Because of Fate (Book 1 of Because of Series)

Chapter 3- Margaret

I licked my lips and cleared my throat. I was very aware of what could go wrong with this. I had no idea how I was going to tell them that we were going to have to go on the road again if this didn't work out. "Shall I take Donovan out of the truck, put him on a leash, and let you call the kids?" I asked, looking at Bryson.

Bryson looked at his mother and nodded when she nodded. He looked hesitant, and I could tell that he was thinking the worst. "You may," he said.

My phone rang at that moment, and I internally groaned. "Can... I take that first?" I asked, and they nodded. I picked up the phone and saw that it was my brother calling. "Yes?" I asked.

"Maybell needs to go to the bathroom," Travis said.

I turned to look at the truck to see my daughter holding her hands together and mouthing 'please.' Her eyes were wide, and I could tell that she was play-crying. "What song?" I knew that Travis wouldn't have called me unless my daughter got so annoying with her singing.

"Yankee Doodle," Travis said. "She started to make Tinie bark, but I got her to stop."

"Good," I said. I paused, knowing fully well that he needed to use the restroom as well. "Do you want me to ask for you?"

He was silent. "Yes," he said, sounding guilty.

I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes. I hated how our parents made us feel like we were unimportant, even though we were. I hated that they had gotten away with the way that they had treated us, but I knew that there was nothing I could do. I had won custody of my brother, so I was going to fix what they had done to him and me.

"What is it?" the female, Leslie, asked, and I looked at her. Concern filled her eyes, and I couldn't help but wish that Travis had been younger so he wouldn't have to face this. "Is everything alright?"

I nodded and pulled my phone away from my ear. "Is it alright if my brother and daughter go in and use the restrooms?" I asked, looking at both her and Bryson.

Leslie nodded and offered me a smile. "Of course," she said. "If all goes well, then this will be your home just as much as ours."

I looked down, a blush appearing on my face. I wasn't used to the kindness of others except for those that had been at the barn. I had no idea how to react, and I did not know how I would repay them. "Thank you," I said, and she nodded. I pulled my phone near my ear again. "You two can come out. Can you get Donovan's leash and make sure that neither Tinie and that dang cat get out?"

"That "dang cat" has a name," my daughter said. "No wonder she doesn't like you."

I shook my head and heard my brother mutter a bad word. "Travis," I warned. "You aren't eighteen yet. You are not supposed to be using that language."

"I will get the leash," Travis said. "Do I need the muzzle?"

"We aren't muzzling Dono," Maybell said. "We don't need to."

"Just the leash is fine," I said. "And, May, some people are scared of them and think of them as bad dogs. Some of them follow what the media says while others have had scary encounters with them."

"But, Dono wouldn't hurt a fly. Why does he get labeled?"

"It's just the way things are."

***

I took my dog out of the back of the truck and signaled my others to stay. I knew that they wanted to come out, but it would be a hassle to load up five dogs and four horses in a short matter of time. I turned to look at Bryson to see that he looked scared.

His face was pale as we moved closer, but he seemed a little fine when I had Donovan to lie down.

"Do you want to meet him first?" I asked softly. I had dealt with this before. It was a common sight to see people afraid of Donovan. Sometimes they would actually pet them when I said it was fine, but most of the time, they didn't.

Bryson cleared his throat and shook his head. "No, it is fine," he said. His voice shook a small bit, and he tried to hide it. He was going to have to work over his fear, and I hoped that I could show him that not all of them were bad dogs.

I nodded and looked at Blake. "Would you like to pet him?" I asked. I tried to raise an eyebrow, but both went up.

Blake raised an eyebrow, and I scowled. He had this smug look on his face, and I really wanted to have Donovan to growl at him to wipe it off. "Sure," he said. He walked over to my dog and let him sniff his hand.

Donovan's stubbed tail went back and forth a mile a minute. He looked so excited to have new attention that it broke my heart. He had loved living at the place where I had him because he met a lot of people every day. He got to melt the hearts of everyone and show how some Pit Bulls were just big babies.

"Hey, now," Blake said with a startled laugh as Donovan licked his hand. "Why isn't he jumping up?" He scratched behind Donovan's ear, and I could tell that my dog just made a new friend.

"Because I am telling him to stay down," I replied. "If you want him to jump up, then all you have to do is pat your chest and say..." I pushed him a bit to the side, telling him not to jump. "... 'up.' 'up.' He's gentle with it. My daughter does it all the time."

Blake looked at his brother and raised an eyebrow. "Can I?" he asked, and Bryson hesitantly nodded. He stood his full length, and Donovan whined. He patted his chest like I had told him and said, "up, up." "Man," Blake grunted when Donovan stood and tried to lick his face. "He is one strong dog."

"Well, dealing with a daughter that likes to ride him like a horse, he has to be. He was trained to be a dogfighting dog, but as you can see, it didn't work. He is just a baby."

Blake nodded in understanding. "Alright, Boy," he said. "Down."

Donovan did what he was told to do and laid down. He looked up at me and wagged his tail, trusting me to make the right decisions for him.

Blake wiped his mouth where Donovan had licked him and grinned down at my dog, and his whole butt started to shake and whined. "Ok, Bryson," Blake said, looking at his older brother. "Call the children. I think he is safe."