Page 12 of Hidden Desires

She turned her back to him. “I need you to help me with some of the dogs if you don’t mind. They’ve been locked up all day and probably need to stretch their legs and relieve themselves.”

“You look upset.” He moved in behind her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

She wanted to lean back a little and feel his body pressed against hers. She wanted him to laugh with her, the way he laughed with Summer. She wanted all the things she knew he couldn’t give her and her heart ached because of it. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she was still in love with him. Those same heartbreaking feelings surfaced two days after his arrival and she was hooked. Fourteen years of bitterness and separation didn’t stop her from falling victim again. She still loved the one man who would never love her back.

“Remember that trust thing we talked about?” Jackson leaned forward, his breath fanning against her ear. “We were just having a nice conversation about her boyfriend.”

“Dr. Callahan! Dr. Callahan!” Autumn met Jackson’s eyes, then turned to see a young boy running toward the front door. “Dr. Callahan, come quick. Dodo got loose and is going crazy!”

Autumn pulled away from Jackson’s and ran out the door, following the boy. Jackson and Summer were close behind. Just outside the clinic, the pit bull named Dodo snarled and growled at two little girls, Mary and Sasha, backing them against a brick wall. Attached to the dog’s neck was a metal chain and from where Autumn stood, it was embedded in the dog’s neck.

“Dr. Callahan,” Sasha cried. “Dodo’s scaring me.”

“Summer, please get a bag of doggy doodles and a syringe.” Autumn licked her lips and guided two kids, Malcolm and Marty, to the side, out of the way.

“Doc, you’re not going to go out there are you?”

“Somebody’s got to.”

She waited until Summer returned with the item, grabbed a syringe and walked calmly toward the dog. “Dodo, what’s wrong, girl?”

Malcolm, the boy who owned the dog, stood to the side with Marty, the informer, simply staring at the dog.

“Mary threw a rock, and it accidentally hit Dodo in the back. Now she’s gone crazy,” Marty said.

From memory alone, Autumn knew Dodo was a ten-year-old pit bull that was slowly losing her eyesight and hearing. She’d been coming to her office since Autumn opened the place up five years ago, and while a once soft-mannered dog, Dodo simply didn’t understand her surroundings anymore. Now, each and every unexpected movement threatened her whether it be sound or touch. She recommended the dog be put down if occurrences like this came about, but Malcolm’s parents refused.

“Whatever you kids do, do not scream, cry, or run,” Autumn warned. “Dodo feels threatened, and we have to remind her none of us will hurt her.”

She inched toward the dog, drawing its attention toward her instead of the kids. “Dodo, come here, girl.” She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Would you like a treat?”

Dodo gave Autumn her full attention and continued to growl. Her white fur was now coated red around her neck where the chain had broken the skin. Autumn’s heart raced. It’d been too long since she had to deal with deranged pets, and she didn’t like it then. Jackson stood to the side, looking like a cat ready to pounce.

She tried to soothe the dog with nonsense chatter. The main goal was to get Dodo away from the children. So far, the dog’s attention stayed on Autumn and didn’t return to the kids. After a few minutes, the dog let her close enough to feed it a biscuit. “That’s a good girl, Dodo. See? We don’t want to hurt you.”

She petted the dog’s head while it chomped on the biscuit. Dodo really was a sweet pet. As one of her first clients, Autumn had developed a special bond with the animal and her owners. She hated the fact that her temperament took a downturn along with her senses. It put everyone in danger just as much as the family. But the dog didn’t need to be around kids unsupervised.

“Dr. Callahan, Dodo’s bleeding,” Malcolm said.

The gash in her neck still contained part of the chain that the family tied her to. The blood around the wound started to dry leaving the dog’s coat looking more brown than red, with tender pink flesh beneath.

“I know, Malcolm. I’m going to take care of her as soon as I gain her trust. Where are your parents?” Autumn fed her another biscuit and then another, slowing working her hand along Dodo’s back.

Autumn noticed the way the kids glanced at the other.

“Uh, Momma’s at work,” Malcolm said. “We’re not supposed to be here. You’re not going to tell her, are you?”

They left the dog tied outside for the entire day? Autumn continued to stroke the dog’s head pushing her own thoughts and opinions aside.

“Who’s supposed to be watching you?”

Malcolm glanced at his friends. “Ms. Beetlebutt.”

The kids snickered and Autumn glanced back to Summer and Jackson. If Autumn had to guess the true identity of “Ms. Beetlebutt,” she would pin the title to Ms. Lancaster, the little old churchgoing lady who babysat for everyone’s kids. The woman could seriously open a daycare with the amount of children she took in, but obviously she’d taken on more than she could handle.

“Summer, would you call Ms. Marjorie Lancaster? Tell her Malcolm, Mary, Sasha, and Marty are at my clinic and need to be picked up immediately.”

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