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“Get to the point, Lan.”
“Anyway, there’s this woman who works reception part time,and I am interested in dating her. She’s standoffish. Anyway, my friend told meI needed to show off,” Landon explained. “Leave a couple of buttons undone.Maybe show up and need her to help me with something right after a workout.You’re a vet, man. You know how this works. The male has to perform to gain awoman’s interest.”
“Did it work?”
Landon shrugged. “Nah, but it could work for you.”
Grim rolled his eyes and started walking again.
“Nicole watches you when she thinks no one is looking.”Landon rushed to keep up.
“We’re giving her some room to breathe. She’s been through alot. We rushed things.” Space. He was giving her space and time.
The trouble was space and time were starting to feel likeseparation.
In the two weeks since they’d come home, Nicole had movedinto one of the guest rooms in the big house, and he saw her mostly atmealtimes. The last few weeks had been one long slog of work and worry and hopethat he would see her while she was either working in the gardens with Abby orlearning to ride with Jack and Sam.
She was starting a job with Barnes-Fleetwood on Monday. Atleast she would likely drive into work with Josh. Or maybe she would take thebrand-spanking-new Volvo. It had been delivered the week before, and Nicolecontinued to ignore them both.
As long as she took Harlow, they’d decided she was okay, andNicole was taking advantage of the freedom. She and Harlow and Olivia had letAbby and Sam take them all to Dallas for a weekend of shopping, and she’d comeback with clothes and makeup she’d vowed to pay Abby back for.
He’d overheard her talking to Harlow about what she would doif her name was cleared.
Find a place of her own and a new job. Start over.
“She doesn’t look at you like she’s trying to figure youout, man. She looks at you like a kid in a candy store whose mom won’t let hereat any sugar.” Landon opened the door, and they were assaulted by the yelpingbarks of every dog in the place greeting them.
He looked out over the organized space. A few years back theonly shelter had been a couple of cages in the same building that housed thecity’s water and sanitation departments. When he’d come back, he’d led a drivefor a dedicated shelter and adoption center. Well, he’d tried, and when no oneshowed any interest in helping him, his parents had written a massive check,and now the Willow Fork Animal Shelter was part of the community and ran on twoemployees and a whole lot of volunteers. It turned out cute dogs and cats wonout over prejudice most of the time.
Parents. It was natural to think of Jack and Abby and Sam ashis parents now. They’d acted as his parents for a long time, but he’d alwaysmade the distinction in his head. He’d always told himself he was a charitycase.
Something about learning he was in the will had changed therelationship for him.
He wasn’t concerned with the money, but he damn straightwanted the place in the family.
His mom and dads. His. He had a relationship with them thatwent beyond Josh. He had a place even if something ever happened between he andJosh.
He had a home.
“Hey, Grim.” Dakota Smart was all of twenty-two and hadboundless enthusiasm when it came to furry friends. She was one of theshelter’s most active volunteers and often helped him when he was working onsick animals. She would make an excellent vet, but he couldn’t convince her togo to college. “We’ve got a litter of puppies some jerk dropped off. They’rebarely weaned. I think he was breeding and those dogs, well, they’re definitelymutts. He didn’t watch her closely enough and now he’s washed his hands of thewhole thing. The living things that were his responsibility. It kind of remindsme of home.”
Dakota didn’t have the greatest homelife. Her parents hadgotten divorced when she was eight and her mom dated a lot, and not always thebest men. Her father was kind but did not live up to his last name and oftenforgot things like birthdays. He drifted in and out of his daughters’ lives.She had one sister, Cheyenne, who was frequently in trouble.
“Hi.” Landon gave the pretty girl a once-over.
Dakota’s eyes went wide as she took in the ex-sailor. “Hi.”
Good lord. He did not have time for this. He gripped his bagand started down the row of cages. “Are they at the end?”
The end had two big cages for momma dogs and their babies.Too often they found neglected pregnant dogs who needed care.
“Yes, and I’ve already cleaned them all up. They’re inpretty good shape, but I think they miss their mom. At least he didn’t dumpthem. Unlike the little guy in four. I’m worried he’s got a broken leg, but hewon’t let me touch him.” Dakota stopped at a cage that held a small dog whohuddled in the corner, like he could hide from the world.
Grim crouched down and reached into his bag. He always hadsome treats on him. “Hey, boy, you’re okay now. Everything is fine.”
“He’s not eating,” Dakota said, worry on her youthful face.Her blonde hair was back in a ponytail, and she wore a T-shirt emblazoned withthe shelter’s logo.
“He’s scared. He’s in survival mode.” Grim stood and openedthe cage. The dog growled but didn’t look his way. Grim sat at the edge of thecage. “It’s okay, buddy. No one’s going to hurt you here.”
