Clay's Hope (4 page)

For the next several weeks, I did what I’d
always done. From a distance, I watched what I wanted most.

Gabby woke, left for work early each
morning, and returned late each night to eat a rushed dinner then
go to bed. The more I studied her, the more she became a puzzle to
me. She didn’t interact with people. In fact, she tended to avoid
everyone except the elderly.

Why was she so desperate to go to college?
Her speech about me being uncomfortable surrounded by people didn’t
make sense. I’d thought she meant I would be uncomfortable around
all the people she knew since I planned to stay near her. But, she
maintained a very withdrawn lifestyle. I didn’t see a
problem...unless she planned to change that. Did she want to become
more social? Meet people her own age? Men? The thought of her on a
date made me clench my fists.

When does she leave?
I sent the
thought to Sam as I watched her speak with an elderly man at her
first job.

Second to last week of August. I’ll drive
her.

I nodded though I knew Sam couldn’t see it.
I was tempted to ask if she’d questioned him about me, but whether
she did or didn’t wouldn’t change what I planned.

Keep her safe.

I will.

Turning away, I made the trip back north.
There were things I’d left behind, papers my father saved for me
after my mom’s death. He’d shown me the hidey-hole three times as I
grew up, making sure I knew how to find it. In the human world,
those papers proved I existed. I’d need them, now.

It took three days to reach the spot and
another half-day to get to the Compound and grab some clothes.
After I dressed, one of the primary Mated pair’s pups gave me a
ride into town and dropped me off at a shopping center.

“Want me to wait?” he asked.

“Nah. I’m wearing fur from here. Thanks for
the ride, Paul.”

The boy nodded and left.

I went into the store and found one of those
tag machines humans used to label their pets. Grinning, I bought
myself a dog tag.

What’s the address of her new place?
I sent the thought to Sam.

After his reply, I went to look at the map
pinned to the wall near the checkouts. I’d never traveled that far
south but figured I’d be there in plenty of time. I had weeks
yet.

I left the grocery and walked a ways out of
town before I stripped out of my clothes. Using the shirt, I tied
everything into a pouch I could carry with my mouth. Then, I
shifted. My skin barely tingled as fur covered me. It was getting
easier, which was good. Hopefully, I’d be doing a lot of shifting
in the next few months.

Picking up my bundle, I set out. Instead of
heading toward Gabby’s new address, I detoured and made the long
journey to Sam’s once more. I needed to see her again. Now that I
knew she existed, I could think of little else.

I arrived well after dark on the third day.
No light shone from Sam’s house, and I knew Gabby was most likely
sleeping. I settled in behind the neighbor’s house across the
street, sleeping between their hedges and a fence. Before dawn, I
shook out my fur and left my spot to watch Sam’s place. A light
turned on. Through the windows, I watched Gabby move around the
house. Seeing her again, feeling the pull she had on me, only made
me more sure I was doing the right thing.

I waited for her to leave for work,
breathing in her scent one last time before I continued south.

It didn’t take long to reach the address Sam
had given me. The house looked small in comparison to Sam’s but
nice enough as houses go. I scouted the neighborhood before I
settled in to watch the woman who lived there. She wasn’t around
much, and the neighbors seemed to mind their own business. It was a
generally quiet neighborhood, especially during the day.

Taking advantage of the quiet, I broke into
the house to have a look around while the woman was away. I wanted
to know more about Gabby’s new roommate. The first room, the
kitchen, was clean and uncluttered. The roommate’s bed was made,
and the top of her dresser was clogged with every piece of jewelry
imaginable. Scarves hung over the posts on each side of her mirror,
and several pictures were tucked into the mirror frame. One of a
dog caught my attention, and I smiled.

The rest of the house checked out fine. Only
her scent perfumed the air. No males. Good.

I studied some of the mail stuck to her
fridge, then carefully let myself out to settle in for the
wait.

* * * *

From the hole I’d dug under the neighbor’s
shrub, I watched a light turn on early the day Gabby was due. The
woman, Rachel—I’d read her name on the mail—started to open the
windows. It was still pleasant out, summer not yet ready to leave.
After a while, the smell of cleaning products drifted out. The
neighborhood slowly woke as she cleaned and sang to some music. I
stayed where I was, watching through the fence.

For such a small house, it took some time
before she finished and the music turned off. It wasn’t long after
that the front door opened.

The neighbors had already left their house
so I crawled out from under the shrub and stretched. In the
distance, I heard the familiar rumble of Sam’s truck. A tightness
grew in my chest. She was almost here. As much as I wanted to see
her, I didn’t want her to see me. Not yet.

Quietly, crossing through the yards, I made
my way to the end of the block where Sam’s exhaust already clogged
the air. I crossed the street then cut between yards, putting
another block between Gabby and me. I didn’t want to chance her
spotting me. Sitting in the front yard of an empty house, I waited,
listening for Sam’s truck again.

I imagined it would take some time to move
her things in and for Sam to talk to Rachel to ensure Gabby would
be safe there. But it wasn’t long before the truck rumbled to life
once again. The distant noise made my pulse jump, and I took a
steadying breath. It was almost time. I was nervous as hell about
approaching her.

After a moment, Sam’s truck passed. He
nodded to me, and I nodded back.

Take care of her.
It wasn’t a command
from an Elder, just a request from someone who cared.

I will.

I sat in the shade, impatiently waiting for
the right amount of time to pass. I wanted her to settle in, to
feel comfortable.

A car zipped past me, and I did a double
take at the passenger. Gabby.

Damn it.

I caught a glimpse of Rachel’s animated face
before they sped out of view. Where were they going? Sam had barely
left. What was Gabby doing? Rachel had seemed excited about
something. What? A sick feeling settled into my gut. What if Rachel
had taken Gabby somewhere she could meet other men? Human women
seemed to do that a lot.

I pulled my lips back in a silent snarl. I
could try to follow them but knew I’d lose their trail with all the
traffic in town. So I turned and made my way back to the house.

For three hours, I paced their backyard
before I heard a car slow near the house. I darted behind the shed
and waited.

The sound of Gabby’s voice as she laughed at
something Rachel said made my insides twist. Then I heard Rachel
say something about sunbathing. Gabby agreed and followed Rachel
inside. I frowned. They weren’t leaving again, were they? Nothing
was going as planned.

The building frustration fled as I realized
what I’d just heard. Gabby didn’t talk to women her own age. In the
weeks I’d watched her, she’d avoided them. Why was she talking to
Rachel? Something about Rachel was different. But what?

A few minutes after they’d disappeared
inside, Rachel reappeared with towels in her arms. The breeze blew
her scent toward me, and I lifted my nose. Excitement added a hint
of sweetness to it. I watched her shake out the towels and lay them
on the deck.

My idea had been to approach Gabby once
she’d settled in so she’d know I was there to join her. I had on
the tags I’d made to help drive home that point. But maybe
approaching Gabby wasn’t the best course.

I silently stepped out from behind the shed,
trotted across the yard, and up the steps before Rachel noticed me.
With her back to me, she settled onto the far towel. If I’d been in
human form, I would have wiped my sweaty palms on my pants.
Instead, I took a fortifying breath, then lay down next to her.

She squeaked and jolted away from me as she
turned to look at what had brushed against her.

Her face was inches from mine. She didn’t
scream as I’d half-expected. With a grin, she offered her hand.
Mentally sighing, I dutifully sniffed her. She grinned wider when I
finished, then she reached out and scratched behind my ear. It
actually felt pretty good. Better than scratching it myself.

“Where did you come from, handsome?” she
said softly. Her hand brushed down my neck—it made me slightly
uncomfortable—and ran over the rope holding my tags.

“What’s this?” Her fingers hooked under the
line, and my tags jingled. I wanted to grin as she brought the
piece of metal around to read it.

“A good home, huh? I wonder if Gabby likes
dogs.”

Probably not. I sighed, laid my head on my
paws, and gave Rachel my best woeful look.

“Aw, I’m sure she does. Look at you. What’s
not to like?”

My thoughts exactly.

Just then, Gabby stepped out in a pink
bathing suit that left more skin exposed than covered. The sight of
her soft pale stomach had me raising my head and swallowing
hard.

“Gabby, look,” Rachel said in a pitch that
made my ears ache. “A dog!”

Had my future not been riding on this
moment, Gabby’s reaction might have been comical. Her eyes rounded
as she froze and stared at me.

Small, pink triangles of material covered
her chest and small, tight shorts covered her bottom. I stared,
letting the image burn into my memory. Gabby in a swimsuit. I
swallowed again and tried to breathe. I decided pink was my new
favorite color.

Rachel’s fingers continued to ruffle the fur
around my neck. I met Gabby’s gaze, wondering if she minded. I
doubted it. Still, it made me uncomfortable to have Rachel touch me
in front of Gabby. I didn’t want Gabby to doubt I was hers.

Turning my head, I moved out of Rachel’s
reach. Rachel shifted to a sitting position and tried to reach me
again.

“It just walked up the porch steps and lay
right down. I nearly peed myself. Have you ever seen a dog this big
before? What kind do you think it is?”

I gave up and let her pet me again while I
held Gabby’s gaze. The breeze carried the sour tang of doubt and
suspicion.

“And you’re not going to believe what its
tag says,” Rachel said. “‘If found, please provide a good home.’
Isn’t that funny?”

She ruffled my neck fur, which made my tags
jingle, but I ignored her as I waited for Gabby’s reaction.

“Yeah. Funny.”

She didn’t sound amused. She turned away as
if to go back inside.

“His tag also says his name is Clay. What do
you think? Should we keep him?”

Gabby spun and stared at Rachel. I didn’t
need to smell her shock and disbelief. Who had she thought I
was?

“What?” she said, disbelief clear on her
features.

She glanced back down at me.

Did she seriously think I’d let some other
pup come here?

“Aw, you aren’t allergic are you?” Rachel
asked. “The lease says a single pet is allowed as long as it’s
licensed.”

Gabby hesitated as she continued to stare at
me with distrust. Unwilling to consider what that meant, I sighed
and laid my head back on my paws. The move had softened Rachel;
maybe it would work on Gabby.

“No, I’m not allergic,” she finally
said.

“Good. He’s so cute!” Rachel scratched
behind my ears, and I closed my eyes pretending it was Gabby.

“I’m going back in,” Gabby said, bursting my
dream. I leapt to my feet before she reached the door and moved
closer. She looked down at me, then at Rachel.

“Looks like another guy who can’t take his
eyes off you,” Rachel said.

What did she mean by that? Who else had been
looking at Gabby? I glanced at her suit again and clamped my jaw
shut.

“Living with you is going to be a riot.”
Rachel laughed and picked up the towels. “Let’s all go in. The
neighbor’s tree is going to shade the deck soon, anyway.”

Gabby opened the door, and I quickly darted
in past her. I sat just inside the door, waiting for her. She held
the door for Rachel, and I worried that Gabby might try to run
again. But she didn’t. She took a deep breath and followed Rachel
in.

“We can keep him. But he’s going to shed
everywhere,” Gabby said as she walked away.

Her irritation kept me glued to my spot. I
wouldn’t press her. I was in the house, and she hadn’t run. For
now, that was enough.

Rachel moved toward
the refrigerator. Although she continued speaking to me—some
nonsense about me being a good dog—I barely paid attention.
Instead, I strained to hear the faint murmur of Gabby’s voice. She
was talking to someone. Probably Sam.

“Do you eat people food?” Rachel said,
straightening from the fridge.

I forced my gaze from the arch, through
which Gabby had disappeared, and gave Rachel my attention. She
quirked a smile at me.

“Well, I’m sure you’d be willing, but should
you eat people food?”

She put her hands on her hips and studied me
for a moment.

“Dog food is essentially ground up meat and
stuff, right?” She turned again and opened the fridge. “Hey,
Gabby?” she called as she stared into the brightly lit
interior.

I turned to stare at the arch.

From Gabby’s room, I heard quick movements,
then the door opened. I waited and was rewarded with the sight of
her marching into the kitchen. She wore pants and a top that
covered her stomach but not her arms or shoulders. I stifled the
urge to sigh. I sure did like her swimsuit better.