Dash Into Love: A Short Fiction Romance

 

DASH INTO LOVE

A Short Fiction Romance
Written by Dorothy Wills-Raftery

T he moment Hannah slipped the key into the lock of the door to her dog rescue, she was greeted by a chorus of barks, yelps, and howls. Her Siberian Husky, Dash, volleyed back a howl and tugged at the leash, eager to greet the dogs. Once inside, Hannah pocketed the key and unleashed Dash. She pulled her auburn hair back into a clip, then slid open the door to the kennel area.

   
     “Breakfast time!” she called out. Dash led the way, stopping at each of the kennels to greet his furry friends with a sniff and tail wag. Suddenly, he did what his name implied; he dashed out of the room and into the outer office. Hannah followed to be sure he wasn’t into mischief, but her heart dropped when she saw the front door was wide open.
 
 

“No!” She grabbed a leash, and while locking the door she noticed the latch was loose. “Dash!” she called repeatedly as she sprinted down the road searching for him. Pausing, she pulled her cellphone out from her jeans pocket. She began posting a lost dog notice online, when a red pickup slowed to a stop next to her.
 
“Do you need help?”

         The driver’s handsome face, dark wavy hair, and sparkling blue eyes left Hannah speechless. “I’m Nate Brady. I have the ranch up the road.”

         “Hannah McMultry. I own the Dash Dog Rescue back about a half a mile. The front door didn’t latch, and my dog ran out.” Biting back tears, she glanced down the road.
 
“Is your dog a blue-eyed black and white Husky?”
  
“Yes! That’s Dash. Have you seen him?”
 
“I know where he is. Hop in.” Nate leaned over and opened the door for Hannah. “He’s a fast one. Since I couldn’t catch him, I locked the barnyard gate so he couldn’t run away, and started driving around to look for his owner.”
 
Hannah felt herself relax.
 
As they drove the very short distance to his place, Hannah studied Nate. “I don’t remember ever seeing you around town. Which ranch is yours?”
 
“The Rocking B.”
 
“Oh, I know it well. Marge and Bill are wonderful neighbors. Are they okay?”
 
“Yes, they’re great. They’re my grandparents. I just moved here two weeks ago from out of state. They offered me a deal on the property so it would stay in the family. So, I sold my contracting company and here I am. I’m happy to report that my grandparents are now touring the globe.”
 
“Good for them!” Hannah noticed his left hand ring finger was bare, but she also was aware some folks didn’t wear wedding rings. “So, you and your family live here now?” she inquired, curiosity driving her.
 
“Just me. Well, I should say, me plus three dogs, many barn cats, four horses, a pony, 10 chickens, a rooster, three goats, and a fuzzy little Highland cow.”
 
They shared an easy laugh.
 
“And you? Is there a Mr. Dash Dog?”
 
“Just one ex. He didn’t like dogs.”
 
“Not like dogs? I can’t imagine.” Jake turned onto a gravel drive. “How did you get into rescue?”
 
“I’m a vet tech and volunteered at a rescue. I adopted Dash when he was owner-surrendered. Shelters all over are overloaded. I needed to do something to help, so I opened my own rescue-slash-sanctuary three years ago.”
 
Jake parked. “Dash, or any of your dogs, are always welcome here.”
 
“Lucky dogs.” A blush crept across Hannah’s cheeks when she realized she spoke her thought out loud.
 
Nate glanced over at her. “You’re always welcome too, Hannah.” His eyes lingered on hers for a long moment, sending a wave of goosebumps racing through her.
 
They exited the truck. Hannah followed Nate, admiring the well-defined muscles that rippled beneath his white t-shirt. Her heart thumped excitedly in response.
  
Nate pointed. “That’s L’il Bit with your Dash. She thinks she’s a big dog.”
 
Hannah was relieved when she saw her dog happily running around the fenced-in barnyard with the pony. “It looks like they have become fast friends.”
 

Nate opened the gate and as they stepped inside, Dash and L’il Bit came trotting over. Hannah gave her dog a big hug. When she stood to pet the pony, Dash eagerly jumped up into Nate’s arms.
 
Hannah chuckled. “It seems he has taken a fast liking to you, too.”
 
 
Laughing, Nate gave the Husky’s fur a vigorous rub as the dog plied him with licks.
 
Hannah clipped a leash on Dash, and when her hand brushed against Nate’s, her pulse quickened. “I’d like to repay you for keeping him safe.”
 
 
Nate put Dash down and shot Hannah his million-dollar-smile that made her go weak in the knees. “It’s not necessary, but...”
 
Hannah arched an eyebrow. “But?”
 
“Well, I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.”
 
Her smile went wide. “Pancakes happen to be my specialty.”
 
“Sounds perfect. Let me take a look at your rescue’s door latch, and it’s a date.” 
 
Hannah’s heart danced. While she had been upset over Dash escaping, she was thankful he was safe and led her, and her heart, straight to Nate Brady. ~DWR

 
~The End~
 

 
 
 
 

Author's Note: 

Dear Readers: I hope you enjoyed my story!
As many of you know, I am an author and career photojournalist. I also love writing fiction and have had short romances published by  Woman's World and short fiction in AmericanPet Magazine. I have received such wonderful responses to my fiction, and that warms this author's heart! Always inspired by my own Siberian Huskies, the FiveSibes and their amazing individual personalities, I thought it would be nice to share with you this complimentary holiday short story that features a  Siberian Husky, of course. 
I hope you enjoy it!
~Dorothy "FiveSibesMom"
 

"When you live with dogs, you'll never run out of things to write about."
 ~Sharon Delarose
 
 
 
 

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