
“They are safe with me.”
She saw the Warrens’ barn out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at him. “You were supposed to be dropping me back there.”
“I’ll drop you at your door.”
“I was planning on walking. Do you ever listen to anyone?”
“Depends on whether they’re saying something I want to hear. Do you ever stop arguing?”
“Depends. I enjoy a good argument. It wakes my brain up.” Smiling, she sat back and let herself enjoy the view, trying not to think about the powerful length of his thigh only inches from hers or the conversation they weren’t having. “It’s hot today. That last half hour through the forest was sweaty. It’s at times like this I hate having this cast on my arm. Actually that’s not true. I hate having it on my arm the whole time.”
“When does it come off?”
“With luck at the next appointment.”
“I’ll fly you there.”
Last time she’d argued. This time she didn’t want to. She told herself it was because it made sense to accept his offer, but knew it was really because she enjoyed spending time with him. “Thank you. I appreciate that. And when I get home, the first thing I’m going to do is swim in the sea.”
She hoped the freezing waters of the bay would cool her down because nothing else was working.
A WEEK LATER Zach delivered a group of bankers on a corporate team-building exercise to their exclusive lodge on the banks of the Kennebec River and then flew back to the island.
He’d taken on more flying jobs than usual recently. He figured that the less time he spent on Puffin Island, the less likely he was to bump into Brittany.
She was still spending most of her time up at the camp, despite the fact that the last of the children had now left.
Encouraged by Philip, she was pulling together plans for the following year and liaising with the university. Sometimes, when he was passing, he heard her laugh coming from Philip’s office, that rich, infectious giggle that always made him want to smile, too.
That was just one of the many reasons he’d decided to spend more time in the air.
It was his bad luck that a storm had been forecast, the result of which would mean spending more time at the camp.
To delay his arrival, he stopped at the vet’s practice to check on Jaws.
“He’s doing so well!” A delighted Sara led
him through to the kennels at the back of the practice that led onto open fields and farmland so the dogs had room to run around.
Zach watched as Jaws pounced on a squeaky toy. “You bought him that?”
“No, Brittany brought it a few days ago. He loves it.”
“She’s been visiting?”
“She’s been coming by every day. She didn’t mention it?” Sara looked surprised. “I guess she forgot or something. She spends at least an hour with him and yesterday when we were crazy busy, she took him for a walk, although I think she ended up carrying him most of the way. Can’t have been easy with one arm in a cast.”
Zach absorbed the news that Brittany had been visiting the dog. “How’s he healing?”
“It’s all looking good. Gabe is pleased with him. I had a couple of people in here wanting to adopt a dog, but so far no one that’s right for Jaws. One couple seemed interested, but I said no.”
Zach wondered what sort of couple would be interested in an ugly dog with an uncertain history. In his experience that wasn’t a résumé that was likely to get you snapped up into a loving home. “I’m guessing you’re not going to get that many offers. Would have been less work for you if you’d said yes to them.”
“Not really, because if it doesn’t work out, the dog is back here again in a few weeks and each time that happens his trust takes a bit more of a knocking until finally you’ve got a dog that won’t trust anyone. That’s not going to happen on my watch. When I meet someone I think is right, I’ll go through the checking procedure and if they pass, I’ll let them take him. Until then, he stays here with me.”
Zach found her dedication touching. “Sounds like you should run a dating agency.”
She shook her head and gave him a quick smile. “I’m no good with humans. I don’t understand them. Just animals.”
He looked at her for a moment, this slender girl with a bright smile and dark hollows under her eyes. Everyone had a story, he thought. Everyone.
“It must be pretty quiet round here. Do you miss the city?”
“Never.” The way she kept her eyes down made him think she’d had very specific reasons for leaving.
He frowned. “Sara—”
“Oh, look at that! He’s seen you. He knows you’re the one who saved him.”