She made some sounds of agreement as she listened to whatever Miles had to say and answered with succinct responses. At one point, she pulled a stethoscope from her purse and listened to Koda’s heart. “Nice and strong.”
I felt such relief at those words, I nearly had to take a seat in one of the empty chairs. Everly wrapped the stethoscope around her neck and then went back to passing soothing strokes along Koda’s side. “No problem. I can do that now. We’ll see you when you get here.”
She tapped end on the screen and slid her phone into her purse. “He’ll be here as soon as he can. He drove out to the Callahans’ to check on a horse who’s due any day, so it’ll take him a bit to get back. I’m going to administer a painkiller in the meantime so we can get Koda a little more comfortable. Is that all right with you?”
“Of course. Anything you can do to help.”
“I’ll be right back.” She hurried into the back.
I took her place at Koda’s head and stroked his face. “You’re going to be okay.”
The back door slid open, and Everly appeared with a syringe. “If you want to stay at his head, that would be great. Most dogs aren’t fans of needles, but I’m pretty good with doing injections as painlessly as possible. They usually give me the tough cases.”
“Sure.” I stroked the side of Koda’s face. “Show Ev what a tough pup you are, okay?”
The heat from Everly’s body seeped into mine as she moved in close and positioned the needle near the scruff of his neck. She bunched the skin with one hand and wielded the syringe deftly with the other. Koda didn’t flinch.
“I don’t think he even felt it.”
She soothed any possibility of a sting with strokes along his side. “Let’s hope it gets him feeling better. It should only take a few minutes to kick in.”
I scratched in the spot that Koda loved behind his ears, moving in a rhythmic motion over and over until his eyes drooped and his breathing grew deep. I slowly removed my hand and took a step back. “I think he’s asleep.”
Everly gave my dog a gentle smile, one I wished was pointed in my direction. “He’s been through the wringer. Sleep is the best thing for him right now.”
I reached out and took hold of her hand, squeezing and releasing it before she had a chance to possibly pull away. “Thank you.”
“It’s my job.”
“I know. But I’m still grateful.”
She moved to a drawer, examining its contents and doing some sort of unnecessary organization.
“Don’t like people thanking you?”
A flush of pink brushed her cheeks. “I don’t need it. I love what I do.”
“And you’re good at it. You’ve got a way with animals. They’re lucky to have you.”
That pink deepened. “Thanks.”
I chuckled. “I’ll let you off the hook now, promise.”
“Did you call in the location of the trap to the Forest Service?”
My hint of amusement fled in a flash. “Not yet. I’ve got a contact over there that I’ll call when I leave. Hopefully, he’ll sign on to letting me be involved in the case. I’d like to be there when whoever set those traps is arrested.”
“I’d like to put his leg in one.”
“I don’t disagree with you there. You usually a fan of bloody revenge?”
She looked up and met my gaze. “Sometimes, violence is the only thing a person understands. I’d never make the first move, but I won’t hesitate to fight back.”
A chill skittered across my spine. Everly spoke as if she’d experienced that kind of violence firsthand. “You should always defend yourself by any means necessary.”
She tur
ned away. “I will. But not everyone has the skills to do that.”