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understand. Your dog is very welcome. I even have some dog food that’s going to waste.”
    He headed back outside, and within seconds he returned with a huge, somewhat damp dog at his side.
    Lindsey stared in disbelief. “Wendell? Is that you?”
    The dog’s tail waved madly, and he leaped inside. He did a powerful tailspin and made full circles, knocking objects off the table and Lindsey off her feet. Then he jumped up and gave her the sloppiest dog kisses a dog could give.
    Jake tried in vain to control the dog. “Whoa, sorry! I had no idea he’d act like that. Here boy, come here.”
    The next few hours passed by quickly, and Wendell never left Lindsey’s side‌—‌not even during one quick trip to the tiny downstairs bathroom. She set places at the table, complete with woven mats and cloth napkins, while this total stranger, this young, cute, male college student lit a fire in the fireplace. For a brief moment, she forgot her sorrows.
    Lindsey brought Wendell a dish from the kitchen and mixed in a little white rice, then all three of them ate ravenously. Lindsey and her unexpected guest discussed movies they’d seen and books they’d read, and she was impressed by his knowledge and interest in literature.
    Finally, Jake stood and grinned. “I’d better get going. It’s late, and I’ve got an eight o’clock class.” He rubbed Wendell’s back. “Let’s go big guy.”
    Lindsey tried not to panic. “You’re not taking that dog anywhere. He belongs with me, can’t you see that?”
    Jake smiled apologetically. “I can tell he really likes you, but I kind of…‌well, to be honest, I dognapped him from his owner’s yard. I’ve got to get him back before they notice he’s missing. I only took him tonight because I felt bad that he’d been left out in the rain and all. Sorry. Thanks again for dinner. We gotta go.”
    Tears welled in her eyes as Jake led Wendell to the door. Wendell was usually picky with strangers, but he didn’t seem to mind going with this young man. She found that very interesting.
    “Jake?” Lindsey called softly. “Do you think you could steal him again sometime?”
    After a long pause, Jake and Wendell turned. They looked at each other then back at Lindsey, and it was as if they both were smiling. It almost looked rehearsed. Like something from a movie or the seal show at Sea World. If she hadn’t been so sad about their departure, she’d have laughed. Instead, she waited. She knew what Wendell’s answer would be, but he didn’t seem to be the one in charge.
    Jake nodded. “Now that I can do,” he promised, giving her a boyish smile.
    Lindsey stood by the door, dazed, and watched them go. Then the house was empty once again. The methodical ticking of the clock, the far away creaking of the ever-settling walls, and the lonesome drumming of rain echoed through her body. Numb inside, she cleaned up the clutter and went to bed.

CHAPTER SIX
    Judy’s class was already singing when Lindsey arrived.
    “Sorry we’re late,” voiced Lindsey, slightly out of breath. “We had a bloody nose emergency.”
    Judy smiled and nodded. She knew those things happened.
    Eight canteens of water,
Seven rattle snakes,
Six spadefoot toads,
Five dancing deer,
Four laughing cows,
Three western geckos,
Two javelinas,
And a quail in a Palo Verde tree.
    They sang the song three more times then added two more verses. The kids came up with nine kangaroo rats and ten cactus wrens, and both teachers were relieved that they were two appropriate and usable verses. They’d let the laughing cow verse remain, but they’d had to exclude a few, like eight bottles of booze, seven roadkill rabbits, and six dirty diapers.
    As the students filed back to their classrooms, Judy called out, “Good luck with your official observation this afternoon.”
    Lindsey groaned. Typically she didn’t panic over these things. On the other hand, she didn’t usually forget about them, either. As the kids gathered