The M.D. Next Door

She had just spread a yellow linen napkin over her lap when her attention was captured by a sound coming from the other side of the redwood gate that closed off her backyard. The gate was locked, she reminded herself. She was safe inside the enclosure—especially since her kitchen door was only a few leaps away, if necessary.

Something scratched again at the gate, and this time the sound was accompanied by a series of eager, demanding barks. Familiar barks, she realized with a groan. Quickly setting her napkin aside, she rushed to unlock the gate.

The moment he had an opening, Waldo pushed his way inside, leaping toward her, trying to reach her face for a slobbery lick-kiss. She caught him in midair, pushing downward. He’d grown considerably in the past couple of months, and was too big for her to carry easily now—not that carrying him had been easy the last time. “Down, Waldo. Sit.”

Showing off his obedience school training—which obviously only extended so far—he sat dutifully on the grass, tail wagging behind him, mouth spread in a big doggie grin. He barked once, as though demanding praise that he’d complied so well with her instruction.

“Good boy,” she said, then realized that she was the one performing on command. “How on earth did you get out of your fence again?”

But he wasn’t sharing that secret. He merely reached out to lick her hand, still sitting restlessly at her feet.

She knew Alice wasn’t home. She couldn’t tell by looking across the street whether Seth was there. She supposed there was only one way to find out. Taking a firm grasp on Waldo’s leather collar with her left hand, she stepped out of her backyard and closed the gate behind her with her right hand, leaving it unlocked since she didn’t intend to be gone long.

“Okay, Waldo, walk. Uh, heel.”

He tugged a little against her tight hold, but she didn’t let him get away. This would have been much easier with a leash, she thought, bending sideways to lead him down the driveway to the street. Fortunately there were no cars passing just then, so she was able to guide him across. He didn’t resist, which was a good thing. She pictured herself dragging him the rest of the way and grimaced in response to the ridiculous image.

Finally standing at Seth’s front door, she told Waldo to sit, which he did on the second repetition. “Stay,” she added, though she kept a grip on his collar while she reached up to press the doorbell.

He whined, but didn’t attempt an escape, to her relief.

She rang the bell a second time, then waited several moments before conceding in frustration that no one was inside.

Now what? She could put Waldo back into the fence, if the gate wasn’t locked, but he’d probably just get out again through the same escape route he’d used earlier. She supposed she’d have to take him back home with her and keep him inside her own fence until Seth came to collect him. She would call Seth as soon as…

But that thought was interrupted when Seth’s car turned into the driveway.

“That’s a relief,” she muttered, waving to make sure he saw her standing there as the garage door rose. Waldo lunged toward the car, but she managed to hold on to him, staggering a little before regaining her balance. “Sit!”

She almost imagined she heard a reluctant sigh from the mutt before he plopped his wriggling butt back down on the porch.

Moments later, Seth rounded the corner of the house to join them. “Don’t tell me he got out again.”

“I’m afraid so. I found him at my gate.”

“I hope you haven’t been waiting here long.”

“No, only a couple of minutes. I was just about to call you.”

“Thanks for rescuing him again. I’m sorry he keeps doing this to you.”

She smiled. “It’s only the second time. I’m just glad he hasn’t been hurt in one of his adventures.”

?

?Me, too. Alice would be heartbroken. Here, let me take him.” He reached out to grab the dog’s collar, and his hand lay for a moment against Meagan’s.

Their eyes met over the dog’s head, hands freezing on the strap of leather. Meagan was suddenly, acutely aware of her bare arms and legs in contrast to the tailored suit and tie Seth still wore from work. His gaze wandered momentarily, and she imagined he’d studied every revealed inch of her in that brief survey.

Her cheeks warming, she released the collar and straightened rather abruptly, resisting an impulse to tug at the very short hem of her cover-up. “I wonder how he keeps getting out,” she blurted.

Kneeling beside Waldo, Seth was now at eye level with her thighs. He cleared his throat. “I, um—not sure. I never found the way he got out last time. I just assumed Alice had left the gate open and it had swung closed behind him. It wasn’t locked then, but I would have sworn I left it locked this morning.”

“Maybe Jacqui left it unlocked, for some reason.”

“Yeah. Maybe she did, though I can’t imagine why she would have opened it. I’ll check when I put him back inside the fence. And I’ll do another walk-around to see if I can find a break anywhere he could be squeezing through. If I don’t find anything, I’m putting him in the garage for the night and calling a fence service tomorrow to have a professional take a look. Can’t risk the mutt getting hit by a car while Alice is gone.”

There was no reason for her to stay, but she lingered a bit longer to ask, “How is Alice? Is she having a good time in Europe?”