Shannon Vannatter - Reuniting With The Cowboy

Wolf was hanging off her lap and Ally shifted her legs into a crisscross position to give the dogs more room. Closing her eyes, she twirled the end of her braid around her finger.

Sometimes she could still imagine it was her dad doing it. Even after twelve years, she longed for his presence, his sound counsel. He’d have known what to do about her shelter. But he wasn’t here.

“Ally?”

She looked up. Mom had clearly asked her something. “What?”

“Are you ready for supper?”

“You can go ahead. I need a bath.”

Her only hope was to buy the land once Cody got bored with playing rancher and his lease was done. And that would be best for her wayward heart, too.

A hot bath and a bowl of soup later, she crawled in bed thinking about her predicament.

And Cody. She wouldn’t be his new short-term diversion.

Stop thinking about him.

She closed her eyes and snuggled under the covers—exhaustion fogging her brain.

Dogs barking. Ally opened her eyes. Lots of yapping. And they were close. How long had she slept—minutes or hours? It was still dark outside. She was used to the sound. In fact, she usually woke up only when they weren’t barking. But this frenzied chorus seemed to come from right under her window.

She rolled over, squinted at the green digital numbers on her clock. Four twenty-three. Why were the dogs stirred up in the wee hours of the morning? And why did they sound so near? She threw the covers back, jumped up and hurried to the window.

Three dogs surrounded the live oak in her yard. Barks, yips and growls filled the early-morning air. As her eyes adjusted to the moonlight, she spotted a cat clinging to a gnarled, twisted limb high in the tree. In the distance, the lights were on in the barn.

What were they doing loose? Her heart lodged in her throat. She flipped her lamp on, tugged a warm-up suit over her pajamas and darted down the hall.

“Mom.” Ally knocked on her bedroom door. “The animals are loose.” Flashlight in hand, she bolted through the house and jerked the front door open. A light blinded her as she barreled into something solid.

Someone solid.

She screamed.

Chapter Three

“It’s me.” Cody’s strong arms steadied her. The soft flannel of his shirt warmed her against the chill of the night air as his familiar spicy scent surrounded her.

Ally pulled away from him. “Are you all right? I didn’t hurt your knee, did I?”

“No.” He lowered the beam of his flashlight and she got a glimpse of his denim clad legs. “Why are the animals out?”

“I have no idea.”

“I’ll help you corral them.”

“You can’t.” She stepped around him. “It’s dark and you’ll step in a hole or something and hurt your knee. If you want to help, though, go to the barn. I’ll catch the dogs and bring them to you. Just put them in pens and I’ll sort out who goes where later. Once I get all the dogs, then I’ll be able to lure the cats back.”

“I’m on it.” He limped toward the barn.

She ran to the clinic. The door stood wide open. Odd. She grabbed several collars with leashes and a handful of treats, then scurried back out to the gathering under the tree.

“Here, Spot.” The splotched mutt ignored her as he jumped, his front paws running up the tree with each lunge as he growled at the terrified cat. “I’ve got treats.” She dug a biscuit out of her pocket and held it just out of the dog’s reach. Spot’s nose twitched and he lost interest in the cat long enough for her to clasp a collar around his neck. “Gotcha.”

She stood on his leash while she went through the same routine with the Border collie mix and the terrier mix. With all three dogs leashed, she tugged them with all her might toward the barn.

A flashlight beam shone from the house. “What can I do?” Mom hollered.

“Catch dogs. Then we’ll worry about the cats.”

“I called Lance—I mean Dr. Bridges—to help.”

A truck turned into her drive. Lance? No, he couldn’t have gotten here from Denton so quickly. Who could it be? Please not an emergency. Pressure mounted in her chest.

The engine died and doors slammed. “Hey, it’s Raquel. Cody called us to help.”

Ally could have cheered. “Y’all are awesome.” The Walkers were her closest neighbors other than Cody. Ally usually handled the health needs of their four-legged menagerie.

“How many are accounted for?” Slade, Raquel’s husband, hurried to take the three unruly dogs from Ally.

“I’m not even sure.” Ally scanned the area with her flashlight. “These are the only ones I’ve caught. I didn’t want Cody hobbling around in the dark, so he’s in the barn waiting to put them away as I catch them.”

“Hunter, you help Mom catch dogs.” Slade roughed up the young boy’s already tousled hair with his free hand. Although the dogs fought against the leashes, he didn’t budge. “I’ll haul this rowdy handful to Cody and then Ally can see who’s missing. I’ll be right back to help.”

“I’m so grateful y’all came.” Ally surveyed the threesome clad in wrinkled jeans and jackets.

“This is gonna be fun.” Seven-year-old Hunter darted around the back of the house.

“Watch for snakes,” Raquel called.

“Probably too cool for them and I don’t usually have any in the yard.” Ally jogged to the barn, opened the door for Slade and took a quick inventory.

Some of the missing were boarders. She had to find them and keep this incident quiet. Strays roaming free could jeopardize her shelter. But if word got out that people’s pets had gotten loose, her clients would lose trust in her.

As she stepped outside, another truck pulled in the drive. The door opened and shut. “How many are loose?” Lance’s flashlight bobbed his approach.

“Thirteen dogs, nineteen cats—some strays and some boarders. Not all of them at least. I’m sorry to drag you out this time of night all the way from Denton.”

“It’s only fifteen minutes and we’re in this together.”

Over the next couple of hours, Hunter caught two dogs, while Slade rounded up three. Raquel manhandled a smaller breed and Lance nabbed another, while Ally wrangled an elusive wienie dog boarder who seemed intent on playing hide-and-seek.

“I heard some barking in the woods behind the barn.” Slade headed back out. “Raquel, Hunter, y’all stay here—might be dangerous.”

“Be careful.” Raquel shuddered.

“I’ll go with you.” Lance followed.

Hunter and Raquel helped soothe the dogs, and as the sun began to rise, Slade and Lance returned with the last two Lab mixes.

“What about the cats?” Hunter helped her get the last two in their pens.

“They won’t come out unless it’s quiet and calm.” Ally hugged Raquel. “Thanks so much for coming. I’d still be at it if y’all hadn’t.”

“We were glad to help. Hunter had a blast.” Raquel tousled his hair. “You can tell all your friends about your dog-wrangling skills.”

“Um...about that.” Ally bit her lip. “Would y’all mind keeping this incident quiet? I don’t want the people who board their pets here to lose confidence in my services.”

“Good point.” Slade gripped Hunter’s shoulder. “Hear that? We’re keeping this a secret.” Hunter nodded and Slade turned to his wife. “We better go so Ally can tend to her cats.”

The threesome waved goodbye as Ally thanked them again.

“Go home, Lance. Get some rest. I can handle things here today.”

“Not happening. Saturday’s always our busiest. If your mom will ply me with coffee, I’ll be good to go.”

“Great idea.” Mom covered her yawn and the two strolled toward the house.

Leaving only Cody. “You should get some sleep. All I have to do is call the cats.”