Page 54 of Hostile Witness

“The paw is free, and I’ve lifted his back end onto my knees so he doesn’t keep sliding on the tile floor. He might be able to help us now because he’s got traction.”

Tia sighed with relief.Only one shoulder and a front leg to go.She squeezed a finger in through the side and found his harness. The metal buckle had caught on an inside gap of the little door. Try as hard as she might, the buckle wouldn’t budge. “Ethan, unbuckle the harness under his belly so it has room to move.”

“Gotcha, doing it now.” He started laughing.

“What’s going on?”

“I’ve got a face full of dog butt and wiggling haunches, but the harness is unbuckled.”

Tia kissed Flynn’s forehead and praised him again. Leaning back on her legs, she tried to figure out how to get the rest of him freed. If she pushed—no, she didn’t want to hurt him. “Got any ideas on how to proceed?”

Ethan was quiet for a few seconds. “If I lift his torso a couple of inches and we turn him toward your right, it’ll take the pressure off his shoulder and you can try feeding him through. Maybe we try one time. If it doesn’t work, we should probably call Mike at the vet to help us.”

“All right.” She could picture what Ethan wanted to do but worried about Flynn’s bulky shoulder and especially his front leg getting through unscathed. Maybe she could bend hisleg naturally and guide it once the shoulder got free? Yeah, she could try that. One thing was for sure—she never wanted another pet door to contend with.

“I’ve got a plan for this side, Ethan. Give me a three count so I know when you’re lifting and turning him.”

“Roger that. Remember I’m turning him toward your right.”

“Okay.”

“Three, two, one.”

Flynn’s eyes widened. Tia squeezed her hand into a tiny fur gap and freed the harness buckle. Using her other hand, she folded his paw and leg. “I’ve got his leg protected. Give him a tug.”

Things got loud for the next thirty seconds. Flynn whined like a puppy as his shoulder squeezed through to the other side. Using both hands, she fed his leg and paw toward Ethan.

“He’s out, T. I think he’s okay. He’s shaking himself and licking my face. We did it.”

Oh, thank God.Hearing her dog cry wasn’t easy. Tia fell backward onto the porch rug and brushed the tears off her face.

Ethan shoved his hand through the flap opening. “Shake my hand, girl. We did it.” Upbeat enthusiasm filled his voice.

Tia placed her hand in his. A few weeks ago, she’d hesitated to touch him because he was large and intimidating. But now? His hand represented strength, warmth, and safety. She kissed his callused palm in gratitude for helping her with Flynn. What was happening to her? How had he worked his way into her trust with coffee and Thai food and doughnuts and those deep-green eyes she’d never get enough of? She let go of his hand.

His concerned face poked through the dog flap. “Hey... you’re bleeding.”

What?She glanced at her hand.Oh.“I slid my fingers under Flynn’s shoulder so he didn’t get scraped up. No worries, I’m fine. Is he okay?”

“He’s good and doing theI gotta go outsidedance.”

She dashed out of the screened porch and paused at the side of the house. Why was the pachysandra trampled? How had that happened? Maybe the cat was back? Nah, the cat couldn’t flatten a hardy plant like that.Huh.

Ethan handed Flynn’s leash over at the front door. “Mac and I will secure that back door. You wouldn’t happen to have any plywood, would you?”

“Yes, in the shed by the back fence. A contractor forgot it and never came to pick it up. I’ve got nails, too, and an electric screwdriver.”

He gave her a raised-eyebrow look. “I’m impressed.”

“Why? Because I’ve got power tools?”

Flynn finished relieving himself on a tree and pulled his leash toward the backyard.

Ethan cocked his head. “I kind of expected you to have power tools because you’re prepared. But the plywood? Not so much. Where’s the key to your shed?”

“My key ring, kitchen counter.” She let the dog lead her wherever he wanted. He didn’t seem any worse off from the experience of getting stuck and then unstuck from the doggie door. For that, she was grateful. Seriously, how long had he endured that position? It would’ve been awful to parade into the vet again with an injured dog.

Flynn sniffed at the pachysandra, growled, and pulled her toward the screened porch with his nose to the ground. He sat down next to a piece of fabric. It was probably a loose piece of garbage. She bent down to grab it.