“Me? I don’t think so. I spend all of my time here at the office.” She couldn’t resist running her hand over the dog. It was when she touched his front leg that it whimpered. “Is it hurt?”
Trey frowned. “Not that I know of. But he was so dirty last night that I might have missed something when I was cleaning him up.”
Sage moved to her desk and set the dog down. “He whimpered when I touched his front right leg.”
They worked together until they uncovered a nasty, oozing cut beneath some knotted fur. Sage scooped the dog back in her arms, careful not to touch the wounded area. Through it all, the pup continued to wag its tail.
Trey reached out to pet him. “You certainly are one happy guy.”
“That’s it.”
“What’s it?” Trey looked utterly confused.
“His name. We’ll call him Happy.”
“Really?” Trey’s gaze moved from Sage to the dog, whose tail picked up speed. “I guess it fits.” Staring at the dog, he asked, “Would you like the name Happy?”
Arf! Arf!
Sage laughed. “I think he agrees.”
“I’ll take him over to the shelter. I’m sure they’ll know what to do with him.”
Sage looked into Happy’s eyes and she just couldn’t let him go to some shelter where he would get lost in the crowd and possibly forgotten about. She had to be sure that he was well taken care of.
“Call the Smith Veterinarian Clinic. Tell them you found a stray and its injured. If they give you any problems, you can mention my name. It might help.”
He sent her a puzzled look. “I thought you said you didn’t have time for pets.”
Busted. “I don’t have any pets. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have roommates with pets.”
Trey’s eyes widened and he smiled as though his problems were solved.
“Don’t,” she warned. “I’m not keeping him. But I want to make sure that he’s taken care of. Besides, as I recall, you’re the one that found him.”
“Okay. Okay. I’ll call.”
Knock. Knock.
The door opened and Louise stuck her head inside. “Good morning. I...” Louise’s voice faded away as she took in the sight of Trey’s disheveled look. “Sorry. I just wanted to tell you about some new coffee I picked up last night. But it can wait.”
Arf! Arf-arf!
Louise’s gaze lowered to the floor. “Well, who are you?”
Arf! Arf!
Everyone chuckled at the dog’s response.
“And you’re a chatty one, too.” Louise walked farther into the room.
Sage turned to Trey. “I’ve got the dog. Go make the call. Tell them it’s an emergency and we’re on our way.”
“We?”
“Yes. Now hurry up.”
Her father always told her that if you wanted something done right to do it yourself. It was a philosophy that she’d taken to heart, much like her approach to fixing QTR. And she wouldn’t get any work done until she was certain Happy was on the mend.