“Is that why you’re staying in Wishful?”
“Partly.” No reason to deny it. The small town meant less opportunity for disaster. “But beyond that, I like Wishful. I like the pace and the people here. And I’ve decided to apply to the small business incubator to see if I can start my own firm.” It was the first time she’d admitted it aloud since she’d made the decision. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to tell Carolanne. Somehow Ryan was an easier audience. He wasn’t invested in the outcome.
Interest lit his dark eyes. “Yeah? How’s that work?”
“Basically it’s like a little business nest. Lots of little start ups in one place, sharing overhead and workspace and resources. And there’s a mentorship component that really appeals to me. I understand the design aspect of my work without problem. I don’t need leadership there. But the business side is a whole other story. This feels like the best of both worlds. I can do things on my terms. That appeals to me a lot more than going back to a big city firm with all the backbiting and competition.”
“That makes sense. But surely your future client-base would go beyond here. Won’t you need to drive for that?”
The question was all practicality, so she fought not to bristle, but she really wanted him to drop the issue. “Yes. And I’ll get there. I’m just…not ready yet.”
She waited for him to argue with her or offer to drive with her to get her over the hump, but he simply nodded, accepting. Something in her relaxed. He wasn’t going to push or judge. And why should he? This thing between them was temporary. Whether she drove or not didn’t affect him long-term. If that gave her more than a little pang, Hannah ignored it. She just wanted to focus on the right here and now.
The music came to an end and they broke apart, applauding.
“Holy shit,” Ryan murmured.
“What?” Hannah followed his gaze to see Percy and Betty caught under one of the many mistletoe kissing balls hanging around the space. “Oh man, how’s he going to get out of this?”
“Looks like he’s not.”
As they watched, Percy bent and pressed a light kiss to Betty’s lips. It wasn’t lengthy or particularly demonstrative, and he pulled back almost immediately, stunned surprise lighting his face. But he didn’t let her go or walk away.
“Well,” Ryan said. “This is gonna be interesting.”
“If the military ever decides to go with a softer touch, they could learn a thing or two from you.”
Hannah just shot Ryan a secretive smile as they followed Brooke Redding, director of the Wishful Animal Rescue, down the central aisle between kennels as dogs barked, bayed, and whined from all sides. He had no idea how she’d managed to convince Percy to volunteer for dog walking duty, and he’d been standing right there. It was something to do with those big blue eyes and the dimples. He wasn’t exactly immune to that combination himself. Either way, this latest scheme to help him covertly assess Percy’s physical health was a good one.
“—so appreciate y’all coming down. We’re always in need of something down here. Volunteers, supplies, donations. With the holiday season and winter finally getting started, we’re even shorter than usual on all of the above,” Brooke explained. “I’m trying to do a big push to clear out most of the animals before the real cold hits. We aren’t equipped for any serious winter weather.”
Most of the facilities were outside,
under aluminum awnings. Rather than proper walls, a series of tarps were stretched to help block the wind. It wasn’t a bad setup for mild weather, but if they had a freak cold snap below freezing, the rigged space would be seriously problematic. They needed a real building.
“I’ve been running an adoption special to try to encourage people to gift a shelter animal for Christmas,” Brooke continued. “Several of our puppies and kittens have been picked up from that promotion, but that leaves our older animals.”
“Poor babies,” Hannah cooed. “Who’s in need of some love?”
Ryan considered raising his hand.
Brooke stopped in front of a kennel where a mutt that had to be mostly shepherd lay on a raised bed in the corner. “This is Duke.”
He didn’t even lift his head.
“He was surrendered this summer after his owner passed. Her kids didn’t want to take him, so they brought him here. He’s older. About nine years, so people keep skipping over him for younger dogs. Poor guy’s just gotten more and more depressed.”
That was a familiar story. Ryan glanced at Percy to see if the tale upset him at all. His uncle’s face was full of disgust rather than discomfort. He definitely eyed the animal with sympathy.
“Well no wonder.” Hannah crouched in front of the chainlink, curling her fingers through the wire. “Hey Duke. Hey buddy. You want some exercise?” she crooned.
His ears twitched.
“How is he on lead?” she asked.
“A perfect gentleman,” Brooke said. “He’s really well trained, fully housebroken. He just doesn’t get on in a household with multiple pets, so that’s also made him harder to place. Either way, some exercise would do him good.”
“How about it, Percy? You want to take this guy around the yard a bit?”