The dog’s talons clicked the bare wood floors when Thomas led him inside. One glance at the steep staircase told Thomas to leave the dog in the living room while he retrieved medicine and bandages from the cabinet upstairs.
“I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
He worried the wild-looking dog would tear a hole in the sofa or take a chunk out of the kitchen cabinetry. But when Thomas descended the stairs, the dog sat where he’d left him, curious eyes gazing around the downstairs.
The dog whined when he dabbed a sponge against the wound. There was no helping it. Thomas needed to clean the wound before disinfecting it. After he applied ointment, he wrapped a bandage around the dog’s leg and sat back, assessing his work.
“No running for a few days. Leave the bandage alone, and you’ll be fine by next weekend.”
The dog barked, a booming sound loud enough to reverberate off the ceiling and walls. What had Thomas gotten himself into?
CHAPTER FIVE
Monday, July 13th
6:50 p.m.
A hip-hop beat thundered out of the guest house as Thomas crossed the backyard. Thomas didn’t plan to take the dog outside, not until he bought a proper collar and leash. But the massive pup wouldn’t leave his side.
When he knocked on the door, he spotted LeVar and Scout beside the window looking out at the lake. Since LeVar moved in three months ago, the eighteen-year-old former gang member had forged an unlikely friendship with his fourteen-year-old neighbor. They shared a love for rap music, Scout arguing old school hip-hop acts like Run DMC and Erik B and Rakim marked the pinnacle of the genre. LeVar disagreed, favoring new rappers like Pusha T and Freddie Gibbs. Whatever they were listening to today, it was heavy and loud.
Sweeping his dreadlocks back, LeVar hopped off the chair and turned down the music before waving Thomas inside. Though the guest house belonged to Thomas, he respected LeVar’s privacy and gave the teenager space.
“Hey, Deputy Shepherd,” Scout said, pushing the glasses up her nose as she swiveled the wheelchair to face him. Scout lost her ability to walk two years ago after a violent car accident.
When the dog padded inside, LeVar stopped mid-stride and stared.
“My apologies,” Thomas said. “I didn’t realize you were afraid of dogs.”
LeVar leaned back on his heels.
“I ain’t, Deputy Dog. But I don’t think that’s a…uh…”
“He’s a Siberian Husky,” Thomas said, ruffling the fur on the dog’s neck.
“A Siberian Husky?” LeVar met Scout’s gaze. The girl lifted her palms and shrugged. “Looks like he got into a scuffle. I’d hate to see what the other animal looks like,” he said, nodding at the dog’s bandaged leg. “Where did he come from?”
“I found him a half-mile up the ridge trail.”
“Where’s his tags?”
“He doesn’t have them, so it’ll be difficult to locate the owner. Judging by the missing patches of fur, he’s been in the wild for a long time. I’ll take his picture and post it around the village. Maybe someone will recognize him. Isn’t that right, buddy?”
The dog’s tongue lolled as he panted at Thomas.
“And if you don’t find the owner?” Scout asked.
“Then he stays with me. I always wanted a dog.”
Mason and Lindsey Shepherd forbade Thomas from owning a dog when he was young.
“Flea-ridden monstrosities,” his mother called them. “Why anyone would bring a wild animal into their home is beyond me. It’s uncivilized.”
“Does he have a name?”
Thomas tilted his head at the dog.
“That’s a good question, Scout. I guess I should give him one. What do you think, big guy? How’s Rex?”
LeVar laughed.
“Rex? Why not call him Snoopy or Rufus?”
“You have a better name, Mr. Hopkins?”
“How about Koda?”
Scout palmed her face.
“Everybody names their dog Koda these days.” She cocked her neck and studied the pup. “How about Jack?”
“Why Jack?”
“I don’t know. He looks like a Jack, doesn’t he?”
“More like Wolfman Jack,” LeVar said.
“I’m impressed, LeVar,” Scout said. “You’re becoming a pop culture historian.”
They glanced at Thomas.
“Jack, it is,” Thomas said.
The dog looked back and forth between his three new friends. Scout wheeled toward Jack.
“Is that a good idea?” LeVar asked, moving protectively to Scout’s side.
“He’s a big, gentle baby,” Scout said as Jack nuzzled the girl’s leg. “See?”
LeVar moved a cautious hand toward Jack. He flinched when the dog swung his head around. But Jack remained still as LeVar stroked his fur,
“He’s thin as a rail,” said LeVar. “I don’t suppose you have dog food.”
Thomas scratched his head.
“Can’t say that I do. Do Sloppy Joes count?”
“I’m grilling steaks for dinner.” LeVar had a key to the A-frame and cooked in the kitchen. But since summer hit, he preferred the charcoal grill beside the lake. “How about I toss an extra steak on the fire for Jack?”
“Sounds like a plan. That gives me time to run to the pet store later.”
A honk brought Thomas’s head around. He recognized Chelsey’s green Honda Civic idling in the driveway. LeVar’s older sister, Raven, hopped out with a pile of clothes under her arm.
“Be right back,” Thomas said.
Thomas rounded the house to meet Raven, Jack trotting alongside, while LeVar stayed with Scout. Raven dropped the clothes and covered her heart when Jack bounded up to her.
“What the hell is that?”
“That’s Jack.”
“Oh. Well, that explains it.” Raven bent to retrieve the shirts and blue jeans and handed them to Thomas. “I’m sure LeVar won’t mind a few grass stains.”
“How many times do I need to tell you? LeVar’s welcome to use my washer and dryer.”
“I know, but I feel bad. You’re doing too much for our family. At least let me wash my brother’s laundry.”
“Your choice. If you change your mind…”
“So, where did Jack come from?”
Thomas recounted finding the Siberian Husky along the state park trail.
“Well, he’s cute,” said Raven, exercising the same caution her brother displayed. “But those jaws could swallow a bowling ball.
