As soon as she spotted us, she stood and tugged at her cardigan, straightening it along with her bright pink top. A welcoming smile crossed her face as she asked, “Can I help you?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I answered. “I’m Raelyn Thomas, and this is Haleigh Nelson. We’re here about the community service hours.”
“Oh, wonderful.” She motioned us over to the counter and said, “My name is Leah. I’m the coordinating manager for the shelter. I’ll be the one you deal with most around here.”
“Great. We’re looking forward to working with you.”
She handed us each a volunteer form and said, “As soon as you fill these out, I’ll take you to the back and show you around.”
“Sounds good.”
After Haleigh and I completed the forms, Leah made a copy of our IDs, then led us to the back. Leah seemed completely unfazed as we entered the kennel area. I, on the other hand, felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest.
There were cages upon cages of the most adorable puppies I’d ever seen.
As soon as they spotted us approaching them, they would rush up to their doors and start yelping with excitement. I knelt and slipped my fingers through one of the holes in the metal gate, and gently stroked one of the Lhasa Apso puppies on the head.
His whole body shook. “Hey there, sweet boy. Aren’t you just the cutest?”
“Oh, my goodness.” Haleigh knelt down next to me and started petting one of the other puppies. “They’re so adorable.”
“Yes, they are.” Leah lowered her gaze to the tiny critters and sighed. “We don’t usually have this many puppies, but animal control shut down a nearby puppy mill. It was in a terrible state. Poor momma dogs were overbred, malnourished, and in need of medical attention. The vets did all they could for them, and once they were well enough, they were brought here for adoption.”
“That’s so sad.” I gave the puppy one last stroke across his head, then stood and said, “Hopefully, we can find them a good home.”
“We’ll certainly try.” Leah motioned us forward as she said, “The brooms and water hoses are in the corner, and the food is kept in the storage room.”
Leah went over every detail, from how to clean the kennels to how and when to feed the animals. As soon as she was done, Haleigh and I got busy cleaning our first cage. I gathered all the supplies and the hose while Haleigh moved the puppies outside where they could play in the fenced-in backyard.
I’d just started to hose off the concrete floor when Haleigh came up behind me and asked, “So, when are you planning to see Lynch again?”
“I’m not sure.”
It had been almost a week since the cook-out at his place, and even though we’d talked several times, we hadn’t actually seen one another. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see him.
I did.
I had a great time with Lynch—even after he left me a little frazzled on our last date. I had no idea what was going on with him, but he barely touched me the entire night.
No hand holding. No sitting extra close. No kissing.
Nothing.
I found it a little strange, especially after the way he’d been all the times before, and I was eager to see if things would be different on our next date. Unfortunately, we hadn’t been able to figure out a time to see one another. I’d been working long hours trying to get everything together for both the Sutherland wedding and Rebecca’s parents’ anniversary party, and Lynch had something going on with the club.
I could tell by Haleigh’s expression that she wasn’t sure what to think of my response, so I added, “We’ve both had a lot going on.”
“Yeah, Danny’s been pretty busy, too.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “Every time we’ve made plans to get together, he’s had to cancel.”
“I’m sorry. I know you were looking forward to going out with him.”
“It’s okay.” She gave me a nonchalant shrug. “If it’s meant to happen, then it will.”
Haleigh was disappointed that he’d been putting her off, but she was right. If he really wanted to see her, then he would. The same held true for Lynch.
He was the kind of man who knew what he wanted, and he wasn’t afraid to fight for it. He proved that the morning he bailed us out of jail. I just hoped, with all that was going on, he hadn’t given up the fight.
LYNCH
“What the hell are you doing?”
Jagger tossed another sofa cushion to the floor. “I’m looking for something.”
“Yeah, I got that.” I was beginning to worry that the clubhouse being packed with women and kids had finally gotten to Jagger and walked over to help remove the other cushions. “What are you looking for?”
“A quarter.”
“Seriously?” I glanced around at all the cushions on the floor, then asked, “All this for a fucking quarter?”