She gave him a brave smile and nodded.
It would have to do for now. But later, when they were alone, Chappy was determined to hear her story. To let her get it off her chest. Instinctively, he knew they couldn’t move forward until they dealt with whatever she was running from.
“Come meet my friends. They’re going to love you.”
Chappy helped her put on her coat, and they headed out onto the porch. Baxter was in his little den under the firewood but was keeping his eyes on both Carlise and the newcomers.
He was a great dog and an amazing protector. Chappy couldn’t be happier with how in tune he was with Carlise.
Cal, Bob, and JJ got out of Bob’s Chevy Silverado, which had a huge plow on the front—the only reason they were able to get to his cabin—and Chappy was surprised to see their admin assistant, April, exit the truck as well.
“Hey!” Bob said with a grin as he walked toward the cabin, carrying a large suitcase. JJ hovered near April, making sure she didn’t fall in the deep snow, and Cal followed behind.
Before Chappy could respond, Baxter came out of his makeshift doghouse and growled low in his throat as he stood near Carlise.
“Whoa. Okay, not coming any closer,” Bob said, stopping where he was at the bottom of the three steps leading up to the porch.
“It’s okay, Baxter,” Carlise said, immediately going to her knees on the porch near the clearly unsettled dog. “They’re friends. They aren’t going to hurt you.”
“I think he’s more worried about them hurting you, honey,” Chappy told her.
She looked up at him, then back to the dog. “They aren’t going to hurt me either,” she added.
“Holy crap, that is the skinniest dog I’ve ever seen,” JJ commented.
“Actually, he’s gained weight over the last week or so since we first saw him,” Chappy told his friends with a shrug. To his surprise, Baxter was close enough to Carlise for her to touch him. Her hand gently touched his neck, and he could see the dog’s body shaking.
“I’m not sure that’s the best idea,” he said warily.
But Carlise ignored his warning. “It’s okay. He’s just nervous. This is probably the first time he’s seen people other than us in a long time. You’re okay, right, Bax? These are Chappy’s friends. They’re just here to visit. They’re good people. They won’t hurt you.”
Her voice was a little singsongy—and Chappy had a flash of what she’d sound like talking to their baby. It was totally nuts, but nevertheless, a longing hit him so intensely, it almost brought him to his knees.
“I’ll bring you an extra-large dinner to reward you for being so brave,” Carlise went on, oblivious to Chappy’s visceral response to her sweet-talking the dog. “Go on, get cuddled back up in your nest. It’s still cold out here, and until you put on some more weight, you’re gonna feel it more.”
To his surprise, Baxter took one more look at the four new humans, as if to give them a nonverbal warning not to hurt his favorite person, then turned and padded back to the space behind the firewood that he’d made his own.
Carlise stood and grinned at his friends. “Hi. Sorry about that. We think he was abused terribly by someone. He doesn’t trust easily. That was actually the first time he’s let me get close enough to touch him.”
Chappy could tell how excited Carlise was, and for a moment, he resented his friends being there, since he couldn’t share in her joy in the way he preferred—which would’ve involved his lips on hers. Then again, if they hadn’t arrived, Baxter wouldn’t have had a reason to be so protective, and who knows how much longer it would’ve taken for him to get up the courage to let Carlise pet him.
“You look pretty good for someone who was sick not too long ago,” Bob said as he climbed onto the porch and gave Chappy a typical man hug—one armed, with lots of back slapping.
“I had an exceptional nurse,” he said, smiling at Carlise. Her cheeks turned pink, as if she wasn’t used to anyone giving her compliments.
“I’m Bob,” his friend said, holding out a hand to Carlise. She shook it, her hand engulfed in Bob’s large one.
“And I’m JJ. This is April,” JJ said, shaking Carlise’s hand after Bob had stepped back.
“I tried to keep everyone from coming up at the same time and overwhelming you, but they wouldn’t listen,” April said in an exasperated tone.
“We wanted to check on our friend,” Bob protested.