“Oh, my baby,” Gilda said, tears filling her eyes. As she scooped Pixie in her arms, the little dog cried out in pain again.
Caleb pushed himself from the floor. “I don’t like the sound of that. May I look at her?”
When Gilda looked doubtful, Shelly added quickly, “It’s okay. He’s a doctor.”
Ivy wondered what he could do for the little dog. “There’s an animal hospital in the next town. It’s not far from here.”
“I know right where it is,” he said.
With a gentle touch, Caleb inspected Pixie’s front leg while the little dog whined. “She has pain and instability in the leg. It appears to be fractured, though it’s a closed fracture, meaning the skin isn’t punctured. That’s good. I’ll getmy bag and put a temporary splint on this leg. She’ll need X-rays to determine the extent of her injury.”
He paused and turned to his canine companion before leaving. “Starry, stay. Stay with Pixie while I’m gone.”
The fluffy white dog stretched out beside Gilda and licked Pixie’s face in comfort.
Pixie quieted, and Gilda let out a breath. “It all happened so fast.”
Shelly shook her head. “As things do, poor baby.”
“Where did the doctor come from?” Gilda asked.
Shelly twisted her lips to one side. “My money is on Mount Olympus or the Mr. Universe competition. Did you see his arms? He didn’t get those from lifting a stethoscope.”
Ivy blew a wisp of hair from her eyes in exasperation. “You’re incorrigible. And very married.”
Shelly shrugged. “I still have an eye for artistic form. I’m just window shopping for my single besties. You know I always help my friends.”
Ivy rubbed her side. “You were jabbing me so hard, he’ll have to treat me for broken ribs next.”
Caleb hurried through the open door. After opening a black bag, he withdrew some supplies. “I’ll stabilize this leg, so she doesn’t sustain further injury.” He looked up at Gilda with a sympathetic smile. “She’ll be okay. You can hold her and ride with me if you want.”
Gilda turned to Ivy. “Would you get her favorite blanket for me?”
“I’ll be right back.” With her heart still racing from the incident, Ivy dashed upstairs to Gilda’s room. She found a small pillow that had disappeared from the living room last month, but she decided to leave that in the dog bed. Shereturned with Pixie’s blanket and a couple of soft toys from her dog bed.
Caleb worked quickly and then walked with Gilda to his SUV. Starry trotted protectively behind them.
Shelly leaned against the door, wiping her eyes as she watched them go. “Poor little Pixie.”
Ivy was touched at Shelly’s sudden emotion. “Dr. Montana seemed confident she’ll pull through.”
Shelly sniffed. “As annoying as that little kleptomaniac dog is, I love her. She’s one of us.”
Ivy put her arm around her sister. “Doggie therapy hasn’t helped Pixie much. I found that missing seashell pillow from the living room in her bed. But she’s ours. She’s been here almost from the beginning.”
From the night of the Ridgetop Fire, Ivy recalled, when they welcomed local refugees from the ridge, including Bennett.
Shelly managed a weak grin. “If the doctor were thirty years older, that would have been the perfect meet-cute for Gilda. He seems to know what he’s doing around dogs. Do you think Pixie will come back with a cute little cast we can sign?”
Heaving a sigh, Ivy said, “What am I going to do with you?”
“The question is, what are we going to do with him? I’m betting on Sunny to fall for him. She took the reservation. Too bad she just missed him.”
Ivy swatted her. “Don’t set anyone up for a broken heart. He’s just passing through town.”
Poppy came through the rear carrying bags of supplies. “When I drove by the front, I saw Gilda getting into anSUV with Pixie and a guy who looked like a tattooed bodybuilder. What’s going on?”
They quickly filled her in.
