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I can tell she’s not going to rest until we find them and I’d like to make sure they’re okay too. It’s also the least hostile she’s been toward me in days, so I want to stretch it out for as long as possible.
“How about I circle around the back of the shops? Maybe they’re where I saw them the first time. You could either come with me or stay right here in case they come back this way.”
She runs her hand over her arms. “I think I need to move. I’ll come with you.”
We take a left at the corner and another left when we reach the restaurant patios and backs of shops, heading down the opposite end from where I saw them the first time. I point ahead.
“See that blue light by the dumpster? The husky and a raccoon were having a standoff.”
“It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but I believe you. Never a dull moment around here, I swear,” she says.
There’s no sight of the two and we’re almost at the end when I see them run from the dumpster and toward an old caboose on the next street over. I remember the caboose being here when I was a kid. I tried to peek in the windows and was disappointed that we couldn’t go inside.
The husky leaps onto the back ledge and the chihuahua takes one step at a time, and once they’re both up, the husky nudges the door with his nose and they run inside. The door closes behind them and Scarlett and I turn and stare at each other.
“Unbelievable,” Scarlett whispers. And then, “I’m going in.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? The husky has a mean growl.”
“You’re scared of dogs?”
“No, but…I’m cautious. Are you wanting to keep them?”
“Well, we can’t just leave them out in the cold.”
“I think they’ve been doing this little routine for a while. They perform better than any dogs I’ve ever had.” I haven’t had many, but still.
“Same,” she says. “I think we should see if they’ll follow us back and we can look them over, make sure they’re fed, take pictures to post in case someone’s looking for them…”
“You’re always five steps ahead, aren’t you?” I tease, but it’s the truth.
“You better believe it,” she says, smirking, and then she bites her lip and looks away quickly.
When she said that to me the night we met, she rocked my world and then some.
“I haven’t been disappointed yet when you’ve said those words.”
She gets her bearings quickly, rolling her eyes. “Don’t get your hopes up, Wingtip.” She gets up on the back ledge of the caboose. “You coming with me or what?”
“Thatismy favorite way,” I tell her, loving the way her eyes flare wider. I’m on the back ledge in the next second and she leans back into me for a beat before nudging the door open slowly.
“Hello,” she says in a sweet, soft tone.
I turn on the flashlight from my phone and cast it through the space. There’s a small hallway and then it opens up into a bigger area with a built-in couch on one side and a wooden bench on the other. The dogs aren’t on either side and the only thing left is a small built-in desk and a bathroom. I turn to look at the desk and tucked in the space underneath, the husky is curled up and staring at us, and the chihuahua is between his chest and huge paw, sound asleep.
“Hi, big guy,” I say in the same singsong way Scarlett did before. It seemed to work for her, and so far, so good.
“Oh my goodness. You guys are so cute,” Scarlett coos. “What are they doing here?” she asks me, but doesn’t wait for an answer. “Hold on, I think I’ve got something you’ll love.”
She reaches into her purse and pulls out something that makes the husky’s nose start twitching. As soon as Scarlett starts unwrapping the package, the tiny one’s eyes open and it sits up and hops over the husky’s paw and straight to Scarlett.
“What kind of magic are you holding?” I ask her.
“A beef stick,” she says, giggling.
That magnetic field is going to be a real problem for me.
She breaks off two small pieces and gives the smallest one to the chihuahua. That gets the husky’s attention and he stands up and walks over, sitting down in front of her. She gives him a treat and then the two dogs look at her expectantly.
