One in Vermilion

Chapter 1-2

The next day, as I was leaving the grocery store, I stopped dead in the little vestibule between the store proper and the automatic doors. There was that red again, bright and true as ever, but this time it was on a pristine white sign pinned to the bulletin board. A little hat perched on the T of “Top Dog,” and underneath that, a description of services. Grooming, training, walking, yard cleanup…the list went on, but it was clearly an advertisement for every service related to dogs. There was an address to a website and a f*******: page to get more information. And, more importantly, I finally had a name.

Truitt Rackley.

I stood staring at the poster until someone made an impatient sound behind me. I apologized quickly, made note of the website address, then headed to my car. My standard poodle, Aldo, was incredibly well behaved. I worked from home since I’d moved to Landry’s Fall three months ago, so he wasn’t suffering from lack of attention or exercise. And when the big boy needed grooming, I took him to the vet, where they were happy to trim his nails and clip his fur.

But I wanted to know more about the man in the brilliant red hat. Namely, why he wore it even in summer, and why it was so important to him he’d made it part of his logo. I’d been accused of being nosy before, but I liked to think of it as an insatiable curiosity. Especially when there was a puzzle to be solved. And Truitt Rackley definitely was a puzzle.

After I got home, had the groceries put away, and gave Aldo a piece of ice to keep him busy for at least twenty minutes, I booted up my laptop and went to the site. It was simple, not overly embellished, and as a web designer, I appreciated the ease of navigation and clean lines. And there at the top was a picture of Truitt Rackley and the Pembroke Corgi I’d seen yesterday. Truitt, of course, was wearing that vermilion hat and a bright smile.

I clicked through the services and pricing, looking at all he offered. The man certainly knew his dogs, and I wondered what kind of training he had. No sooner had the thought entered my mind that I noticed the tab at the top, and clicked it to see his credentials.

He’d gotten his bachelor’s degree as a vet tech, with a particular concentration in animal nutrition. He’d completed several extensive courses in training. Another in grooming. It was an impressive resumé to say the least. But even more impressive was the testimony of satisfied customers.

Tru turned my Beau around! He was constantly agitated, and urinating everywhere. But Tru knew he was insecure, and with time and putting in the work, Tru helped us to show Beau how much he was needed and loved. Beau is like a completely different dog and we couldn’t be happier!—Lana Tarken

Mr. Rackley knows our dog Fluffy so well, he realized the moment she wasn’t acting right. Thanks to his quick intervention, we were able to diagnose and treat a severe kidney infection that could have taken her life. We are so grateful to Mr. Rackley!—The Windham Family

My dog hated getting groomed, and would snap and bite at anyone who tried. But Tru Rackley’s patient and gentle touch means that Bruiser no longer fears getting washed and clipped. It’s a miracle!—Rosemarie Cook

During the day, we aren’t able to give our Australian Shepard, Rocco, the attention he deserves, but he no longer has a problem when we leave the house, because he knows Tru will show up before too long. With Tru giving him attention during the day, we are able to take Rocco on long walks at night, and the combination means we have one happy dog!—James Seymour

I sat back, then glanced at Aldo where he’d lain down at my feet, ice gone. His tongue lolled out in the way that showed me he was content. Well, Aldo didn’t need training or walking. But he certainly could use a good grooming. I’d been putting off a call to the vet for days, not quite having the time to take him. Besides, while the staff was great, the vet himself left something to be desired, and I’d been thinking I needed to find a new one.

“What do you think, Al? Want to try a new groomer?”

The dog gave a short bark, quiet and sedate, and I gave him a good scratch. Then I leaned back to the computer, clicked on the form, filled out all the requisite information, and sent it off.

Fifteen minutes later, my phone rang.

“Hi!” said the warm, low voice on the other end. “This is Tru Rackley. Is this Wyatt Janson?”

“Hello, Mr. Rackley. Thanks for calling back so quickly.”

A melodic chuckle came through the phone, and I smiled even as heat spread through my stomach. He had a great laugh.

“Call me Tru, please.”

“And call me Wyatt,” I returned.

“So, Wyatt.” Tru’s voice was a purr. I liked the way my name sounded in his voice. “Tell me about Aldo?”

I cleared my throat, startled out of my lustier thoughts by his question. “He’s the best dog in the world.” I smiled fondly at said dog, and loved that I’d gotten another laugh out of Tru. I offered a chuckle, too. “He really is. Well behaved and calm. Beautiful boy, too. But he’s about a week overdue for a good grooming. I mean, I brush him, and give him a bath if he absolutely needs it. But I’d rather leave the clipping and trimming to the professionals. I don’t want to hurt him.”

Tru made a pleased sound that echoed through the phone and straight to my balls. I adjusted in my seat, spreading my thighs a bit further, and deliberately ignoring the subtle ache.

“That’s smart. If you aren’t confident, you can do more harm than good. I’d love to meet you and Aldo. I like to do first-meets with the owner there, so we can talk about your dog and what he needs. And make sure we’re all comfortable before we do anything. How does that sound to you?”

I liked that he was conscientious and it sounded like he really cared. “Good.”

“Great! I can come by…” He made another humming noise. “Thursday evening. No, wait. There’s the thing at Rainbow Youth Center, which is why I don’t have anything booked. Okay, um, I have Wednesday at about two. Or if you’d rather an evening, I can do Friday at six.”

I tapped my own calendar, even though I really didn’t need to. I didn’t want to wait until Friday to see him—and that was really a ridiculous thought—but I knew I had a conference call with a client at one on Wednesday afternoon, and that particular client had a tendency to be long-winded. And also to ask for things that were actually impossible to do, so there was always a lot of explaining to be done when I dealt with her.

“Friday would be better for me.”

“Fantastic. I’ll come by in the grooming truck, and then if everything goes well, I can see to Aldo’s haircut right then and there.”

“Grooming truck?” I echoed, even as I put it on the calendar. I wasn’t likely to forget, but I wanted to make sure nothing got scheduled. Working from home meant I made my own hours, and my bosses didn’t hesitate to put things on my schedule in the evening hours. Especially if the client lived in a different time zone.

“Yeah! It’s great. A small RV I had converted. The whole back is a grooming station. That way I can go right to my client’s houses. Best investment I ever made.”

His enthusiasm was infectious, and I found myself grinning. I gave him my address when he asked for it, and he gave an excited bark of laughter.

“I go right by there on my walks!”

A tendril of embarrassment worked its way into my stomach, even though I knew it was ridiculous. “I saw you yesterday when I was mowing the lawn.”

Another warm, happy laugh. “Sorry about Butch. That dog poops more than any other I’ve seen.”

I laughed, too. “Well, you cleaned it up, so I’ve got no complaints.” I cleared my throat again. “When I saw your ad at the store today, and after the conscientious behavior yesterday, I thought you’d be great. So.”

“Thank you.” Tru’s voice was warm and sincere. “So I’ll see you and Aldo in a couple of days, yeah? And we’ll get your pup looking and feeling great.”

“See you then.”

The call ended, and I tossed my phone on the desk and sighed. Tru’s voice was going to be the end of me, I could just tell. But he seemed genuine and sincere, and unless he was an Oscar-worthy actor, really cared about the dogs. If nothing else, I really did want the best care for Aldo.

With that thought in mind, I pushed away from the desk and stood. Aldo got up, too. He knew it was dinnertime.