Page 41 of Keeping Amanda
“Huh. All the more reason for him to stay with you guys. I’ll make sure everyone hears that story, so there’re no complaints. But…and I hate to bring this up…what happens to him when we leave? Will he stay with you at the school, Amanda?”
“That’s what I wanted, but I don’t think Blair will approve him. I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but eventually I’m hoping to bring him home with me. I’ll need to find a vet and gethim paperwork, and figure out what else I need to do in order to bring him back to the States when I go.”
“Lucky dog,” Obi-Wan said with a small smile. “I’ll see what I can find out for you. We’re kinda remote here, but there has to be a veterinarian somewhere. And someone who can foster him until you leave.”
“Oh, thank you so much!” Mandy gushed.
“My best friend is standing in front of me with a smile on his face and looking none the worse for the wear after his time in the rainforest. It’s the least I can do for the woman who’s made him look more content than I’ve seen him in a long time.” Then Obi-Wan gave them a chin lift. “See you at the chow hall in an hour.”
He headed in the direction of the main building on the small military compound, while Buck, Mandy, and Rain walked in the opposite direction, toward a smaller two-story building that served as housing when needed. Buck had grabbed Mandy’s suitcase and easily carried it in one hand while holding Mandy’s in the other one.
“Will we get in trouble for bringing him inside?” Mandy asked. “Do you think he’ll even come in with us?”
“I think he’ll go wherever you go,” Buck reassured her.
Sure enough, when they got to the building and Buck opened the door, Rain trotted inside as if he hadn’t lived outside his entire life. He followed Buck and Mandy up the stairs to the second floor.
“I have no idea where Obi-Wan arranged for you to stay, but I thought you could shower in my room for now. I can stay outside while you take your time.”
“Thank you. I have to admit that the thought of you going one way and me going another wasn’t sitting well with me. I probably shouldn’t admit that, for fear it’ll freak you out,” she said a little sheepishly.
“Not at all. I’m having the same feelings,” Buck reassuredher. It was a relief that she felt the same way he did. He wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to leave her here in Guyana when he flew home to Virginia, but he’d cross that bridge when he had to.
He led them to the room he’d stayed in before leaving on the mission to rescue the children, and, after opening the door, saw that everything was exactly how he’d left it. He put her suitcase on the twin bed, then turned toward her.
As he stared at the woman standing uncertainly in the middle of his room, with the unkept and scruffy dog at her side, he felt a sense of rightness move through him. This was where his entire life had been leading him. He was thirty-seven years old and he’d yet to meet a woman he couldn’t bear to be parted from. Now his future was standing six feet from him—and he made a mental vow not to screw anything up.
“Will you…will you help me with Rain?”
“Of course.” Buck had no idea what she needed help with, but anything she wanted, he’d bend over backward to try to give her.
“I want to get some of the mud and gunk out of his fur, but I’m not sure how he’s going to react to the shower,” she said, looking down at the dog with concern.
“I’m no groomer, but I’m thinking we might need to cut some of his fur to get those mats out. Let me run and find some scissors. You can go into the bathroom and get things ready. There’s one towel on the rack, or there should be at least. And I’ve got some soap in the shower. I’ll see if I can find anyone to get us more towels.”
Mandy nodded.
It didn’t surprise Buck in the least that Mandy was more concerned about taking care of the dog before she got clean herself. That was simply the kind of person she was. Kind to her core. It was probably why she was such a great teacher, and why the children at the orphanage were so devoted to her.
He left the room, and returned just a few minutes later. He could’ve used his KA-BAR to cut some of the matted hair off the dog, if necessary, but he’d lucked out and found a Guyanese officer leaving one of the rooms who happened to have some scissors. He had no problem giving Buck a pile of towels, as well.
When Buck entered the room, he heard Mandy talking low and calmly to Rain. Telling him how much better he was going to feel once he was clean. How he’d feel like a brand-new dog. He pushed the bathroom door open…and smiled at the scene in front of him.
Mandy was sitting on the floor with Rain between her legs. She was petting the dog, and they both seemed to be enjoying the one-on-one time together.
“Got what we needed,” Buck said, feeling kind of like an interloper.
As if he knew exactly how Buck felt, Rain padded over to him and leaned against his leg. Reaching down, he ruffled the fur on the dog’s head. “You’re not going to bite us, are you, bud?” he asked. “I mean, when we throw you in that shower and get to work scrubbing the jungle off you?”
“Of course he isn’t,” Mandy said with a laugh as she stood. “He’s too much of a good boy to do something like that.”
Buck wasn’t so sure. He was pretty positive the dog had never been inside a shower stall before. “How are we going to do this?” he asked.
“Do what? Get him clean? We’ll get in the shower with him and turn on the water,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I hate to point this out, but that shower stall isn’t very big. I’m not sure there’ll be room for all three of us in there.”
But Mandy simply shrugged. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll sit on the floor with Rain, and you can stand and direct the water.”
