Page 110 of Make Me Trust Again
Mae was right. The Belgian Malinois is in worse shape than he was when I saw him a few weeks ago. He’s covered in dried blood and dirt, his ribs peeking through his fur from how skinny he is. I eye him carefully, trying to figure out which injuries are old and which are new. It seems like he’s limping on one of his paws, and I’m pretty sure that the injury has come from the bite from another animal. Did his old owner find him? My jaw clenches even just thinking about it.
Fucking hell, Mae.
Inhaling deeply, I force my body to relax before I take a step closer.
“You’re safe now,” I say softly as I watch him, that growl persistent as he glares at me, fire and intelligence burning brightly in his eyes. Damaged, but not broken.
My gaze falls on the bowl in the kennel. Empty. Not surprising, considering they were starving him. I could never understand how people could be like that toward animals.
Slowly, I slip my hand into my pocket and pull out a few treats I keep stashed inside, extending my hand toward the bars, which only makes the growling become louder. But I don’t let it discourage me.
I lower my hand on the ground and gently roll the treat toward him. Easy, unthreatening. The growling lowers, if only slightly, as he sniffs the treat, but still he pulls back. I sit on the ground, a jolt of pain going down my spine as I extend my legs in front of me, and lean my head against the wall behind me, so I don’t tower over him.
I’m not sure how long he continues growling at me, but every so often, his gaze would dart to the treat.
I keep my gaze on those glowing eyes as I roll another one toward him. In the blink of an eye, he lunges at the treats and eats them quickly before pulling back into his corner.
I quirk my brow and lift another treat, but this time, I hold it in my extended hand, trying to see if he’ll come closer, but he stays glued to his spot. I wait patiently, trying to give him all the time he might need, but he just shifts from one corner of the kennel to the other, so I roll it to him, but this time I make sure the treat stays in the middle of the kennel.
C’mon boy. You can do this.
He takes a step forward and immediately pulls back, his attention going from the treat to me and back. Still, I say nothing. He repeats the dance a few times before he finally,finally, moves toward me and grabs the treat, so I roll a handful more toward him, all of which he takes.
“Good job.”
He goes back to his corner, but the growling is gone, at least until I push to my feet. I ignore it as I make my way to the bag with food that’s sitting in the closet and scoop a full bowl before going back to the kennel. The dog eyes it carefully, but he doesn’t make an attempt to move closer. I slowly unhook the latch of his door and pull it open. I fill his bowl with food and take the water out so I can refill it as well.
After I put it back into his kennel and lock the door, I straighten to my full height. The dog is eyeing the food but doesn’t make an attempt to move closer.
Figuring this is as good as it’ll get, I make my way out of the room and walk down the hallway, pushing open the big double door that leads to the backyard, where I know I’ll find Kyle and Mae.
The sun blinds me as I step outside, the sound of Kyle’s giggles filling the air. I squint, my vision coming into focus as I find him playing with Duke and Shadow.
“How did it go?”
I shift my gaze to my left, to find Maisie leaning against the railing and watching the trio. “Good. I managed to get him to meet me halfway, which is surprising on its own. He’s very distrustful.”
Maisie presses her lips into a thin line. “Considering what he’s been through, I can’t say I’m surprised.”
“I’ll be coming around, trying to see if I can get him to open up more.”
“Thank you, Chase.”
Nodding, I watch as Kyle grabs the rope from Duke’s mouth and tosses it, both dogs running after it.
“So…” She shifts next to me, and I can feel her gaze boring into my face. “Who’s the kid?”
Shit.
My shoulders stiffen at her question, but I don’t turn to look at her. I should have known it was only a matter of time before she’d asked that. Maisie’s too nosy for her own good; she won’t just let this go.
“My neighbor’s kid.”
From the corner of my eye, I can see her brows quirk up. “You? Have neighbors? Since when?”
I grind my teeth together. “A while.”
“And you agreed to watch the kid? She must be pretty.”
