Chapter 5

The trip to the vet clinic didn’t take long and they were able to see us right away. While a normal checkup would have been done during business hours, they were happy to take the puppy immediately because of the circumstances and the potential wound. They took him back, cleaned him up, and found his wound was minor. He only required a bandage.

It turned out he was a boy, not microchipped, not showing up on any of the missing alerts they had access to, and overall seemed healthy, though they gave him some fluids just to be on the safe side. The vet thought he was old enough that they could risk giving him his shots even if he’d gotten his vaccines recently, and they even helped me give him a bath. Under the dirt, he was an adorably fluffy black and white dog of unknown breed and fantastic personality.

He was also very hungry, and they sent me on my way with a couple of days’ worth of puppy food, some antibiotics, dewormer, and a checkup scheduled for later in the week. This gave me time to figure out what to do with the little guy. They offered to let me surrender him and they’d figure out the rest, but I just couldn’t do it. Something about the way he looked at me tugged at my heart. I’d never had a pet as an adult, and maybe it was time. I paid the bill gratefully, glad they were there to take care of the little guy.

Bridger patiently waited through the whole thing, though he did mutter something about werewolves when a woman brought a dog that might have been a wolf hybrid in to be treated for a minor laceration.

Another worry surfaced. I didn’t know if my apartment was pet friendly or not. I felt that Oliver would probably overlook a day or two based on the circumstances. I’d have to talk to him first thing in the morning.

“What were you doing out, Hannah?” Bridger asked as I carried the soft little puppy back to his car. He had used a fake name for me earlier on purpose. Interesting choice, but I appreciated it all the same. Especially with my past.

“I was heading to the coffee shop.”

“We could probably still go there. I don’t imagine they’ll mind the puppy, and it probably won’t hurt him any. They let werewolves in all the time.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded solemnly.

I’d already had too much weirdness for the night, so I just let it go. Sure, of course they did. And I really needed some comfort food. Now that the immediate danger to the puppy had passed, my heart was racing again. I’d just stood up to some random guy in the middle of the night. Yes, I’d done it before, but that didn’t mean I wanted to do it again. Not to mention the bizarre circumstances. Why hadn’t my phone worked? Where had the puppy come from anyway? And what was up with that guy? Not having any answers, I sighed and tried to focus on the coffee I was about to consume.

The puppy made an adorable grumbling noise and snuggled deeper into my lap.

“He’s awfully adorable,” Bridger allowed.

“He is the cutest, softest, most adorably fluffy thing ever.” My voice dropped into the baby talk range and I wasn’t even ashamed.

The little guy perked up at my tone and gave me a soft nose kiss before settling back into my lap.

“What are you going to call him?”

“No idea.”

Something would come to me.

***

The coffee shop was actually crowded when we went inside. All conversation stopped and everyone stared, not at me, but at Bridger.

He waved casually and headed to the counter to ask about the puppy. The incredulous stares followed the hunter and only darted back to me after the young man behind the counter nodded, and Bridger gestured for me to enter. I tried not to stare in turn, but most of the people in the coffee shop had the same flawless skin as Jaz. From what I could tell, though, the range of skin tones was a nice surprise. I hadn’t expected to see such a variety of nationalities represented in the coffee shop, but I was glad for it. I’d expected to miss the rich diversity of the neighborhood I’d lived in in my last life, and to see it represented here in this mecca of caffeine calmed me.

“What will you have?” the young man asked.

I ordered a decaf latte and a pastry. Bridger paid before I could shuffle the puppy around and get to my wallet.

“You can buy next time,” he offered at my half-hearted objection.

“Sure, deal,” I replied before realizing that obligated me to at least one more extended period in Bridger’s presence. Of course, after stepping up to my side tonight and then carting me and the puppy around, I was willing to hang out with him some more. He’d never acted impatient.

We grabbed a seat on the couch by the fake fire in the corner, and I stretched my legs out, leaned my head back, and sighed. “What a night.”

The puppy snuggled into my lap and made an adorable little happy grumbling sound before going back to sleep.

“Forgive me for eavesdropping,” a smooth, cultured voice said. “But I’m curious, what happened? This town is typically very quiet. And how did you acquire that small piece of cloud sitting in your lap?”

I snapped my eyes open and stared. This man certainly had his own corner in the jaw droppingly attractive market of this town. Longish black hair, tied back, framed perfect dusky skin, piercing brown eyes, and a friendly smile. He sat down in a hastily vacated chair across from us and folded elegant hands across his knees. He wasn’t wearing anything out of the ordinary, jeans and a plain green t-shirt, but he made it look like the most expensive outfit I couldn’t have afforded, even on my formerly six-figure salary.

Grace. Every motion the man made was almost inhumanly graceful. Maybe he was a dancer?

Small piece of cloud was one way to describe the adorable floof curled up in my lap. It was surprisingly accurate, if overly poetic.

“I found him tied to a light pole.” I suddenly didn’t want to tell him, in case he knew the dog’s owner. But, at the same time, if someone was looking for this puppy, they had to be heartbroken. I’d keep him safe, and the vet clinic had promised to look around for the owner. “This guy came up after I found the puppy and threatened me. Bridger showed up in time to help me get rid of the guy, and then we took the puppy to the vet.”

The golden cord that had tied the puppy had vanished at some point at the vet clinic, probably misplaced. As pretty as it had been, I was much happier with the slip lead the clinic had given me, and I’d hit the pet store tomorrow for supplies.

“Ahh. Interesting. Forgive me, my manners are occasionally terrible.”

I doubted that.

“My name is Katsuro.”

“Hannah. I feel like you all know Bridger.”

“Yes,” Katsuro replied, obviously amused. “We all know Bridger.”

“I’m new to the area. Probably obvious.” I found myself a little tongue-tied under Katsuro’s scrutiny.

He nodded. “Do you intend to keep the cloud puppy?”

“If the owner doesn’t show up, yes.”

“Very well. I’m the owner of this establishment. He is welcome in the coffee shop. I look forward to seeing you again.” His smile lit up his eyes and drew me in, and I about melted in my seat. What was it with the men in this town?

Katsuro rose from his chair and left the coffee shop after a quick scan of the occupants that seemed to mean something to the rest of them.

I got a few more curious looks before the other patrons returned to their own business.

I finally managed to take a full breath.

“He was totally flirting with you,” Bridger said, a hint of jealousy in his voice. “Also, I’m pretty sure he’s a vampire. He owns this place and they’re all vampires. Maybe don’t flirt back?”

I raised my eyebrows, glanced around the coffee shop, then back at Bridger. Maybe the other occupants were more studiously ignoring us than they had been before, maybe it was just my imagination after a long night, but right now I didn’t care.

“Sure, whatever, Bridger.” I let my head fall back on the couch and dug my fingers into the little dog’s fluff. I supposed I could move into the coffee shop if Oliver said I couldn’t keep the dog, but I’d cross that bridge when I got to it. Either later tonight when I returned home, or tomorrow as soon as I could track my landlord down.

My heart sped a little, and not necessarily in anticipation. I really liked the feel of my new home, and my landlord, to be honest. I didn’t want to move again so soon. The little puppy stood, stretched with an adorable rumbling growl, and settled back into my lap.

Yeah, somehow, I had to talk Oliver into letting him stay. Or talk him into breaking my lease so I could find a new place to live. I’d choose the puppy over being able to see Oliver, but the thought of not seeing him again was weirdly uncomfortable. I’d never experience the scent of cinnamon the same way again, especially if I had to move.

Beechworth was starting to win my heart—Bridger’s insistence about vampires and werewolves aside—but this tiny, floofy creature had already claimed my soul.