She extended her arms. “I cleaned the mud from your uniform.”
“Danke.” He approached her and took the clothing, their fingers touching and slipping away. His skin tingled.
She looked at him. Candlelight flickered in her green eyes.
His pulse accelerated.
“Will there be anything else?” she asked, her voice soft.
He shook his head.
“If you should need me, I’ll be in my room.” She turned and left, glancing to him as she passed through the doorway. Wood creaked on the stairs that led to her attic bedroom.
Bruno tossed the clothing onto the bed. His mind and heart raced.How will I face Anna? But when I return to the front, I could be killed at any moment by shellfire or an Allied gas attack.Smothered with pain and dread, he desired comfort, regardless of the consequences. Before he changed his mind, he retrieved the candle and left his bedroom. His heart rate rose as he climbed the stairs. At the landing, he found her waiting for him.
Celeste took the candle from him and placed it on a dresser. She turned to him and slowly unbuttoned her blouse.
His breath quickened.
Candlelight glowed over her porcelain-like skin. She gently clasped his fingers and placed his palm to her chest.
He felt her heart pounding beneath her sternum. A subtle scent of lilac perfume filled his nose. He pulled her close and closed his eyes as her lips approached his own.
CHAPTER17
OLDENBURG, GERMANY—DECEMBER8, 1916
Anna, hoping to catch a glimpse of Max, peeked through the partially opened barn door. On the snow-covered obstacle course, each of the trainers were paired with a veteran and a shepherd, while Fleck supervised the instruction. Max, who was being guided over a log barrier by a shepherd, was partnered with Waldemar.
Anna sighed. “I wish he was paired with someone else,” she whispered to herself.
Nia, sitting near Anna, perked her ears.
After a week of training, each of the blind veterans—except for Max—had been permanently assigned a guide dog. It wasn’t due a lack of effort on Max’s part, Anna believed, given that he’d practiced before and after school with Nia, which helped him improve his dog handling skills. However, Fleck was not yet convinced that Max and a shepherd had formed a bond. To Fleck, it was crucial for both the handler and dog to develop mutual trust, the foundation for their life together after leaving Oldenburg. Therefore, Fleck rotated Max with dogs and trainers in a quest to find the right match.
But three days ago, the number of viable guide dogs was significantly reduced due to an outbreak of kennel cough, a canine infectious tracheobronchitis. Every dog that was housed at night in the barn had become infected, and they were immediately quarantined at a shelter with the Ambulance Dogs Association. Fortunately, the ill dogs would likely make a full recovery, and none of the shepherds that stayed with trainers were sick. However, it left only two viable dogs for Max—Gunda, who was under the care of Waldemar, and Elfriede, who housed with Fleck. For the past few days, Fleck had frequently blown a whistle that he’d begun carrying in his pocket to signal for Anna to rotate dogs for Max. And as of this morning, Fleck had yet to decide which dog was best suited for him.
“Anna!” Emmi called from the back of the barn. “I need help.”
Anna turned and ran to the rear door, where Emmi was kneeling beside Elfriede, a black and silver German shepherd lying on her side. Blood covered her left hind paw. “Oh, my,” she gasped.
Nia cantered to them.
Emmi lifted Elfriede’s paw, revealing a badly torn toenail. “I was bringing her inside and somehow her toenail got stuck between planks of wood.”
Anna glanced to the open doorway, where trainers had placed boards, due to heavy snow accumulation, to create a path inside the building. “I’ll get the medical supplies.” She darted away and returned with bandages, antiseptic, and a bowl of water.
Emmi dipped the dog’s paw into the bowl. Blood swirled in the water.
“How bad is it?” Anna asked, kneeling.
“The toenail has been ripped off,” Emmi said, examining a bloody stump of tissue.
The dog trembled.
“You’ll be okay, girl,” Anna said, stroking the dog’s head.
Emmi gently cleaned the dog’s paw and applied pressure with a cloth. Once the bleeding slowed, Anna applied antiseptic to the wound.
