Ryan
Everything had turned out better than I had expected. Morgan already had natural characteristics that made her perfect for Tucker. I noticed how she checked on him outside, and how her instigating fetch was just a few steps away from being able to retrieve something that Tucker might drop. The two had made such a quick bond together.
Tucker forgot everything the moment he found Morgan. He instantly started coming out of his shell. He forgot about hiding his face when he was filling out the adoption paperwork, and he openly shopped at the shelter’s pet supply store even though there were people milling about.
He was smiling that famous wide smile of his. I suspected he got away with a lot as a child with his grin and sky blue eyes.
Oh, that smile! I had missed it. Seeing him in so much pain, on the inside and out, was killing me inside. Tucker was someone who lit up a room with his smile. He was known for it. It was a part of his endless charm. It was one of the reasons why I had fallen in love with him in high school.
Even before he was a football star, everywhere we went people would greet him, and knew him. Young and old. He always would stop and chat with each person, asking a personal question pertaining to their life. He was sincere in his caring for them.
I was, on the other hand, an introvert. Not that I didn’t love people. I did. I just didn’t seem to have it in me to socialize like that. It was practically a handicap for me. People misunderstood how I was and thought I was stuck-up or cold, but I never intended to come across that way.
But I digress. My focus was on Tucker. I had been obsessed with him in high school, and now, even more so. And he finally smiled again!
Thanks to Morgan.
I decided I best sit down and write out an action plan for Morgan’s training. It had been a few days since I last saw them both. I wanted to give them time together to enjoy one another’s company and just be. But soon we needed to talk and decide when the training would begin.
So I worked on my notes and observations. I planned on calling Tucker sometime Monday to see how things were going and to pick his brain on more ideas of what he would like to work on with Morgan.
We were both very lucky he saw through her demeanor when we first met at the shelter. I should have known better than to judge her as quickly as I did, but at the same time I didn’t want to put Tucker through the trouble of rehabilitating an abused dog. He saw through the first impression, though, and somehow knew she wasn’t abused. She had simply been mourning the loss of her owner.
Poor girl. But at least the future looked brighter for the both of them now that they had found each other.
It was rare to find a shelter dog who had training like hers. Usually a lot of dogs ended up at shelters because of a lack of training and know-how on the owner’s part, not through any fault of the dog. That was why I liked to pull dogs from shelters and train them, giving them a second chance.
Usually I trained the dogs first, then brought them over to their potential new homes to see how things went, and to train the new owners. In Tucker’s case, I felt a sense of urgency. He needed that companionship now, and having a dog with training already under her belt was more than I could hope for.
That day I had decided pretty quickly that the best course of action was for Tucker to train her himself, and in doing so, he would regain his confidence with her. Something he desperately needed.
Having finished up my notes, I found myself distracted again by thoughts of Tucker and the way things used to be.
I found him to be even more attractive now that he had matured. His body was still muscular but now even more so, his muscles hard to contain beneath his clothes.
All his life he had put that body to work, and despite the accident, his muscles had yet to atrophy. He still had a slight tan too, even after being closeted indoors for months since his accident.
His face, burn scars and all, was even more handsome now. I couldn’t describe it, but in my opinion that scar he declared hideous was a beautiful reminder of the hero who wore them. I wish it hadn’t happened to him, but he needed to see it as a badge of honor and courage. Proof that he risked his life to save a stranger.
I wished I could get that through to him. His lightness, his spirit, showed through that scar and the wall he had built around himself for protection. I hoped Morgan and I could put an end to his insecurities in that regard.
I set my training notes aside and looked over at my two sleeping dogs. They were the light of my day, sure, but sometimes I still felt alone without any human company. Now that I had connected with Tucker again—even if it was just a professional connection—I knew I was missing something.
Missing him.
I had other things I needed to do now that I concluded my homework for the day, but no. All I could think about now was how it used to feel to be with Tucker. I had been so young then, so unknowing of what I had and what I would soon lose.
I had to relieve myself of these lustful thoughts. Clear my mind so I could focus on Tucker’s rehabilitation, not how much I wanted him.
A shower. That was what I needed. A nice cold one to settle my body down.
But once I got into the shower, I left the water on hot. I let my mind drift. I remembered what it was like again, when we were young, before he left this town to continue evolving his football career.
I needed to see him again. I decided to call him sooner than I had planned to set up our first training session.