Page 60 of Beau
The memory of a man dressed all in black, throwing a woman over the boardwalk railing into the alligator-infested bayou, had made a believer out of Beau. If he hadn’t been there, Aurelie might have drowned. If she had managed to fight her way to the surface, that alligator could have gotten to her before she’d found her way out of the water.
He’d been spared to save her.
And Aurelie had been spared her bayou death to save Lady, the abandoned stray.
In effect, Beau had been spared in the fiery crash so that he would be there to save Aurelie, who, in turn, saved Lady.
The gray light of dawn crept through the living room window, growing brighter with each passing minute.
Lady stirred in Aurelie’s arm, waking the woman who’d saved her.
Beau remained on the floor, though his hip hurt and he couldn’t feel his arm. He wanted the quiet of the morning to last just a little longer.
It lasted another five seconds until Lady crawled over Aurelie’s arm to lick Beau’s face.
He grabbed the mutt and eased his arm from under Aurelie, trying not to wake her.
Lady danced on his chest, licking his chin, his cheek and his ears before Beau finally gave up, scooped the dog into his arms and rose from the floor. She probably needed to go outside.
As he tiptoed past Aurelie’s inert form, her groggy voice murmured, “Put a leash on her. She might get scared and make a run for it.”
With the dog tucked under his arm, Beau returned to the laundry room, where he’d found the clippers and located a small harness and a leash.
Lady turned circles in anticipation of going for a walk, making it difficult for Beau to get her into the harness and snap the lead onto it.
Once they were ready, Beau unlocked the laundry room door and walked out into the morning mist with what amounted to a dog that looked more like a rat and could possibly fit into a woman’s purse.
Free of her heavily matted hair, Lady pranced out onto the porch and down the steps. Once out in the grass, she did her business, barked at the birds and trotted back to the porch, more than ready to return to the relative safety of the house.
Beau climbed the steps to find Aurelie seated on a porch swing, her hair sticking out in odd directions and her face rosy from sleep.
Lady ran to her and let Aurelie lift her onto her lap, where she settled, resting her chin on her paws, perfectly content to be held.
Beau leaned against a post and studied the woman and the little dog lying across her thighs. “If you had any doubt, you can now be assured that is a lap dog.”
Aurelia smoothed a hand over the dog’s back. “She probably feels safe for the first time in a while. I’d like to take her to a veterinarian today and have him check her over.”
“We can do that,” Beau said. “I’m pretty sure there’s one here in Bayou Mambaloa.”
“I need to check my calendar. I’m pretty sure I have a meeting this afternoon with the CEO of one of the companies we’ve been monitoring for EPA violations.”
“Can you postpone or cancel that meeting? I’m not sure it’s safe for you to be out and about.”
Aurelie’s brow wrinkled. “I refuse to be bullied into stepping back from all the work I’ve done to ensure the bayou’s future. I might be the only person in Louisiana who cares enough to make the tough calls to save the bayou from the ravages of corporate greed or climate change.”
Beau gave her a brief nod. “Okay, then. After breakfast, we’ll swing by the veterinarian’s office and get Lady checked out. I’ll call my mother and have her check with Pearson’s family to see if they know anything about the dog.” His brow dipped. “What if she’s just a stray? What do you want to do with her?”
Aurelie stared down at the dog in her lap. “I’m not taking her to a shelter if that’s where you’re going with this conversation.”
Beau dropped to his haunches in front of the pair and scratched the dog behind her ear. “I think you just found your new person, you lucky dog.”
Lady blinked several times and then closed her eyes.
“I’ll make breakfast.” Beau straightened. “How do you like your eggs? And do you want bacon and toast?”
“Over easy and all the above. I’d help, but my hands are full, and my lap is otherwise occupied.”
Beau glanced around the clearing where the cottage nestled. It appeared to be peaceful and safe. Experience had proven that appearances could be deceiving. Someone could be in the shadows at the tree line, waiting for an opportunity to pick her off or steal her away.