Then there were the six boxes of books, everything from biographies to history to novels. He’d opened one of the boxes and was currently reading a suspense novel when he couldn’t sleep.
Bookcase. He added that to the furniture list.
Then there was the box containing dog toys he’d purchased just before picking up Amos. Like other military dogs, Amos was trained with toy rewards rather than treat rewards, and he’d dearly loved his ball and rubber KONG toy that Dave had carried all over hell and back. But Amos hadn’t been interested in the new batch. Still, Josh placed several toys in each room, then went back to work priming the living room walls.
The vet arrived at noon.
Stephanie Phillips looked around as she stepped inside, her gaze going to the primed walls, the cans of paint, the ladder and the fireplace. “You’ve been busy.”
“Lots to do.”
“You’re going to stay, then.”
Josh shrugged. “It needs repairs whether I stay or not.”
“That’s not a very definitive answer,” she said.
“Maybe because I haven’t decided yet.”
“And it’s really none of my business.”
He let the silence answer for him.
“I hope you do. We need some new blood in town.”
“Or at least a new patient.” The ungracious words popped out before he could stop them. She’d agreed to make a house call, and he needed her. But the old protective wall had gone back up after discovering the mayor had had him investigated.
“Now, that’s cynical.” But her smile belied the cut of the words.
“And you don’t deserve it. I apologize.” He moved across the room to an open door. “Amos is in the bedroom.” He turned and gave her a wry look. “Neither of us bite. It’s safe.”
“Didn’t doubt it for a second,” she said.
He led the way into the bedroom and watched as she knelt beside Amos, who had crawled halfway under the bed after hearing the door open.
“Dr. Phillips...”
“Stephanie,” she corrected. She started talking to Amos in a voice so soft Josh could barely hear the words. Her fingers ran through his fur.
“You’re a fine fellow,” she said softly. “And you have nothing to fear from me. You just don’t know who to trust, but that’s okay. You’ll learn. You’ll like it here. Woods. Rabbits to chase.”
Amos had tensed when she first touched him, but now under her gentle hands and soft voice, the dog started to relax.
“He’s a very handsome dog,” she said. “I’ve not seen a Belgian Malinois around here before.”
“He’s smart as hell. He saved a lot of lives out there. He deserves some peace.”
“He was trained to detect explosives?”
“He was what they call a dual-purpose dog. He could detect explosives as well as track enemy combatants.”
“We always need trackers around here. People keep getting lost in the mountains.”
“He’s not ready for that.”
“Not now, but...”
“I’m not concerned with anything but now,” he said shortly.
She nodded. “He’s thin. Too thin. What does he eat?”
“Not much of anything. I tried dog food at first. Some that the vets at Lackland recommended. He ignored it. I tried hamburgers and steaks on the trip. He would nibble after leaving it for a while, but never much. Same yesterday. I got him a steak from Maude’s Diner. He couldn’t be less interested.”
“And those are good steaks,” she said. “My dogs would die for them.”
She whispered something to Amos, then stood. “Amos, can you sit for me?”
“Sit, Amos,” Josh said, trying to reinforce the command.
Amos slowly moved his butt from under the bed. Amos usually cringed now when a command was given. Today was no different, but after a moment he obeyed.
“Good boy,” the vet said. She took a small package from her pocket and pulled out a piece of cheese and offered it to Amos.
To Josh’s surprise, he accepted it.
“Few dogs can resist cheese,” she said. “Works a lot better than most dog treats.” She continued whispering to Amos as she inspected his ears and then her hands checked the rest of his body. “Muscle tone is still good.”
“I’ve been taking him for walks at night when there’s no traffic. Sudden noises scare him. And any kind of loud noises. Knocking on the door, for instance.”
“Is that why you’ve scared off visitors?”
“You’ve heard that, too?”
“Everyone in town has. I know you don’t want to say much about your service. Or Amos’s. But it would be a quick way to stop the visitors. They’ll understand.”
He shrugged. “We don’t care if they understand.”
She gave him a long, searching look, then turned back to Amos. “You’re speaking for him?”
He had to crack a smile. “Guess so.”
“From what you’ve said, his sitting is a big deal. Next step seems to be what you’re doing. Walking him when you can. Try to stimulate him. I understand he was trained with dog toys.”
“He has a box load of every kind of toy imaginable. Squeaky ones, long stuffed snakes, the KONG toys loaded with treats. He’s just not interested.”
She shrugged. “Give him time. Amos has had a lot of changes. And a huge loss. You said yesterday that you thought the problem was more a broken heart. But he knew you. You were a familiar piece of his old life. That should help.”
He had thought it might. But though Amos tolerated him, he’d reserved his loyalty and devotion for Dave, who’d always loved dogs and had worked hard to become a handler for the unit.
“I thought so, too, but Amos apparently is a one-person dog. He’d only had one handler.”
Stephanie nodded. “You must have been a very good friend of the handler to take this on. I’ve discovered it’s not the easiest thing to adopt a retired military dog. A lot of paperwork and a lot of time.”
“I owed his handler.”
“Why?”
“Dave was my best friend. He was killed...on my last patrol.”
“David Hannity?”
He stared at her.
“It makes sense,” she said. “From both what you said and didn’t say.”
He nodded. “Others died that day, too. An ambush.” He didn’t know why he’d said that. Especially to a stranger, but then she’d guessed most of it.
“And you feel responsible?” She paused, then added, “It’s none of my business, and you can be sure I won’t repeat anything to anyone. But I wanted to know your commitment to Amos.”
“Dave saved my life that day. Do you know now?”
“I think I do,”