Page 66 of Courting Danger

The husky-looking one balked at first, eyeing Pope, until he held his hand out, letting the dog take his time slowly inching forward until he sniffed it and let Pope stroke his snout.

“Yeah, that’s a good boy,” Pope praised in that same low, comforting voice he’d used when he’d had them on the table playing with the violet wand. “Everything’s going to be all right now. Bet you’d like to have those mats out of your fur. Let’s give you a warm bath and see about getting you straightened out.”

The dog’s tail, previously tucked tight, began to unfurl and slowly wag the longer he listened to Pope. Soon, they had the dogs inside, the yellow one in the tub with Pope carefully soaping him up, while Ocean and Roan sat on a bathmat on the floor, picking all the debris out of the husky’s fur. Ocean was convinced that’s what he was, at least partially.

Cooing to him the whole time, they slowly got the worst of the mess out, while Pope finished washing the yellow one, whose coat looked way brighter by the time Pope finished cleaning the grime off him. As soon as Pope lifted him out of the tub, he shook himself, sending water droplets everywhere, splattering Ocean and Roan, who immediately started giggling.

“What the…”

They’d been so focused on the dogs that they hadn’t heard the door opening. Danger stood in the entryway, disheveled and blinking, before he rubbed his eyes, cocked his head, and shot confused looks at all of them. The husky whined and whirled to his feet, crowding against Ocean, who hugged him and rubbed his ears.

“It’s okay, boy,” Ocean murmured. “He won’t hurt you.”

“We found them on the beach,” Roan said.

“Looks like they’ve been outside for a while,” Danger said as he stepped into the room and sat on the floor so he wouldn’t look as threatening to them.

“Pope says we get to keep them as long as they don’t belong to anyone,” Roan explained, hugging the yellow one, who regarded Danger with wary eyes. “I hope they don’t belong to anyone.”

“Been awhile since I’ve had a dog,” Danger remarked. “Are they boys or girls?”

Even as he asked the question, he tried to peer under the yellow one, but his tail was tucked so tight Ocean doubted he could see anything.

“Boys,” Ocean said as the husky peered out from behind him like he was trying to decide if Danger was friend or foe.

“Hey boy,” Danger said, peering at the yellow one. “Looking kind of wet there. Did you just have a bath?”

As if to answer the question, the dog shook himself again and sprayed Danger, who tried to duck and still got splattered, like everything and everyone else in the bathroom. As soon as Danger started laughing, the dog woofed and wagged his tail like he was pleased with himself and trotted right over to him like he was greeting an old friend. Danger started rubbing his ears, and the husky emerged and headed over a bit more cautiously, his bushy tail sending floof in the air when Danger started petting him too.

“You guys are adorable,” Danger said, continuing to lavish attention on them.

He didn’t care that he was getting wet or had a tuft of fur clinging to his hair from the husky’s wagging. Just like when they’d been part of the story circle, listening to tales of Flaming Betty, he looked happy. As Ocean watched, Danger leaned close, rubbing noses with the yellow one who licked his face in response.

Pope gave them a few minutes to interact before approaching the husky.

“It’s your turn,” Pope said, taking time to stroke his fur and rub his ears before carefully picking him up and depositing him in a tub full of freshly run water.

While he was the more skittish of the two, the husky clearly loved water and pranced around while Pope started pouring it over his fur.

“Weather alert woke me,” Danger said. “They’re saying gale-force winds and heavy rains that will make visibility near impossible.”

“Then it’s a good thing we have nowhere we’re supposed to be today,” Pope declared as he steadily drenched the husky’s fur, pausing every now and again to pluck more twigs, leaves, and bits of junk out of it.

“I need to take a piss,” Danger declared. “Want me to break out the hurricane lamps and set them up in the kitchen and den?”

“Better put one in the bathroom too,” Pope said. “Something tells me we’ll need it before the day is through.”

Just as Danger stood to get up, the phone Pope had placed on the counter buzzed.

“Wanna check that for me?” Pope asked.

Danger picked it up and tapped the screen before turning it to face Pope. “It’s locked.”

“Unlock it,” Pope said, never taking his hands off the dog. “The password is the same as it always was.”

“It’s from Mark,” Danger announced as he typed. “He wanted to make sure Roan and Ocean were with us, since no one had seen them since the car show. I’m letting him know they are and that we’ll be down to get their things, and mine, from our cabins once the storm blows through.”

“Good deal.”