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“Well, whatever,” she huffs, crossing her arms over her gorgeous tits. “It’s the twenty-first century, I’m sure he could’ve got in touch if he wanted to.”
I can feel Caesar getting restless next to me so I decide to take him on one more lap of the barn. As we approach Julia, I feel him tug on the leash like he hasn’t before and a low growl rumbles in his chest.
“Just stay still, Angel,” I say in a quiet voice as we approach, and I see Julia tense and take a step back so she’s pressed against the metal cabinet.
When we’re a few feet away, Caesar begins to pull against the leash and growl at her, but I have a theory about what’s going on with him.
“Baby, I know you’re scared, but I don’t think he’s growling at you. I think it’s a signal of protection. There’s something about where you’re standing that’s triggering him.”
I’m struggling to keep Caesar under control, he’s so intent on getting to whatever has caught his interest and I’m pretty sure it’s not Julia.
“I need you to slowly step to the side and move back to the barn door. I’m gonna let Caesar off the leash.”
“Are you crazy?” she squeaks, visibly blanching, her hand fluttering at her throat.
“I’m fairly certain he’s not gonna go for you,” I say in my most reassuring voice, but even I’m not one hundred percent certain he won’t lunge for her. “He’s muzzled, baby, so if he does approach you, I'll put him back on the leash.”
“Okay,” she replies in a breathy voice that does nothing to help the hardness in my shorts. She slowly edges toward the barn door and when she’s positioned with her hand firmly on the handle, I reach down and unclip the leash from Caesar’s collar.
I’m taking a huge risk, but all my instincts and training tell me there’s something other than Julia that Caesar is interested in. So when he’s free from the leash and makes a beeline straight for the metal cabinet and begins sniffing it with great interest, I feel safe in my decision. I can also see my angel breathe a sigh of relief when Caesar takes no notice of her, but continues to sniff around the cabinet and the workbench.
Suddenly, he sits and stares with determination at the cabinet, his tail wagging with excitement. From my training, that’s the signal a dog gives their handler when they’ve found something they’ve been trained to detect, whether that be firearms, explosives, drugs, or people.
“What’s he doing?” Julia asks quietly.
“He’s indicating that there’s something in that cabinet.” I approach Caesar and carefully reach down to pat him and give him some fuss which is generally the reward given when the dog does a good job. “Whatcha found, boy, whatcha found?” I ask as he accepts my praise but doesn’t take his eyes off the cabinet for a second. “What’s in here?”
Julia looks at the cabinet and thinks for a moment. “Nothing right now. My grandpa used to lock his shotguns in there when I was young, but I don’t keep much out here right now.”
At the mention of shotguns, I have a feeling I know what Caesar has detected. So I reattach his leash and open the cabinet doors to see it empty apart from a small cardboard box in the back corner. As I reach in, I feel Caesar get more alert and excited, and when I see what’s inside the box, all the pieces of the puzzle come together.
“Are those shotgun shells?” Julia asks when I hold up the tattered box.
I peer inside and sure enough there are two very old looking shotgun shells in the box. I hold them down for Caesar to sniff, and he sits as still as a statue and stares at the box.
I put the box up on the workbench and then crouch down to Caesar’s level and ruffle the thick black fur around his neck and give him lots of verbal praise. In return he nuzzles my face and I can feel a touch of his wet tongue on my chin as he tries to lick my face through the muzzle.
I secure him back in the stall after that. I think I’ve figured him out, but I’m still not taking any more chances with my angel still in the barn.
“So what does all this mean?” she asks as I return to her.
“I think Caesar was a military working dog trained to detect firearms and explosives,” I reply. “The reason he acted so crazy in here was because he could constantly smell the shotgun shells in that cabinet, and he was confused about what to do. You say the guy who dropped him here looked like he was in the military?”
“Yes, he had that air about him. My best friend is married to an ex-Navy SEAL and he kind of gave off the same vibe as Jake,” Julia explains.
“Well, there’s one way to tell for sure,” I say. “Do you have a microchip scanner?”
My angel’s eyebrows draw together as she thinks for a moment and then she smiles which still takes my breath away. “Yes, I’m sure I have one in the office.”
Before I can say anything more, she disappears out of the barn and returns a few minutes later, beautifully breathless and rosy-cheeked. She quickly hands me the scanner and stands at a safe distance while I enter Caesar’s stall.
“All MWDs are microchipped, so if he has a chip I can check the number with a friend I have who still serves. It could lead us to his owner.” I step into the stall and am grateful that Caesar is still fairly chilled out. He allows me to scan the scruff of his neck without more than an inquisitive sniff of my hand.
After I hear the beep to indicate the scanner has read a microchip, I leave the stall and show Julia the number, which she quickly makes a note of on her phone.
“This is such a relief,” she sighs, sliding her phone into her back pocket. “I’ve been so torn about what to do with him. I’m sure if I give him to Animal Control in the state he’s in, they’ll just put him down, and I couldn’t live with that.” A slow-rolling, fat tear slides down her cheek at the thought, and I step forward and cup her cheek, brushing the tear away with my thumb. Julia leans into my touch, and I raise my other hand to cup her face, her teary eyes looking up at me with such want and passion I can’t help myself.
I lean down and ghost my lips over hers, feeling the hot puff of her breath as she gasps. The sound alone fuels my passion and I have to taste her.
