Resilience Read Online Free Page B

that.”
    Gabe set Babs down and closed the gate, leaving her to play with her littermates. “You do realise that’s all kinds of illegal, right?”
    Todd nodded. “Yeah, but what am I gonna do? Go file a complaint? Get a lawyer?”
    Gabe cursed and huffed and generally made his unhappiness with those options
    known. Kaufman’s sister was the only attorney in town. “I’d say go to a paper in a big city, but they wouldn’t give a shit. So, I guess I’m just going to have to settle for making his life hell every chance I get.” Gabe got a look on his face that made Todd cringe. He knew that evil expression. Gabe was planning something devious. He was glad whatever it was
    wouldn’t be coming his way. “Y’all don’t have those dash cams, right?”
    Yeah, he really didn’t want to know what was going through Gabe’s mind. “Nope. And
    Kaufman takes his cruiser home every night. He stopped driving his truck a while back.”
    Todd wasn’t beyond helping a friend out, either. “Sleeps like the dead, too. Can’t rouse him hardly at all when there’s an emergency he needs to tend to. Rumour has it he uses Jack as a sleeping aid.” Todd ran everything he could think of regarding Kaufman through his mind, but he thought he’d covered the pertinent parts.
    Gabe’s smile was just… Well, if there was a devil, he’d have to be terrified hell was fixing to be taken over by one very pissed-off Texan.
    “Do I want to know?” Todd asked.
    “Probably not.” Gabe winked and started walking back towards the house. “So, I can’t get any vibes off Dr Soames. Usually my gaydar is spot on—” Todd told himself Gabe was not looking at him when he said that, but Todd was too afraid to look at Gabe, so he kept his eyes glued to the ground. “But I can’t tell with him. Which, I guess that could mean he’s straight? Except that doesn’t feel right, but… Oh fuck, I dunno. Doesn’t really matter. Not like I’d wanna bang him if he is gay.”
    That got Todd’s eyes bouncing up as he looked at Gabe. Why not? He’s gorgeous!
    Something flickered in Gabe’s expression and Todd felt oddly, and frighteningly, exposed.
    And he didn’t like it at all. He struggled to find a way to divert Gabe from thinking whatever he was thinking. “You said he was a jerk—sorry, douche, to you, but I think he’s probably an okay guy. If I’m right, I bet he’ll be willing to work with you on the strays we save from Kaufman. If I’m wrong, well…”
    Gabe’s grin was so bright it about hurt Todd to look at him. “That’s a great idea! Maybe he’ll feel so bad about being a douche that he’ll volunteer to help for free! Great idea, Todd!”
    Gabe batted his lashes and Todd chuckled at his best friend’s silly behaviour. Until Gabe asked, “So, when are you going to go ask him?”
    “What?” Todd sputtered, “How’d I get dragged into asking him?”
    Gabe sighed as if the answer was obvious. “Well, because it’s your idea, you brilliant man, you! And because if he says no to me I will want to bend him over and shove his head up his ass. Then you’ll have to bail me out of jail. Or not. Though if you leave me in there, I’m gonna sing Britney songs at the top of my lungs every time you’re in the office. You’ve been warned.”
    “Not your singing, ugh!” Todd dodged a jab at his ribs, dancing quickly to the side.
    “Anything but that!”
    Gabe started then, of course, singing as loud as he could, or maybe not—Todd didn’t want to know if he could holler any louder. And he sang Celine Dion, which meant Todd wanted to stab himself in both ears with an ice pick.
    “Okay, okay! You win!” he yelped when Gabe shredded a particularly high note.
    “Jesus, I’ll go talk to him tomorrow or sometime soon!” Tomorrow, because he wouldn’t get any sleep now knowing he had a valid reason to talk to the sexy vet. Then it occurred to him that he’d actually have to talk and that meant he’d stutter more likely