Dog Tags: A romance anthology featuring military and canine heroes

by Kate Kinsley

  As we pulled up, I saw a tall, well-built man and a small blonde woman, who had a real estate agent look about her locking the door as they were walking back to a car. Pointy high heels, a summer suit, the whole nine-yards. I waited for them to leave the property, and looked over at my friend Liz. “I hope they don’t want the house. This is the nicest one so far in my price range.”

  “There is so much property for sale in this town, I’m sure you’ll get whichever house you want. The biggest issue is the back yard. We need to see that. Ya know, for the pack of wild dogs you have,” she teased me. Liz was a cat person. I had begged her to adopt a dropout from me, and she wasn’t having it.

  “You know you love my doggos.” I grinned.

  “I do love your children, however, I have my own aloof family of felines, thank you very much,” she replied with a laugh.

  We got out of the car and headed to the front door when I saw my agent pull up. Marco Ruiz strolled up to the porch casually, his usual million dollar smile shining bright. I found him on a billboard, and even though his teeth were unnaturally white, he had a nice grin, and I also didn’t really know anything about picking a real estate agent, so I went with the first one to call me back, which was him.

  “Ladies, how are you?” he asked as he punched the code on the door, unlocking it for us.

  “I’m well. I’m hoping the backyard is what I need?” I stated as a question, trying to passively aggressively imply I wasn’t happy with what he’d found so far.

  “Ronnie my friend, I think this is the one. It’s got home for dogs written all over it,” he replied.

  I ignored most of the house as I made my way through the open area living room through to the kitchen, looking for the back door. The pictures I saw online were perfect, but one thing I’ve found searching for a home, is what you see online is not always an accurate representation of the property. Angles and staging have a lot to do with what you see, and much of it can be perception and not reality.

  I unlocked the sliding glass door and stepped back out into the summer sun. The sprawling yard was wide open, nary a shrub or a bush out of place, and the six foot fence looked to be as sturdy as it was in the photographs. My heart started to race as I got excited about the prospect of letting my dogs loose to run back there. The yard was about a quarter acre, much more than most properties in the area had, and it was perfectly landscaped. Not a bunch of extra stuff, no swing set to take down or pool to maintain, it was exactly what I wanted.

  The grin spread across my face as I turned around to see Liz and Marco watching me in the doorway.

  “I told you,” Marco said with a self-satisfied smile. That’s the smirk I saw on his billboard. For sure.

  Not wanting him to get too excited, or full of himself and his impending commission, I said, “Okay, the backyard meets my needs for sure. Let’s see the rest of it.”

  Truth be told, I was ready to make an offer on the spot, but it was my first time buying a house, and I did need to see the rest of it in person either way. Having Liz with me helped, she’d make sure I rattled windows and doors and made sure everything was in tip top shape, whereas I’d have signed on the dotted line once I saw it had what my dogs needed.

  We toured the rest of the house, and I was as satisfied with the interior as I was the yard. Now it was just a matter of making sure we were on the same page with the numbers, and I could put the offer in.

  After we pulled away, I sighed and glanced over at Liz, who was driving us. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Oh, nothing at all. I’m just thinking about all the work I have to do, and I’m worried I won’t get the house. It’s totally the one Liz. Like the one.”

  “I could tell as soon as you saw the back yard,” she chuckled. “But nice job trying to play it cool with slick ass Marco. What’s his deal anyway?”

  “I don’t know, he’s like the used car salesman of real estate I think,” I replied.

  “Well, whatever, so long as he gets you what you want.”

  “Agreed,” I said. “My offer is fair, and with property prices being what they are, it’s a buyer’s market thank God, so I shouldn’t have too much trouble. Fingers crossed.”

  “Now, we just need to find you a man to share this big house with. It’s kind of a lot of house for one person,” she said.

  I scrunched my nose and pursed my lips at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, knowing exactly what it meant.

  “Now, don’t get defensive. I’m just saying, don’t you think it’s time you expanded your horizons, and got back out there? That’s a lot of house, even for a lady with a lot of dogs.” She gave me a knowing look, raising her brows at me and flashing a crooked smile.

  “Blah. Yeah, I know. But like, who has time to date?”

  “Everyone does. Including you. It’s time.”

  “I’ll take it under advisement,” I replied with a smirk.

  Chapter Three

  David

  “This is the house.” I was sure of it. Everything about this house felt like home. Most people in Florida wanted a pool, and this house didn’t have one and that was fine by me. Everything I knew about maintaining a pool could be counted on one finger, and I wasn’t looking for a new hobby in pool maintenance.

  “It’s the first one we’ve looked at,” Vivian replied.

  “I just know,” I said.

  “Okay, well humor me, and let’s check out the other ones just in case. Then we’ll go visit Jax at the station and get dinner. Have you heard back from your case worker or whatever at the dog agency?” she asked.

  I was supposed to have an appointment to meet “Ronnie”—what grown ass man goes by Ronnie anyway—however, he cancelled at the last minute, asking me to reschedule. I replied right away hoping to get whatever the next available appointment was, but I had not heard back yet.

  “No, not yet.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m sure they’re swamped. They’re a nonprofit, so most of the employees probably work for peanuts and they probably hustle their asses off.”

  I knew she was right, but it was annoying, nonetheless.

  We spent the remainder of the afternoon checking out more houses, none of which spoke to me the way the first one did. It had the perfect back yard for a dog to run around in, and the wide open floor plan meant that me and Sasha could play in the house too. I knew she wasn’t necessarily a “pet” per se, but I wanted the house to be good for both of us, that was the whole point.

  After we visited Jax at work and had dinner with him and his crew, Vivian and I headed back to their house. It had been a busy day, and sometimes busy days wore me out. I decided to call it a night early, and while the shame of needing a little alone time weighed me down, Vivian didn’t seem disturbed by it one bit. She reminded me where everything I might need could be found, and settled herself into the cozy chair in the living room and wished me a good night. Jax was definitely a lucky guy.

  I hadn’t dated anyone in a long time. Besides the fact in my twenty year career I had been to numerous duty stations, I was deployed a lot over the years. Now, I’m not saying I was some kind of saint, I had my moments, and even had a couple of dalliances that could be considered a relationship by some standards, low standards, but I wasn’t always alone. I just never found that person I could connect with the way Jax and Vivian did, clearly.

  He’d told me over the last year what he’d gone through in terms of his PTSD when he got out of the Marines. In fact, he was far more open about it than I expected. When I called him to tell him I was looking for a place to settle down, he was the one that suggested I come to Florida since I’d be here for a while anyway, getting situated with Sasha. Jax had been seeing a therapist for a long time, and hadn’t told anyone what he was going through. Night terrors, anxiety, depression, you name it, and he’d been dealing with it silently. One mention of seeing a therapist and the suggestion of getting a service dog, and Jax told me his story. How he’d coped in self-destruct
ive ways, much like a functioning alcoholic, he’d buried himself in pointless trysts with women that wouldn’t go anywhere, just so he could feel good for a little while. Until he met Vivian.

  I can see why he wanted to change for her, she’s kind and thoughtful, smart as can be, full of sass too. Although people don’t change you. They come in your life and inspire you to change. I asked him why he never thought to get a service dog, and he simply said it just wasn’t part of his healing process. Made sense, we’re all different. I was looking forward to the companionship more than I expressed, but even though I knew it would help, I was aware I needed to do more. Maybe it was time I started dating, or opening up a little bit more. Spending the last year in my RV was cool, and gave me a lot of time to think, but all that alone time brought with it a downside too. Loneliness was a real thing, and getting out of the service was an adjustment in itself, not to mention having no real home.

  I laid in bed thinking about my new life, the changes I was making. Half of my brain was proud of myself, and the other half was full of self-doubt and apprehension. I needed that house to come through. Unable to drift off to sleep, I took one of the prescriptions my doctor provided for just such an occasion, even though I didn’t like to rely on them. More often than not, I took one to sleep, just so I could function through the next day alert and able to carry on, otherwise, I’d be up all night overthinking every decision I’d ever made in my entire life. After about twenty minutes of internally berating myself for needing help shutting my brain off, the battery slowly ran out, and I drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning I woke to the smell of coffee, and bacon. I stretched and grinned, feeling refreshed after a full eight hours of slumber. I checked my phone and noted that I had a text from Ronnie, letting me know he could see me any time today if that would work.

  I padded out to the kitchen where I found Vivian cooking up a storm. “Wow, this smells amazing Vivian. Maybe I can just stay here with you two,” I teased.

  She laughed, and flipped over some eggs she was frying. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

  “I’m just teasing. Me and my dog will be out of your hair in no time. Any word on the offer we put in?” I knew it was early, but I had to ask. The anxiety was already kicking in, thinking about what I’d do if I didn’t get the house.

  “Not yet, but we should hear back later today. Any word from the dog guy?” she asked.

  “Actually, yes. He can meet me to go over my paperwork, and since I have put a bid on a house, that should be sufficient evidence to give me the dog it sounds like.”

  “Well that is wonderful news. Cheers to that,” she held up her coffee mug in celebratory fashion. “Help yourself to coffee, breakfast will be ready soon. And Jax should be here any minute now too. He only had to work half a shift today, he was covering for Matt, who’s had a thing to take care of with one of the kids.”

  “Jax has told me all about the guys at the station, but he didn’t mention anything about Matt and his wife having kids. She’s the detective right?” I asked. They’d eloped and didn’t tell anyone about it until they got back which caused quite the uproar with his brother, the fire chief.

  “It’s a long story. They’re helping a kid who is sort of down on his luck. A story for another time.”

  I nodded while I poured a cup of coffee. Jax and Vivian had the best coffee in the entire world. They took it seriously. One time Jax got on a tangent about it and wouldn’t stop—clearly he’d had plenty that day.

  Vivian and I continued to shoot the breeze for a bit while we waited for Jax, and upon his arrival, my jealousy over what they shared vibrated again as I watched them together. I definitely needed to put myself out there, for the right girl though. Not just any girl.

  Later that afternoon I headed out to Dogs for Veterans in the hopes of getting to see Sasha, and also arranging a date she’d officially be mine. It was going to take getting used to, having a constant companion, and I was apprehensive and excited all at the same time.

  When I parked and walked up to the grassy expanse in front, there was a stunning woman hanging out with a dog on a leash. The dog was wearing a vest, but he wasn’t chilling like most service dogs usually do. He was hopping around, sniffing everything, and tugging on the leash while the hottie shook her head and reprimanded him quietly.

  “Samuel Barkson, stop it. You’re making us both look bad,” she whisper yelled.

  “Problem with your dog ma’am?” I asked as I approached. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the exasperation on her face.

  “Uh, no. No problem here. Samuel here just can’t sit still today. He’s got ants in his pants apparently.”

  “Is he your service dog?” I asked. His vest said, “Service Dog in Training, please do not pet me”.

  “Sort of. I’m looking after him for the time being.” She tilted her head and squinted her eyes at me. It then occurred to me I’m just a random stranger.

  “I’m sorry. Samuel seems like he just wants to take a jog is all.”

  “Well, Samuel is gonna get booted out of the program and we can’t have that,” she said to the dog, not to me. She took a seat on the nearby bench and instructed Samuel to sit on the ground next to her, which he did. I guessed he’d sniffed around enough.

  “May I?” I gestured to the spot next to her. I needed to get inside to see this Ronnie person, but a few minutes of chatting with a beautiful woman would be a step in the right direction.

  She motioned for me to take the empty space and smiled. “So, are you here to get a dog?”

  “I am eventually. Today I’m just here to drop off some paperwork and chat with someone about it.”

  “Have you ever had a dog before?” she asked me pointedly.

  “I have. I grew up on a farm with a bunch of dogs actually. I’ve been away a long time though, so I haven’t had one in a while.”

  “Well, it’ll be just like riding a bike if you’ve had one before. Am I keeping you?” she asked.

  “Nope, I’ll get in there in due time. Tell me more about Samuel, and you?” I was trying to flirt, and if I had to use the dog to get her to stay and talk to me, I had no issue with that. Her long dark hair was tied back in a high ponytail, making her look adorable and sporty. “I’m Dave by the way.”

  “Dave, nice to meet you. This is Samuel, who you’ve sort of met. And I’m Veronica.” She extended a hand to me and when I took it, I almost gasped from the sudden electricity. It was palpable and all I could wonder is if she felt anything.

  “Veronica. That’s a pretty name…for a pretty girl,” I said in a hushed tone.

  Seeing her blush, I kept it going.

  “So, do you work with the dogs, or…?”

  “I do. Right now I’m spending some time with the dogs that might end up dropping out of the program though.”

  “What happens if they don’t make the cut?” Worst case scenarios started running through my head, and with that, mild anxiety and panic began to set in.

  “We get them adopted as pets, that’s all. It’s hard because the shelters are all full, but—shit, excuse me. I have to go. I just realized I’m expecting someone to come see me soon and I need to get Samuel back to the kennel. It was nice to meet you Dave, good luck with your dog. I hope you get it soon!” She stood up to take off, but I wasn’t finished. I wanted to get to know her better.

  “Wait! Can I have your number?”

  “Huh? Why?”

  “I don’t know, so we could talk more about dogs? Maybe you could give me a refresher on being a dog owner or something.” I was grabbing at straws when really I wanted to say was because you’re beautiful and when I touched your hand I envisioned our made up life together in the blink of an eye so let’s have dinner…

  She laughed and took a step toward me. “Give me your phone.”

  Without a second thought I unlocked it and handed it to her. She immediately went to my contacts and added herself. She handed me the phone back, then start
ed to jog away. “It’s under Dog Lady,” she shouted as she ran off. “Good luck with your dog!”

  “Thank you!” I shouted back at the Dog Lady, and grinned. Not my smoothest moves, but I was a little rusty. I decided to get inside and find this Ronnie so we could get down to business sooner rather than later.

  Chapter Four

  Veronica

  “Well, wasn’t he just too handsome for words?” I asked Samuel Barkson as we jogged back to the kennel. I was sweating, which wouldn’t bode well for my afternoon meetings, but I’d gotten sidetracked by the hottie outside. Maybe Liz was right, and I needed to start getting out with someone that had two legs instead of four. I did give him my number, so we’d see whether or not he used it.

  It took me a little while longer than I’d hoped to get Samuel back in his kennel, he was so rambunctious. It wasn’t likely he’d pass the program unfortunately and that would make four dogs I needed to find non-service homes for. I groaned as I made my way back to my office. As I neared the hallway where my office was, I could hear a man getting loud with the receptionist.

  “Look, I understand this isn’t your fault, but I’ve been trying to get in touch for two days. I just want to talk to Ronnie about my dog. He said he’d be here all day, and now you’re telling me you don’t know where he is?”

  “Samantha, I’ll handle this,” I stepped up to defend her and stopped dead in my tracks when I realized it was the handsome devil from outside. “Uh, what is going on here?”

  “I…uh…Veronica. I’ve been trying to meet up with this Ronnie person who’s assigned to my case so I can meet my dog and finalize the paperwork. We were supposed to meet yesterday and he cancelled on me, said to come back anytime today and he’s nowhere to be found.” He seemed exasperated, and if he weren’t here for a service dog, which would probably assuage some of his anxiety, I’d have told him to calm the fuck down.