Page 5 of Rescue Them

They drove to the PetSmart and looked through the store.They had a portable dog yard that looked pretty good.“Do you think it’s tall enough for them?”

“Yeah.It isn’t like you’re going to leave them alone, and with this, they can run inside and out if they want.Do you have chairs or something you can sit in while they’re down there?”

“There are some old chairs I used in college that I keep in the basement.I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them, but I can use them there and put a table between them.There’s power down there, so while it’s concrete and kind of rustic, it would be nice.”Lyle put the dog yard in the cart, and James helped him pick out treats and some new toys.Then they checked out and drove to Lyle’s place.

The dogs all scrambled for attention as soon as they came inside.James was pleased to see Lyle petting each of them, giving them all some attention.Once the pack calmed down, they went downstairs, leaving the basement door closed.

It took a little time getting the thing set up the way they wanted, but it made a nice enclosure outside the basement door that opened directly onto the back of the property.The dogs could run on the grass if they wanted and come back in without issue.It was like having a large doggie door into a safe area for them.

“Can you help me move these chairs?”Lyle asked, and James got them where Lyle wanted.He also brought over an old, scarred table with scalloped edges and put it between the chairs.Once everything was set, Lyle went upstairs and opened the door.

The pack hurried down the stairs and went right out into the yard.They all stopped at the edge and looked out, milling around each other before hurrying back inside.As soon as Lyle sat down on a chair just inside the door, the first two jumped on his lap as if to say thank you.They got pets before jumping back down and going outside.As people walked past on the trail that led through the field behind the building to LeTort park, there was no barking, just happiness, curiosity, and wagging tails.It seemed their mission had truly been a success.

“They’re happy.”

“They were always good dogs,” Lyle said from the other chair.Dover ambled in the walkout basement doorway, and when James made room, jumped onto the chair before settling in his lap.

“You’re a good boy,” James said while the others kept watch, tails wagging.After a few minutes, the other three all hurried inside and scrambled onto Lyle’s very full lap.Dahlia began to growl, even though there was nothing there.

“I was wondering where my mother’s dogs went,” a shrill voice announced before a bird-like woman stepped over the dog enclosure, her legs a little too long for her body.“I came here to get them.”

James looked to Lyle, who had gone pale.

Chapter 3

LYLE WASstunned.“Corky asked me to take care of the dogs if anything happened to her.”The three of them on his lap seemed to press closer to him.

“Do you have any idea how valuable these animals are?They are all registered with the AKC, and they came from a superior bloodline.I have people who are interested in taking each of the dogs, and they’ll pay a lot.Mom didn’t have much, but she had them.”She came closer, and all four dogs began to growl.

Lyle managed to find his voice.“Your mother was more concerned that they would have a happy home.They were the one thing that seemed to make Corky happy.”He knew Debbie didn’t visit all that often, and from what he heard, when she did, they fought a lot.“And since she asked me to look after them and she told her vet, Mitchell, that same thing, I’ll keep doing that, if you don’t mind.”

“Did Corky leave a will?”James asked.Clearly, Debbie hadn’t even seen him from the way her attention snapped around.

“And you are…?”Debbie asked haughtily.Jesus, he was almost instantly coming to hate this woman.Who did she think she was anyway?Still, she answered the question.“The will is with the lawyer, and he said he had some people he needed to notify.I have an appointment with him on Thursday to go over everything with him.But until then….”

“The dogs will stay here with me.Corky asked me to look after them, and until you can prove that you should have them, I’ll take care of them.”Lyle petted the increasingly agitated animals in his lap.

“I’m her daughter, and I’ll—” She charged over, reaching for Daisy, who snapped at her as soon as she got close enough.She jumped back, and Lyle resisted the urge to praise Daisy, but he did make a note to give her an extra treat.The thought of Debbie getting her hands on the dogs made his anger rise.

“It seems they don’t like you,” James said with a slight smile.“Now, I suggest you wait until the lawyer tells you what you own and what you don’t before you barge into someone else’s home.”He gently set Dover in the chair before standing, crossing his arms over his chest.“If and when you can prove that you own the dogs, then Lyle will give them to you.But until then, we’re following Corky’s wishes.”Damn, he was intimidating as all hell, and if Lyle were honest, totally sex on a stick.The way he stood up for him, and for the dogs, was impressive, and Debbie took a step back, nearly tripping at the door frame.

“We’ll see about all that,” she spat.

“Yes, we will,” Lyle told her as gently as he could.“On Thursday, you find out everything you need to know, and if you truly are supposed to get the dogs, then I don’t have grounds to fight you, but Corky asked me more than once to look after these dogs, and I will.Your mom was a good friend to me, and I intend to honor her wishes.”God, he really was going to miss her.He lowered his gaze to the dogs in his lap and gently crooned to them, giving them attention and pretty much ignoring Debbie.“It’s okay.The grouchy lady is leaving.”

“I could call the police,” she threatened.

“And possession is nine-tenths of the law.You would have to prove that these dogs are yours, and you can’t without the will,” James added.“So go on home and wait to see what your mother wanted.It’s just a few days, and by then everything will be clear.”

Lyle was glad he had James on his side.Debbie turned and left, the dogs jumping down to return to the play yard, probably to make sure she was actually leaving.

“She seems like a real piece of work,” James said once she was gone.

“Debbie and Corky fought all the time.She wanted to put her mother into an assisted living space, and Corky wanted to stay in her home.I swear that sometimes she made things harder on Corky so she could try to get her own way.I don’t know for sure, but I do know that they didn’t see things that same way.Debbie was always about money, and Corky felt that at her stage in life, money was not important.I’m sure she knew that her dogs were valuable, but I think to Corky, they were a lot more than that.”Not that he cared all that much what the dogs were worth monetarily.He liked them, and they were good company.

“What will you do on Thursday if Corky didn’t specify in her will about the dogs and they go to Debbie?”James asked.

“Then I’m not going to have a choice.She’ll sell them to breeders, and I’ll have to say goodbye.I mean, there isn’t anything that I can do.”He sighed and hoped it didn’t come to that.“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to get you drawn into my little doggie drama.Corky never showed me her will or explained what she had in it.She just asked me to watch her dogs.”He really hoped that Corky had directives about the four dogs, but she may have forgotten, or she may have only meant for him to watch them until they got to her daughter.He wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t going to give up on them without a fight.All four of them were so good together, and it seemed unfair for them to be sent to different homes.