Rescuing Harlow by Aubree Valentine

Chapter 13

Zane hurried home and flung the door open. He was a man on a mission tonight.

Shelby called him before his shift even ended and asked if he could come spend a few days with Tater because his girlfriend Danielle was in the hospital. Zane didn’t even hesitate. He called their father and asked to leave early then rushed home.

Harlow was already curled up in his bed watching tv but sat up when he walked in. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked immediately.

“I need to go to Shelby’s for a few days to dog sit. His girlfriend is in the hospital, something about a fire at the animal rescue she works at.”

“Oh my God! Is she okay?”

Zane was already backing a bag. “She’s still pretty out of it from what he said.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“Nah. I think I’ll be okay. I work tomorrow so I’m going to commute back here. Grab lunch if you’ve got time?”

“Hmm. I think I can manage that. can update you on my run in with my dad then.”

He paused. “Shit. I’m sorry, I was so focused on Shelby…”

“Zane, it’s fine. Nothing I can’t handle. Go,” she waved her hand at him. “Go on and take care of your nephew. Let me know if Shelby or Danielle need anything.” Harlow stood and stretched her back before giving him a kiss. “Love you.”

“Are you sure you’re good?”

“Yes. Now get. I’m just going to go to bed for the night. I’ll be fine.”

Zane kissed her back and slung his bag over his shoulder. “I’ll keep you posted. Sleep well.”

An hour and half later, Zane was pulling into Shelby’s driveway. His brother was passed out on the couch with Tater at his feet. The beast came running straight for him when he opened the front door.

“Woof!”

He fell to his knees and loved on the animal. “Hey, Tate, who’s a good boy.”

“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” Shelby said as he sat up and ran a hand over his face. “You’re still in your uniform,” he added with a confused look on his face.

“Dad let me off early to come over, I came as soon as you called. You look like shit. Any update on Danielle?”

“When I left, they said she was stable. Her dad kicked me out, said I needed some sleep and to eat something. Otherwise, I’d still be there.”

“He’s right though. You’ve got to take care of yourself or you’re no good to her when she comes home.”

Shelby raised a brow. “This whole, becoming a dad thing, is changing you.”

Zane shrugged. “It’s supposed to, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

“So, did you eat?” he smirked at Shelby.

“Yes, Dad. I ate,” Shelby nodded to the empty plate on the end table. “I may have had a little help before I fell asleep, but yes, I ate.”

“Good. I didn’t want to have to force feed you,” Zane chuckled. “Would make good practice though, I guess.”

“You don’t force feed babies, Zane.”

“It was a joke, Shelby.”

“Whatever. Since you’re here now, I’m going to head back to the hospital,” Shelby absentmindedly scratched Tater on the head.

“Let me grab this one’s leash, I’ll walk you out.”

At the sound of the word walk, Tater yelped and ran in circles.

“Well, come on then,” Zane took the leash off the hook by the front door and snapped it on him. Together, Zane and the dog, walked out of the house with Shelby who climbed in his truck and waved good-bye.

Zane took off in the opposite direction with Tater who all but forgot that his owner had left him.

“Don’t tell anyone. You’re almost enough to make me want a dog of my own,” he told Tater as they rounded the corner.

Tater looked back over his shoulder at Zane as if he understood everything he was saying.

After their walk, Zane took over the hall bathroom to shower and change out of his uniform. It only took him two point five seconds to realize he was not going to be able to shower with the door closed. If Tater’s whining wasn’t enough, Zane was sure the furry beast was going to come through the door with the way he was scratching at it.

“Okay, okay. Stop that,” he said as he opened the door.

Tater sauntered inside and laid on the rug in front of the shower with a huff.

“No funny business, mister,” he warned the dog.

Tater was still in the same on the rug when Zane climbed out of the shower.

“Good boy,” he praised him while he slipped on his boxers. “Now, how about you let Unkie Zane go to bed?”

The dog woofed at him then ran down the hall to Shelby’s room and jumped on the bed.

“Ohhhh, no. I’m sleeping in here,” Zane pointed to the guest room.

Tater barked again.

“Tater, come.”

The dog cocked his head and stared.

“I’m not sleeping in Shelby’s bed,” Zane grumbled on his way down the hall. “Down. Now,” he commanded. Tater didn’t budge. “Tater.”

He huffed back at Zane.

I can’t believe I’m about to carry this dog through the house, he grumbled to himself as he picked up the Tater in his arms. He put him back on his feet in the hallway and quickly shut Shelby’s door.

“Come on, Tater.”

This time the dog reluctantly followed him into the guest room but refused to get in the bed.

“Suit yourself,” Zane muttered to himself.

Before he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, he sent off a text to Harlow, letting her know he’d made it and was going to bed. He attached a picture of Tater who was pouting on the floor for good measure.

The next morning when Zane woke up, he sent a message to Shelby to check on him and let him know that he was going into work for a bit. Then he sent another message to Harlow to make sure they were still on for lunch.

Her response was a selfie where she looked absolutely pitiful.

Harlow: Morning sickness is back with a vengeance today.

Zane: Are you staying home? Maybe you should just rest. I’ll bring you some soup.

Harlow: Already at the winery, but only working half a day. Meet you back at your place around lunch time.

Zane: It’s a date. I’ll see you then. Love you.

Harlow: Love you too.

If Zane didn’t still feel guilty that Harlow was pregnant from time to time, the morning sickness certainly made him feel worse. He hoped she wouldn’t be sick her whole pregnancy like her mother said she was when she was pregnant with her girls, but it sure did seem to come in waves even though she was out of the first trimester.

“Alright, Pup. Let’s go for that morning walk and get you some kibble before I leave for work.”

Zane threw on a pair of running shorts and his sneakers then grabbed Tater’s leash. The dog was ready to go the moment the front door opened. The way he took off nearly pulled Zane’s arm out of place.

“Hey, slow down a bit, would you?”

Tater ignored him and bee lined it for his favorite tree, practically dragging Zane behind him.

After another twenty minutes and two laps around the block, Zane got the dog back inside and fed while he got ready for work.

“Okay. Here’s the deal, Tater. One more potty break then Unkie Zane is going to work. I’ll be back tonight for dinner, and we can play a little bit. Got it?”

Tater looked at Zane like he was nuts.

“Yeah, I know. I’ve lost my mind. Talking to a dog and all that,” he mumbled.

Zane spent two more days with the dog, adopting the same routine, before Shelby called to let him know that Danielle was coming home. As Zane packed up his stuff to get out of their hair, he realized that as much as he missed Harlow, it was nice to get away from the drama that they were both dealing with at the moment. Not that any of it was Harlow’s fault. It just sucked that things with her family, especially her dad, were still so out of sorts.

His worst fear was that Finn Keller was going to shut his daughter out of his life and that Harlow wasn’t going to handle that so well. What was even more worrisome was the fact that Mila had stood up to Finn and put him in his place.

God he really hoped Finn would pull his head out of his ass, sooner rather than later. Because one day, in the near future, he was going to need the man’s blessing for a really important question he was thinking about asking Harlow.

Funny how his heart wanted something totally different than his head thought he wanted.