Page 35 of Fight or Flight

She guzzled the water like she was dehydrated after weeks in the desert. When she finished, she put the glass down on the table. Searching for the right words, she decided there weren’t any, so she went with her truth. “I’m embarrassed you had to see me this way. I don’t know why the attack hit me.”

“There isn’t always an explanation. Accept that.”

She shook her head but said, “I know.”

“Do you want to talk about this with me now, as a doctor, or would you rather I come over another time?”

“I’ve ruined the evening for you. I’m so sorry,” she said, her dark eyes pooling with tears.

“No, you didn’t. Stop thinking that way. This is the best evening I’ve had in a very long time.”

She offered him a droll smile. “I won’t question that.”

He laughed. “Another time. Let’s clean these dishes, and then you can take me on the tour of your house. Unless you’d rather wait.”

“You don’t have to clean up. You’re my guest. You can let Sam and Sophie out for me. I’ll only be a few minutes, and then I’ll take you on the tour I promised. I’m fine. Really,” she added.

“I accept your offer. Should I go out with the dogs?”

“No, just let them out and leave the doors open. They usually have a good half-hour romp before calling it a day.”

“Sam and Sophie, right?”

When they heard their names, both dogs jumped off their rugs and ran to the door.

“Come on, you two,” Tyler said. “Time for me to get to know you beauties.” He spoke to the dogs as though they were human. He opened the door, and the dogs flew outside. “I’m going to watch them, see where they’re going,” he told Katherine.

“Thanks,” she called from the kitchen. Had Doc Baker told Tyler to watch where the dogs went on their nightly jaunts, or was Tyler just curious?

Katherine packed the leftovers in plastic containers to send home with Tyler. She loaded the dishwasher and scrubbed the pots before she realized she’d hardly touched her food. She wasn’t hungry. The attacks always stopped her from eating, since one of her irrational fears was choking. Tyler talking her through this attack had shortened it and its severity. Katherine wiped down the counters and the stovetop and checked on the fire. She’d let it burn down until Tyler left and then put it out before she went to bed.

Satisfied, she made a pot of coffee, remembering Tyler drank his black. She took two mugs from the cupboard, waiting until he brought the dogs back in before pouring a cup for herself. Glancing at the clock on the stove, she saw they’d been outside for almost half an hour. Wondering what was keeping them, she went to the open doors to see if they were in sight. She heard the whinnying horses and figured Tyler was checking on them for his friend Carson. Wishing she had the courage to stroll to the stables, she returned to the kitchen and filled her mug with coffee.

Taking her coffee, she returned to the table to wait for Tyler and the dogs. She watched the orange and yellow flames of the fire, the fiery red sparks darting up the chimney. Thinking back to the phone call earlier, she took the burner phone out of her pocket. The call definitely hadn’t come from the number Karrie had used. Before changing her mind, Katherine returned to the main kitchen, took a small notepad and pen from her junk drawer, and wrote the number down. She put the paper in her pocket and then deleted the call history from the phone. Later she’d search the phone number to see if she could locate the city and state or maybe do a reverse number check. It also could’ve been a wrong number. She put the phone back in her pocket after she deleted the number.

Just as she was ready to call Tyler’s cell, she heard the dogs barking in the distance. When they trotted through the door, they went straight to the kitchen. They’d had dinner earlier this evening, but she’d probably confused them, as she normally fed them at the same time every day. The dogs must have thought it was treat time.

“Sorry I was gone so long,” Tyler said. “I checked the horses.”

“I figured as much. Everything okay?”

“Perfect. They seem to be doing just fine. Your dogs seem to like them. They did everything I asked them to.” He closed the door, following the dogs to the kitchen.

Both dogs were standing by the counter, knowing their treats were in the canister Katherine kept stocked for them. She took a beef stick out, breaking it in half. They’d had way too many extra treats today. “Sit.” They both did as instructed, and she gave them the treat. “They’re well-behaved, though it took some training. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

“You’ve done a remarkable job.”

“Thanks. I have to admit that they made it pretty easy.”

She remembered the day the dogs were delivered to her doorstep by a courier from the Asheville airport. They were just a few months old, their fur matted, their deep brown eyes filled with fear. It hadn’t taken her long to make them feel right at home. She’d found Doc Baker then and made what she hoped was a lifelong friend.

“I have a couple of cats, courtesy of Doc Baker,” Tyler said. “Part of an abandoned litter he took in. I believe he kept a couple for himself. Mom and Dad have the only female in the bunch. They’re quite entertaining.”

“I never figured you or Doc for the feline type,” she said, with a newfound admiration for both men.

“I like all animals—dogs, cats, horses,” Tyler said with a grin.

“I was never allowed to have an animal as a child. My parents thought they were messy and useless.”

---