There were so many homeless animals the weight of it was overwhelming some days. Most days. She shifted the Suburban into park, wishing she’d managed to get here earlier so she could have parked closer.
Booths and tents were already set up and already packed with people displaying banners and tying balloons, anything to draw attention to their spot in the lineup. There were early birds for the festival hanging out at the dog park and joggers on the winding trail.
She tucked her face into the chilly air conditioner blast. Adoption events were always cause for excitement—and nerves. She had a stack of pre-submitted adoption applications. She’d called each applicant’s veterinarian and sent volunteers out for home checks. The adopters understood everyone in the home and other dogs living in the home needed to meet with the new dog. But even so, people let her down. Worse yet, they let the animals down.
People misrepresented themselves. Sometimes they flat-out lied. Even as jaded as she’d become over time, she was still fooled on occasion. The stakes were so high if she made a mistake in misplacing her trust and handing over an animal into the care of the wrong person. That weighed on her mind along with the reality that she had to adopt out animals in order to pull more from overflowing shelters. Damn, she was talking herself into a freaking panic attack that had her longing for a halfway decent chardonnay in her Waterford wineglass.
A tap on the window startled her. She turned down the radio and looked over to find Ray Vega grinning at her, holding up two to-go cups of coffee.
Her craving for wine vanished. Her mouth watered for a million other reasons, not just caffeine or the fact a hot man held the cups. She was touched that someone had thought of her needs this morning. That was heady stuff for a woman who charged through life taking care of others.
Of course there was also that other feeling underneath it all. The one that had shocked the hell out of her at the clinic. She’d hoped it was a fluke then. But as her eyes tracked the lines on his face through the shadow cast by his black felt cowboy hat, she knew that it hadn’t been a fluke. Something about this man drew her in a way that she wasn’t ready to acknowledge.
She opened the door, weariness lifting as she breathed in the scent of java and aftershave. Yum.
“So, Doc, what brings you here this morning?” She pressed the button to open the back hatch and turned off the car. “Don’t you have enough animals of your own?”
He passed her a cup of coffee, walking beside her to the back. “I thought you might need help unloading your crew, and I have about twenty minutes to spare before I head over to Animal Control’s mobile vet unit.”
“You’re volunteering your time to help them again?” Animal Control’s mobile clinic provided discount vaccinations and microchipping in conjunction with the services provided at their main shelter facilty. “Do you charge
any
one?”
“Let me worry about my finances. Suffice it to say, I make enough to cover my coffee habit. Now are we going to unload these dogs or not?”
Was it her imagination or was he standing a hint closer than casual? Her skin tingled and tightened like a building sunburn except it was only nine in the morning. How could she be so tangled up in grief over her husband’s death and so attracted to this man all at once? She was likely being ridiculous, anyway. Ray spent so much time helping at Animal Control’s main shelter, he probably had a thing for the director, who was more his age and certainly pretty, in an edgy way.
Mike’s truck pulled up beside them, and Sierra jumped out of the passenger side. “Hey, Mom, where do you want us to set up the puppy playpens? Morning, Doc Vega.”
Lacey stepped away, feeling a flush of guilt. “We’re the fifth booth from the left. Sierra, do you mind staying by the car with the dogs until we get the last of them unloaded?”
Sierra nodded as Mike hefted the three stacked wire pens—folded flat—from the back of his truck. Nathan turned into the parking lot, driving the General’s fifteen-year-old Cadillac they all called the Barge. She’d debated whether to leave Nathan at home with Joshua, but she felt better having him here in her sights; both of them, actually. Thank goodness Mary Hannah had been willing to ride along. The woman had empathy and organizational skills coming out her ears.
“Nathan,” Lacey called, waving him to the empty spot near their cars.
He whipped the Barge into another nearby spot of his choosing, coming within a hair of scraping the side of a Mercedes. She bit back the urge to correct him in public. He was probably rebelling for her somehow emasculating him by waving him into a parking space while a cute female was in the car. Males could be so irritable about their egos at any age.
“Nathan—”
“Mom,” he sighed, cutting her off before he could possibly know what she’d been about to say. Her sweet baby boy who’d turned into a remote, moody teen a month after Allen deployed again, then became outright surly after his father died, said, “I don’t need any help. Come on, Gramps. Let’s go sit by the water. You can warn me about hookers and condoms.”
Joshua wheezed on a laugh, tugging a bag of old bread off the seat to feed the birds. “I like you, boy.” He called to Lacey. “Give me Trooper. We’ll let him lead the way.”
“Right, sure.” She clipped a leash onto Trooper, the only animal without an
Adopt Me
scarf.
Please Lord, she hoped the dog would behave. She passed him over to her father-in-law and gave her son a bowl to keep full of water for the dog. Her smile went unanswered, but at least she didn’t get a surly comeback. Mary Hannah waved before walking over to help Sierra and Mike. So many people gave of their time to help her rescue. She owed them as well for their support.
A hand squeezed her shoulder and she looked back, straight into Ray’s brown eyes, so dark they were almost black. “Lacey, Ghita’s here, too. I’ll have her check on them while you’re working the event.”
“Thank you.”
“No trouble at all.” His hand fell away and he reached inside to open a crate and snap a leash on a two-year-old Labrador and a five-year-old beagle mix.
A small crowd had gathered at a booth near hers. Normally a good thing. Then she realized the group was none other than Valerie Hammond and her posse, who’d somehow managed to land in the booth next to hers. They were offering free face painting for donations to go toward park beautification. The police officer next to them didn’t reassure her in the least. He was the same cop sent to her door far too often on repeated noise complaints even when she had the whole place as peaceful as a library.
Lacey hitched a heavy bag of paperwork and flyers over her shoulder before heading to her booth. “Good morning, Officer Parker.”
“Morning, ma’am,” the cop answered with a Smoky Mountains twang coating every word.
She wondered if he’d ever stepped out of the state since he was born forty-some-odd years ago. “Is there a problem?”
“Not at all. Just logging some overtime.” His eyes lingered in a way that sent an obvious message.
Had she been remotely ready to date, someone like Officer Parker would at least make for a more logical choice. The cop was handsome in a forty-something way. The gray at his temples communicated “grown up,” which God knows, a forty-something woman appreciated. He was fit, coolheaded even when dealing with the Hammonds of the world and took his job seriously. All of which she admired on an objective level.
But no matter what hot and flirty look he sent her way, Lacey didn’t feel that scary mix of attraction and guilt Ray seemed to inspire.
She didn’t have time to sort through the frustrating direction of her thoughts. Especially not while the Hammonds were busy looking totally innocent and angelic opening up paints and setting up brushes along with a sign promising cute little paw prints for children’s cheeks.
She focused on the task at hand instead. Draping a banner along the front of the table. Setting out flyers and posters. Filling a basket with dog treats. Making a good impression at this event was important for her rescue. Let the animals tell the story, charm the people. They made a far better case for their cause than she ever could.
She directed Mike to set up the wire pens for the puppies and smaller dogs brought by foster moms. Charlotte and Debbie walked larger dogs wearing
Adopt Me
scarves.
Deep breaths. She wasn’t alone. She had help from people who cared.
Even Nathan seemed almost happy today, sitting with his grandfather by the water, tossing bits of bread into the river for ducks. A loudspeaker squawked then launched into a local radio station broadcasting live.
She sipped her coffee and checked her watch. Setup complete with seven minutes to spare before the event officially began.
Ray passed the two dogs to Sierra and Mike. “Gotta head over to the rabies clinic. Good luck to you all.”
Valerie Hammond painted a sample pink paw print on one of her council cohort’s cheeks. “Lacey, dear, I really wish you had a special adoption day to see these dogs so the owned animals wouldn’t have to mingle with yours and catch some kind of shelter bug.”
Lacey gritted her teeth and kept silent, setting down a donation box shaped like a doghouse. She tugged out a roll of doggie waste bags and placed them diplomatically on the corner.
Ray glanced over his shoulder. “If you have any problems today, Mrs. Hammond, be sure to come by to see me.”
Valerie said under her breath, “Probably just trying to drum up business.”
Lacey set her cup down carefully, away from the flyers. “Your problem is with me, Valerie, not him. So let’s save the discussion for the county council meeting rather than tainting this beautiful event.”
Officer Parker stepped between them like a muscle-bound barricade. “Now, now, ladies, I would really hate to land on the front page of the newspaper breaking up a catfight. That could really mess with my image as a badass lawman.”
Sierra scuffed a heel in the grass and mumbled, “Like that wasn’t already tarnished by your fear of a three-pound Chihuahua last time you stopped by on a nuisance call?”
“Now ladies,” Officer Parker drawled, “that was one fierce Chihuahua girl. I’ve learned to listen to a lady, no matter the size.”
Lacey did a double take. Had the cop just winked at her?
The whole world was flipped upside down.
* * *
MIKE FIGURED HE
could skip his daily run since he’d spent the last half hour jogging the energy out of the crazy Labrador he’d agree to escort today. Finally, the dog—Joker—had settled down enough for him to catch his breath.
Sierra and her mom were neck deep in showing off dogs to potential adopters. If even half of those conversations paid off, quite a few of her rescue animals would have new homes.
God, Sierra was unstoppable. Damn near shimmering with energy even after hours in the heat. Her golden hair was twisted in some kind of ropy side ponytail with a few stray strands framing her face. She made jean shorts overalls and a tank top look runway sexy. Keeping his distance was tougher and tougher by the day, but leaving this family when they clearly needed help was out of the question as well.
He tore his eyes off her and checked on her brother on the same park bench where he’d been sitting with his grandpa since they arrived. Did Nathan ever go off and do kid stuff? Another concern when it came to this family.
Swiping the sweat off his forehead, Mike jogged slowly to their bench by the water. “Hey, Nathan? I’ll stay with your grandfather and Trooper for a while. Want to go get everyone something to eat?”
“Uhm, yeah,” Nathan said. “No-brainer.”
Mike fished a couple of twenties out of his wallet. “Sodas and hot dogs for the whole family. That trolley cart with the balloons seems to have the best traffic. And don’t forget your mom and sister.”
Nathan shoved his earbuds in without bothering to answer.
Joshua held the empty bread bag in his hand, watching the ducks. “That boy’s got an attitude problem.”
That boy had a grieving problem, so it was tough to know how hard to push him on the attitude. “He’s a teenager.” Mike sat on the bench, letting Joker have the full length of the leash to go sniff at the water. “I’m sure my grandma said the same thing about me.”
The old man shot him a quick sideways look with blue eyes the same color as Sierra’s. “You’ve got that look to you. Be careful around my girl, you hear me?”
“Uh, yes, sir. I will.”
Trooper ambled toward the Lab with loping-shouldered steps, sniffing in that wary “get to know you, here’s my butt to sniff” way dogs did.
The General scrubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry for my ill behavior around you the other day when I was walking Trooper. You didn’t deserve that.”
He was getting so used to the General’s bad days, a good day when the man’s brain was clicking caught him off guard. “It’s okay, sir. No harm, no foul.”
Joker splashed at the water with both front paws, sending the ducks flapping away to a safer stretch of riverbank. Trooper inched forward to investigate.
“I like walking him.” The General jiggled his end of the leash, and the curious mutt still came trotting back right away. “He always remembers the way home.”
Joshua McDaniel’s blue eyes went watery with unshed tears that made Mike’s gut knot.
“He’s a good dog, sir.”
“The best.” The General cleared his throat and looked away. “Getting much sleep, son?”
Mike had realized about three days ago that “son” didn’t always mean the General was thinking of Allen. He just called all males that since he couldn’t remember names. He’d also learned not to question the abrupt shifts in conversation with the guy. His brain traveled unpredictable paths.
“The studio apartment in the barn is quite comfortable, sir.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Joshua glanced at him, wadding up the bag in his fist.
Not sure where this conversation was going, he said simply, “I don’t need a lot of sleep.”
“Coming back from overseas is tough.”
Ah, now he saw the logic to the man’s questions. The General was definitely all there today, and not in a way that was comfortable for Mike.