The Tribute by Beth Williamson

Author:Beth Williamson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Brett woke up before the sun, his heart and stomach jittery. It had been a long week since he’d seen Alex, but it was more than that. He needed to see her, touch her.

He missed her. Him, loner Brett, the Malloy who didn’t seem to need anyone. He wasn’t ready to figure out why, although one day he’d have to. As he rode into town, his mind filled with images of Alex in everything from a dress to nothing at all. His pants grew tight at the images dancing through his brain and he had to tuck them away or risk being the laughingstock of Cheshire.

He arrived in town around nine in the morning. The street bustled with wagons. He tipped his hat to a cowboy he knew as he tied off Rusty at the hitching post in front of the post office. After he went inside and posted a letter for Kincaid, he heard a faint whine that sounded like a dog.

He stood there for a few moments, but it didn’t happen again. As he put his foot in the stirrup, he heard the whine again from the alley. He sighed and ran a hand down his face. His mama always taught him to help those in need, even those of the four-legged variety.

Brett tied Rusty off again and walked toward the alley between the post office and the store.

“Hello?” He peered into the gloom, but didn’t see much of anything. A small scraping sound tickled his ears, followed by the whine again. He fished a match out of his pocket and struck it on the building beside him.

After his eyes adjusted to the small flame, he spotted the dog dragging itself down the alley with bloody fur and what appeared to be a few missing teeth.

Brett kneeled down slowly, careful not to startle the poor thing. When he got closer, he recognized the dog as Ug. The match burned his fingers and he cursed, dropping it.

Sweet Jesus.

Alex’s dog was near death in an alley. He reached out his hand and the dog sniffed it carefully. He gave a few half-hearted licks.

“Good boy. Now let me get you home to your mistress so she can fix you up.” Brett gently scooped the dog into his arms. He walked out to the street. As he lifted the dog up onto Rusty, canine teeth closed on his biceps. “Ouch. What are you doing, Ug? I’m trying to rescue you.”

The dog whined again, this time louder, followed by a short, painful howl.

“What is it? Is it Alex?”

The dog woofed and licked its bloody nose.

Brett’s entire body snapped tight. Alex must be in the alley, maybe injured like Ug, or possibly… Nope, not even finishing that thought. His practical side took over and forced him to quell the panic that rose like a tidal wave inside him. He lay the dog down on the sidewalk.

“You stay right here with my horse, Ug. I’ll be right back.”

The dog whined and his dark eyes seemed to bore right through Brett.

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