Page 6 of Rescue Them

“At least they’re safe enough for now.”James looked around.“I should probably get going.”

“Okay.”James probably had a ton of things he needed to do, and as much as Lyle liked his company, he didn’t have a right to monopolize his time.“I appreciate you coming over.It was a really big help.”Lyle swallowed hard, because the last thing he wanted James to do was leave, but he couldn’t think of a reason for him to stay.

“I should get my chores done.I only have the day, and then tomorrow I have more studying to do.There is always something to do, and if I can get a little ahead, that would be great.”

“Well, thanks again for everything.You didn’t need to do all this.”Lyle thought fast.“Maybe if you have time during the week, you could come for dinner.I’m not a great cook, but it’s the least I can do for all your help.I’m sure the dogs would like to see you as well.”He was willing to pull out the big guns.

“Okay.That would be very nice.”He seemed unsure about what he should do, so Lyle hugged him and then stepped back.“Does Monday or Tuesday work?”

“Monday would be great.My classes end early that day, and I should be able to finish my work before dinner.What time do you want me?”He smiled.

“Six is great,” he said and led James to the door.Then he said goodbye and closed the door after him.The dogs all hurried in from downstairs.He petted all of them and returned down there to close things up.Lyle led the dogs all back upstairs, where he fed them.He was also hungry and made himself something to eat, wishing he had just asked James to stay.But he had plenty to do, and he might as well get on with it.So he loaded the washing machine and spent the rest of the afternoon doing his work and thinking about James and those amazing eyes.

LYLE SPENTmuch of Sunday trying to figure out what to make when James came for dinner.He’d asked a number of people at work and even got some recipes.But he didn’t think it was a good idea to make something new for a guest.So he decided on a baked chicken dish.It was simple, but something he knew was good.With that decided, he spent Sunday evening cleaning the house again to make sure it all looked right for when James came to dinner.

“Should I use the good stuff on the table?”he asked.The dogs seemed completely uninterested, and he decided that maybe they should eat in the kitchen.The truth was that he wanted to impress James, and he wanted him to like him.Not that he was all that interesting.He pulled out the vacuum and ran it through the rooms, the dogs hurrying to get out of its way.

At noon on Monday, he came home to find the dogs ecstatic that he was back.Lyle fed them and took all of them for a short walk to poop and pee.Then he ate his own lunch before returning to work.He went through the same routine when he got home that evening and then set about some final cleaning before starting dinner.The doorbell rang as he was putting the vacuum away, and he hurried to the door to find the mailman with a registered letter.Lyle signed for it and thanked him before returning inside.He ripped it open and found a letter printed on legal firm letterhead.He read it and set it aside before getting ready for his visitor.

He cleaned the chicken and got it in the glass dish along with the rest of the ingredients.The he put it in the oven and started on the salad.He wasn’t sure if James ate carbs—so many people stayed away from them.So instead of potatoes, he cooked the fresh green beans he’d gotten at the grocery store during his trip yesterday morning.He’d spent more time in the store wondering what James would like.He’d thought about ice cream for dessert, but then he wondered if James ate that sort of thing.He was muscly and rather hunky, and that meant he took care of himself.At one point, after his shower, he saw himself in the mirror and wondered what James could see in him.He wasn’t built or anything, kind of skinny, and….Lyle had never thought of himself as anything special in the physical department.Still, he put that out of his mind.He was rushing ahead anyway.James was coming for dinner.This wasn’t a proposal, after all.

The knock on the door pulled him out of his silly, circular thoughts.The dogs went nuts, and when he let James inside, all four of them crowded around him like he had bacon in his pockets.Once they got pets from him, they ran over to Lyle, all excited.“You guys are goofy,” he told the dogs.“Come on in,” he said to James.“Dinner has about fifteen minutes to go.Can I get you something to drink?I have lots of things.”Maybe he had overbought.

“Water would be great,” James said, and Lyle knew he had gotten way too much.

“I have beer and a bottle of wine,” he offered.

“Then wine would be nice.”James followed him into the kitchen, the dogs padding behind, checking out what was happening before getting bored.Daisy decided to climb into her doggie bed, and the others followed suit.

“Sometimes I swear they have a hive mind.One of them decides to do something, and the others either follow or decide on something else, and eventually they all end up in the same place.So how were classes?”

“Pretty good.I have a paper due on Friday, but it’s almost done.I also have a great deal of reading to do.But I’m getting ahead of that.Some of it is interesting and some is just kind of bland.I know what I’m taking now is to prepare for other things to build on, but it’s just so dry.”

“I suppose it isn’t written by Tom Clancy.”

James chuckled as Lyle opened the bottle of white wine and poured two glasses.He handed one to James, and they sat in the living room.The dogs were behaved and happy, which was good.

“What’s this?”James asked, pointing to the letter on the table.“It looks official.”

“From Corky’s lawyer.I think this has something to do with Debbie and her foolishness.”

“Do you mind?”James asked and picked up the letter once Lyle nodded.He hadn’t wanted to think about that too much.It only made him worry that Debbie was going to take the dogs away.“This is notification that he needs to meet with you.It’s official because it was sent registered.”

“So what do I do?”

“Call first thing and see what they want.I doubt it’s something to do with Debbie, because it would be too fast.If I had to guess, I’d say that it’s Corky’s will, which could be good news.Just call and see what they want.”

“It’s probably too late now,” Lyle said.

“Yeah.But you could call and leave a message if you wanted.”James sat back, and Lyle called the number on the letterhead.He got voicemail, as expected, and left a message along with his phone number.Then he went into the kitchen to check on dinner and pulled the dish out of the oven.The scent of herbs and chicken wafted through the room on the steam.The dogs all rushed in, scampering around his feet as he set the dish on the stove to cool slightly.

“I keep expecting Debbie to show up with the sheriff or something.Corky didn’t have a lot, and what she had, she spent on the dogs.”

“Yeah.I looked it up, and these dogs can sell for five to eight thousand dollars, especially ones that are younger, like these, and of breeding age.A puppy will sell for four thousand dollars or more.”James put the letter back on the table.“That’s why Debbie wants them.She even said that she had found people to take them… she probably meant buy them.”

“I guess.”He patted his lap, and Daisy jumped up.“I hate to see these dogs in cages or something, just lying around waiting to give birth to little after litter.”He hugged her, and she licked his cheek.“God knows what that woman will do with them.”

“Well, I suspect you’ll find out everything from the lawyer when he calls.”James leaned a little closer.“Is there anything I can do to help with dinner?”