“Why do you say that?”
She met his gaze. “You’re unavailable.”
“You’re right.” Seth spoke brusquely. “It doesn’t matter.”
Lauren had the feeling she’d offended him, though she wasn’t sure how. Before she could ask he punched a couple of buttons on the steering wheel and turned up the radio volume. The station was a popular one, playing “all love songs, all the time.”
The smooth tones of Barry Manilow filled the cab of the truck. Lauren leaned back and let the music wash over her. Back-to-back Barry tunes were interspersed with several commercials. Lionel Ritchie had just begun to sing when Lauren saw it.
Up ahead.
On the edge of the road.
A dark shape just to the right of the headlight beams. The size of a bag of laundry.
“What is that?”
When Seth glanced her way she pointed to the object. They were still too far away to identify it, but when it moved, fear shot up her spine. That was no discarded laundry.
“I’m not sure.” The smile that had been on Seth’s lips vanished. He slowed the truck and wheeled it to the side of the road. “But we’re about to find out.”
Chapter Thirteen
Seth was out of the truck before Lauren even unbuckled her seat belt. She ran to catch up with him. The wind’s icy fingers clawed at her face and her worry escalated with each step. Whatever was on the ground had to be nearly frozen.
“Oh, no.”
It wasn’t so much what Seth said, but the compassion in his voice that told her this was serious.
In seconds, she stood at his side. When she glanced down, her heart rose to her throat. The animal’s hair was matted with blood from a large laceration.
“Oh, no,” she echoed.
Though Lauren was no animal expert, the black-and-white dog huddled on the shoulder of the road appeared to be some sort of collie.
“What do you think happened?” Lauren wasn’t sure why she was whispering. They were the only people around for miles.
A muscle in Seth’s jaw jumped, and in the dim light his blue eyes were gunmetal gray. “My guess is someone dumped him and he got hit by a car.”
“Who would leave him way out here?” Lauren’s voice rose then broke. She glanced around, taking in the pastureland that seemed to go on forever. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“Dumping domesticated animals in the country happens more than most think,” Seth said through gritted teeth.
“There’s nothing for him to eat.” The food Lauren had consumed earlier turned to stone in her stomach. “Or drink.”
“I know.” Seth blew out a harsh breath. “This fella didn’t stand a chance.”
The finality in his voice scared her.
“We can’t leave him here.” Lauren clenched her hands into fists.
The animal turned his head and met Lauren’s gaze. When he thumped his tail against the ground, tears sprang to her eyes.
“I wouldn’t think of leaving him.” Seth squatted next to the dog but made no move to touch him. “I need you to go to the truck, grab a blanket from the backseat and a flashlight from the glove compartment.”
Lauren hesitated. “Shouldn’t we get him into the truck? Out of the weather?”
“This animal is hurt. I’m not sure how badly. I want to check him out first.” Seth brushed the snow from his face with an impatient gesture. His frown deepened when the dog shivered. “We do need to move him as soon as possible.”
Lauren ran to the truck. By the time she returned Seth’s hands were already moving over the dog with a confidence that brought her a measure of comfort. He took the flashlight and shone the light into the animal’s eyes and ears before checking his mouth.
Lauren raised the collar of her jacket as the snow continued to fall. “How is he?”
“Doesn’t appear to have any bleeding from the nostrils or ears. Gums are pink. Pupils are reactive and equal. Other than the nasty laceration, the only thing that worries me is his back leg. It appears to be just a sprain, but I’d feel better if I had an X-ray.”
Seth took the blanket from her hands and wrapped it around the animal.
“Where’s the nearest vet?” Lauren asked.
“Big Timber. But Doc Burkey is visiting family in Phoenix.”
“Then we’ll take him somewhere else.”
“No vet is going to be in the office on New Year’s Eve.” Seth handed Lauren the flashlight and lifted the dog into his arms. “We’ll take him home. I’ll see what I can do.”
In the short time since they’d stopped, the wind had picked up and the snow had begun to fall in earnest. Lauren hurried ahead of Seth and opened the door to the backseat. With a gentle touch, he laid the dog on the leather with the blanket wrapped around him.
Bile rose in her throat. “He wouldn’t have lasted much longer.”
“Not in this weather,” Seth agreed.
“He’ll be okay, right?” Growing up, Lauren had never had a pet. Animals, according to her parents, were messy and unnecessary. She was surprised she felt such an affinity for this one.
“If he doesn’t have any internal injuries, I’d say yeah, he’ll make it.” The matter-of-fact tone was at odds with the worry in Seth’s eyes. He slipped the phone from his pocket. “Mind if I make a quick call?”
“Not at all.”
It didn’t take her long to figure out that he’d rung the house to check on Ivy. After a few questions, he explained about the dog. “We’ll go straight to the clinic, so don’t worry when you hear the truck drive up.”
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and smiled. “Ivy was asleep by nine.”
While he drove, Seth updated her on the little girl’s evening. Lauren kept one eye on the collie. Though it seemed to take forever, they finally pulled into the lane leading to the ranch.
Seth didn’t spare the house a second glance. Instead he wheeled the truck in front of the metal outbuilding and shut off the engine. In seconds he’d unlocked the door and returned to
