Page 47 of Townshipped
He rolls over further in Em’s lap and exposes his belly.
Guess not.
“We’re keeping him?” Em asks expectantly in a tone I’d expect from Ashley.
“Can’t turn him out into the wild. I’ll ask around and see if he’s anyone’s. He can stay here until we figure his situation out.”
The smile Em gives me feels like when I used to slide into home base back on the high school baseball team. Nothing better.
A stray dog … Sure, why not?
It seems like it’s my month for letting wandering nomads into my home. Next thing I know we’ll be welcoming a group of yodeling Swiss foreign exchange students and I’ll have to convert the barn into a youth hostel.
“Do you think you had a dog?”
I don’t know what makes me ask. I have this itch to uncover Em’s past so we can move into the future. Until we know more, we’re stuck in this limbo together.
On one hand, I don’t want to rush us past these moments. On the other, I’m eager to know everything so I can consider my options. Then again, the closer she comes to regaining her memory, the greater the chance she’ll leave and go back wherever she came from.
“I don’t know,” she says, staring at the dirty pup in her lap. “Maybe? It doesn’t feel like it, though. I think I always wanted one.”
Her voice has an airy quality. She stares out toward the goat enclosure. Then she shrugs her shoulders and looks back down at our mangy new guest.
“Let’s get you cleaned up and see if you want to eat.”
At the wordeat, he hops off her lap and runs toward the house, turning and circling back to us, and running forward again.
Em laughs and walks up next to me. Our shoulders bump and I look down at her. I clear my throat and stride the rest of the way to the house.
“He’s not coming in until he’s clean.”
“Aye, aye,” Em says with a mock salute.
17
“EM”
Ihear the old gray pickup before I see it coming up the driveway. Aiden wipes his hands on a kitchen towel and walks toward the front door.
“That’ll be the vet,” he says, shrugging on his coat.
I stay back unsure if I should join Aiden or keep myself busy inside. The dog pads after Aiden.
While we bathed the stray mutt, Aiden explained that Elias Johnson provides the only vet service to the local farms out this way. A few other rural vets will travel from surrounding areas when needed, but the Bordeaux community is loyal to Doc E as they call him.
Apparently, Elias’ dad was a vet, and his grandpa before him was too. Doc E will come out for middle-of-the-night calls, emergency situations, or simple routine visits like the one we’re having today.
Aiden’s head pops back into the house. “You coming?”
“Um. Yes. I just … let me grab my coat.”
Aiden smiles and shuts the door before the stray can follow him. I watch through the window as Aiden strides toward the older man, and they clasp hands. Doc’s eyes travel to the window where I’m standing, and he gives a friendly smile. He and Aiden turn and walk toward the goat pasture.
I grab my coat off a hook near the back door and head out to meet them, the dog slips past me, but stays near my feet.
“… possible ketosis,” Doc is saying to Aiden. “We’ll want to test her urine and then worst case I’m going to need you to separate her and put her on a glucose routine until she stabilizes.”
Aiden looks concerned.
