DASH INTO LOVE
A Short Fiction Romance
Written by Dorothy Wills-Raftery
The
moment Hannah slipped the key into the lock of the door to her dog rescue, she
was greeted by a chorus of barks, yelps, and howls. Her Siberian Husky, Dash, volleyed
back a howl and tugged at the leash, eager to greet the dogs. Once inside,
Hannah pocketed the key and unleashed Dash. She pulled her auburn hair back
into a clip, then slid open the door to the kennel area.
“Breakfast time!” she called out. Dash led
the way, stopping at each of the kennels to greet his furry friends with a sniff
and tail wag. Suddenly, he did what his name implied; he dashed out of the room
and into the outer office. Hannah followed to be sure he wasn’t into mischief,
but her heart dropped when she saw the front door was wide open.
“No!” She grabbed a leash, and while
locking the door she noticed the latch was loose. “Dash!” she called repeatedly
as she sprinted down the road searching for him. Pausing, she pulled her
cellphone out from her jeans pocket. She began posting a lost dog notice online,
when a red pickup slowed to a stop next to her.
“Do you need help?”
The driver’s handsome face, dark wavy hair, and sparkling blue eyes
left Hannah speechless. “I’m Nate Brady. I have the ranch up the road.”
“Hannah McMultry. I own the Dash Dog Rescue
back about a half a mile. The front door didn’t latch, and my dog ran out.” Biting
back tears, she glanced down the road.
“Is your dog a blue-eyed black and white
Husky?”
“Yes!
That’s Dash. Have you seen him?”
“I know where he is. Hop in.” Nate leaned
over and opened the door for Hannah. “He’s a fast one. Since I couldn’t catch him,
I locked the barnyard gate so he couldn’t run away, and started driving around
to look for his owner.”
Hannah felt herself relax.
As they drove the very short distance to
his place, Hannah studied Nate. “I don’t remember ever seeing you around town.
Which ranch is yours?”
“The
Rocking B.”
“Oh, I know it well. Marge and Bill are
wonderful neighbors. Are they okay?”
“Yes, they’re great. They’re my
grandparents. I just moved here two weeks ago from out of state. They offered
me a deal on the property so it would stay in the family. So, I sold my contracting
company and here I am. I’m happy to report that my grandparents are now touring
the globe.”
“Good for them!” Hannah noticed his left
hand ring finger was bare, but she also was aware some folks didn’t wear
wedding rings. “So, you and your family live here now?” she inquired, curiosity
driving her.
“Just me. Well, I should say, me plus
three dogs, many barn cats, four horses, a pony, 10 chickens, a rooster, three
goats, and a fuzzy little Highland cow.”
They shared an easy laugh.
“And you? Is there a Mr. Dash Dog?”
“Just one ex. He didn’t like dogs.”
“Not like dogs? I can’t imagine.” Nate turned
onto a gravel drive. “How did you get into rescue?”
“I’m a vet tech and volunteered at a
rescue. I adopted Dash when he was owner-surrendered. Shelters all over are
overloaded. I needed to do something to help, so I opened my own
rescue-slash-sanctuary three years ago.”
Nate parked. “Dash, or any of your dogs,
are always welcome here.”
“Lucky dogs.” A blush crept across
Hannah’s cheeks when she realized she spoke her thought out loud.
Nate glanced over at her. “You’re always
welcome too, Hannah.” His eyes lingered on hers for a long moment, sending a
wave of goosebumps racing through her.
They exited the truck. Hannah followed Nate,
admiring the well-defined muscles that rippled beneath his white t-shirt. Her
heart thumped excitedly in response.
Nate
pointed. “That’s L’il Bit with your Dash. She thinks she’s a big dog.”
Hannah was relieved when she saw her dog happily
running around the fenced-in barnyard with the pony. “It looks like they have become
fast friends.”
Nate opened the gate and as they stepped
inside, Dash and L’il Bit came trotting over. Hannah gave her dog a big hug.
When she stood to pet the pony, Dash eagerly jumped up into Nate’s arms.
Hannah chuckled. “It seems he has taken a
fast liking to you, too.”
Laughing, Nate gave the Husky’s fur a
vigorous rub as the dog plied him with licks.
Hannah clipped a leash on Dash, and when her
hand brushed against Nate’s, her pulse quickened. “I’d like to repay you for keeping
him safe.”
Nate put Dash down and shot Hannah his
million-dollar-smile that made her go weak in the knees. “It’s not necessary,
but...”
Hannah arched an eyebrow. “But?”
“Well, I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.”
Her smile went wide. “Pancakes happen to
be my specialty.”
“Sounds perfect. Let me take a look at
your rescue’s door latch, and it’s a date.”
Hannah’s heart danced. While she had been
upset over Dash escaping, she was thankful he was safe and led her, and her
heart, straight to Nate Brady. ~DWR
~The End~
Author's Note:
Dear
Readers: I hope you enjoyed my story!
As many of you know, I am an author and career
photojournalist. I also love writing fiction and have had short romances
published by Woman's World and short fiction in AmericanPet Magazine. I have received such wonderful responses to my fiction, and that warms this author's heart! I thought it would be nice
to share with you this complimentary short story that features a Siberian Husky, of course.
I hope you enjoy it!
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Until next time...
Dorothy
Would
you like to read more of my writing? While I have been writer for most
of my life, this is my new blog, in its infancy stage. It's a place for
me to share my love of writing and my published works (and it's in the
works!) I also have another award-winning "sister" blog I have just
celebrated my 14th anniversary writing ~ "FiveSibes,"
where I write all about my five Siberian Huskies, the Siberian Husky
breed, Canine Epilepsy, fiction stories featuring Huskies, and all
things K9! Come visit if you haven't already! I'm also on Facebook at FiveSibes: Siberian Husky K9 News & Reviews!
Story Copyright Dorothy Wills~Raftery
Story graphic images self-created by author from Pixabay free photos
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