Page 14 of Salvation (Clover-Hills #1)
Wesley
I ’ve never wanted a dog of my own. Always been a fan of the idea, but never thought it’d be fair to get one when I’m not even home most days. The bar calls for long days and late nights, and it’s never a steady schedule, so it has never logically made sense.
Benji though? He always makes me question that.
He’s awesome. Makes the lonely nights not seem so lonely, and I bask in the fact that it pisses my brother off to know his dog loves me more than him.
I’ve tried on more than one occasion to convince Wyatt to just give him to me, but no luck.
He loves the damn stray too much. Can’t blame him.
We’re going for a walk now, since he was waiting on my steps like a door-to-door salesman the minute I pulled in the driveway.
He sometimes wanders down to my place when he’s bored.
So, basically, every day. He’s an off-leash dog, always has been.
He’s not the type to stray away. Always stays close and listens.
So, now he walks just a few feet ahead of me, his butt swaying back and forth, stopping every so often to sniff at some invisible object on the gravel road.
He pauses suddenly, nose pointing in the air before him like he just caught whiff of something new, and he fucking bolts.
“Benji!” I shout. “What the hell?” I break into a jog after him, scanning the area to see if I missed maybe a chipmunk or something scurrying by.
He really does listen to anything and anybody, but right now?
An absolute Hellion. It doesn’t matter that I pulled out my stern voice or yelled his name a dozen times; he just keeps running.
A dog that well-fed shouldn’t be able to run that fast. I pick up my pace a little bit more, not because I’m worried he’ll get lost, but because I have no desire to pick a dead animal out from his teeth.
It’s then that I glimpse a familiar blonde, clad in tight black leggings and a gray top.
Standing in the middle of the road with papers in her hand.
Clueless to her surroundings.Her head snaps up when Benji lets out an excited bark. “Wesley?”
Benji uses her pause as an opportunity to come plop himself at her feet, tail wagging faster than I’ve ever seen. Patiently waiting for attention. She squeals. S queals and crouches down to scratch his ears.
“Oh, my! You’re so handsome! What’s your name?” She talks in a baby voice, and my mood dampens just a bit at the much warmer greeting a dog got over me.
I scratch the back of my head and say, “Benji.”
“You have a dog?”
“He’s Wyatt’s.” She looks up from where she’s kneeling on the ground, and every possible dirty thought my brain could manifest rushes to the surface.
For a moment, we’re no longer on the road but in a bedroom.
Her knees digging into the carpet beneath her, her delicate hands reaching up to wrap around my – “Ah, that’s whose farm is down the road.
I came up a side road, so I didn't put two and two together.”
I clear my throat, her voice washing away all my perverted thoughts. She blushes, hopping back up to her feet, and I wonder if she’s recently taken on mind-reading. Or if she was visualizing the same damn thing. She shakes her head and asks, “Are you visiting him or something?”
“Yeah. Taking his dog for a walk.” The idea of telling her I live on this road felt far too intimate for some reason. “You?”
“I was going for a run.” She responds. A pregnant pause follows.
I can tell by the way she’s acting that she’s distracted.
Something’s thrown her a bit off-kilter, and I can’t help but wonder if it has something to do with her episode from the other day.
We both just stand there, Benji looking between us like he can read the awkward air.
“Well,” She claps her hands. “I’ll let you get back to it.
” She crouches again, giving Benji a pat on his head.
When she returns to full height, she gives me a stoic look and dips her head. “Tell Wyatt I said hi.”
She waves and then breaks into a run, and I’m not sure if it’s because she’s resuming her exercise or if she’s trying to get as far from me as possible.
“Come on, dude. I’m taking you home.” I’m positive he sighs in return, but reluctantly forges ahead, wistfully glancing at Blake as she moves away.