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Leah shook her head, stroking the puppy’s head. “This little guy is a fighter. He can live a relatively normal life with proper care.” She glanced at Chase, her dark blue eyes alert. “Of course, he’ll need his daily feeding to be on a regular schedule and to provide a constant supply of sugar to keep insulin levels regulated. He’ll likely also need an insulin shot daily, and his levels always tested. I gave him a shot of insulin now to level him out.”
Darryl continued making notes while Leah talked. Once he finished writing, he said, “I suppose this theory would explain why the dog found its way into the dumpster.”
Leah gave a firm nod. “It’s very likely whoever did this thought the puppy was dying. Which, let me tell you, he was about as close as he could get.”
“Thank goodness I heard you cry.” Harper leaned in and kissed the puppy’s head again. “Poor little baby.”
Inappropriate heat filled Chase’s groin. Did she have to be so close?
He shifted on his feet, attempting to put some distance between his body and Harper’s mouth, when Leah said, “We can place a call to the River Rock Animal Rescue tomorrow morning and see if they have any foster families in their roster who will take on a puppy like this. But I’ll warn you, it will take some time. It’s often difficult to place a dog that has special needs.”
Darryl flipped his notepad closed and placed his pen back in the front pocket of his shirt. “And there is my cue to leave,” he said with a laugh. “I already have the station’s bloodhound, Tyson, living with me. I can’t take in another one. No matter how cute he is. My wife would kill me.” To Harper, he said, “You did a good thing for that pup tonight.”
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“Thanks.” She smiled, snuggling her face into the puppy, giving a soft purr.
Chase’s cock twitched. He handed Harper the puppy while Darryl left through the front door. He could only take so much. “Do you need to keep him here tonight?” he asked Leah, staying on task.
She shook her head. “With the insulin and the fluids I gave him, he should be good for tonight. If you’re thinking of taking him home, I’d ask that you come back tomorrow morning at nine, so we can check his blood levels and keep an eye on him throughout the day.” She smiled, stroking the puppy’s floppy ear. “Though I do think he’d be much more comfortable in a home with people than here in the clinic all alone.”
Harper turned her sad puppy-dog eyes onto Chase. “I can’t take him home. Brody’s allergic to dogs.”
“Yes, I know.” Chase grinned, a gesture he suspected was packed full of promise and suggestive intent, revealing a lot about the clarity he had come to earlier. “We’re going to take him home to my house.”
* * *
The black truck’s headlights guided the way down the windy dirt road, the wipers clearing off the light rain spattering across the windshield. Harper sat in the passenger seat next to Chase, the sleeping puppy in her arms. The dog still had yet to open his eyes. She guessed after being sick for who knows how long, and after the night he had, maybe now that his sugar levels were normal, he could finally sleep peacefully. “Do you think Darryl will catch whoever did this to him?” she asked Chase.
He nodded, his gaze staying on the road, one hand resting atop the steering wheel. “Especially if they were stupid enough to go into the bar after dumping the puppy.” He gave the dog a quick look in Harper’s lap before focusing onto the road again. “It’s not going to take long for the cops to identify everyone that was there.”
“That’s true.” Maybe there was hope after all. “Unless the person is from out of town, Megan should be able to give names.” Even Harper knew the names of the regulars that came in every week, but secretly she hoped she didn’t know the person. Her stomach rolled at the thought that maybe she’d been friendly to a monster.
“Once they get a name,” Chase continued with his steady voice, “all Darryl will have to do is make some house calls and see who’s breeding Labradors.” The headlights from a passing car moved across Chase’s chiseled face, illuminating his pursed lips. “I suspect it might take a little time, but in the end, they’ll catch whoever did this and shut them down for good.”
“I hope so.” Anyone who did this deserved punishment. Harper stroked the puppy’s soft ear between her fingers. “Let’s also hope Leah can find him a good home. I would love to have him, but—”
“You’re moving to Vegas.”
Her heart promptly landed in her stomach. She glanced toward the sexy cowboy next to her, noting Chase’s jaw muscles clenching. Now his sudden determination and the raging lust she’d seen earlier made sense. “Did Brody tell you I was leaving?”
Chase nodded, and his knuckles were white against the steering wheel. “You leave Saturday, right?”
“Bright and early,” she managed to choke out. Suddenly, having Chase know made things unexpectedly real. “It’s exciting and scary all at the same time.”
“It’s a big move.” He glanced at her, eyes firm, then he nodded. “But it’s a good one.” Turning his attention onto the road again, he continued, “You’ve talked about moving to Vegas and opening a restaurant there since you were an ankle biter and annoying the hell out of me and Brody.”
She laughed softly, stroking the puppy’s head. “Well, you’re not wrong. Vegas has always been the dream.” For as long as she could remember. A dream that went away for a little bit after her parents passed away but slowly had come back.
The truck began to slow, and then Chase was pulling into his driveway, heading toward his quaint one-story log house, built by his very hands. Evergreen trees surrounded the front of the house, and the porch light was on, showing off the stonework on either side of the red-painted front door.
He came to a stop and cut the ignition. “Wait there for me.” He was out the door a second later and jogging around the front of the truck. He opened her door, offering his hand. “Careful coming out.”
Harper smiled. “You do realize he’s a tiny puppy, and I’ve got him.”
“Yes, I can see that.” He didn’t release her hand until she was out, then he shut the door behind her.
The Blackshaw men had been raised by strong, kind people who understood the meaning of being a good person. From his friendship with Brody, and all the time he spent at their house or when she followed them to the arcade, Harper had always seen Chase open the door for a woman, offering her his seat, or lend a friend a hand. She liked that about him. A lot.
