until its head could clearly be seen.
A dog.
Fuck.
“Oh, puppy. What happened to you? Come on, boy. Can you crawl to me?” Fisting my hand, I reached toward him, remaining unmoving as he lifted his head, searching my eyes. Whatever the dog had gone through, I could tell he or she was in significant pain. After a few seconds, the dog finally crawled a little bit closer, licking my hand.
“That’s it. Come on.” I eased back a few inches, trying to encourage him to come forward as I flashed my light over his body. His entire hindquarters were covered in blood. My thoughts drifted to the shots I’d heard being fired. The coincidence was one I couldn’t ignore. The pup managed to crawl a couple more inches then collapsed. “Stay right there.” After locking the safety, I shoved the gun into my pocket and rushed into the barn, grabbing one of the horse blankets.
When I returned, I gingerly eased him onto the soft material, taking a few seconds to find out what I was dealing with. Definitely a male. From what I could tell, he’d either been mauled by a wild animal or had been shot by some asshole. Either way, the baby was in severe distress, his breathing shallow. I had to get him some help.
As carefully as I could, I lifted him into my arms, his cries barely audible. He was close to losing consciousness. I placed him into the passenger seat before racing around to the other side, jumping in and starting the engine. I had no idea about the location of a veterinarian. That wasn’t a part of my job. I roared down the road, the tires screeching as I made the sharp turn down the driveway leading to Hawk’s house. By the time I pounded on his front door, I was almost out of breath.
“Come on. Come on.” I pounded again until I heard footsteps, taking several glances back at the truck. When the door flew open, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Jesus Christ. What the hell? Are you okay?” Hawk asked, obvious concern on his face.
“I found an injured dog near the barn. Do you have any idea where the closest vet is? The pup is in bad shape.”
“Shit. They’re all about thirty minutes away,” Hawk responded. “What happened?”
“Gunshot. Animal attack. Hell if I know, but I don’t think this pup has that long,” I retorted, watching as Bryce rushed toward the door. His fiancée had captured my buddy’s heart, likely the man’s true salvation.
“What’s wrong?” she asked in little more than a whisper.
“Injured dog. I don’t know which vet to tell him to go to,” Hawk huffed.
Bryce glanced out the door, staring at the truck. “Um, from what I heard, there’s a new clinic that just opened up about four miles from here. Used to be Doc Forester’s place. I don’t know anything about the new vet, but I can tell you how to get there.”
I listened to her directions. For some reason, the injured dog bugged the hell out of me. Maybe Danni’s accusations continued to weigh heavily on my mind. My instinct was never wrong, and it screamed at me that something was going on.
“It’s late though. The clinic might be closed,” she said quietly.
“I gotta take that chance. Thank you both.” I headed off the porch.
“Let us know what happens,” she called after me. “I don’t like this.”
Backing away, I noticed that Hawk scanned the perimeter, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Why did I have a very sick feeling in the pit of my stomach?
As I climbed back inside, I pressed my hand on the pup’s head. At least his tail thumped a few times, although I could tell he was getting weaker. “Hold on, little guy. I’m going to get you some help.” I pushed down the accelerator and rolled, heading out of the ranch and toward the location. I only hoped that Bryce was right. The ride was bumpy, the dog crying the entire time. I kept the heater vent wide open, trying to make certain he was at least warm enough.
What the hell was I doing? This experience would likely shove me into another dark cataclysm, dredging up the kind of memories I couldn’t afford to have. Swallowing hard, I eased my hand next to him, trying to give the pup some level of comfort. It was time to let go of the past.
I kept the pedal floored, weaving my way along the curvy roads,