Page 92 of Mountain Rescue
“The hell, Jack. Where is she?”
“She wanted to go back to the cabin, so Nichole took her.” Jack grabbed his arm when he turned to leave. “Calm down, okay? Remember we talked about giving her some time? Let’s eat these burgers, then you can go to her.”
“I’m not hungry.” Not anymore.
“I am, so you can sit and watch me eat.”
“Now I want to punch you in the face.”
Jack laughed. “You can try.”
He was not happy, but he managed to eat a burger. “Your dogs aren’t around.”
“They’re in the bedroom. I’ll let them out.”
He was gone before Dallas could tell him not to bother, that he was leaving. A few minutes later, three dogs came tumbling out of the house. Being the well-behaved lady that she was, Dakota approached, then sat at his feet, waiting for permission to greet him. Rambo tried, but couldn’t stop wiggling his butt at the sight of Dallas. Maggie May landed in his lap, her body quivering with excitement.
Jack sighed. “Can’t teach that one a thing. Someone threw her out of a pickup, and I think she must have landed on her head. But she’s sweet. Loves everybody.”
Dallas gave her chin a good rub. “She still stealing stuff?”
“Anything and everything she can manage to sneak away.”
“You’re a funny girl, Maggie May.” He leaned over and gave some attention to Rambo, and then Dakota. “What’s your plan for Bella? We haven’t spent much time on training her.” He didn’t like the idea of her going to someone who didn’t understand her and what she’d been through.
“She hasn’t been ready for training, not until she learns it’s safe to trust again.”
“I’m not an expert on dogs, but I think she’s ready now. You have someone in mind to give her to?” And what would happen to Blue? Bella would be crushed if her kitten was taken away from her.
“Bella has always belonged to you,” Jack said.
“Say what?”
“What I just said. Bella’s yours. Always has been.”
“You’re a sly devil, brother.” His happiness at hearing that surprised him. “What about while I’m gone?”
“We’ll keep her at the kennels.”
He hated having to send her back to a kennel, but he couldn’t take her with him to Colorado or Montana. “You have to keep her kitten with her.”
“Ah, no. Not at the kennels. That would drive the other dogs batshit crazy. I guess they’ll have to stay here. Might have to keep them separated because of the cat.” His gaze landed on Maggie May. “Although that one would probably love having a cat and will try to steal him away.”
“I still haven’t given you a final answer, yet you’ve got my life all organized.”
“You’ll be back.”
“We’ll see.”
As Dallas drove back to the cabin, he was happy about a lot of things. Bella was his, and she and Blue would be taken care of until he returned. Yep, he was going to accept Jack’s offer. The idea of working with horses and vets suffering from the atrocities of war excited him. He couldn’t think of anything else that would give him so much satisfaction.
Although he’d meant to leave as soon as he ate the damn burger, Jack had reeled him in with his ideas of what he wanted for Operation Warriors Center. Dallas was in awe of his friend. Jack had started with Operation K-9 Brothers, simply training dogs to help veterans in need, and now he was building the foundation in ways that would help so many of their brothers and sisters.
He couldn’t wait to talk about everything with Rachel.
The cabin was dark when he arrived. Had she already gone to bed? He walked inside and flipped the light switch on. Bella was there to greet him. Blue hopped across the floor with his back arched and his fur standing straight up as he eyed Bella’s wagging tail.
Dallas laughed at the silly cat. Yes, he was happy. This beautiful dog that came with a crazy cat was his. He was excited about his new job, and he was sure—ninety-nine percent sure anyway—that he wasn’t using Rachel as a crutch. He was falling in love with her. He was sure of it.
