Oh God. Levi was going to hate me when he found out what I’d done. He would never understand or be able to forgive.
Neither would Mr. Claymore.
“You just signed up last year, and you’re already sheriff?”
“As I said last night, acting sheriff. But yeah, after Sheriff Duncan had his heart attack. He’s a good guy. Protected the county for over twenty years. Hard shoes to follow.”
Under different circumstances, I would admire Levi for his choice to protect and serve. But now, I found myself on the wrong side of the law. There was more than just the middle armrest between us.
I was a criminal, and he was going to sniff me out.
If I were smart, I’d back out of our arrangement right now. Sever ties and keep my head down. Get Seraphina bred and get back to Colorado. Or should I confess all and offer myself up to the law? Wouldn’t I rather it be someone like Levi who arrested me than a stranger back home? In front of everyone I worked with? I wasn’t sure if I’d pee my pants or throw up when it happened.
Neither option was appealing.
My thoughts had been circling around this track for weeks now. Tell Mr. Claymore. Turn myself in. Face the consequences and get free of Dax’s blackmail.
Only there was Pops to think about. If I lost my license, how would I support us? How would I pay for his medical bills, and if things continued as I expected, some kind of memory care program? Or worse, if I went to jail, who would take care of him? I needed to figure some other way out of this nightmare.
“Shit!” Levi shouted as a border collie ran across the road on three legs, favoring the fourth.
He braked hard and swerved, then pulled over. I gasped, set my hand on the dashboard. The road was seriously dangerous. While he’d said accidents happened in the canyon all the time, I doubt he expected it would be a dog though that might cause us harm.
That dog needed my help.
He put the truck in gear, and we both jumped out. The air was cooler in the canyon, the sound of rushing water from the river that cut through it was loud. And it was black as pitch out. Only the headlights allowed us to see the stray.
“Hey girl,” I called, moving slowly, so I wouldn’t frighten her away. I held my hands out away from my sides as I assessed her. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at me, panting heavily. Her fur was thick and matted in spots, black with a white nose and paws. I didn’t see a collar.
She was probably dehydrated, and judging by her sagging belly, heavily pregnant in addition to being injured.
“Looks like she’s about to have pups.” I crouched down and held out my hand. “Come here, girl,” I said, my voice soft. “I’m going to help you.”
LEVI
“Where do you want to treat her?” I asked, carrying the injured dog from the truck into the stable. We’d settled her in the truck in the back seat. Charlie sat back there with her, stroking her and reassuring her and making sure she didn’t slide around as I drove to the ranch. The rest of the ride, she spoke quietly to the dog, who didn’t appear to be all that much of a stray. She wasn’t skittish and seemed to know a ride when she had one.
“Right in here, where I have all my equipment,” she said, indicating Seraphina’s stall.
I gently set the dog on its three working paws, and Charlie squatted down to care for her. Seraphina snorted and shifted her back feet, but didn’t crowd.
The injured dog had limped right over to Charlie when she called out on the side of the highway, as if she knew exactly who would help her. Charlie had been magnificent to watch. She clearly adored animals. As closed and guarded as she seemed with humans, this was her element. Kindness and caring radiated from her as she tended to the injured dog. I had to admit, I felt a little jealous of the tenderness she was showing. I wanted her to stroke my wolf, although it wasn’t as if I could ever shift to it.
“While I don’t have an x-ray machine, it’s clear her leg is broken,” she said without looking up. “Could you bring me my bag? It’s just outside the stall. I’ll sedate her to set it and put a cast on.”
I brought the bag as she settled the dog on her side and got to work, not seeming to mind that she was sitting in the hay of a stable. When she finished, she stroked the sleeping dog’s side.
“How soon do you think she’ll give birth?” I asked, squatting down beside her and checking out the dog’s swollen belly.