Page 90 of Controlled Burn

I nodded. “Yep, or a whole lot of fun.”

“I was hoping you would keep him.” Andy smiled down at the puppy. “He really is a sweetheart. I can’t believe someone left him tied up in that old hotel. He’s really lucky you found him.”

“I’m not the one who wants to keep him. Caleb is,” I said pointedly.

“But at your house,” Andy said.

Nash grinned. “If you think my brother is letting Caleb go back to that apartment, you’re nuts. They’ll be keeping their dog here at their house.”

I just shrugged. What could I say? My brother wasn’t wrong.

Chapter 32

Keith

By the time Thursday rolled around and it would have been time for my shift, I was flat-out bored. I’d never been one to sit around and do nothing. With Caleb taking care of the garden and my leg making it impossible to get out and do anything fun, I was going stir-crazy. That was why I decided I needed to get out of the house.

My mom had come by on Monday when Caleb went back to work, and we’d played scrabble and hung out most of the day. Other than that, I’d mostly been reading.

The puppy kept me busy, and I could see what Samuel had meant about him not being safe at the station. He was a bit clumsy, like he was still figuring out how his body worked, and he was definitely bad about getting under our feet. Caleb adored him, though, and that’s what mattered.

Neither of us had mentioned him going back to his place, and I was just waiting for the right moment to suggest he give up the apartment and move in here with me. Just like Nash had said the other day, I had no intention of him leaving.

I knew he was going to fuss and insist I needed to stay off my leg, so that was why I waited until he got in the shower to get dressed. Thankfully, this had happened in the summer, and I could wear a pair of basketball shorts without worrying about the boot.

We waited in the kitchen for him and then tossed my idea out there. “So, do you think you could give me and Lucky here a ride to the station on your way to work?”

“Are we calling him Lucky?” he asked.

“Well, you haven’t come up with a name yet, and he’s a pretty lucky dog.”

“He is that. But why don’t we keep working on his name? Now, why do you want to go to the station? It’s still weeks before you go back to work, right?” He sucked that lower lip in between his teeth and chewed on it. He tried to hide his concern, but my boy wasn’t good at hiding his feelings, and that lip business was one of his tells. He was worried.

I hobbled over to where he stood and raised one eyebrow at him. I didn’t say anything. I just used my thumb to pull that lip out from between his teeth. His cheeks flushed, and he ducked his head.

“It will be two more weeks at the earliest for light duty, and four or so before they’ll even consider clearing me for actual work. For today, I just wanted to stop by and hang out. You know, catch up with everyone, and depending on what they have planned, maybe cook them some baked ziti.”

“My dad would love that, and I can drop you off, no problem. I was planning on running by my apartment and grabbing some more clothes after work, but that can wait until tomorrow. Today’s a good day for you to go because both Giles and Heather are working today. That means if you get ready to come home earlier, I can take a break and pick you up. A whole day at the station with a puppy sounds like a lot.”

“A whole day anywhere with him is a lot. We’re making progress on the house training, though.”

“That’s because you spent most of the day outside with him.”

“It’s working, though.” The puppy was sitting on the floor between us watching us talk, patiently waiting for one of us to pay attention to him. Little did he know I was taking him with me up to the station where he would have half a dozen people fighting to give him attention.

“Speaking of you going by your apartment. While I’m up at the station, I could ask the guys if they would help you move all your stuff from your apartment over here.”

“Too late. I already have my friends all lined up to help me make the move. I was just waiting for you to ask me.” He cocked one hip out to the side, pursed his lips, and actually fluttered his eyelashes. “Hmm, come to mention it, I’m still waiting.”

“Well, brat, consider yourself asked,” I growled and reached for him, but my crutches slowed me down, and he danced away, grinning. I couldn’t help but laugh. This silly, confident boy was new, and I was totally here for it. As a matter of fact, I was loving it.

A short time later, Caleb pulled up at the station to let me and Lucky out of the car. He came around to my side, got the dog out, and attached his leash while I managed to get myself and my crutches out of his little car. This was a darn good argument for having a larger vehicle. Maybe I could talk him into an SUV of some kind.

“Just call me when you’re ready to leave, and if I don’t hear from you, I’ll see you when I get off.” He brushed a kiss across my lips and hesitated before he gave his head a little shake and got back behind the wheel. I knew he wanted to offer to help me get inside, but he knew I was just stubborn enough to insist I could do it on my own. Spencer hadn’t been wrong. Daddies made horrible patients.

I looped the leash around my wrist and headed for the bay doors that opened to where we parked the trucks. We kept them open most of the time, and that would be one less door I had to deal with.

Robert, Kevin, and Ronda were in there doing normal clean-up on the truck, and Chris and Becca were in the back of the ambulance, inventorying supplies. I didn’t see Andy anywhere, but other than that, it looked like business as usual.