Cole and His Dog

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

A little over an hour later, Cole and Bull made it to The Haven. Bull seemed to have energy to spare, whereas Cole was about ready to drop. He did just that, collapsing on the steps up to the porch.

“s**t, man, does that horse belong to you?” one of the teens leaning on the porch railing asked.

Cole nodded. “He’s not quite a horse, but he seems to think he belongs to me, or—” he laughed, patting Bull’s head, “—more like I belong to him. He saved me from getting attacked this morning.”

“Attacked?” Bret said, opening the screen door. “What happened?”

“I slept rough, because the shelters were full. Downtown by the creek. I guess two guys decided they didn’t like my being there, and wanted to teach me a lesson. Then Bull showed up and they got the hell out of there, real fast.”

“Damned lucky for you. Did you get hurt?”

Cole shrugged. “Not enough to worry about. A punch in the stomach.”

Bret sat down beside him, saying, “You’re sure?”

“That I was punched?” Cole grinned.

“No. That you’re all right.”

“I made it here without passing out or anything, so yeah, I’m sure.”

“Have you eaten? There’s still some breakfast left.”

“Great. Umm, would it be okay if I found Bull something to eat, too?”

“You bet. Come on.” They got up, going inside with Bull right at their heels. When they got to the kitchen, Bret took a bowl from the fridge, scooped scrambled eggs onto a plate, then microwaved them. “Sorry, there’s no more sausage.”

“I think I’ll survive without it,” Cole said, dropping two slices of bread into the toaster. When it popped up, he buttered the toast, putting it on the plate with the eggs, and crossed to one of the tables to eat. Bull sat beside him, looking longingly at his food, so Cole got a paper towel, put half the eggs and a slice of toast on it, and put it on the floor. The food was gone almost before he sat down again.

“Where the hell did that come from?” Adam asked, coming into the kitchen.

“He’s with me, if you mean Bull,” Cole replied, then told Adam the story of why the dog was there.

“You have no idea who his owner is?”

“No.” Cole replied. “Best guess it, someone dumped him there, maybe because of his size, and people who saw him were afraid to approach to see if he had a collar and tags—which he doesn’t.”

“I suspect you’re right. His owner probably got tired of paying to feed him.” Adam eyed Bull. “That could be a big problem. I wonder what he did for food before you found him.”

“Took up dumpster diving?” Bret said, chuckling.

“He’s damned near big enough to do that,” Adam responded. “We’ll need one of those fifty pound bags of dog food, for starters. And I bet I can get the butcher down at the grocery store to give us scraps and some bones.”

“Hang on. I don’t want you putting yourself out,” Cole said hastily. “I have a few dollars. I can buy dog food for him.”

“And carry it back here?”

“Well…”

“Thought as much. Give me what you can afford. My wife and I are going grocery shopping for the place this afternoon. We’ll pick up his food, and like I said, hit the butcher up for scraps.”

“Thank you.” Cole took out his wallet. “Do you think thirty dollars is enough?”

“Probably more than enough,” Adam told him, taking the money Cole handed him. “If not, I’ll make up the difference.”

“No. I want—”

“Cole, it’s okay. I feel about animals the same way I do about all you guys who come here. They need to eat, the same as you.”

“So we rate right up there with a dog?” Bret asked, laughing.

“Well, maybe a bit higher,” Adam said with a straight face. “The main thing is, if Bull’s taken on protecting Cole, he needs to keep up his strength. Right, Bull?” He scratched behind the dog’s ears, earning him a slobbery lick. “Okay, that I did not need,” Adam grumbled, going to wash his hands.

“Did you get any sleep last night,” Bret asked Cole.

“Some, but…”

“There’s an empty bed. I suggest you use it. The way you look right now, you’ll get nowhere fast, trying to job hunt.”

“Can I take Bull up with me?”

“I have the feeling you’d be hard pressed to keep him from following, so yeah. As long as you’re sure he won’t try to protect you from anyone here.”

“He didn’t bother people on our way over.”

“Bullmastiffs, and that’s what he looks like,” Adam said, “are supposed to be very friendly unless they think their owner is being threatened.”

“Then I better not get in any arguments with the guys around here.” Cole smirked. “Not that it’ll happen. I’m not someone who looks for trouble.”

“I figured as much,” Adam replied.

Cole picked up his backpack and headed upstairs, with Bull right behind him.